Ahhh Papyrus. It's everywhere. In newspapers, magazines, websites, on the sides of cars, billboards, commercials, restaurant signs, and even movies. What the majority of people who do not understand graphic design, and specifically typography, however, is its lack of integrity. The worn edges combined with seemingly innocent serifs and a mutually wide kerning seem to give it an ideal je ne sais quois that might represent the "weathered", "worn", or "vintage" look to the unaware. However, to the trained designer's eye it is visual blasphemy. Typography itself, is a complex form of symbology. It takes fonts and shapes them and combines them to provide a specific visual effect. Papyrus, is seen as a cheap typography.
Papyrus really didn't hit the scene hard until the past few years, with debuts in movies like the Lord of the Rings and more recently, Avatar. What the general consensus amongst designers is that in fact, the font is overrated. According to Modern Life it ranks second in tackiest fonts, and there's a nice letter to James Cameron from Pr*ttySh*tty on the subject as well. I guess it is to be expected to find out-of-style and non-designerly fonts on Joe Schmoe's billboard add accompanied with starbursts, bright obscene colors, no grid layout, and lack of negative space. Specific? Yes, but common. My guesstimate is that Avatar is the apex of the movement. It's just a fad, much like Cooper Sans, Comic Sans, or Curlz MT. My advice: there's more to the world of fonts than Papyrus, and please become familiarized with Helvetica. ;-)
I had never noticed the serifs in Papyrus.
ReplyDeleteI don't like any font with texture, if I want texture in a font I'll texturize it myself. Other than that I like it's unique look, kinda like Lithos, it's different so it stands out but if you over use it it becomes cheesy.
Keep up the original posts. I'd like your other posts if you had commented on them instead of just putting a bunch of images.
Think this is a bit harsh. Papyrus is overused, overrated and a little generic. But I would never put it on the same level as comic sans or curlz. It wouldn't be so used by certain professionals if it didin't have a little merit. The designers on movies like Avatar are professionals too remember.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I love clean fonts unless a texture is merited - in grunge style for instance, and I prefer to add it myself or find a font that truly conveys the look.