font and freeform letters
layered letters
iconic Boston letters
hand-lettered
letters and symbols
oddly appropriate letters in Boston
shorthand letters
lettering in Kyoto
Japanese letters
Letters as art
quick commentary
self-referential letters
shorthand
nerdy acronyms galore
adorned with letters
mysterious letters
love letters
I adore words. I love letters.
However, it had never occurred to me that someone could recoil from a font.
Last fall I got lost (as usual) while returning from an early morning climb, and found myself in a town I’d never seen before.
My passenger suddenly shrank back, surveying the stretch of highway with distaste.
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s . . . . It’s Papyrus.” Grimly intoned.
“That’s an odd name for a town.”
“No, it’s Papyrus. The font.”
Sure enough, for a few miles every sign seemed to be in a font that just didn’t seem right. No Times New Roman or Courier in sight. The Papyrus script was thin, insubstantial, and seemed to waver. It was too unassertive a font for commercial invitations. Too equivocal to announce government business.
I began to feel it, too: a vague disquiet, an inclination to avert my eyes from the lettering.
And then it passed: we left the town and I could see gleaming reflective white capital lettering on green highway signs ahead.
In a sturdy, comforting sans-serif.
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Author: Stephanie
In her spare time, Stephanie works full-time, and then some, as an attorney. She has published articles and delivered talks in arcane fields like forensic evidentiary issues, jury instructions, and expert scientific witness preparation. She attended law school near the the banks of the Charles River and loves that dirty water; she will always think of Boston as her home.
You are welcome to take a look at her Facebook author page, or follow @SMartinGlennon on Twitter and @schnitzelpond on Instagram. Bonus points for anyone who understands the Instagram handle.
All content on this blog, unless otherwise attributed, is (c) 2012-2023 by Stephanie M. Glennon and should not be reproduced (in any form other than re-blogging in accordance with the wee Wordpress buttons at the bottom of each post) without the express permission of the domain holder.
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Love in the Spaces 
Wow, what a collection of letter shots, full of fun 🙂
I know what you’re talking about. In fact, in my reader, just above your post, is a post that is in a bold red print. It’s painful to look at. I couldn’t read beyond the first paragraph. Now, excuse me, I have to go look up Papyrus. 🙂
https://www.google.com/search?q=papyrus+font&client=firefox-a&hs=PA4&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&channel=sb&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=HMFhU52hGoW6yAHstoGwBg&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAQ&biw=1366&bih=640#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=UFfJfy_zG9isAM%253A%3BYEyOJE-MmbQ5UM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.thatjonjackson.com%252Fwp-content%252Fuploads%252F2009%252F11%252FUntitled-3.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fthatjonjackson.com%252F2009%252F11%252Fdont-use-this-font%252F%3B535%3B384
Never mind. That didn’t work!
Very creative interpretation of this week’s theme. I particularly liked the autographs and signatures on the guitars. That is a font style almost none of us can replicate 🙂
I always feel a bit betrayed when my browser host or homepage people decide to change a format on me. I open up the page expecting the familiar and then….I shudder. New fonts are often part of that.
Really enjoyed this… Will do some looking out for font today!
I must thank you for the efforts you have put in penning this site.
I really hope to see the same high-grade content by you in the future as well.
In truth, your creative writing abilities has
encouraged me to get my own blog now 😉