With the overuse of Trajan in movie titles, I found this use especially ironic given the name of the movie: Requiem. I guess they tried to set the title apart by customizing the R and the E, although I think they butchered the latter.
I think that it's because movie posters (and other promotional materials) have gone from being beautifully illustrated designs to quicky Photochops. If you want to make a Photochop look elegant, tossing Trajan on top is a logical (note I said logical, not good) way to go and doesn't require any real effort.
It might also be because Spielberg keeps using Trajan, and a lot of people in Hollywood will try anything to be cool like Spielberg, and since they can't make a movie like him...
Multi-million-dollar budgets not only to produce a film but to merchandise and advertise it nationally, and they can't buy one lousy display font. How many other nice display caps are there for similar "classy" applications?
Waters Titling (recently used in ads for The Lady In The Swimming Pool)
Pontif
Cresci
Pietra
Throhand
Requiem
Mantinia
Michelangelo
Vendome
Perpetua
Aeneas
Having worked briefly, ever so briefly, in a firm that designed only Hollywood movie posters... I can say, yes, these people do not stray from Trajan. It was annoying as hell. Setting beautiful type never cut it. It looked boring to them. They wanted filters, bevels, drop shadows, and textures. It had to 'pop'. The most common reason for using Trajan: This movie needs to feel like Oscar material.
Going back to that Requiem title, how many people are going to look at it and think,"is there something wierd about this? I can't put my finger on it." I think that the Trajan capitals have been ingrained into Western civilization to the point that even non-typophiles can sense when something is wrong about the E's.
I mean, what ancient Roman tool could chisel perfectly rounded ends? They look like amputated nubs.
Aaron Sorkin continues his love affair with Trajan in the title cards for his new show, "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip." Now, Trajan made sense when used on "The West Wing," but it just looks like overkill for a show about a sketch comedy show.
26.Oct.2006 3.52pm
A "lacerating" performance..." Does that mean she left the audience in stitches?!?! Wow... what a cut-up!
DB~
26.Oct.2006 4.17pm
What the designer did to that E is just tragic.
I think that it's because movie posters (and other promotional materials) have gone from being beautifully illustrated designs to quicky Photochops. If you want to make a Photochop look elegant, tossing Trajan on top is a logical (note I said logical, not good) way to go and doesn't require any real effort.
It might also be because Spielberg keeps using Trajan, and a lot of people in Hollywood will try anything to be cool like Spielberg, and since they can't make a movie like him...
26.Oct.2006 4.22pm
I reckon it looks bewdy! Why are you going all berko over it?
26.Oct.2006 4.37pm
Oh, do you think that it would be better to use that fancy font Requiem because it has the same name?
Muzz
26.Oct.2006 4.47pm
> What the designer did to that E is just tragic.
You mean trajic.
hhp
26.Oct.2006 4.50pm
Trajic! Bloody ripper mate!
Muzz
26.Oct.2006 5.09pm
I even have a font of it:
http://www.themicrofoundry.com/ss_trajic.html
hhp
26.Oct.2006 6.13pm
Crikey Hrant, have you thought of asking adobe to sell that for you?
Muzz
26.Oct.2006 7.17pm
No, but I did once -stupidly- ask Emigre.
hhp
26.Oct.2006 7.23pm
Ah, Dennis, your post was a cut above the rest :-)
ChrisL
26.Oct.2006 8.37pm
Ah, silly buggers. Their loss ey?
Muzz
27.Oct.2006 12.09am
Multi-million-dollar budgets not only to produce a film but to merchandise and advertise it nationally, and they can't buy one lousy display font. How many other nice display caps are there for similar "classy" applications?
Waters Titling (recently used in ads for The Lady In The Swimming Pool)
Pontif
Cresci
Pietra
Throhand
Requiem
Mantinia
Michelangelo
Vendome
Perpetua
Aeneas
For starters.....
27.Oct.2006 1.32am
Having worked briefly, ever so briefly, in a firm that designed only Hollywood movie posters... I can say, yes, these people do not stray from Trajan. It was annoying as hell. Setting beautiful type never cut it. It looked boring to them. They wanted filters, bevels, drop shadows, and textures. It had to 'pop'. The most common reason for using Trajan: This movie needs to feel like Oscar material.
27.Oct.2006 4.40am
Maybe "Oscar The Grouch" material :-)
ChrisL
27.Oct.2006 8.17am
I like Trajan.
27.Oct.2006 8.21am
LOL! ok George :-)
ChrisL
27.Oct.2006 9.16am
I like Trajan on the Victoria's Secret catalogs. Man, those stems and bowls.
hhp
27.Oct.2006 9.59am
Trajan is lovely, I like it too, it's just been used to death, especially by Hollywood.
27.Oct.2006 5.59pm
I like FS ROME better. One weight. Caps only. More elegant, IMO.
And again, if you HAD to choose ONE typeface for Hollywood to fall in love with, you could do a lot worse than Trajan. Like Papyrus or something.
27.Oct.2006 6.16pm
Hollywood plz use comic sans, trajan is now overused;)
27.Oct.2006 6.30pm
I like Trajan, too...
But consider it in this context:
Doesn't that flag look awfully familiar?
Verso's edittion of the Communist Manifesto:
27.Oct.2006 6.59pm
Satya, funny!
hhp
27.Oct.2006 7.00pm
Going back to that Requiem title, how many people are going to look at it and think,"is there something wierd about this? I can't put my finger on it." I think that the Trajan capitals have been ingrained into Western civilization to the point that even non-typophiles can sense when something is wrong about the E's.
I mean, what ancient Roman tool could chisel perfectly rounded ends? They look like amputated nubs.
27.Oct.2006 7.12pm
I mean, what ancient Roman tool could chisel perfectly rounded ends? They look like amputated nubs.
Given the crap that Hollywood has been churning out lately, that's strangely appropriate.
But not as appropriate as titling all those movies in Comic Sans would be.
27.Oct.2006 7.13pm
Satya, LOL!
30.Oct.2006 9.17am
Aaron Sorkin continues his love affair with Trajan in the title cards for his new show, "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip." Now, Trajan made sense when used on "The West Wing," but it just looks like overkill for a show about a sketch comedy show.