A Bit on Fonts and Subliminal Politics...

Words are meant to communicate. That’s why they were invented. But sometimes, they tell more than what is just written. Fonts say a lot about the writer and the message. They direct readers on how to think, but also what to feel: Trust? Fear? Respect and admiration? I’d better not question you if I’d like to keep my head?

Aware of this fact, many political leaders take advantage of it. Politics is probably the most interesting subject when observing reasons for font applications.

For hundreds of years, medieval churches kept power with nearly illegible fonts. Followers had nothing available to read, and therefore nothing to question.

Adolf Hitler’s passionate use of Blackletter was mainly to encourage German pride, as people often unconsciously associate specific fonts with a certain place, person, or time in history. (A Roman font, or one associated with Greece, might imply similarity to the innovative people who lived there, and their ideas that have been lauded for millennia. This is obviously a very effective tool… Who wouldn’t want to be positively compared to that?) Hitler's buddy Goebbels had a fondness for Roman fonts, using them at the 1936 Olympics (Superiority complex, much?)

Recently, Presidential candidate Barack Obama appears to have adopted “Gotham” as the official font for his campaign. It’s bold, fresh, and well suited for his message of “Change.” To a viewer (political leaning aside,) he seems genuine and true to his message.  McCain, in contrast, employs "Optima," displaying sincerity, wisdom, and a belief in the tried-and-true methods. 

This particular entry is written in a simple Verdana. I am obviously attempting to look smart and sophisticated to you readers.

Politicians are all about looking back to the glory days of years past, or forward to a bright new era. It’s strange how fonts can evoke those emotions so easily.

~Jillian