interlude: fun with fonts

I will interrupt my already sporadic posting with this important public service message: Picking the right typeface is important. See exhibit A, below:


These signs are all over the university. They sit over those cauldron-looking things that contain a pot of the daily soup special. But when I look at this, do think "mmmm homestyle"? Do I think of fireplaces with kettles of simmering soup? No. I think about cyclons. I think about paper without corners and spaceships and Edward James Olmos. That's right, this is the font used for the title of Battlestar Galactica. If it's not the exact typeface, then it's darn close.

Even if I didn't have other associations with this particular typeface, I would still find it inappropriate. It's decidedly modern looking, and doesn't bring to mind images of fireplaces and old-fashioned kitchens, much less anything to do with soup.

So why am I posting this? Because I laugh a little every time I see one of those signs, and wanted to share it. And because I think this is a really good example of how a choice of typeface can add (unintended) meaning to your message.