Not all airport signage is top notch as is the case at Brussels International Airport, where some of the signs are in need of a little maintenance: Now you can imagine my dismay when I noticed the backlit signs above the check-in counters in the Brussels Airport departure hall. They are in Helvetica which already in itself is an incredibly poor choice for signage. It looks like they ... Read full entry

Cool collection of text and typography inspired artwork. Marvellous as always to see helvetica make an appearance as well.

Alexander Charchar reviews Paul Felton's guide, and mis-guide, to all matters typography, "The Ten Commandments of Typography/Type Heresy". As the title suggests, this is a book of ten rules and why they should be obeyed and why they should be broken. For most, it'll serve as a reminder of school days past, something Felton seems to have kept in mind. More than a guide book on typographic basics, Felton ... Read full entry

You can't beat simplicity in design... the use of the Helvetica font family is deemed the use of one of the seven ingredients of good corporate design... A well-proportioned, clean font can make all the difference on a website or even a corporate flyer. Good typography creates that "There's something about that" feeling in people's consciousness. One of the most successful fonts that can be seen everywhere (signs, buildings, ... Read full entry

A photo collection of information signage from a range of international airports. An interesting example of how standardised design can almost be a language in itself. Design high contrast signs to ensure good readability and legibilty of the signage. Colors that work well are a dark background with a light colored text and pictograms. For example a black background with white illuminated lettering will ensure a high contrast which ... Read full entry

Park Lane and Mayfair never looked so good than they did when in Helvetica. A "Helvetica revival" makes no sense to me though. Since when when has Helvetica been so out that it needed reviving?

Sightings of the tenth letter of the alphabet are becoming farer and fewer between if this Typophile discussion is anything to go by: I've noticed that the letter J is rarely used these days. Do you think I should bother including a J in my fonts or can I just leave it out? Clearly this some sort of joke, has this guy never heard of, wait for it, the ... Read full entry

Depending on your web browser, and the system fonts on your computer, the text you are reading on disassociated should mainly render as Helvetica. But has this Rolls Royce of fonts, and the appeal of its "cold, almost clinical modernity", made Helvetica too popular for its own good? Surely not, but should you wish to consider some alternatives to this classic, The FontFeed has some great suggestions. Helvetica, with its ... Read full entry

Font and typography appreciators, here is a new resource for you: The FontFeed. The FontFeed once existed in a different form at FontShop.com with posts by Stephen Coles, but now combines the insightful voices of prominent design writer Jürgen Siebert and typography expert Yves Peters, with occasional contributions from Herr Spiekermann himself. And what would a font resource be without a discussion about the differences between fonts and typefaces?

It's a little like someone applying for a web design role who has no idea what web standards are, or even how to hand code web documents... If you are applying to make coffee for someone, how you format your résumé probably doesn't matter. If you are applying to assist a so-called art director, however, even one who refers to herself as "so-called," I suggest that you put a ... Read full entry