YFU: Cody in Sweden > Why Sweden? Why Now?

Sweden has an official typeface! And it's a good looking one, too. Commissioned by the Swedish government to provide brand identity for international promotions and communications, Sweden Sans was created by Stefan Hattenbach in collaboration with the design agency Söderhavet. Inspiration is said to have come from old signs. Take a look to your left to see the typeface in print, and, for all of you type geeks out there, Sweden Sans is mono spaced, meaning that all of the letters are the same width.

But to answer the question, Why Study in Sweden, let's go now to Cody's dad, Eric.

Hi Eric,
Tell us about your decision to send Cody to Sweden.

Eric: Much of my childhood was spent in Germany being raised by multilingual parents. Our home was filled with folk music from foreign countries and decorated with exotic curios from around the globe. A holiday meal just wouldn't be the same without Dad's fascinating stories about his travels around the world and his teen years spent in Sweden. Conversations about foreign languages and cultures were standard fare. My father instilled in me a thirst for adventure and a fascination with the world beyond my front door. My decision to send Cody to Sweden was in large part a desire to pass this priceless gift on to my son. And, of course, I couldn't ignore the "awe factor." A year abroad is waaay too cool an experience to pass up.

Leslie: Why a full year? Why not a summer abroad or a gap year?

Eric: For high school students, YFU offers either a summer or a junior year abroad, or a gap year between high school and college. Cody's junior year was fast approaching and the cost for both high school programs were exactly the same so it was an easy decision for me. Convincing Cody took about three and a half minutes. Convincing his mom was another story altogether.

Cody's high school guidance counselor argued against a junior year abroad claiming that his graduation would be delayed if his Swedish credits did not transfer. My (mostly intuitive) understanding of the benefits of travel and foreign language acquisition led me to conclude that a year in Sweden would more than compensate for any delay in his graduation or entry into college.

A year living with a host family in a foreign country as a 16-year old would be a far more transformative experience than the same year spent as a 19- or 20-year old gap year student. Language acquisition is quicker and easier when younger and relationships formed as a teen are more likely to be strong and lasting. Here are just some of the benefits of becoming an exchange student. The student:

• discovers new strengths and abilities
• increases his or her self reliance and confidence
• becomes adept at creative problem solving
• develops a deeper passion for learning in general
• improves inter-cultural communication skills
• learns a foreign language
• expands career options

A YFU year abroad is a qualitatively superior experience to just visiting a country as a tourist. Cody's immersion into Swedish culture will most certainly expand his world view and give him a more mature and objective perception of the USA. More importantly, it will make him a really interesting first date. :-)

Leslie: So, why Sweden, especially since you spent your early years in Germany?

Eric: YFU offers exchange opportunities in a number of countries, but in my mind there was really only one option. My father's parents were both Swedish. My father spent his teen years in Sweden and still maintains contact with his relatives. As a 12-year old, I spent a summer in Sweden living with my grandmother and meeting relatives. In the US, most of us come from somewhere else and many of us take great pleasure in identifying with our countries of origin. I am no exception … and I expect Cody will forever-after feel a kinship with Sweden.

Leslie: Thanks, Eric. It gives me great pleasure to chronicle Cody's year in Sweden.

Boat Lettering

A while back, I wrote a post about selecting Clem's typeface. After searching through 2,289 options on fontshop, Eric and I decided last night on Brioso. Described as lively and energetic, this typeface is based on calligraphic tradition yet is "tempered by an ordered structure and lucid form." We think it honors our Westsail's reputation for being a solid ocean-going vessel yet allows for rhythm and grace. Tomorrow, BoatUS is printing this out on vinyl and next fall we will have it hand-painted on Clementine's hull.

The name and hailing port graphic was created by my good friend Jason who is most definitely the best designer I know.

Help us choose a typeface ...

I'm a little ahead of myself but have been looking at which typefaces we can use for our boat's name. She will be Clementine, a name we chose based on the adventurous spirit of the wild west. Built in the 1970s, the Westsail 28 is a "design in efficiency ... stout enough to handle anything and beautiful enough to turn the head of even the most hardened sailor." The boat is meant to travel offshore and long distance. Which typeface suits her best?

Oberon, an enhanced 1970s typeface. A little too ornate for my taste but authentic enough to the period of the boat and, while it suggests unruliness, Clementine retains a little bit of elegance.

Jezebel, based on type from the 1970s. Clementine looks a little wide and rough around the edges but perhaps this typeface is well suited to a sturdy old boat with a long history.

Studio Sable is retro in feel but still modern in attitude. Clementine is smooth, happy, and a little bouncy like waves but is it the 1970s I'm feeling or a little bit of the late 1950s?

Which typeface do you like best? Please help us out while we make this big decision. Alternative typefaces welcome! thank you!

Washateria

Lately, I've been reading a lot online about typography in an attempt to educate myself on a subject I find interesting but know very little about. I've read through summaries of the Humanist, Old Style, and Transitional periods and then moved on to the creation of Modern, Slab Serif, and Sans Serif typefaces. This week, I was introduced to the street version of typeface design through Erik Spiekermann's blog.

Spiekermann is a big name in the design world but he's accessible. He writes on his blog -- typos and all -- like a real person would and doesn't do it because it's the newest form of advertising that must be embraced in order to stay on top of technology and in touch with his public (think Facebook and Twitter). Spiekermann's March 23 post is about the Vernacular style of lettering.

Vernacular as it relates to design is a term used primarily in architecture and refers to those structures created by amateurs without academic training. Applied to typography, my earlier post on Gotham touches on the subject. Tobias Frere-Jones, out of respect for a disappearing form of lettering, created a quality typeface to extend its life. Spiekermann's attitude toward the Vernacular, by comparison, is elitist and while he has the credentials to take that viewpoint, he approaches it from the top-down rather than from the street level.

This got me to thinking about my trip to New Orleans. After the flood, amateur lettering was everywhere, from the SPCA notifications painted on houses to the identification signs on animal rescue vans. I shot the above photo because I liked the juxtaposition of the water line with the laundromat storefront. What I discovered yesterday morning was that Washateria is a fine example of the Vernacular style of lettering. See photos following.

A Washerteria in Louisiana ...

A faded Bubbles Washateria ...

A cleaned up Splish Splash Washateria ...

and an Alaskan interpretation ...

All photos (except mine) from flickr.

A Whole Lotta Type Talk

While most people spend Memorial Day weekend at the beach or the park or some place outdoors, I've been indoors overloading on type terminology. The above image is my brain on type. When I left off yesterday, I understood the font vs. typeface division (mechanical vs. design) but I wasn't clear about the definition of a typeface.

According to the FontFeed (sanctioned by Erik Spiekermann), when a regular user talks about a typeface they include all of its basic variations and sometimes its widths and weights, however, "strictly speaking" each of these variations are separate typefaces. I have decided to join the ranks of the purists.

Here's an expanded definition of what one contributor calls the four Fs:

Family: a collection of related typefaces which share common design traits and a common name.

Face: any variant (the type style) of this coordinated design to include weight and width but not size.

Font: a typeface at a specific size and in a particular format.

Foundry: a manufacturer of type. (This may or may not include the designer, but I'm not going there.)

This means that Gotham Thin, Extra Light, Light, Book, Medium, Bold, Black, Ultra, and all of the Italic, Narrow, and Condensed versions are separate typefaces belonging to the type family Gotham. And with that, I am closing down my laptop and going outside.

Font vs Typeface

I've been in the publications field for a period of about 18 years now. When I first started in the business, graphic artists were just beginning to make the transition from hand pasting elements on boards to creating computer-generated artwork. Many terms from the old days remain in use without having to be further explained. A proof can still be called a blueline and no one bats an eye. Ask someone for camera-ready art even though negatives are no longer required and it's okay; but mention the word "font" when you are speaking about a "typeface" and your hard-earned credibility is shot.

It's a common error, however; in fact, the two words are so often confused that the FontFeed found it necessary to discuss and agree on the terms they would use when writing about their very own business: typography. By their definition, a font is the "physical embodiment of a collection of letters, numbers, and symbols whether it's a case of metal pieces or a computer file." Therefore, in the most basic terms, a font is what you purchase and put on your hard drive. It's what you e-mail to another person. It's the mechanical aspect based on the original metal letter forms. A font is like a paint brush. It's one of the utensils used for making art. By comparison, the word typeface refers to the design of the letters, numbers and symbols. It's how the O looks, the T looks, the Y looks, and how they all relate to each other.

Sounds easy, but if it were that simple, we would all get it right. Here's where it gets complicated. According to Jon Tan, every design has a family name (a typeface) and a series of personal names (fonts) which refer to the individualized styles, variants, and sizes of that typeface. So, while Gotham is the typeface, Gotham Book 12 pt is a font. That makes sense; but what about Gotham Light or Gotham Light Italic? Are they fonts or typefaces? I take Jon's interpretation to mean they are fonts, but the AIGA would call them typefaces. More on this subject tomorrow.

Image source.

Gotham

Described by H&FJ as having "an honest tone that's assertive but never imposing, friendly but never folksy, confident but never aloof," Gotham is the typeface I'd like to be.

Introduced in 2000 and designed by Tobias Frere-Jones, Gotham's creation was inspired by New York City signage from the 1930s-60s when letterforms were put together out of necessity and not as a conscious art form. Most notably, the typeface was used by President Obama during the majority of his 2008 campaign for office.

It was a good choice. Distinctly American, the International Herald-Tribune called the selection a "combination of contemporary sophistication with nostalgia for America's past and a sense of duty." It was solid but not staid.

Hillary Clinton, on the other hand, identified with New Baskerville, a British typeface originally designed in 1762 and one connected with book publishers, law firms, and universities. It was studied like she was. And John McCain, a war veteran, selected Optima, the German typeface featured on Washington, D.C.'s Vietnam Memorial.

Well, this is an old topic, and many articles have been written about the Obama brand and how successful it was, but the point I'm making is that when you chose a typeface to represent your identity, it can be a very personal and far-reaching thing. So, what type would you like to be?

What Type Are You?

Another type personality quiz found here where Helvetica isn't an option. I am Archer Hairline, described as modern in appearance with tiny outbreaks of elegance and tiny dots of emotion apparent only on closer investigation. While Archer is an attractive, delicate typeface designed by H&FJ, I prefer one of the stronger variations like Archer Light or Archer Book. What type are you?

Good Luck

From Ystad Daily Photo.

Agree or Disagree?

From Spiekerblog.

What Font Are You?

I am Helvetica, like an industry standard. Classic. Reliable. Okay, maybe a bit boring, But I don't let the haters get me down. After all, I've still got plenty of friends who think I'm cool.

Take the quiz and let me know which font you are. I suspect we are all Helvetica.

Helvetica the Documentary Film

Helvetica