Type Suggestions Needed
I would welcome any opinions. I’m looking at type for an expanded exhibition catalogue featuring contemporary Iraqi book art. There will be several essays—maybe 76 pages or so of largely unillustrated text. Some footnotes, probably to be set as endnotes.
My thinking is that most faces appropriate for setting medium length texts carry a western baggage that doesn’t add much to the idea of the book. I’ve found a few solutions on my own, but I don’t want to color the discussion yet.
There are 17 featured artists. Here is a sample cover image of one of the books by Mohammed al-Shammerey.
3.Aug.2006 11.06am
That is a beautiful image, but I am stumped. Are you looking for something with an Eastern feel, or something generally international looking with no deep roots in the past?
3.Aug.2006 11.50am
Not so much an Eastern feel. I don’t think mimicry of Arab script is right on this.
I think the international feel is the direction I’m looking. I don’t want the type bound to a particular period in Western typographic history that has zero resonance with the subject. That rules out most of the pure classics. Some of the very neutral sans faces could work in that they might avoid offending, but they may not be right for the length of the combined texts. The texts (at least the early versions) are fairly politically charged. That makes any playful lightness in a face look comical.
I’ve almost been seduced a few times so far, and have almost settled in. I was looking for someone to shake me up one more time. Thanks for reviving the thread BTW.
3.Aug.2006 3.05pm
I didn’t mean a mimicry of Arabic calligraphy, that would be totally ridiculous :)
I am suggesting that maybe there exists a roman designed for Turkish which is not based on Western historical forms. Or you could take the no-holds-barred approach of using something postmodern / unusual. Then there’s the ’when in doubt, use something Swiss’ approach which usually works for just about anything, though robs it of personality. A neutral position using a neutral typeface from a neutral country. So your choices in this instance would be a typeface from :
Switzerland
Sweden
Finland
Austria
Mexico
Ireland
I don’t know whether Liechtenstein, Costa Rica and Turkmenistan have the graphic design scene (or population) necessary to produce fonts for international sale. But the countries listed above do, the first three definitely have active type foundries (Optimo, MAC Rhino, Suomi, Psy-Ops, Fountain...)
Perhaps this is a direction you could try to keep things objective. And good old Helvetica fits this criterion. The Swedish type foundries in particular are prolific.
3.Aug.2006 3.46pm
A D V E R T I S E M E N T
Galaxie Polaris by Chester, available exclusively from Village:
http://vllg.com/Village/GalaxiePolaris/mudTyper+Weights/
A contemporary Modernist type designed by a Canadian who also holds a European passport and lives on Manhattan, an island off the coast of America which is home to the United Nations.
3.Aug.2006 3.59pm
I didn’t mean a mimicry of Arabic calligraphy, that would be totally ridiculous :)
Sry. Didn’t mean to… er… ugh.
Thanks for the ideas and advertisement. GalaxiePolaris does seem poised to take over the world. I’ll vote for it over the current administration.
Suomi’s That actually looks very nice, and the PDF makes me think of the Alice thread that is active at the moment.
I was originally considering Dyna Grot. but something about the ital wasn’t working in this application. I think Andulka will be my pick.
Cheers.
4.Aug.2006 7.26am
Dyna Grotesk has a weird antiquated expression that I find charming. I used it here:
http://www.abrooklynlife.com/2006/07/ablradio_omnis_.html#more
(one of my wife’s DJ mixes)
I have never used Andulka, though I got it with the Storm Open Library (which is an amazing bargain for the amount of quality type, by the way). I shall give it a try, thanks for bringing it to my attention.