A T YPEFACE TAXONOMY
Caleb Leung 2465755
Introduction
If there’s one thing that the human race is good at, its food. Other than the fact that we need it to survive, we’ve spent the better part of our existences inventing and reinventing cuisine to satisfy our incredibly complex palates. The fact is, food can do wonders to the human race, and it can also do wonders in the world of typography (and vice versa). The two can intertwine beautifully to better serve this gastronomic earth, and that’s what this typeface taxonomy aims to do. By classifying certain typefaces according to how they’d communicate their respective food stylings, the tiny details that separate the look and feel of these various fonts can be examined. The premise of this taxonomy can be surmised into two things: 1. How does this style of food make one feel, and in what setting would it be served? 2. How does a typeface reflect these characteristics anatomically and visually? Who knows, this may be the beginning of the end of ugly menus and restaurant signage! Then again, some things never change—we can only hope.
Categories: Fast Food Fine Dining Comfort Food Cafe Fare Street Food Casual Dining Pub Fare Healthy Food Kid’s Menu
Fast Food
Exciting, cheap, and eventually deadly, fast food has captured the hearts (and souls) of diners like no other. These typefaces strive to capture that essence in their large, boisterous and unsophisticated demeanor.
Gill Sans Ultra Bold Stencil Std Madrone Cooper Std Hobo Std
L g
1
2
1 Thick strokes 2 Wide, compressed letterforms 3
Blackoak Std Regular
Wide Latin Goudy Stout
Fine Dining
Fine Dining is all about luxury, class, and tons of money. These typefaces reflect every last garnish right down due to their exquisite flairs and exclusivity. Appearance, ambiance, and presentation define the fine dining experience—And the food’s usually good too.
S a d
1
2
3
1 Smooth, refined but variable widths 2 flowing, airy lowercase letterforms 3 dramatic, elegant swashes
Zapfino Regular
Edwardian Script ITC Champignon Charlemagne Std Cursif
Harrington Tagettes
Comfort Food
Prepared with tradition, these typefaces reflect nostalgic and sentimental moments of cultural appeal. They’re rich in history, famous for their timelessness, and pleasing to enjoy.
Bookman Old Style Century Georgia Perpetua
His
1
2
3
1 Serif letterforms 2 Familiar, timeless typefaces 3 ‘Body text’ legibility
Baskerville Regular Italic SemiBold SemiBold Italic Bold Bold Italic
Didot Garamond Minion Pro Big Caslon Cochin
Cafe Fare
Featuring over-the-counter service and a warm, inviting atmosphere, cafe fare is social, lively, and lightly elegant. So are these typefaces— their whimsical spontaneity are a result of their hand-drawn quality, reflecting the very human element essential to this food.
Bun 1
2
3
1 Quirky uppercase letterforms 2 legible lowercase characters 3 hand-drawn uniqueness
Masana Script Propia Grata Maxima Silueta
Arsenale White Ohmai Sunshine in my Soul Soymilk VonFont dusty matchbox
Street Food
Self-expanatory in its nature, street food is, well, food sold on streets. Particularly at night markets, food festivals and such, it’s loud, flashy, and exciting. So are these typefaces.
YO 1
2
1 Bold, dramatic letterforms 2 Ornamental, decorative accents
Rosewood Std Regular
Casual Dining
Generous portions, a warm, relaxed atmosphere and emphasis on family are reflected in this set of typefaces. Their well-rounded appearance and familiarity make them comfortable and friendly.
American Typewriter Tamil Sangam MN Arial Rounded MT Bold Alexandria FLF Bold
Ho n
1
2
3
1 Fixed-width characters 2 Perfectly circular O’s 3 Generously proportioned for comfortable reading
Rockwell Regular Italic Bold Bold Italic
Nilland Futura Medium Avenir Book
Pub Fare
Taking root amongst the foundations of most Western civilizations, pubs are ancient, full of history, and stained with beer. These typefaces embody this busy, historic,and drunken environment.
Ol d
1
2
3
1 Bold, dramatic letterforms 2 Crowded, heavy appearance 3 Hard-to-read characters
Lucida Blackletter Regular
Healthy Food
In rivaling fast food chains and promoting longer lives, healthy food joints have been popping up all over food courts and reselling rabbit food for human consumption. To capture the essence of this tasty trend, these typefaces are skinny, modern, and streamlined.
Diner-Skinny PassionSansPDaa basicl Tall Films Steelfish
1
F a t 2
3
1 Narrow letterforms 2 Thin fixed width 3 Streamlined, abrupt terminals
Thin Design Regular
Arial Narrow
Kid’s Menu
Although not exactly a style of food, kid’s menus have been present in almost every place that wants to draw in the youth. Often accompanied with cheap plastic toys or colouring books, they either offer a teensy portion of the adult menu or Kraft Dinner. These typefaces embody the inner child that many eateries unfortunately just can’t suppress.
me
1
2
1 Whimsical letterforms 2 Childish appearance
Curlz MT Regular
Comic Sans MS Brain Flower Marker Felt Thin Noteworthy Bold Janda Manatee Bubble Safe and Sound Beautiful Every Time