It’s not what you say it, it’s what font you use to say it.
For example, don’t use Comic Sans to write an angry note to your roommates.
They will laugh at you.
In fact, don’t use Comic Sans, ever.
To help writers, designers, and the otherwise word-inclined make good font choices, and get the right message across, the Gowanus Print Lab is offering a class on typography.
“It’s the voice of an image,” said Ashley Hildreth, director of Gowanus Print Lab. “If you write something serious in a silly font, you are conveying the wrong message.”
The class is among several the Gowanus Print Lab is teaching on graphic design and professional development.
“We’re trying to offer classes that people normally wouldn’t have access to without enrolling in an undergraduate degree,” said Hildreth.
The typography class will include history on how various fonts came to be, what they were used for, and why some are more effective for certain purposes than others.
“There is a language involved in choosing a typeface that not a lot of people are aware of,” said Hildreth.
As more writing happens on a computer, where people have access to endless font choices, a potential for disastrous font-selection is exceedingly high. The workshop hopes to mitigate unwitting font faux pas.
“For instance, my mom might put a display font on an invoice,” she said. “If you use the wrong font, people kind of cringe at it, and they don’t even know why they’re cringing.”
Typography 101 at Gowanus Print Lab[ 54 Second Ave. at Seventh Street in Gowanus (718) 788–3930, gowanusprintlab.com]. Starting Nov. 5 at 7pm. Four classes, $249.