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Subject:Re: cross-cultural study on typefaces/fonts From:John Garison <john -at- garisons -dot- com> To:hokumhome -at- freehomepage -dot- com Date:Tue, 20 Mar 2007 11:56:25 -0500
I don't have what you're looking for, but I do believe that there is a
definite connection and offer these anecdotes for your consideration:
Years (20+) ago there was a great early computer/printing store in
Harvard Square (Cambridge, MA for those not on the east coast US). They
had a great series of posters that displayed words like TRUST,
COMFORTABLE, RELAXED, etc. all in different type faces. It really worked
to get the idea across that different fonts conveyed different emotions.
I recall getting a photocopy of them and might have it someplace ...
A few years later a friend showed me his new business card for the
consulting business he had just founded. I said it looked really
excellent. He said that he had used the same type face that is used to
print US currency ... He made a significant profit his first year;
whether there's a connection between that and his card's font, I don't know.
But that and your message made me wonder: would a business card printed
with the type used in US money have the same feeling/effect someplace else?
My 2¢,
John G
Sean Hower wrote:
> Hi gang.
>
> So, I was busy digesting some piece of information about the way a particular font made people feel, the emotions that it evoked. It got me wondering whether such reactions were learned or if the design was tapping into some subconscious perception. Which, then in turn, got me wondering whether a particular typeface/font would trigger the same reactions across cultures. I'm not talking about perceiving something to be easier to read. I'm talking about pure emotional reactions such as "When I see that font, I think elegance" or "When I see that font, I think of authority." This then got me thinking about what it is about a particular typeface that evokes these reactions......is it the line height, the weight, the style of serif? It would be easy to say it's a combination of all three, but what is it, individually, that creates these reactions?
>
> So, has anyone come across a book or study that examines this sort of thing. Something along the lines of psychology of colors but for typefaces/fonts? Has anyone run into any cross-cultural studies that examined the emotions that fonts evoked? A comparative study would be great.
>
> This isn't for any particular job; it's just for my own interest.
>
> Thanks.
>
>
>
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