Too Many Fonts?

Just for fun: a bit of Romantically Yours, Ringlet, Brandy Script and De LouisvilleSome people are quite fascist about font usage. They will tell you not to use more than two typefaces per project. They will tell you to do so is bad design practice. If you are lucky they will allow you to use varying weights. Or if you are VERY, very lucky, you will be permitted to use an extra font for the headings. Otherwise it can be too confusing for the poor little readers because they won’t be able to navigate the page and their poor little heads will get all bamboozled by font overload. Booooo to pedestrian communication! Down with Font Fascists I say!*

Because sometimes bad design can be good. It can be fun. It can be tongue-in-cheeky; it can be clever. It can express good old-fashioned joie de vivre. Just scroll down for the evidence.

Down with Font Fascists I say!

Abstract typographic design made with Letraset, by Lander Janssens

Typographic design, by Gemma Correll

Typographic map, by Craig Ward

*DISCLAIMER

Of course, this technique of employing several fonts in one design still requires discretion and a good eye: employing few words, and a minimal design that is easy to read. Typography styled in different fonts can also be used to great effect to create a pictorial design that is not necessarily read in its entirety; or to mimic the look of historical art and design movements, such as Dada.

Read this great article about Massimo Vignelli’s provocative declaration that designers use too many typefaces, and there are only 12 good ones that should suffice for all the work we do.