Typography is an art. Good typography is Art.
– Paul Rand

As I sit at my desk starting each new design project I first try to look at their existing brand identity, one of the very first things I ask is “does the font work”.

Type is branding; more designers should understand what an opportunity that is.
– Elizabeth Carey Smith

I look at font in the same way lovers look at each other, sometimes I firmly believe my pupils become heart shaped when they gaze upon helvetica, my favourite pair of sweatpants in typeface form…

I know I am not alone in this love of type, in fact it is almost as if it is a required trait to be a designer. When I studied typography my amazing teacher showed the class a very long video on Helvetica and the spark was lit. We all started building our little wardrobe of typefaces and our very particular styles began to show through.
This is just a small intro into the mind of the font addicted designer but doesn’t necessarily apply to topic, so I will move on.

Why is picking the right font important…

The beauty of type lies in its utility; prettiness without readability serves neither author nor reader.
– James Felici

Basically, picking the right font is not just important to the design or the branding of something; although those are both very important too. It needs to be readable, the reader is going to have to be able to read the title, description or even just the logo name or details to be able to call effective. Readers will not put the effort into reading something if it is difficult or insulting to the eyes. And thats why Designers can be so harsh on fonts, its our job to make the world a more visually pleasing place.

Good People can pick Bad Fonts.

No designer would or should treat someone poorly for picking a bad typeface, we all do bad design at some point, it helps us create good design. HOWEVER, sometimes it just really doesn’t work and I think in those cases a good designer should offer help, even if unpaid. Below are some examples of a typeface being used where it simply doesn’t work.

Your choice of typeface is as important as what you do with it.
– Bonnie Siegler