Those Designers Sure Take Themselves Seriously
March 1, 2009 at 9:23 pm Tina Hay 4 comments
We editors have a tendency to notice typos everywhere. I remember when we were interviewing Chas Brua for our copy-editor position many years ago, he mentioned that he has a tendency to edit road signs and restaurant menus—a comment that told us he was our man. Well, it turns out that designers notice things, too.
I was in the Savannah-Hilton Head area over the weekend to speak to the Alumni Association’s Lowcountry Chapter, and one of the first things I noticed upon getting to my hotel was this sign in the parking garage elevator. Savannah is home to the Savannah College of Art and Design, and one of their students apparently took umbrage with the choice of font here.
Tina Hay, editor
Entry filed under: Alumni Association, The Penn Stater magazine. Tags: Chas Brua, Hilton Head, Lowcountry Chapter, Savannah, Savannah College of Art and Design, SCAD.
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1. R Thomas Berner | March 2, 2009 at 9:28 am
I do the same thing with the ads submitted to our development’s newsletter. The submitters “design” their own ads without any sense of typography, using not only sans serif faces but tiny type that we senior citizens have a hard time reading. Of course, they use tiny type because they’re trying to squeeze War and Peace into a 3.5×2-inch ad. So that’s another problem: They don’t understand how to create a good ad.
BTW, I’m not convinced the critic of the above sign is correct. It’s a display sign, not body copy so sans serif is acceptable. (I myself would not use Comic Sans, but that’s me.)
2. Mike | March 2, 2009 at 2:41 pm
Just passing by.Btw, you website have great content!
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3. Mary Ann Whitley | March 4, 2009 at 1:52 pm
Hi, Tina,
Just wanted to say my husband and I both enjoyed your column on your kitty Harry in the recent Penn Stater. We also have an unusual tabby, named Chessie, who isn’t afraid of loud noises or people. I think it’s because she was born in my friend’s barn while workers were putting on an addition and running power saws, etc. Anyway, that was a very sweet essay about Harry! We stopped in Happy Valley briefly this past summer on the way back from a trip to Baltimore and Gettysburg. Stopped in Bellefonte to visit with my former boss and longtime Penn Stater editor Donna Clemson. Had a real nice visit, then of course we had to stop at the Creamery and bring home ice cream and stickies to Cleveland. People love the ice cream so much my boss would almost give me time off just to drive to State College and get some! I always take a half-gallon or two into work when I’ve been to the Creamery. Take care!
4. Carole | March 5, 2009 at 10:09 am
I don’t understand the backlash about comic sans. Why the font hate?