I love typography.

I think I haven't spoken about this topic so far but nevertheless this is something that I really like: typography. I find it absolutely fascinating to see different kinds of lettertypes being used in different kinds of media, like brochures, books, magazines but also online usage. I am neither talented enough nor have I the patience to design a lettertype myself (though it would be something that I find interesting) but reading about how famous lettertypes have been designed is very interesting. There are very creative people out there who have developped the most fascinating lettertypes. I don't always like those typefaces (sometimes they are so artistic that I cannot even read them anymore - but that's of course the purpose of a letter so I think that's more art than useable lettertype) but very often there are beautiful examples used for the most diverse purposes. As a child, in the pre-computer era, I loved to draw different lettertypes and "design" posters and stuff using different typefaces. That of course looked very unprofessional but with the introduction of computers and the different kinds of desktop publishing software this became faster, easier and looked more professional. Now the occasional letters and other print matters I create really look nice. Of course I have one favorite lettertype, or more actually... I wonder if my choice for a specific typeface says something about me... probably it does, I just wonder what... :-D Anyway, one of my favorites is the Lufthansa lettertype which is a special variation of the famous Helvetica lettertype, especially designed for the airline. It's a plain and clear lettertype which I prefer in general.

There are even books that deal only with the different kinds of lettertypes and present the types and their practical usage. Of course one of the blogs I read is about typography and of course it's called I love typography. They regularly publish wonderful photos and examples about the often interesting, sometimes beautiful application of lettertypes. Have a look at the blog and look what beautiful things can be done with simple letters, it's amazing. I just wish I had more knowledge and expertise to properly use the many different lettertypes that I managed to collect on my computer. Often enough, on the rare occasion that I can design something that involves lettertypes, I tend to use my preferred types in very traditional ways due to the lack of my design knowlege. Oh well, I still enjoy that creative side of me every once in a while. Usually it's only me or Jelle or some family or friends who get to see the results, seldom a "wider" audience when I create some slides for my work (to be used as a screensaver for our workstations) and very rarely I use it in creating photos for flickr.