Kiss my Font

    The world of typefaces began with Gutenberg and his printing press.  But as time as gone on and we as the human race have evolved, so has the typeface.  Most typefaces have variations, such as: bold, italic, regular, etc.  These variations are called "fonts".  But somehow in the world of words, the word "font" has become generalized to mean the typeface.  So now that we understand that confusing circle, we can continue on with the ever-expanding world of fonts.
     Most fonts were created in the 80's when the computer became a huge part of our lives.  But some fonts were created before this era, and used in the business or consumer world, like Helvetica.  Helvetica is  the most commonly used font because of its legibility.  Helvetica was designed in the 1950s as a neutral sans-serif typeface, and is most commonly used for signs. Because of it's simplicity and its functionality, the font is easy to read, and easy to design with.  Arial is another one of the most used fonts.  It is the default font for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS.  Created in 1982 it has been the most common font for computer systems.  Courier is another common font, that came in the 1950s and was meant to be used on typewriters.  It is a serif font and is meant to look like the type from a typewriter.  Its fixed spacing between the letters means that the sentences line up perfectly.  Matthew Carter created the next two fonts, Georgia and Verdana.  They were created for Microsoft.  These fonts were created to be legible at very small sizes, Verdana is the sans-serif, while Georgia is the serif.
    From these popular fonts have come thousands upon thousands of other fonts.  Fonts have become more than just letters.  They have become a form of expression.  The way capitalization of certain words put emphasis on them, so do the fonts.  Fonts are used in ever day life, and as we become a more technical world, the font becomes and extension of our personality.
     Fonts can convey happiness, sadness, adolescence, flirting, and many other emotions simply with its shape.  Some fonts are used for business, while others are used for personal.  Fonts are becoming more personalized, because we are making fonts our source of communication.  Just as a hand-written signature use to be your mark on the world; your own font will one day be your signature.