1. Garamond (serif / classic / smart) 2. Bodoni (serif / „premium“ / elegant) 3. Century Expanded (serif / readable!) 4. Futura (sans-serif / geometric / functional) 5. Times New Roman ... ... no comment :D 6. Helvetica (sans-serif / often used) Hope I could save you some time! Give this comment a like if I helped you. Otherwise great video and thank you!
They say Times New Roman is so boring that you start to find the content written in it interesting. There can't be a better compliment for a newspaper font
When something is overused people start to dislike it and look for different aesthetics. All the classic Microsoft fonts were used for over 20 years on websites, all kinds of office documents in the press, books, manuals, booklets, advertisment, banner, billboards... They just became generic and boring.
I think the point here isn't so much "NEVER use any fonts but these 6" but more an encouragement to designers who may be creatively paralyzed by the thousands of choices out there, as if to say "with a little discipline, look at the amazing variety of looks that can be achieved with only these 6 great faces!" Limited choices can be an incredible accelerant of creativity.
maybe it can work if you're creatively paralized, especially if you're just exercising, but for everybody else you just can't use a few fonts, sometimes even the slightest variation can cause a lot of difference, plus it's a good thing to be updated on the latest fonts, trends, etc. I'm sure there are fonts suitable for a lot of things... but not for all of them
Get yourself the entire Gotham family. You wanna talk about an overused font, but I still love the shit outta that. Whoever designed that should get the nobel prize in font design.
I don't agree with the notion that anyone should stick to only these 6 for their whole life, but it's good to know which fonts are versatile, reader-friendly, and generally well-liked. I think a bit of variety every once in a while goes a long way and can make a distinct impression. If I see a logo with a totally unique typeface, it tends to stick in my mind for a good while.
Absolutely disagree with this. If people only used 6 fonts, everything would look the same; no variety, no ever-growing font face creating community, and it would take away a huge element that contributes to design.
If everyone used these 6 fonts, with no customizations in illustrator to their established brand/logo, then we'd have a problem. Almost every single time a modern brand uses these fonts in their logos and ads, it's going to be altered to give it a more personal look/flare. So I definitely agree with you, to a point. "Futr" actually has a list of 26 fonts, I think that's closer to a realistic number.
@@zerobambiro As much of a meme comic sans is to designers, it has a very practical use (i.e. Go-to font for dyslexic people). It was also a very attractive font for kids (i know it was for me :D)
Enough of a statement to make any typographer and type designer's blood boil, lol. I admire Vignelli's work, and his ideals are certainly interesting, but ultimately extremely detached from reality and human emotion. Designers should not use modernism as The Bible of Good Design.
This dude is just repeating something some guy said ages ago ... it reminded me of Gates saying 640kb as enough for everyone. So obviously he has no idea, maybe he only gets his fonts on those free sites. YT is full of guys like this. No clue
I think people who [stay] with this thinking are detached as you say, but it’s a useful foundation. If one masters these examples (with some additions, hey Lubalin Graph 🙋🏾♂️), it’s safe to say they could typeset anything IMO
@@masonthompson3284 Yeah, I guess that's fair. But still there are much better ways to express that idea than being against the use of any other font just for the sake of it. A better example on how to approach type for a beginner is given by Erik Spiekermann in this video th-cam.com/video/LG5vMqW_BmE/w-d-xo.html You can tell the difference between idealism and true design.
Worth mentioning a couple fixed-width fonts for when you need to typeset code and stuff: 1. Consolas (Windows terminal font) 2. SF Mono (Mac terminal font) 3. Ubuntu Mono (Ubuntu terminal font) 4. Fira Code (Lot's of great developer-oriented ligatures!) Reply with some more if you know.
For programming, command line and plain text editing, my first option is JetBrains Mono. I had been using Liberation Mono before, which is also a pretty good option, but I find the JetBrains Mono font to be more readable when I forget my glasses.
Just some clarification for those newbie designers watching: 1) Vignelli's first name is pronounced MAHsimmo, not muhSEEmo; 2) Giambattista Bodoni was Italian, not French (although he was certainly inspired by French typography); 3) at 3:41, you're moving into sans serif fonts from serif fonts, not the other way around as stated.
My uncle too that is professor of Fine Arts at university told me Bodoni is his favorite typeface, and consider it one of the most beautiful ever... And I can swear he had a look across all sorts of ancient and modern documents.
I am a graphic designer for 15+ years, and basicly use 2-3 types of fonts. One of this fonts is Helvetica (Neue). Sometimes i use something special, but it is not necesary. I believe in the elegance of simplicity.
afaik it was used in New York Times. They wanted a narrow font so that more content can fit on one page. There is also the legend that a typographer went to them and complained so they took his font (Times)... too lazy to google the details now! XD
I am not a connoisseur of font selection, but it's interesting how many of these are fonts that I have preferred to use. My own "favorites" list includes Palatino, and then some specialized fonts for programmers/coding, and a few fonts which were designed to work better for people with dyslexia. (I have a few friends with dyslexia and they do tell me those fonts are easier to read). Out of your list the only one I've never used is Century Expanded. Back in the 1990's I got somewhat obsessed with the variety of fonts available, and for awhile I must have had at least 80-100 fonts on my computers. But after awhile I realized that all that meant was that I spent a lot of time deciding which font would be "Perfect™" for some document, only to find that 95% of the time I ended up with one out of just a dozen different fonts.
I took a graphics course as part of my journalism minor back in ‘72. I enjoyed it so much I took the second level course as an elective. By the end I could find my way around a California job case quite well. Hand setting type was tedious but fun. Our instructor even fired up an already ancient Linotype and let us try it. ETAOIN SHRDLU forever!
This is exactly what I always have believed in. There's nothing better than classic and timless fonts. Sometimes it might also be a good idea though to add an additional modern font in a smaller size as a contrast. This is why the designs of the most famous fragrance boxes look stunning and inspiring.
Don't get that at all. To me, having everything in the same few fonts just makes the whole world seem bland and "all the same." To each his own I guess but I find myself in vehement opposition to the whole concept presented here.
I love the existence of tens of millions fonts. I disagree with the backlash by stuffy old narrow minded designers no matter how successful they were. That’s kinda like saying you can only use acoustic piano, Rhodes and Wurlitzer sounds on keyboards. Variety is the spice of life, please take your rules and break them!
Yeah - I think the lack of creative font choices is really cutting into the personality of modern design. Compare the new Street Fighter logo to the earlier ones, for instance, or the current iteration of the Pepsi logo.
Agree with you entirely. Font choice is just another set of flavors. Another set of colors. To say only use X number... meh. I also find the idea of just using the ones most people see when they open a generic word document appalling for graphic design! Using Helvetica or Garamond to me when I see it in graphic projects just says "Yeah, I didn't even TRY".
This is such an awesome and useful video! Thank you for taking the time to create it. You've saved me so much time regarding picking the "right" font for various projects.
Your point, that designers only need use a handful of classic fonts, is well taken. Beyond that, this video is of little help as it's riddled with errors (btw, Bodoni was an Italian, not French).
Futura is so classy that I've seen it on TV network news for screen captions. And Kubrick used it for a preamble statement at the start of his movie Dr. Strangelove.
Short and sweet. My eyes usually glaze over when I watch design videos to the point I forget why I clicked on them. Your's is great and I appreciate your info.
Who can argue with a master like Vignelli. And while I agree with the sentiment of the idea of only using 6 primary fonts, I believe any hard and fast 'rules' leads to the stifling of creativity. Maybe the better phrasing would be "Start with these 6 fonts".
I am pretty sure the quintessentially French font here is Garamond. Mr. G. Bodoni was Italian, elaborated his namesake typeface in Parma, Italy, and, though he drew inspiration from some fine English and French specimens, he definitely created something new. Not the most legible font there is as far as body text is concerned, but for headlines and logos, my goodness is it cool.
Maybe for ad or display text, but surely you recognize that for pure text, such as books and magazine articles, you simply have to have a decent serif font. Research has proven that for reading text, serif fonts cause less fatique and are more recognizable in less time. I invariably set up a semi-serif or serif font, wherever possible, on every device I come across, because for me it just makes for much more pleasant and effortless reading.
Im still studying and learning, so take my opinion with a grain of salt :p I absolutely love the ideal, not that there are a nr of fonts that should remain after all others are trashed, but that there are baselines in styling and function that could very much be these fonts. HOWEVER... and this is me personaly but im sure alot of people relate, I dont just look at fonts as funtional and aestetic, I look at fonts as sensory and emotional representations of language (im neurodivergent and am obsessed with anything that has a sensorial impact so i might be biased) and there are few things that make me more excited than a font (and a layout) that creates a feeling in me. With this ideal the potential for fonts that are almost outrageously diferent and exciting can be limited. All that being said, before you break the "rules" you must learn them, and thats why i feel like this concept is so important, so even tho i dont agree with this fully, i appreciate it and can learn from it. Thank you for putting helpfull info out there in an interesting fashion.
The problem I have with this list of fonts is there are no hand written fonts for a more personal feel, bold/gothic fonts for a big city look, or a mono space/computer like font for a more high tech/technical look.
Though I do agree that this list is very limited, I have a different opinion. What I like to do is use the fonts that I'm familiar with (Helvetica, Metropolis, Cinzel and Bodoni are my faves) as a starting point and push them to work with the industry you're aiming for. Round the caps, flatten curves, connect the serifs or add flourishes, etc. Handwritten fonts are cool and hard to replicate, but I get bored by them very quickly. Logo's or designs that are actually handwritten are my way to go for a personal style.
I found this an interesting and useful video. The six or eight basic fonts I agree with as a starting point but not to trash the rest. For example, I noticed no Script Typefaces were mentioned that are meant to simulate handwriting. Also, an array of other fonts need to be considered such as Univers, Gill Sans, Commercial Script, Formal Script, Bodini, Clarendon, Plantin, Cooper Black, not to mention fonts that are condensed, extended and wide. All fonts need to be well designed by professional designers with love and understanding of typography and ultimately need to look at a typeface and what projects they are best suited for and visa versa. Typography is a huge and fascinating topic so choose the right typeface for the right project to communicate the best message.
You are taking Massimo’s comment out of context. He was saying there would be lots of really poor typefaces flooding the market which is true, but there have also been dozens of amazing typefaces created in the last few decades that should all be used en masse. Six is not enough. I’d say get a collection of 30 of the best and you’ll be good.
Oswald is nice enough, but it lacks a true italic. That makes it completely useless for serious typesetting. I used to produce legal briefs for filing in Courts of Appeal, and I would NEVER use a font that didn't have a genuine italic and bold typeface. My go -to for this purpose was Palatino Linotype, which is very similar (nearly identical) to Book Antiqua.
That money factor … another reason so many fonts exist is because all of those are proprietary. Sure, make your money on a typeface, but eventually … give it to the world. Another reason: folks like variety. Crimson Text, for example is a favorite of mine. Why? Subtle nuance of a difference.
Nice video but the problem i see here is that the list is outdated or not suitable for screen design. Maybe some web guru should do a list with the six fonts evey web designer needs! Like Open Sans, Roboto Serif etc.!
I generally agree with the idea that we don't need thousands of fonts, but the quote comes from a long time ago. Times have changed. Indeed the font that 'The Times' uses has changed about seven times! Typeface design has evolved alongside technology and taste. Many modern fonts and logos use "updated" versions of the old classics.
Don't listen to this guy please, these are many great new independent type foundries that offer great fonts. Like Dinamo, Grilli, Optimo, OPS Type, OrType, Soft Machine, Bureau Brut, Approx, Klim, Lineto and many more. They offer high quality and distinct typefaces. Do NOT use Bodoni, Century or Futura ever and don't limit yourself when you're starting out. If you want to stick to a small library use these instead; Neue Haas Grotesk / Univers / Bradford / Heldane / Portrait / Founders / Unica /
I am a big Garamond-enjoyer. I used it for papers in grad school, then my resume, now for Syllabi. I also like Palatino and Optima - they feel like "textbook" fonts. I wouldn't call Bodoni "elegant." More like "hoity-toity." Elitist. Chic. Vogue (appropriately).
One might say, if you can not make a great design using only any of these fonts, you are not a good designer, or even a designer. Limitations is one of the best ways to become great at a skill such as design. Helvetica is my all time favorite.
Good Morning Flux In reference with your other Video "How to Choose the Right Font" and this one I found your content simplified and structured for a newbie to do my own Logo without pennies just to get started. You do have an excellence in introducing a newbie into your subject expertise with ease to learn and take action. All the Best with you
- Garamond is used in book typeface, was used in the old Google logo and has the smart feel - Bodoni An antique French font, many very *fancy* brands like Vogue use it/version of it, use for elegant, premium, & sexy - Century Expanded is less modern but extremely legible, the Supreme Court uses it exclusively - Futura is a very geometrical, rational, and versatile it’s used in the logos for Supreme, Red Bull, Omega, Gillette, Discover, Cisco, Calvin Klein, Avon and even Dominos - Times Roman was commissioned by and for the Times magazine, very popular and classic - Helvetica is ultra versatile, has its own documentary! My graphic design teachers favorite font lol, and is used in the logos for BMW, Jeep, JCPenny, Kawasaki, Oral B, & Toyota!
When was "Garamond" ever used in the Google logo? Bodoni, the man as well as the eponymous typeface, are Italian. The typeface is from around 1800. Do you call that "antique"? Neither Times Roman nor Times New Roman (different typefaces) were commissioned "by and for the Time Magazine". Helvetica is "ultra versatile"? What does that even mean?
Century Expanded is also known as Century Schoolbook. It is my favorite type-font. It was used in the newspaper articles in the Daily News in New York. I obtained many of the six fonts you showed from a disk with the Canon color laser printer in the year 2002. I am very interested in printer fonts and I use them frequently when I am on my computer, whether I am printing on paper or not. Your comments and suggestions make absolute sense. You just got another "like" from me.
Century Expanded is a predecessor to Century Schoolbook. 1905 compared to 1919, but both designed by Morris Fuller Benton. Wikipedia says that Schoolbook was commissioned by Ginn & Co. specifically for textbooks.
@@majkus I will never be too old that I cannot learn something new. I have been interested in printer fonts since I graduated from high school in 1971.The first time I discovered Century Schoolbook was when I saw old issues of the Daily News newspaper published in New York. That printer font attracted me, and it became my favorite. Thank you for typing to me!
Ugh. To each his own. Century reminds me of Dick and Jane, as it is the font usually used for books for little kids. I think it's just ugly, period. But, obviously, not everyone agrees.
@@oldionus Your comment holds a weight of truth. I remember some textbooks for [public] school contained Century Schoolbook font. Today, we may mention that the characters size was 16-point type. I forgot about that thing as I left elementary school in 1965. I miss many of the old printer fonts that Microsoft does not carry in its font list. Thank you for typing to me.
Ran, I meant to comment on this so long ago, and I let it slip by. I know that a lot of successful designers will jump on this bandwagon about fonts, and I feel like it is just not accurate. I 100% believe that when you are developing and learning, yes, stick to a couple of fonts to really have a solid base to build on., we know that certain fonts for body copy just work. Helvetica Now, DIN, Garamond. All good. With the state of design today, companies trying to do everything cheaper and faster, wanting to use templates for everything. So much is simply being homogenized into nothing. Same sites, different pictures. You look at some companies, they just float in a sea of mediocrity at best. So, locking ourselves into any "all you need" anything is adding to that homogenizing of everything. What a larger set of fonts allows is PERSONALITY. Nothing takes away from good education and understanding of typography at all. You don't use every font in your library on every project, but we as designers have a job to do. Solve problems. How we solve problems is what we bring to the table, and part of that I feel, is with communication and personality for the brand. Every brand should have personality. What is their "secret sauce", what sets them apart from every other brand out there? That is what we as designers use our skills to do. Craft and create that sauce for the client. We want our clients to stand out, succeed, and flourish in their sector. They do well, we do well. Good work leads to more good work. Mediocrity leads to more mediocrity. Where do you want to position yourself in that equation. So rather than telling people that look up to you and other designers out there, we should not limit them. We should help them learn better ways to work. Why basic knowledge to start with is important, but, limiting things is the last thing we need today. We should be teaching original design and thought, creative solutions, and PERSONALITY. So saying something as simple as "designers only need these 6 fonts. Trash the rest." is helping to limit creative expression on such a deep level that I don't think people think about. These are things we should be discussing as a community, rather than throwing down blanket ideas that just are not working to grow creatively for anyone. Food for thought.
I disagree so so so much. It’s like saying you should only use 6 colors. A custom typeface can bring so much to a brand and its visual identity. For example: Burger King, how cool is that? Couldn’t have done it with Helvetica or Futura. With this video you discredit type designers’ work and it looks like you don’t know enough about the subject. Educate yourself in type design before creating a video that discredits this profession. Other examples : Google, Uber, Spotify... their custom typefaces really set them apart from other brands.
@@zerobambiro What kind of argument is this, even if he has/doesn't have any works to show doesn't mean he is/isn't right. It has nothing to do with what he said
I agree with Pouncedd, even though I do have work to show and I do create typefaces, and I would like to add something : A typeface is only a set of shapes that represent our alphabet. Why would we limit ourselves to only a few shapes to translate a brand's message? For instance, a rounder typeface will communicate a different message than one with straight edges, just like round buttons on a website communicate a different message than one with straight edges. So if we have to limit oursleves to only 6 typefaces, do we have to limit ourselves to only 6 shapes, to 6 colours and to 6 styles of illustration? Of course not. Why are typefaces treated differently from other graphic design elements? They shouldn't. Type design IS graphic design.
If web templates = design patterns & layout structures I’d be with you. Nothing wrong with going against the grain but rules are essential until you know how/where to break them
My understanding was that Times New Roman was designed in the 1930s for the Times of London (newspaper) so the stock market listings would be readable in a small type size.
Hold it! The U.S. Supreme Court does require all briefs to be in Century (12-point, if I remember correctly), BUT ... Century Expanded is not the same font/typeface as Century. Just as Century Schoolbook is not the same as Century. Times New Roman was not designed for a magazine. The Times is an English newspaper. They commissioned the font. It was designed specifically to be compact, so it would read well in the narrow columns used by newspapers. If you're going to present facts, try doing your homework first.
I completely disagree. I've been studying typography for soo many years. Spent hours and hours on foundries sites and trying different types of font pairings. You can come out with unique designs by just playing around with fonts. Using only six is such an understatement!
I think that's the point the late great was trying to make...why waste hours and hours instead of just designing with a few and pushing those to the limit.
@@twoResets imagine all designers worldwide using 6 fonts. in average i use around 10 fonts for most designs but i do try now and then designs with different fonts.
So... there's someone like you who came up with the new font for youtube titles... God knows I wanna punch that creative fella right between the eyes so bad
Oh. When you said garamond was a “medieval” style… 😱 Type, in a designer or printing sense, was born with guttenberg, in the middle of renaissance, with blackletter type. In middle ages there was a all other world with handwritten letters (like carolingean). The other issues, like bodoni and futura, were already mentioned in the comments. Actually is not easy to find a good book on typography history but Meggs History of Design is very helpful.
There are a lot of fonts that just look almost exactly like some other font, so yeah, we don't really need them. I think making a new font is what designers do when they're looking for their next job---like whitling a stick or something, to pass the time.
As a UX Designer I can say this is nonsense. These fonts are beautiful but they have been designed in a n analogue age and are not optimized for user interfaces like in mobile apps.
You're sort of half right. Except there's no font called Times Roman. The font is called Times New Roman and was commissioned for The Times in London, and first appeared in 1932. The NYT may well have used it subsequently, but TNR was very much a British invention (by Monotype) for a British newspaper. en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Times_New_Roman
Times New Roman was designed by Stanley Morrison for the Times of London, not the New York Times Magazine. I personally don’t find it very useful; there are many other similar typefaces that are more readable.
Morison. Moreover, it's not typeface designs that are "readable" (or legible), but the product you create with a typeface; for example a printed page or the digital rendition of a webpage or an e-pub. Times New Roman is a newspaper font. As such it runs pretty narrow and it has many ink traps to cater for harsh printing conditions. Thus, when using it for a single-column printout on A4 or letter paper, you either end up with lines comprising far too many characters or with enormous margins. When using a laser printer the ink traps are less than useless. Not so when using a low-quality ink jet printer. I am not a fan of Times New Roman, but I acknowledge its usefulness. For a lot of tasks it's just what the doctor ordered.
So I guess English is only language that you'd ever need in the field of design? Because some of these fonts sure as hell don't even cover other versions of the Latin alphabet (let alone other writing systems). Helvetica doesn't support my native language Vietnamese, which uses a modified version of Latin.
I agree with the gist of the argument - the proliferation of free fonts on the Tubes has created an army of amateurs overloading on fonts. Using a dozen different typefaces in a single document _is_ visual pollution. You should always strive to establish a single font theme, deviating only sparingly and with good reason. But to argue that we only need these six fonts for _everything_ seems a bit … constrictive.
yeah, as a designer i really try to get around these and use them only for things in the background. I want to have "the sans" or "the serif" "didot" or "frutiger". But thats a lot of money.
If you like Futura you should definitely try the Gotham family. It is my favorite font now! It’s like Futura and Helvetica got married and gave birth to Gotham!
The thing about Vignelli’s NYC subway graphics work is revealed if you look at signage from before 1960: a complete mishmash of typefaces with no underlying strategy for communication, many not even self-consistent, with different forms for the same letter as though someone had painted the sign in their back yard. Picking Helvetica Medium was a tiny part of what he did in that project: the overall idea was to make subway signage clear, uniform, and concise.
The problem with the idea- "Designers Only Need These 6 Fonts..." is that there are some designers who will believe this is a rule or the "right way" and would not explore anything else. As someone who works with kids, I can see there are much better options than these 6 fonts for materials related to children.
1. Garamond (serif / classic / smart)
2. Bodoni (serif / „premium“ / elegant)
3. Century Expanded (serif / readable!)
4. Futura (sans-serif / geometric / functional)
5. Times New Roman ... ... no comment :D
6. Helvetica (sans-serif / often used)
Hope I could save you some time! Give this comment a like if I helped you. Otherwise great video and thank you!
Thanks
Thank you very much
Thanks a lot
@Fleming Glad I could help! :)
Dem thanks
They say Times New Roman is so boring that you start to find the content written in it interesting. There can't be a better compliment for a newspaper font
Instablaster
LOL
Lol
Unfortunately, it's overused in my country even the most wildely used in that recommendations in every institutions and every generations.
When something is overused people start to dislike it and look for different aesthetics. All the classic Microsoft fonts were used for over 20 years on websites, all kinds of office documents in the press, books, manuals, booklets, advertisment, banner, billboards... They just became generic and boring.
I think the point here isn't so much "NEVER use any fonts but these 6" but more an encouragement to designers who may be creatively paralyzed by the thousands of choices out there, as if to say "with a little discipline, look at the amazing variety of looks that can be achieved with only these 6 great faces!" Limited choices can be an incredible accelerant of creativity.
"The greatest freedom is within confinement" Thomas Aquinas
maybe it can work if you're creatively paralized, especially if you're just exercising, but for everybody else you just can't use a few fonts, sometimes even the slightest variation can cause a lot of difference, plus it's a good thing to be updated on the latest fonts, trends, etc. I'm sure there are fonts suitable for a lot of things... but not for all of them
A fellow Perl I see. *tips hat*
@@stanperl2003 Yeah I don't see those every day :)
@@jakeperl5857 We might be related! lol
There is only ONE tried and true font that has brought joy, passion, and pure comedy gold to the masses. And that font is:
Comic Sans
Ugly.
This really shows you really need to learn about typography and typeface design. You’d be surprised
Thx man 🤘🏻
I'm a freelance graphic designer who is new to this field, I chose FUTURA as my permanent font and I'm glad to take that option.
Hello bro could you please teach me how can I become a freelance in this field?
Get yourself the entire Gotham family. You wanna talk about an overused font, but I still love the shit outta that. Whoever designed that should get the nobel prize in font design.
Futura is such a good type-font that I hope and pray that Microsoft will include Futura in its fontfile.
1) 1:17 Garamond
2) 1:58 Bodoni
4) 3:00 Century Expanded
5) 3:40 Futura
6) 4:56 Times Roman
7) 5:40 Helvetica
He did that in his description
7!
8) comic sans
You skipped 3 my dude
@@W7RSON ohhh that hurts 🥲🥲
I don't agree with the notion that anyone should stick to only these 6 for their whole life, but it's good to know which fonts are versatile, reader-friendly, and generally well-liked.
I think a bit of variety every once in a while goes a long way and can make a distinct impression. If I see a logo with a totally unique typeface, it tends to stick in my mind for a good while.
An example of that is the Johnston typeface used by Transport for London.
You only need 6 fonts doesn't have to be these
Personally, Montserrat is my always my go to font. It’s my default font for Wireframe and even finished client’s website.
Mine too. I use it for all my web apps.
Used it today for an A BET A job
I love that font
I as well. Great font. I like Georgia for a default serif font also. Hard to find a system font that works so well.
It’s gorgeous
Absolutely disagree with this. If people only used 6 fonts, everything would look the same; no variety, no ever-growing font face creating community, and it would take away a huge element that contributes to design.
And noone would use comic sans anymore :(
If everyone used these 6 fonts, with no customizations in illustrator to their established brand/logo, then we'd have a problem. Almost every single time a modern brand uses these fonts in their logos and ads, it's going to be altered to give it a more personal look/flare. So I definitely agree with you, to a point. "Futr" actually has a list of 26 fonts, I think that's closer to a realistic number.
@@zerobambiro As much of a meme comic sans is to designers, it has a very practical use (i.e. Go-to font for dyslexic people). It was also a very attractive font for kids (i know it was for me :D)
At least he did not tell us to keep Comic Sans and Papyrus.
There is more to typefaces and layouts than just what font you use.
Enough of a statement to make any typographer and type designer's blood boil, lol.
I admire Vignelli's work, and his ideals are certainly interesting, but ultimately extremely detached from reality and human emotion. Designers should not use modernism as The Bible of Good Design.
This dude is just repeating something some guy said ages ago ... it reminded me of Gates saying 640kb as enough for everyone. So obviously he has no idea, maybe he only gets his fonts on those free sites. YT is full of guys like this. No clue
1000% or any other -ism
It’s cult like thinking imo
I think people who [stay] with this thinking are detached as you say, but it’s a useful foundation. If one masters these examples (with some additions, hey Lubalin Graph 🙋🏾♂️), it’s safe to say they could typeset anything IMO
@@masonthompson3284 Yeah, I guess that's fair. But still there are much better ways to express that idea than being against the use of any other font just for the sake of it.
A better example on how to approach type for a beginner is given by Erik Spiekermann in this video th-cam.com/video/LG5vMqW_BmE/w-d-xo.html
You can tell the difference between idealism and true design.
@@masonthompson3284 oh yes, those typefaces are classics for a reason, they work. But they aren’t the only ones
Worth mentioning a couple fixed-width fonts for when you need to typeset code and stuff:
1. Consolas (Windows terminal font)
2. SF Mono (Mac terminal font)
3. Ubuntu Mono (Ubuntu terminal font)
4. Fira Code (Lot's of great developer-oriented ligatures!)
Reply with some more if you know.
JetBrains Mono is also a great option, it's free to use, and has an extreme range of glyphs
For programming, command line and plain text editing, my first option is JetBrains Mono. I had been using Liberation Mono before, which is also a pretty good option, but I find the JetBrains Mono font to be more readable when I forget my glasses.
@@zeratul3k It's specifically designed with legibility in mind
Consolas for everything! :P
Inconsolata is my choice for terminal font. It looks very elegant even being a monospace
Just some clarification for those newbie designers watching: 1) Vignelli's first name is pronounced MAHsimmo, not muhSEEmo; 2) Giambattista Bodoni was Italian, not French (although he was certainly inspired by French typography); 3) at 3:41, you're moving into sans serif fonts from serif fonts, not the other way around as stated.
Thank you... and the New York Times is a newspaper, not a magazine. I'm having a lot of trouble taking this guy seriously.
@@skymanroberson5684 And it was the British Times newspaper that commissioned it.
@@skymanroberson5684 Right. Forgot about the Times gaffe. This presentation was clearly put together with minimal preparation.
The fonts are classic. The presentation here is just a lazy, sloppy rehash of someone else's work.
I know I'm late to this party, but can confirm number 2. :)
My uncle too that is professor of Fine Arts at university told me Bodoni is his favorite typeface, and consider it one of the most beautiful ever... And I can swear he had a look across all sorts of ancient and modern documents.
I am a graphic designer for 15+ years, and basicly use 2-3 types of fonts. One of this fonts is Helvetica (Neue). Sometimes i use something special, but it is not necesary. I believe in the elegance of simplicity.
Tbh it's really a attractive font and you could see it from far as well.
Graphic design isn't about fonts. You (or Vignelli) could have used many others with equal success as long a you promoted them equally.
Times was commissioned by the Times of London (newspaper), not TIME magazine.
afaik it was used in New York Times. They wanted a narrow font so that more content can fit on one page. There is also the legend that a typographer went to them and complained so they took his font (Times)... too lazy to google the details now! XD
Yes.
I am not a connoisseur of font selection, but it's interesting how many of these are fonts that I have preferred to use. My own "favorites" list includes Palatino, and then some specialized fonts for programmers/coding, and a few fonts which were designed to work better for people with dyslexia. (I have a few friends with dyslexia and they do tell me those fonts are easier to read). Out of your list the only one I've never used is Century Expanded.
Back in the 1990's I got somewhat obsessed with the variety of fonts available, and for awhile I must have had at least 80-100 fonts on my computers. But after awhile I realized that all that meant was that I spent a lot of time deciding which font would be "Perfect™" for some document, only to find that 95% of the time I ended up with one out of just a dozen different fonts.
Thanks Garance, hadn’t noticed Palatino … love it first sight.
I took a graphics course as part of my journalism minor back in ‘72. I enjoyed it so much I took the second level course as an elective. By the end I could find my way around a California job case quite well. Hand setting type was tedious but fun. Our instructor even fired up an already ancient Linotype and let us try it. ETAOIN SHRDLU forever!
Avenir Next and Neue Frutiger are my preferred Sans Serif fonts every day of the week, but I also like Futura and Neue Haas Grotesk
Agree
True! Love Neue Haas Grotesk as well :D
@@younlogiudice7244 ah people of culture I see! Neue haas is the best lol
I love Avenir Next! So expensive though.
Yes!
And Futura is a san serif, not a serif font!
sans serif*
Is futura family free for commercial usage? I see some websites charging money for it.
@@STIIN808 🙌
This is exactly what I always have believed in. There's nothing better than classic and timless fonts. Sometimes it might also be a good idea though to add an additional modern font in a smaller size as a contrast. This is why the designs of the most famous fragrance boxes look stunning and inspiring.
We are in sync. Thanks for watching the video. 🙂
Don't get that at all. To me, having everything in the same few fonts just makes the whole world seem bland and "all the same." To each his own I guess but I find myself in vehement opposition to the whole concept presented here.
Massimo Vignelli is a source of inspiration! "If you can design one thing, you can design everything"
I love the existence of tens of millions fonts. I disagree with the backlash by stuffy old narrow minded designers no matter how successful they were. That’s kinda like saying you can only use acoustic piano, Rhodes and Wurlitzer sounds on keyboards. Variety is the spice of life, please take your rules and break them!
I will not comment, i ll just adapt yours
That's exactly what i wanted to say
Yeah - I think the lack of creative font choices is really cutting into the personality of modern design. Compare the new Street Fighter logo to the earlier ones, for instance, or the current iteration of the Pepsi logo.
Agree with you entirely. Font choice is just another set of flavors. Another set of colors. To say only use X number... meh. I also find the idea of just using the ones most people see when they open a generic word document appalling for graphic design! Using Helvetica or Garamond to me when I see it in graphic projects just says "Yeah, I didn't even TRY".
@@Zactivist couldnt agree more!
@@Zactivist Helvetica is like the yoga pants of typefaces. You think you can use it anywhere, but really you're just being lazy.
This is such an awesome and useful video! Thank you for taking the time to create it. You've saved me so much time regarding picking the "right" font for various projects.
I would prefer Euclid on any other sans serif any day, any time. It’s the cleanest, the most geometric typeface I’ve ever came across.
Your point, that designers only need use a handful of classic fonts, is well taken. Beyond that, this video is of little help as it's riddled with errors (btw, Bodoni was an Italian, not French).
You are correct! I confused it with didot 🤦♂️
He meant it is french cursive, build for french classicism.
Eh... only some boring old white dudes would think we only need a handful classic fonts.
@@user-vl4zi9vl8g way to be racist and bring negativity where its not needed
@@filetmignon9978 not only racist but ageist as well Lol
Personally I like Futura most, this is really a beautiful and classy typeface
Futura is so classy that I've seen it on TV network news for screen captions. And Kubrick used it for a preamble statement at the start of his movie Dr. Strangelove.
Short and sweet. My eyes usually glaze over when I watch design videos to the point I forget why I clicked on them. Your's is great and I appreciate your info.
Who can argue with a master like Vignelli. And while I agree with the sentiment of the idea of only using 6 primary fonts, I believe any hard and fast 'rules' leads to the stifling of creativity. Maybe the better phrasing would be "Start with these 6 fonts".
I agree, but this is youtube, you gotta be a bit outrageous :)
I would also recommend Baskerville for a classic looking serif font. The italicized variation is beautiful, elegant, and useful.
I am pretty sure the quintessentially French font here is Garamond. Mr. G. Bodoni was Italian, elaborated his namesake typeface in Parma, Italy, and, though he drew inspiration from some fine English and French specimens, he definitely created something new. Not the most legible font there is as far as body text is concerned, but for headlines and logos, my goodness is it cool.
Lets settle it was Latine lol
Interestingly, the company that made the city of Parma famous all over the world preferred the Helvetica font. Parmalat.
To me, even standard roman Bodoni looks like semi-bold. Palatino is far superior.
With all these options to choose from, I still really often resort to Helvetica. It's a workhorse, and a really good one at that.
Maybe for ad or display text, but surely you recognize that for pure text, such as books and magazine articles, you simply have to have a decent serif font. Research has proven that for reading text, serif fonts cause less fatique and are more recognizable in less time. I invariably set up a semi-serif or serif font, wherever possible, on every device I come across, because for me it just makes for much more pleasant and effortless reading.
And right after that interview, Vignelli is said to have walked outside to yell at the neighborhood kids to get off his lawn.
Im still studying and learning, so take my opinion with a grain of salt :p I absolutely love the ideal, not that there are a nr of fonts that should remain after all others are trashed, but that there are baselines in styling and function that could very much be these fonts. HOWEVER... and this is me personaly but im sure alot of people relate, I dont just look at fonts as funtional and aestetic, I look at fonts as sensory and emotional representations of language (im neurodivergent and am obsessed with anything that has a sensorial impact so i might be biased) and there are few things that make me more excited than a font (and a layout) that creates a feeling in me. With this ideal the potential for fonts that are almost outrageously diferent and exciting can be limited.
All that being said, before you break the "rules" you must learn them, and thats why i feel like this concept is so important, so even tho i dont agree with this fully, i appreciate it and can learn from it. Thank you for putting helpfull info out there in an interesting fashion.
The problem I have with this list of fonts is there are no hand written fonts for a more personal feel, bold/gothic fonts for a big city look, or a mono space/computer like font for a more high tech/technical look.
Though I do agree that this list is very limited, I have a different opinion. What I like to do is use the fonts that I'm familiar with (Helvetica, Metropolis, Cinzel and Bodoni are my faves) as a starting point and push them to work with the industry you're aiming for. Round the caps, flatten curves, connect the serifs or add flourishes, etc.
Handwritten fonts are cool and hard to replicate, but I get bored by them very quickly. Logo's or designs that are actually handwritten are my way to go for a personal style.
@@evil-808 Lol
I found this an interesting and useful video. The six or eight basic fonts I agree with as a starting point but not to trash the rest. For example, I noticed no Script Typefaces were mentioned that are meant to simulate handwriting. Also, an array of other fonts need to be considered such as Univers, Gill Sans, Commercial Script, Formal Script, Bodini, Clarendon, Plantin, Cooper Black, not to mention fonts that are condensed, extended and wide. All fonts need to be well designed by professional designers with love and understanding of typography and ultimately need to look at a typeface and what projects they are best suited for and visa versa. Typography is a huge and fascinating topic so choose the right typeface for the right project to communicate the best message.
Raleway is one of my favourites, the w in that font is glorious
I'm working on an improved Century myself. I think it's gonna be a banger.
3:40 I think you said quite the opposite. We are actually moving from serifs to sans serifs and not the other way around.
You are taking Massimo’s comment out of context. He was saying there would be lots of really poor typefaces flooding the market which is true, but there have also been dozens of amazing typefaces created in the last few decades that should all be used en masse. Six is not enough. I’d say get a collection of 30 of the best and you’ll be good.
I use Oswald a lot. It’s legible and attractive in nearly every style and weight. I use it mainly for headlines and other larger text.
Oswald is nice enough, but it lacks a true italic. That makes it completely useless for serious typesetting. I used to produce legal briefs for filing in Courts of Appeal, and I would NEVER use a font that didn't have a genuine italic and bold typeface. My go -to for this purpose was Palatino Linotype, which is very similar (nearly identical) to Book Antiqua.
That money factor … another reason so many fonts exist is because all of those are proprietary. Sure, make your money on a typeface, but eventually … give it to the world.
Another reason: folks like variety. Crimson Text, for example is a favorite of mine. Why? Subtle nuance of a difference.
Would love more videos like this on fonts and their history/use case.
Creatives Never Limit themselves!
Nice video but the problem i see here is that the list is outdated or not suitable for screen design. Maybe some web guru should do a list with the six fonts evey web designer needs! Like Open Sans, Roboto Serif etc.!
I generally agree with the idea that we don't need thousands of fonts, but the quote comes from a long time ago. Times have changed. Indeed the font that 'The Times' uses has changed about seven times! Typeface design has evolved alongside technology and taste. Many modern fonts and logos use "updated" versions of the old classics.
Both GM and Harley Davidson were using Helvetica. They used a condensed variant.
ALL CAPS tends to stifle recognition.
Don't listen to this guy please, these are many great new independent type foundries that offer great fonts. Like Dinamo, Grilli, Optimo, OPS Type, OrType, Soft Machine, Bureau Brut, Approx, Klim, Lineto and many more. They offer high quality and distinct typefaces. Do NOT use Bodoni, Century or Futura ever and don't limit yourself when you're starting out. If you want to stick to a small library use these instead; Neue Haas Grotesk / Univers / Bradford / Heldane / Portrait / Founders / Unica /
Montserrat...... 👀
good one)
Or its cousin Metropolis
Montserrat is similar to Helvetica and Roboto is similar to Futura
Poppins
@@awdbvzr9325 what
I am a big Garamond-enjoyer. I used it for papers in grad school, then my resume, now for Syllabi. I also like Palatino and Optima - they feel like "textbook" fonts.
I wouldn't call Bodoni "elegant." More like "hoity-toity." Elitist. Chic. Vogue (appropriately).
GRAPHIC DESIGN IS MY PASSION
* uses comic sans
One might say, if you can not make a great design using only any of these fonts, you are not a good designer, or even a designer. Limitations is one of the best ways to become great at a skill such as design. Helvetica is my all time favorite.
Bodoni is a french font, really? Giambattista Bodoni is/was italian.
true. my mistake.
@@FluxAcademy Is this why your examples for Bodoni are mostly Didot as well?
@@flexifelix Don't bother, looks like he doesn't know much about type
Good Morning Flux
In reference with your other Video "How to Choose the Right Font" and this one I found your content simplified and structured for a newbie to do my own Logo without pennies just to get started.
You do have an excellence in introducing a newbie into your subject expertise with ease to learn and take action.
All the Best with you
If I had to chose one, it would be Gilroy all day long
LOVE IT! « Limited choices can be an incredible accelerant to creativity »
Roboto is a gem! The latest Roboto Sans looks sick in formal places!
- Garamond is used in book typeface, was used in the old Google logo and has the smart feel
- Bodoni An antique French font, many very *fancy* brands like Vogue use it/version of it, use for elegant, premium, & sexy
- Century Expanded is less modern but extremely legible, the Supreme Court uses it exclusively
- Futura is a very geometrical, rational, and versatile it’s used in the logos for Supreme, Red Bull, Omega, Gillette, Discover, Cisco, Calvin Klein, Avon and even Dominos
- Times Roman was commissioned by and for the Times magazine, very popular and classic
- Helvetica is ultra versatile, has its own documentary! My graphic design teachers favorite font lol, and is used in the logos for BMW, Jeep, JCPenny, Kawasaki, Oral B, & Toyota!
When was "Garamond" ever used in the Google logo?
Bodoni, the man as well as the eponymous typeface, are Italian. The typeface is from around 1800. Do you call that "antique"?
Neither Times Roman nor Times New Roman (different typefaces) were commissioned "by and for the Time Magazine".
Helvetica is "ultra versatile"? What does that even mean?
Oh, damn! Loved that Futura font! Thanks!
Century Expanded is also known as Century Schoolbook. It is my favorite type-font. It was used in the newspaper articles in the Daily News in New York. I obtained many of the six fonts you showed from a disk with the Canon color laser printer in the year 2002. I am very interested in printer fonts and I use them frequently when I am on my computer, whether I am printing on paper or not. Your comments and suggestions make absolute sense. You just got another "like" from me.
Century Expanded is a predecessor to Century Schoolbook. 1905 compared to 1919, but both designed by Morris Fuller Benton. Wikipedia says that Schoolbook was commissioned by Ginn & Co. specifically for textbooks.
@@majkus I will never be too old that I cannot learn something new. I have been interested in printer fonts since I graduated from high school in 1971.The first time I discovered Century Schoolbook was when I saw old issues of the Daily News newspaper published in New York. That printer font attracted me, and it became my favorite. Thank you for typing to me!
Ugh. To each his own. Century reminds me of Dick and Jane, as it is the font usually used for books for little kids. I think it's just ugly, period. But, obviously, not everyone agrees.
@@oldionus Your comment holds a weight of truth. I remember some textbooks for [public] school contained Century Schoolbook font. Today, we may mention that the characters size was 16-point type. I forgot about that thing as I left elementary school in 1965. I miss many of the old printer fonts that Microsoft does not carry in its font list. Thank you for typing to me.
Century expanded italic is beautiful
Ran, I meant to comment on this so long ago, and I let it slip by.
I know that a lot of successful designers will jump on this bandwagon about fonts, and I feel like it is just not accurate. I 100% believe that when you are developing and learning, yes, stick to a couple of fonts to really have a solid base to build on., we know that certain fonts for body copy just work. Helvetica Now, DIN, Garamond. All good.
With the state of design today, companies trying to do everything cheaper and faster, wanting to use templates for everything. So much is simply being homogenized into nothing. Same sites, different pictures. You look at some companies, they just float in a sea of mediocrity at best.
So, locking ourselves into any "all you need" anything is adding to that homogenizing of everything.
What a larger set of fonts allows is PERSONALITY.
Nothing takes away from good education and understanding of typography at all. You don't use every font in your library on every project, but we as designers have a job to do. Solve problems. How we solve problems is what we bring to the table, and part of that I feel, is with communication and personality for the brand. Every brand should have personality. What is their "secret sauce", what sets them apart from every other brand out there? That is what we as designers use our skills to do. Craft and create that sauce for the client.
We want our clients to stand out, succeed, and flourish in their sector. They do well, we do well. Good work leads to more good work. Mediocrity leads to more mediocrity. Where do you want to position yourself in that equation.
So rather than telling people that look up to you and other designers out there, we should not limit them. We should help them learn better ways to work. Why basic knowledge to start with is important, but, limiting things is the last thing we need today.
We should be teaching original design and thought, creative solutions, and PERSONALITY. So saying something as simple as "designers only need these 6 fonts. Trash the rest." is helping to limit creative expression on such a deep level that I don't think people think about.
These are things we should be discussing as a community, rather than throwing down blanket ideas that just are not working to grow creatively for anyone.
Food for thought.
I disagree so so so much. It’s like saying you should only use 6 colors. A custom typeface can bring so much to a brand and its visual identity. For example: Burger King, how cool is that? Couldn’t have done it with Helvetica or Futura. With this video you discredit type designers’ work and it looks like you don’t know enough about the subject. Educate yourself in type design before creating a video that discredits this profession.
Other examples : Google, Uber, Spotify... their custom typefaces really set them apart from other brands.
Let me see your work pls. Talking is easy
@@zerobambiro What kind of argument is this, even if he has/doesn't have any works to show doesn't mean he is/isn't right. It has nothing to do with what he said
I agree with Pouncedd, even though I do have work to show and I do create typefaces, and I would like to add something :
A typeface is only a set of shapes that represent our alphabet.
Why would we limit ourselves to only a few shapes to translate a brand's message? For instance, a rounder typeface will communicate a different message than one with straight edges, just like round buttons on a website communicate a different message than one with straight edges. So if we have to limit oursleves to only 6 typefaces, do we have to limit ourselves to only 6 shapes, to 6 colours and to 6 styles of illustration? Of course not. Why are typefaces treated differently from other graphic design elements? They shouldn't.
Type design IS graphic design.
Helvetica is THE font. THE shape of glyphs.
Love your channel man !
So many great tips that really got me invested in learning design and web development.
Thanks 🙏🏽
this guy's opinions should forever be written in the "jokerman" font!
This video title is like i am telling you that „here are 6 web Templates, never create a unique website again“
If web templates = design patterns & layout structures I’d be with you. Nothing wrong with going against the grain but rules are essential until you know how/where to break them
My understanding was that Times New Roman was designed in the 1930s for the Times of London (newspaper) so the stock market listings would be readable in a small type size.
All you need is Comic Sans 🙌
can't go wrong with that!
It always screams fun
Hold it! The U.S. Supreme Court does require all briefs to be in Century (12-point, if I remember correctly), BUT ... Century Expanded is not the same font/typeface as Century. Just as Century Schoolbook is not the same as Century.
Times New Roman was not designed for a magazine. The Times is an English newspaper. They commissioned the font. It was designed specifically to be compact, so it would read well in the narrow columns used by newspapers.
If you're going to present facts, try doing your homework first.
I completely disagree. I've been studying typography for soo many years. Spent hours and hours on foundries sites and trying different types of font pairings. You can come out with unique designs by just playing around with fonts. Using only six is such an understatement!
I think that's the point the late great was trying to make...why waste hours and hours instead of just designing with a few and pushing those to the limit.
@@twoResets imagine all designers worldwide using 6 fonts. in average i use around 10 fonts for most designs but i do try now and then designs with different fonts.
@@Adrian_G444 we can what if all day, but again, I don't think that was the message.
So... there's someone like you who came up with the new font for youtube titles... God knows I wanna punch that creative fella right between the eyes so bad
Futura is my favorite too! Cool to know it's one of the approved fonts lol.
Oh. When you said garamond was a “medieval” style… 😱 Type, in a designer or printing sense, was born with guttenberg, in the middle of renaissance, with blackletter type. In middle ages there was a all other world with handwritten letters (like carolingean). The other issues, like bodoni and futura, were already mentioned in the comments. Actually is not easy to find a good book on typography history but Meggs History of Design is very helpful.
Helvetica is my all-time favorite.
There are a lot of fonts that just look almost exactly like some other font, so yeah, we don't really need them. I think making a new font is what designers do when they're looking for their next job---like whitling a stick or something, to pass the time.
I did a website for a college and used garmond. Was skeptical about using it as it was my first time. Great gamble. Didn't know it was this popular.
As a UX Designer I can say this is nonsense. These fonts are beautiful but they have been designed in a n analogue age and are not optimized for user interfaces like in mobile apps.
What types do you use for mobile?
Fonts can be manipulated. Letter spacing, line spacing so I'm afraid you're talking utter nonsense.
Yes, thank you. TH-cam at its best!
This episode was like a fashion fail, totally missed the mark, but appreciate the history lesson.
Times Roman was for the London Times news paper, Times New Roman was developed by a rival foundry for the NY Times in the US.
You're sort of half right. Except there's no font called Times Roman. The font is called Times New Roman and was commissioned for The Times in London, and first appeared in 1932. The NYT may well have used it subsequently, but TNR was very much a British invention (by Monotype) for a British newspaper. en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Times_New_Roman
Absolutely agree, apart from maybe some unusual display type… I’m also gonna suggest Bauer Bodoni and Clarendon 😊
Agreed. Clarendon is the Starbucks logo font.
Monserrat, Bahnschrift, Poppins, Roboto are my favorite.
Montserrat
Heebo
Rubik
Assistant
Roboto
Playfair display
Playfair is the best 1 among sherif
@@alradiation5417 exchange for times New Roman 😄
@@yurisamarin8200 times is a classic
Times New Roman was designed by Stanley Morrison for the Times of London, not the New York Times Magazine. I personally don’t find it very useful; there are many other similar typefaces that are more readable.
Morison. Moreover, it's not typeface designs that are "readable" (or legible), but the product you create with a typeface; for example a printed page or the digital rendition of a webpage or an e-pub. Times New Roman is a newspaper font. As such it runs pretty narrow and it has many ink traps to cater for harsh printing conditions. Thus, when using it for a single-column printout on A4 or letter paper, you either end up with lines comprising far too many characters or with enormous margins. When using a laser printer the ink traps are less than useless. Not so when using a low-quality ink jet printer. I am not a fan of Times New Roman, but I acknowledge its usefulness. For a lot of tasks it's just what the doctor ordered.
So I guess English is only language that you'd ever need in the field of design? Because some of these fonts sure as hell don't even cover other versions of the Latin alphabet (let alone other writing systems). Helvetica doesn't support my native language Vietnamese, which uses a modified version of Latin.
I agree with the gist of the argument - the proliferation of free fonts on the Tubes has created an army of amateurs overloading on fonts. Using a dozen different typefaces in a single document _is_ visual pollution. You should always strive to establish a single font theme, deviating only sparingly and with good reason.
But to argue that we only need these six fonts for _everything_ seems a bit … constrictive.
I would say trash helvetica, bodoni, futura and new times because there overused. Just like comic sans. Your work doesnt stand out anymore!
That's not why comic sans is bad...
@@JoelHoare-graphicbot that's the reason nobody should use it
yeah, as a designer i really try to get around these and use them only for things in the background.
I want to have "the sans" or "the serif" "didot" or "frutiger". But thats a lot of money.
I totaly agree. I was just missing FF DIN here. Just love this font.
true, din is a classic.
@1:45 "I think it's default on Windows..." Unsubscribe. 😂
What do you mean?
Depends what you want tbh. Wanna style? Wanna accessibility? Wanna balance?.
I use Acumin as my sans serif font like 80% of the time. I just think its wicked versatile.
If you like Futura you should definitely try the Gotham family. It is my favorite font now! It’s like Futura and Helvetica got married and gave birth to Gotham!
The thing about Vignelli’s NYC subway graphics work is revealed if you look at signage from before 1960: a complete mishmash of typefaces with no underlying strategy for communication, many not even self-consistent, with different forms for the same letter as though someone had painted the sign in their back yard. Picking Helvetica Medium was a tiny part of what he did in that project: the overall idea was to make subway signage clear, uniform, and concise.
If you look at the R in Harley, you'd understand why Helvetica is legend
Bodoni is an Italian font, from Parma.
The problem with the idea- "Designers Only Need These 6 Fonts..." is that there are some designers who will believe this is a rule or the "right way" and would not explore anything else. As someone who works with kids, I can see there are much better options than these 6 fonts for materials related to children.
Facts. These guys are in a bubble and not the real world.
I like ITC Garamond, Bodini, Futura, Times New Roman, Helvetica, etc.
The lighting and your stylized look is amazing! Thanks for sharing.
This is great for design considered trendy, but for real world applications you gotta think bigger
Super simple to follow. Thank you so much!
I´ve been waiting for this video all my life, thank you.