I’ve always been a fan of letterpress printing, and recently it has become popular again. Despite my normal refined design style, I very much like the inconsistent “surprises” and “imperfections” the method creates. I also like the effects of layering different block designs and inking techniques.

As a fan of wood type and letterpress, the Hamilton Wood Type Museum in Two Rivers, Wisconsin is a place I’ve wanted to visit since it opened in 1999. This past December, it hosted its first-ever hands on letterpress workshop — in conjunction with four individuals from Hatch Show Print in Nashville, Tennessee. Jim Sherraden of Hatch conducted the event with assistance from Jim Moran of the Hamilton Museum.

The weekend-long event not only allowed participants to use some of the wood type specimens of Hamilton, but some of the famous wood and titanium art blocks from the Hatch archives, too. After a quick “letterpress 101″ overview, we were allowed to play and make prints over the duration of the weekend. My co-worker Nicole Kouldelka and I produced dozens of pieces including these:

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These days, it seems as if everyone provides lists; they usually top out at 10, but this one goes to 11.

Props to Nigel Tufnel.

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You can’t overestimate or overvalue typography’s importance, in print or on-screen. Choosing a typeface for print and then translating it to the Web can be especially tough. Here at Go East (and at other agencies) designers have thousands of typefaces to choose from for print, but only a limited number of typefaces — or fonts, as they are sometimes mistakenly called  — are designed specifically for on-screen use. These are known as Web-safe typefaces. InspirationBit does a good job describing Web faces and their origins. Surprisingly, only 16 are considered safe!
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Whether you are writing in blood or regular type, don’t forget: You must purchase fonts and license typefaces. The process is similar to purchasing stock imagery, and can get tricky. For example, agencies like Go East can buy various types of licenses. The licenses listed by Fonts.com include the standard end-user license, an extended multi-user license, and a Web server license, as well as other commercial licenses. The one to purchase depends on the number of users and how the font will be used. Most sites that offer fonts have roughly the same types of licenses, but the cost of fonts can differ widely. In fact, price tags can range from free to thousands of dollars, depending on the font, how it will be used and how many people will use it.

So have fun with your typography, but don’t forget to lock your door … Oh, I mean, don’t forget to lock up your licensing.

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Typography exists to honor content.

When you tell a story, you don’t cast your eyes downward, speak in a monotone voice and keep your hands and arms stiff by your sides. To engage your listeners and retain their attention, you change the speed and volume of your voice and you gesture.

So it is in a layout. Writing matters; however, typography is an equally important piece that helps reinforce the message. Good typography helps the reader move beyond the words and into the meaning. Good typography engages readers and helps them understand the information (and its importance).

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Be careful not to use the word “font” when referring to a typeface. Fonts and typefaces are different things. Designers choose typefaces for communications pieces; fonts are the electronic files that make typefaces work on a computer. (A font’s sole function is to enable the electronic, visual representation of a typeface.)

Asking a designer to “make the font bigger” when you want the type to be larger is like asking someone to make a stereo speaker bigger, when you actually want the volume to be louder.

Example of a font

Example of a typeface during the design phase

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See the difference. Thanks to the ragbag!

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Our responses to typography are just as subjective as our responses to color or music. While one person finds a particular typeface beautiful, another may wonder, “You think that’s beautiful? Why?” Some typefaces seem to live on forever and always have a place in design (think Helvetica) and others should have been abandoned years ago (pick your favorite over-used typeface).

My top-10 list — and the fonts are arranged alphabetically, not in order of preference — is based solely on how I feel at this moment. Ask me tomorrow and I may say, “Ugh; what was I thinking?”

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