Rob: Hello, I'm Rob…
Cath: And I'm Cath.
Rob: And this is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. Today we're talking
about fonts.
Cath: That's the typeface or style of letters we type on a computer screen.
Rob: Yes and when we type a document we have an array of different fonts to
choose from. So Cath, surely you must have a favourite font that you use?
Cath: I do, at work; I like Arial for some reason. It's very plain, very straightforward.
I also like Gil Sans, it looks very nice – it's a lovely one.
Rob: It's quite interesting because the font that you use can indicate what kind of
person you are! I'll tell you more in a moment but first I think we should have a
question.
Cath: I'm going to get it wrong!
Rob: Do you know which language the word 'font' originates from? Is it:
a) Spanish
b) German
c) French
Cath: I'm going to go for French I think this week.
Rob: OK, well, we'll see if you're right at the end of the programme. Now let's get
back to the subject of typography or the use of text in printing. We've
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mentioned that the style of text is called the font and now experts say the font
you use can say a lot about you.
Cath: Like handwriting. Whether you write neatly with beautiful joined up letters, or
write messily so that nobody can read it, can give us an insight into the type of
person that you are.
Rob: Yes, handwriting can even be seen as an art form – called calligraphy – but in
this modern age it's the keyboard most of us use to type words on a computer
screen.
Cath: It's true! I can't actually remember the last time I actually wrote a letter using a
pen. But Rob, you're saying we can even interpret someone's personality by the
font they use?
Rob: Exactly. And as we can hear from author, Simon Garfield, there are thousands
of fonts we can choose from.
Simon Garfield, author
We have 60 fonts on our computer. And we have a choice of, I haven't counted them all,
something like a hundred thousand fonts that we can find online. You fall in and out of love
with fonts the way that one can do with people.
Cath: So author Simon Garfield says there are around a hundred thousand fonts
available online. And he says that we often change the fonts we use.
Rob: Yes, he said just like people, we fall in and out of love with fonts. Our mood
can affect the style we use. And also who we are typing a letter for can
influence our choice.
Cath: So using round and large letters can be seen as being friendly…but also
unsophisticated. In the world of marketing, using the correct font is vital for
creating the right image for a brand.
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Rob: Fonts have characteristics, like a sort of personality. This is something that a
font designer like Jason Smith, tries to create. He spoke to BBC correspondent
David Silletto and told him more about the characteristics that fonts might
represent in the people who have picked them.
David Silletto, BBC and Jason Smith, Font Designer
This is Rufus, who is a humanitarian, slightly odd, slightly wide – (and you really think that
people will judge you on your letters?) Oh absolutely, it’s the handwriting for the modern age.
(So you could look sort of grown up and competent with this, charming and friendly with
this?)…oh I think you can look competent with this as well but this is much more friendly.
Rob: That's Jason Smith, who describes fonts as people. For example the font Rufus,
is humanitarian, slightly odd, slightly wide!
Cath: Humanitarian! So it shows that you're concerned with reducing suffering.
That's how people will judge you if you use this font.
Rob: Apparently so and it makes you look grown up too. A font like Tiresias
Infofont can make you look competent too but more friendly. As he said, this
is the handwriting of the modern age.
Cath: But there's one font that seems to be loathed by many people. That's a sort of
rather jaunty font called comic sans. It's warm and its inoffensive font and to
some it looks homely and perhaps handwritten.
Rob: But others think it's so simple it looks childish – so much so that an anti-comic
sans website has been set up!
Cath: Well that shows you how controversial fonts can be. They are like our online
personality so I think next time I'm on the computer I'll give more thought to
the font I use.
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Rob: Me too. But Cath how much thought have you given to today's question?!
Earlier I asked you which language the word 'font' originates from?
Cath: And I said French but I haven't got a single one right yet.
Rob: Today's your lucky day because you're right. It does originate from the French
'fonte' which means something that has been melted and refers to the metal that
was melted to make letters for printing presses and typewriters. Right Cath,
could you please remind us of some of the vocabulary we've used today:
Cath: Sure. We had:
fonts
an array
typography
calligraphy
unsophisticated
characteristics
humanitarian
competent
loathed
jaunty
Rob: Thanks Cath. We hope you've enjoyed today's programme, and maybe you'll
think more about the fonts you'll be using! Please join us again for another 6
Minute English very soon.
Both: Bye!
