Visual Voice

Wow! Who would have thought that a little column about serifs would spark such an entertaining debate in the feedback area.

Picking up on the personality issue that I talked about last week, I want to be very clear and say that I firmly believe content is queen. Written and visual journalism are different forms of the same thing: content. They are interdependent.

I also want to be clear when I say typography helps determine the personality of a publication. It's just one small element of a much bigger picture. It's the visual journalist's responsibility to understand such nuances as typography, elements that escape the awareness of most readers.

If the body text in a publication is getting clogged up with ink on the press or it's too small to read online, readers will respond with readability complaints. Most readers would not realize - or care -, that the counters in a particular typeface are too small and might be causing the problem. They only know that reading it is giving them a headache.

Sometimes readers complain about such aches and pains even when nothing has changed. That was the case with the recent The Miami Herald redesign. The body copy didn't change, but some readers complained that the type had gotten harder to read anyway.

So let's see what kind of firestorm we might ignite with a discussion about sans serif typography.

The words "sans serif" mean without serifs. Serifs are the small strokes added to the main stokes of a letterform. See last week's column about serifs.

Sans serif typography has an interesting history. Although the history of the sans serif letterform can be traced back to early Greek inscriptions, it wasn't widely used until the 20th century. It was dubbed "grotesque" because it was seen as too exotic and controversial.

The rise in popularity of sans serif faces in the 1920s was due in part to the philosophy of Bauhaus designers of "form follows function," and "less is more." This was partially a response to the rise in technology and industrial manufacturing.

A common characteristic of sans serif typeface is the uniform weight of strokes with little contrast of thick and thin. Letters are stripped of decoration. Clean lines and architectural quality give sans serif type a modern, no-nonsense personality. And it's generally seen as being more youthful than serif typefaces. But always refer back to the story and tone of the publication when choosing a typeface.

In print, sans serif is most readable in shorter lines of text, and small paragraphs. Cutlines, briefs, promos, refers, agate, and info boxes are all good candidates for a sans serif typeface. Sans serif type is often used alone or in combination with serif type in headlines. Because it makes a bold statement, I find it works well for top stories, big breaking news stories, entertainment and other features, and sports design.

Helvetica, Univers, Futura, Franklin Gothic, and Gill Sans are all classic sans serif faces. Within each family are many different styles, from light to bold, to expanded and ultra condensed. And each variation has a little different personality.

Know the classics, but explore other fonts as well to find a style that fits your publication's personality. Most good sans serif faces are interpretations of classic typefaces. They have been redrawn for improved legibility and modern styling. But choose something that will age well.

Some of my favorites are: Gotham, Benton Gothic, Agenda, and Interstate.

How have you used sans serif typefaces in interesting or innovative ways? And, what drives you to make the decision to use a serif or sans serif typeface?

More type resources:
• Typographica. A typography weblog.

• Newspaper readability type series (pdf).

• Typography: Less is More, by Ron Reason

Related Poynter Seminar:
Design with Type: Print and Online
Jan. 25-28, 2004
Experts from a variety of media, including newspapers, magazines, book publishing, and Web design will present case studies and discuss their most successful approaches to typography in this three-day conference. You'll learn to think intelligently and creatively about using typography to reflect content. Special attention will be paid to legibility on the Web and future applications of typography.