Categories / Inspiration

Design Students Hilariously Describe Typefaces as People

Kevin Whipps Last updated: April 10, 2024 · 1 min read

We’ve talked about fonts as people before, and we had a few interesting images as a result of that idea. But what would happen if you asked the same question to recent design graduates of Texas State University? Well … this:

Was that not enough for you? Of course not, you love stuff like this. Fortunately, so did they, so there’s a sequel:

Kevin Whipps is a writer and editor based in Phoenix, Arizona. When he’s not working on one of the many writing projects in his queue, he’s designing stickers with his wife at Whipps Sticker Co.

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Kevin Whipps

Hi! My name is Kevin Whipps, and I'm a writer and editor based in Phoenix, Arizona. When I'm not working taking pictures of old cars and trucks, I'm either writing articles for Creative Market or hawking stickers at Whipps Sticker Co.

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13 Comments
  • Great idea but should have picked more funny and original designers. These folks are all comic sans to me. 11 years ago
  • Nice, cool concept and nicely executed, liked the students as well, they seemed to just go with their initial thoughts and not over think it. 11 years ago
  • Hahahahahaha @kristen bell I concur 11 years ago
  • Love it! 11 years ago
  • Great comments by the students! Altho' sometimes you need a "boring" standard - Myriad Pro is very readable in small type and not as austere as Helvetica. 11 years ago
  • @kristen bell I agree as well! Nice videos though! 11 years ago
  • Fun idea, and great to see the spontaneity in their answers. They should make a video with the same students describing which font they each identify themselves with (or each other!), and saying why :) 11 years ago
  • I just found the first "designer" who doesn't know who Bruce Wayne is...lol...haha :)) 11 years ago
  • "No one wants you Myriad Pro" - Apple's hero face "boring hHelvetica"- the preferred typeface, globally, of the most award winning graphic designers. Ahem, maybe they should see the feature length movie, Helvetica, and absorb some knowledge? "Gotham... uh Batman?" - The hero typeface of President Obama's political campaign and used extensively as a robust and readable alternative to Helvetica. Designed by master typehouse Hoefler & Co. "Didot & Bodoni, Sex in The City!" - close, most of NYC top agencies, in the golden age of advertising (Mad Men era) most memorable campaigns used these faces, notably Ogilvy and DDB amongst many others. These poor kids need much better type teachers. Bless their hearts. I genuinely fear for the future of graphic design. 11 years ago
  • so great, this finally convinced to unsubscribe from your newsletter. 11 years ago
  • Anyone know who the chick is in the baseball shirt? I will contact 11 years ago
  • Every typeface tells a story. I think they did very well in most cases in describing the "personalities" of the Fonts. Just because some stodgy designer knows the "history" of a font, doesn't mean that it is a necessarily good history. Just because a painter may have suffered for his art, doesn't make his art any better - not everyone will appreciate, or know, what went into it - because in the end, all that matters is how people feel when they experience that art. The same with Fonts and Letterstyles, because in the end, no matter what the Designer feels, it is the end-user or viewer who will determine whether it works or not. Helvetica may FEEL like he's "somebody" because he won so many awards, and Frutiger is cool because he hangs out in subways, but sometimes, familiarity breeds "contempt". I think this was a very interesting lesson for every designer - don't take yourself too seriously. It was a refreshing way to look at these characters in the eyes of a new breed of designers. Like the Impressionists pretty much said to the Salon - yours is not the only art, here's my impression. 11 years ago
  • Nice content, thanks for publishing. 7 years ago