Fonting It

Way back in Kindergarten, I was sitting at a undersized table for me (while I bounced the tabletop with my knees), writing on paper that upset me. It me uneasy because it wasn't white. Back then if paper was recycled, you knew it. It felt as dirty as it looked. It tore easily. And this paper was even worse because the lines were more than an inch in width, and had hash marks running down the middle. The hash marks, as it turned out, were the pages' only saving grace, because I discovered that I could imagine them as roads, and then imagine myself on my BMX riding down the lines and straight off the page.

We were practicing our handwriting. Learning each letter, and how to write it. Aa Bb Cc... We were all there, weren't we? And probably all of us wish now that we'd practiced a little more diligently. Now it's too late, and our handwriting is atrocious. It would take quitting our jobs and working strictly on handwriting, eight hours per day in front of recycled handwriting paper, to cause our rivers of nasty ink to meander towards neatness.

I've been thinking a lot about fonts lately. Maybe children should learn fonts earlier in life. Maybe if they knew that the way you depict each letter actually conveys a secret code to each person who reads it. It's an unmistakable impression that each person takes with them, as a secret decoder from ovaltine. [A Christmas Story reference for the season] That would spark an interest.

That's why I am NOT a school teacher. I would educate my young lads and ladies on album fonts. Ready for my first lesson? Quit reading here, most of you, this is for only someone who is interested. [Is it okay to dissuade your audience like that?]

We're going to analyze the fonts of my favorite-band-of-all-time, the Smashing Pumpkins.

[whom incidentally influenced the title, "Our Lady, Star of the Sea"]

This is from a 1988 flyer for the Pumpkins. To me the swirls say, "I'm fun, but not in control of my own destiny."

Now this one is from Gish. Note the A, the G, claiming uniqueness. The tall and skinny S's mirror an equilizer which says they're trying to maximize impact.

This is from the Siamese Dream era. New to the scene is the trademark heart logo. The font is a little more polished. Not the G, which says "upbeat and they've arrived; peaking."

This font is more antique and traditional, suggesting they've grown into a classic. It's polished.

This one is more of the same. The S is a little less style, features a more common G, and the P and V are still a little stylized. They're in transition again.

In their final stage, they become more of a fairy tale, with beautifully scripted letters that suggest, "if you miss this, it will be history and you'll have missed out. "

Point is, I'm left wondering if I can change. And what honesty my handwriting reveals in spite of myself.

Just a thought.