What makes an ad, website or billboard catch your eye? For some it may be the use of color, photography or style of illustration, for me it has always been type fonts. I love the way a font is able to convey a message from the styling of the type to the weight of the font – it all works to evoke a feeling.

Fonts are tools we use to send a message. It can actually make me happy to see type that does more than convey a message but becomes art. And, in the same sense, I can get crazed by a poor use (whether font choice, kerning, spacing or bad line breaks) and it can actually make me yell at billboard or log off a website.

So, when I read a recent post on the Communication Arts site which asked the question “Is it wrong for designers to have a favorite font?” it made me think. Do I have a favorite font? Yes, of course I do, I have many and I use them often. While some may cringe, I have always loved Avant Garde in all its forms. The full round “O” actually makes me happy. And although those favorites have changed over the years – just as my taste in clothes or cars have changed – I still love and remember them because, like clothing, they represent a part of my design history and the memories that are associated with a time.

I agree with the author Jeremiah Shoaf when he says, “A typeface is more than a tool to complete a task — it’s a highly subjective form of communication and can even be considered an object of beauty.”

For me, fonts are tools, but also art. I really do appreciate type in all its forms. And I appreciate the designers who create it.

Do you have a favorite font or have you seen something that shows the use of type in a creative way? Share your thoughts below or share some examples on our Facebook page.