Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

A Mystery Font That Took Over New York

nytimes.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

61–70 of 74 posts

Re: A Mystery Font That Took Over New York

#61

Post by bdsa »

smcl wrote: post #59

There's a font I'm curious about, I wonder if anyone here knows it. I seem to see all round Czech Republic, I don't know the name, but you can see it in the sign for this place (the pic outside - "BUN CA HAI PHONG"): https://www.tripadvisor.cz/Restaurant_Review-g274714-d116867... It's used a lot in Vietnamese restaurants but also appears in random businesses (garages, hairdressers). I also saw it a lot when I visited…

Banco? By the same designer and mentioned in the article. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banco_(typeface)

Re: A Mystery Font That Took Over New York

#62

Post by scarejunba »

untog wrote: post #18
dylan604 wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[1] link opens up to a Dutch "Accept My Cookies" modal that covers 75% of the screen. That tab got closed without me even knowing what the page looked like. Just shot up into the top 5 of my personal most offensive while being most useless list. Sad, because I was actually curious to see what the page said.

> Just shot up into the top 5 of my personal most offensive while being most useless list. You could maybe do with experiencing more adversity in life

Or not. Why begrudge another’s bliss?

Re: A Mystery Font That Took Over New York

#63

Post by nwellnhof »

bdsa wrote: post #61
smcl wrote: post #59

There's a font I'm curious about, I wonder if anyone here knows it. I seem to see all round Czech Republic, I don't know the name, but you can see it in the sign for this place (the pic outside - "BUN CA HAI PHONG"): https://www.tripadvisor.cz/Restaurant_Review-g274714-d116867... It's used a lot in Vietnamese restaurants but also appears in random businesses (garages, hairdressers). I also saw it a lot when I visited…

Banco? By the same designer and mentioned in the article. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banco_(typeface)

I remember seeing Banco everywhere on storefronts in France when I was there on holiday as a kid in the 80s. I immediately recognized it because it's also the font of the Thrasher magazine logo. Back then, I found it hilarious that every third boulangerie and charcuterie had that "Thrasher" font. I've never seen it on a German shop sign, though.

Re: A Mystery Font That Took Over New York

#65

Post by vanderZwan »

Baeocystin wrote: post #58
vanderZwan wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Obviously you're not a golfer.. I mean typographer :P I can see why it might remind an untrained eye of Comic Sans, but I strongly disagree. Then again, I have an arts degree, so let's chalk that up to déformation professionnelle . The funny thing about Comic Sans is that you can see that it is from the nineties computer era. Although I don't know if it was first created on paper and then transferred, or created dire…

Is there a book/resource you would recommend to someone who is interested in learning more about typography, and how/why the field has evolved the way it has? (Honest question.)

I'd love to help, but typography wasn't my direction. It's just that any training in the visual arts bleeds into other visual arts. Apologies, I should have been more clear about that in the previous comment.

Sure other people here do know more on the subject though, let's hope they'll see your question and give some suggestions.

Re: A Mystery Font That Took Over New York

#66

Post by LeonidasXIV »

needle0 wrote: post #60

Ironically, come over to Japan and you will hardly see a single sign typeset in Choc, or any of the popular wonton fonts[1], anywhere. This is despite the fact Latin text is very commonly used in JP storefronts as decorative elements. The collective impressions around those fonts represent a westerner's orientalist stereotype of the East, not of the actual East. To an Asian native, it comes off as cheesy as hell. I u…

Of course the lettering in Japan is not set in faux-asian typesetting since you already have real-asian typesetting everywhere else. Latin typesetting is mostly added to add a sense of occident stereotypes (to the point where the latin writing makes little to no sense, similarly how Superdry's Japanese slogan makes no sense to Japanese speakers), writing it in a brush stroke would defeat the purpose of such styling.

This is also why you don't see fake-cyrillic writing in any country using cyrillic because it is just odd and meaningless to readers to these scripts.

Re: A Mystery Font That Took Over New York

#67

Post by evrydayhustling »

vanderZwan wrote: post #8

> “There’s an unmistakable energy in all the designs that [Roger Excoffon] does,” said Tobias Frere-Jones, a Brooklyn-based typeface designer. “They project their personality so clearly. And it’s very obviously not Helvetica or not Times or any other generic thing that might be on the awning next door.” Excoffon’s most popular typeface is probably Mistral, which was modeled after his own handwriting. Both this passag…

"anonyfamous" is an awesome word / concept. Looks like a couple of folks are using it as a handle, but I say you go get a book deal now. I'd buy a coffee table book with a dozen examples unmasking anonyfamous folks!

Re: A Mystery Font That Took Over New York

#68

Post by kalleboo »

vanderZwan wrote: post #8

> “There’s an unmistakable energy in all the designs that [Roger Excoffon] does,” said Tobias Frere-Jones, a Brooklyn-based typeface designer. “They project their personality so clearly. And it’s very obviously not Helvetica or not Times or any other generic thing that might be on the awning next door.” Excoffon’s most popular typeface is probably Mistral, which was modeled after his own handwriting. Both this passag…

Interesting how different countries have different styles. In Sweden, before printing took over, supermarkets would have posters outside with the specials in a style similar to "IKEA Script" https://statics.fontke.com/image/image/314190/360x270.png

Re: A Mystery Font That Took Over New York

#69

Post by vanderZwan »

kalleboo wrote: post #68
vanderZwan wrote: post #8

> “There’s an unmistakable energy in all the designs that [Roger Excoffon] does,” said Tobias Frere-Jones, a Brooklyn-based typeface designer. “They project their personality so clearly. And it’s very obviously not Helvetica or not Times or any other generic thing that might be on the awning next door.” Excoffon’s most popular typeface is probably Mistral, which was modeled after his own handwriting. Both this passag…

Interesting how different countries have different styles. In Sweden, before printing took over, supermarkets would have posters outside with the specials in a style similar to "IKEA Script" https://statics.fontke.com/image/image/314190/360x270.png

I've noticed that Germany has an unusually high amount of smooth rounded fonts (my friends don't see it and call me crazy). But I just searched for it, and guess what: it's all because of Volkswagen!

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

Re: A Mystery Font That Took Over New York

#70

Post by [deleted] »

bdsa wrote: post #61
smcl wrote: post #59

There's a font I'm curious about, I wonder if anyone here knows it. I seem to see all round Czech Republic, I don't know the name, but you can see it in the sign for this place (the pic outside - "BUN CA HAI PHONG"): https://www.tripadvisor.cz/Restaurant_Review-g274714-d116867... It's used a lot in Vietnamese restaurants but also appears in random businesses (garages, hairdressers). I also saw it a lot when I visited…

Banco? By the same designer and mentioned in the article. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banco_(typeface)

[deleted]
Post reply on HN