Chop suey fonts…

Typographic stereotype (hey, the chef loved it).

Probably the most recognizable and ubiquitous of “ethnic fonts” are the faux Asians: Ginko, Kanban, Mandarin, Rickshaw, Wonton, et al. Also available are cliché representations of Greek, Arab, Yiddish, African American, Tropical Hispanic, Slavic, Franco-Asian, French, Basque, and Klingon.

Paul Shaw’s piece in Print Magazine about ethnic stereotyping in graphic design got me to thinking about the many stereotypes that typography can convey:
hippies, trekkies, scrapbookers, programmer/geeks, new-agers, believers in unicorns, headbangers, fratboys, needlepointers, taggers, restroom taggers, creative renaissance fairgoers, secret agents, and cowboys.

But since we all use the Roman alphabet, how are we ever going to stereotype Italians?

Upper & lower case, next exit…

A piece in the New York Times Sunday Magazine, describes (and illustrates brilliantly) the process by which a new typeface, Clearview, has become positioned to replace Highway Gothic as the specified standard for highway signs.

Erik Spiekermann has recently released a typeface, FF Mt, through Fontshop, which was specifically designed for traffic control. It is already being used by the German government.