Typefaces du jour

Typefaces, like music, come and go.  Some rise to the level of classic, and become ubiquitous (not necessarily in that order).  Others are seen for a while and reappear from time to time.

Given the number of conversations (with our clients) that have taken place in the last few weeks regarding the role of typography in brand development, I offer these fine typeface suggestions as examples of excellent choices for inclusion as part of the brand development:

Vista Sans (Emigre): a broad range and robust san serif, by Xavier Dupré.  It has the traditional "E," not the semi-cursive "E" popular in many Emigre typefaces.  Xavier is a fine type designer, an overview of his work is available on Fontshop.com

FF Profile (Fontshop) by Martin Wenzel.  Another san serif with a wide weight range, and a traditional style italic. (note the italic "a.")

Apex (Village) by chester.  A 6-weight san serif, has a "square" feel to it.  Most likely our choice for the new BS&Co identity.  Lighter weights will require tracking to close up the letterspacing.

One thing I have noticed is that many contemporary sans serifs, in the light, book and regular weights, often require negative letterspacing for my tastes.

We've used these three typefaces extensively in recent projects, and all have performed well.  Avoid temptation, license legally, and enjoy your new typefaces.

Tags: branding, typography