Apparently the choice of typeface has a lot to do with your audience’s willingness to try this, that or the other. According to Scientific American, subjects in a psychology study were given directions about exercise…
“Those who had read the exercise instructions in an unadorned, accessible typeface were much more open to the prospect of exercising: they believed that the regimen would take less time and that it would feel more fluid and easy. Most important, they were more willing to make exercise part of their day.”
To many, typeface choice in letters or seems like an insignificant detail. This article should help dissuade folks of that notion.
But to take this to another level, I wonder if Comic Sans will tend to make people do things sloppily, or if Impact will make them do them forcefully, or if Futura will make them do them stylistically.
I’m sure you font junkies could go on all day. Feel free to do so in the comments.
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It is funny how these scientists have spent time creating a theory about motivation in relation to accessibility of information, when there is already over 200 years of experience developed through craft to support it, or what is better known as design theory 101. However somehow I think this article would be more successful in converting a skeptic, than a design theory lecture might…
What this article says to me is trust the expertise of your designer, their is a science behind their madness. Thanks for the great resource!
I wonder if this font would tend to make people do things presidentially.
I’ve actually had whole conversations with people about favorite fonts. In public, even. Does that make me a font junkie? Hmmm …
Should I be embarrassed to admit that my husband and I were leaving a bar last night and did actually have a discussion of our favorite fonts after I commented on the font on the sign on the exit door? Mine is Perpetua and I forget what his is–but we both could name them on the spot without skipping a beat. And that’s even after happy hour drinks.
Does this mean we’re junkies or just pathetic nerds?
Maggie, we can form a font junkies support group! Where we’ll spend a lot of time arguing about what font is right for the sign listing our guiding principles …