O Typeface, Where Art Thou?

5 typefaces. Surrounding us in our natural habitat, there are many fonts and typefaces, all clawing at the eyeballs. So here's 5 that caught my attention and why.



From a metal band i used to listen to when i were but a lad. There's something quite angular and sharp about it, yet somehow rather flowing. The lowercase is an interesting style for a metal band - most are bold and capital - but not this one. Very gothic, with most of the fluff removed.



I've always loved this typeface, as much for the way its used as for the actual typeface. It's big, its block, and there's really nothing spectacular about it, but it totally dominates the page, and the small italics on the central bar of the E's make a big difference in transforming the letters into something more than just a plain old bold font. More often than not, as on this issue, the colour makes a massive difference and it's usually gold or something just as striking. it completely hogs the top half of the page, with any other text reduced so small its almost unnoticeable.



Addidas. This is a masterful piece of design (in my humble opinion) due to its grand simplicity. Along with the "Three Stripe" branding, its the sports interpretation of German efficiency. Its just circles, with some lines. Its so simple. It does help that the name has 2 a's and 3 d's, all containing massive counters and stems. It really is just block circles and lines, but thats what makes it so brilliant, its no more than is needed. One thing I've noticed recently, over the past 3 years or so, is how many/most brands/stores who's name was previously in capitals (left over from the nineties "give me attention!" phase) all downgraded to completely lowercase. For example JJB is now jjb, REEBOK became rbk, MITRE to mitre, etc. Presumably to give a more sophisticated, contemporary appearance. Addidas, however, has always been this way. Germans hey. Psh!



One of my favourite bands, who continue to take massive leaps in their music and their logo and band signature change with each record that comes out, this being the latest (style, though the colours and decoration have been added by someone else).
Simple, sharp but enough to stand it out, Linkin Park's fonts have always been designed so the letters interact with each other to make it look like one whole rather than individual letters or words. This particular font is very modern and contemporary, mirroring the style their music has developed.