Ask HN: What's your favourite typeface? • Hacker News Board

Re: Ask HN: What's your favourite typeface?

#11

Post by brudgers » Sat, Feb 20, 2016, 3:23 PM UTC

Depends on why I am selecting a typeface.

Re: Ask HN: What's your favourite typeface?

#12

Post by J-dawg » Sat, Feb 20, 2016, 5:28 PM UTC

Fun typeface fact: Stanley Kubrick's favourite was Futura Extra Bold, it was used on the posters for Eyes Wide Shut and 2001

Source: (http://www.theguardian.com/film/2004/mar/27/features.weekend)

The Nike logo is also from the Futura family (https://www.quora.com/What-font-is-used-for-the-Nike-logo)

Re: Ask HN: What's your favourite typeface?

#13

Post by kleer001 » Sun, Feb 21, 2016, 4:54 AM UTC

Chicago.

For fun, for nostalgia, for distinctiveness, for boldness, for my heart and my soul.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_%28typeface%29

Susan Kare, its prolific designer:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susan_Kare

Re: Ask HN: What's your favourite typeface?

#14

Post by lauritz » Sun, Feb 21, 2016, 8:55 AM UTC

Adobe Garamond [0] is really nice to look at, I think, especially for long passages of text.

With Akzidenz-Grotesk [1] as a runner-up (and for headlines etc.). Font fun fact: This was actually the font Massimo Vignelli originally used on the NYC subway system, before the MTA changed it to Helvetica (which is a fine choice, too, though I personally think Akzidenz (on which Helvetica is partly based) is prettier) [2].

[0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garamond#Adobe_Garamond

[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akzidenz-Grotesk

[2]: http://www.helveticasubway.com

Re: Ask HN: What's your favourite typeface?

#15

Post by danbolt » Sun, Feb 21, 2016, 2:26 PM UTC

J-dawg wrote: post #12

Fun typeface fact: Stanley Kubrick's favourite was Futura Extra Bold, it was used on the posters for Eyes Wide Shut and 2001 Source: ( http://www.theguardian.com/film/2004/mar/27/features.weekend ) The Nike logo is also from the Futura family ( https://www.quora.com/What-font-is-used-for-the-Nike-logo )

Other typeface fact! The title text in 2001 uses capital O's instead of zeroes. [1] The zeroes in Gill Sans are thinner than the O's, so part of me thinks Kubrick wanted the logo to look more futuristic.

[1] https://i.ytimg.com/vi/e-QFj59PON4/maxresdefault.jpg

Re: Ask HN: What's your favourite typeface?

#16

Post by ivebencrazy » Sun, Feb 21, 2016, 4:27 PM UTC

I'm a huge fan of Freight Text Pro for serifs (https://typekit.com/fonts/freight-text-pro). It's like... just rounded enough to be soft and kind, but still be professional. I'm talking mostly about the medium weight, but the whole series is nice.