Tonight, I wrote something that took very careful crafting. I went through the usual process I go through when writing copy or designing anything. I started with the copy, and moved on to elements like color and type design, but nothing seemed to suffice.

Around 6pm, I came to a dead end. I had the copy written, the Bob Dylan lyrics chosen, and the color scheme selected. My big hang up was the choice of typeface. One? Two? Serif or sans? After some muddling around with Suitcase Fusion’s QuickComp, I decided that I would only use one serif typeface. I wanted something that would dignify the message, yet still be humble. I wanted something with gentle curves, and because of the amount of body copy and limited space, something with not too much contrast between the strokes (like Bodoni). I was only thinking about it from a design standpoint. I decided to just run with Hoefler Text for the night, and look at it again in the morning. I moved on to another part of the project.

Typography is what language looks like. The letterforms are what carry your message. As I read and re-read my copy, I realized that Hoefler Text was the perfect typeface. I realized the connection between the words and the typeface. Each of these beautiful letterforms weren’t just letters or words or a typeface. They are what my words, what my thoughts, look like. They are what this experience looks like.

With every stroke of the keyboard tonight, I actually found that, in an odd way, this typeface was actually helping me process my thoughts. It supports the copy really well, and it has even shown me where maybe I need to rephrase some things. I have experienced the intimacy between typeface and message in a very personal way. In school, we learned the importance of choosing the right typeface, and I’ve generally been pretty good about it. Tonight, I experienced a whole new meaning of it. I fell deeper in love with type tonight.