mening of fonts

[Scott Sheriff]

A lot of newer fonts don’t really have a history behind them. Just something the designer thought would look nice, and not violate some copyright.
I don’t know if you can quantize very many fonts for a specific use, unless its something really specific like computer, brush script or magic marker.
So unless it is going to indicate a theme, I have always just used the visual balance and aesthetics through trial and error. And stay away from serif fonts unless they are going to be really big.

Sorry, not much of an answer.

Scott Sheriff
Director
https://www.sstdigitalmedia.com

I have a system, it has stuff in it, and stuff hooked to it. I have a camera, it can record stuff. I read the manuals, and know how to use this stuff and lots of other stuff too.
You should be suitably impressed…

[Walter Soyka]

[Harriet Bob] “there are tons of font but I feel that each font has a meaning”

I’d be more inclined to say that every typeface has a feel, or character (if you’ll pardon the pun) than an absolute meaning. Your type choices influence the overall tone of your design, but your design also influences how the type is perceived.

[Harriet Bob] “one of the things that really consume a lot of my time while working on a projects is finding the right font! … I just don’t know what font to use when!! and was wondering if there is somewhere on the net where I can find info about fonts and their meanings”

I think this comes with experience and a lot of hands-on time working with type.

Check out MyFont’s “Rising Star” newsletter [link]. Subscribe and read it every month. Even if you don’t use any of the faces they showcase, you’ll start to get a better feel for what makes a typeface distinct.

You can also look over MyFont’s Bestsellers [link] — it’s a little like the Billboard of typography. Click through on any of the faces for a brief history.

As an aside, the word font refers to a specific style and size from a type family. A typeface (the word I’ve used throughout this post) is a set of related fonts. This may be a bit pedantic, but these are technical terms in design that are frequently misused.

Walter Soyka
Principal & Designer at Keen Live
Motion Graphics, Widescreen Events, Presentation Design, and Consulting
RenderBreak Blog – What I’m thinking when my workstation’s thinking
Creative Cow Forum Host: Live & Stage Events

[Grinner Hester]

You may be overthinking the whole meaning thing. It’s a vibe, a personality… just a flavor match. When I’m making a paranormal show, I use scary fonts. Motorsports, clean and agressive. Corporate… plain vanilla. Never have I had to over think it. Sometimes I have to go download a new one but that’s because I don’t have what I want, not because I’m stumped. This is no different than the use of color or any design in general. An interior designer doesn’t put the red chair in the corner as a rule. They put it there because it didn’t look as cool by the window.

[Scott Sheriff]

Walter,
Those are good resources. Thanks for posting the links.

Not to sound snarky, but punctuation, grammar, and spelling are more important than font choice. A good dictionary, the AP Style Guide, or the Hodges’ Hardbrace handbook should be in the tool box.

Scott Sheriff
Director
https://www.sstdigitalmedia.com

I have a system, it has stuff in it, and stuff hooked to it. I have a camera, it can record stuff. I read the manuals, and know how to use this stuff and lots of other stuff too.
You should be suitably impressed…