Tips and tricks from the Font man...

 Turns out, font matters.

I couldn't figure out what I hated about this sign that someone posted downtown Seattle. I love/hated it so much that I kept a picture of it. It certainly pops, but I'm frustrated by it. I never looked up the app online.  Perhaps the red evoked anger. Perhaps it was that looming oxford comma in the subheading. Sure, I'm impressed by the QR code. I fit the criteria since I really like to laugh. But, it's still not for me. 

I suppose Tracy Collins would call this my "red tie" issue. Some will love it. Some will hate it.

I'd love to have Mr. Collins evaluate the red sign. 

He would know the name of the fonts. Heck, he would have a name for each of the lines, curves and holes of each letter. He would speak to the apex, aperture, spur and crossbar. 

He would address the "dogleg" of the continued title. I wonder how he'd feel about the aesthetics of the dead red space. 

Today he gave us a three hour tour through design basics. It was incredible. I feel overwhelmed. In that short time, we got a short history of newspaper design, a walk through pages that he loves and hates, the 10 Commandments of Type, and a critique session looking at some of our own school papers. 

I loved how he dissected a front page of The Arizona Republic, defining terminology used by the staff. He addressed the magazine approach that he approves of.  He has had to disappoint so many artistic design editors who insisted on a 32 degree tilt. 13 is max, kid. Max. He forces a grid and locks the fonts and word counts in InDesign.

We all think we know great design when we see it, but Collins does have a decent corner on page balance and order, font spaces and choices, photo placement and use. 

He gets the kerning and letting. He'd have a snappy comeback for each serif vs. sans-serif type quip.  And as he puts it, "Leave that skanky type for the teenagers."

Stephanie Platter

King's High School

Seattle, Wash.