Typefaces With Meaning

When a written message is read by a viewer they deconstruct the various components and structure of it in order to decipher the intended meaning of the author. In his book on the subject of semiotics, This Means This, This Means That, author Sean Hall outlines that at its most basic this structure is made up of both syntax and semantics(2007).  “The syntax of language tells us when a sentence has been constructed in a fashion that is grammatically correct and when it has been constructed in a way that isn’t. Semantics, on the other hand, is about what the sentences we construct by using various grammatical rules actually mean.”(p.93). However when a written message is included in a graphic composition it communicates not just via the content provided (ie. what is written) but also via how it is written (ie. what is the chosen typeface, what colours are used, where is it placed within the composition?). As author Meg Miller states “for typographers, letterforms are also tools, giving form to words, which can then be used to convey meaning, to signify, indicate, express, and conjure up ideas.” (2021). These additional factors can heavily influence our understanding of the meaning being communicated. Within the study of language this would be considered the connotation and denotation of a message (Hall p.118).

In her book Why Fonts Matter author and designer Sarah Hyndman (2016) posits that a designers choice of typeface can help imbue a piece of work with meaning and help the readers in many ways. One of which is helping us choose between different options. In the example below “typefaces help you to decide who you would trust to do a professional job for you. For example, which of these three lawyers would you hire?” (p.18)

Font choice (Sarah Hyndman 2016)

It is evident that certain typefaces and type classifications bring with themselves additional cultural meaning and denote different things. “Many professions have recognisable typeface conventions, especially established industries where the preference is likely to be for traditional, conservative and relatively neutral typefaces that suggest history. Often these have links to Roman inscriptions, engravings or ancient manuscripts that give the impression of longevity and wisdom.”(p.57). I would argue that an understanding of the original meaning behind these conventions (in this case Roman inscriptions) is less important for the reader in denoting further meaning from a piece than a cultural awareness of other contemporary relevant uses of the designs, in this example the understanding that lawyers make use of serif fonts similar to that used in the above example.

Professor of Art, Edmund Feldman, devised a 4 step method for analysing art work that I believe can also be applied to the reading and understanding of a typeface.

As quoted from the Galveston ISD article about the subject (2021), the 4 steps are:

“DESCRIPTION What can be seen in the artwork?

ANALYSIS What relationships exist with what is seen?

INTERPRETATION What is the content or meaning, based on steps 1 and 2?

JUDGEMENT What is your evaluation of the work, based on steps1, 2, 3?”

I feel the Feldman technique is helpful for slowing down and reinforcing each stage of the reading of a piece of work, with the 4 steps being split between connotation (description and analysis) and denotation (interpretation and judgement).

Alzheimer Nederland Poster (Studio Dumbar 2021)
Alzheimer Nederland Promotional Pack (Studio Dumbar 2021)

The branding by Studio Dumbar for Alzheimer Nederland (2021) makes use of a custom designed typeface to reinforce the meaning and work of the organisation. The typeface is of a sans serif geometric style, the stroke widths remain consistent throughout each letter but the central space of each letter is removed (description). The position and amount of space removed from the letter changes depending on the letter so that the overall form of the letter can still be perceived. The use of the typeface across a whole word allows the user to read the content easier as our brain uses the context of the word to mentally fill in any letters that are hard to discern (analysis). The process that the reader goes through in trying to understand what is written in the typeface is similar to that of a person having Alzheimer’s themselves and the degradation of the letterforms reflects the degenerative nature of the disease (interpretation). Based on this analysis I feel this typeface successfully communicates the intended meaning of the design, while also being a striking and recognisable design element (judgement).

The modular typeface, Baker (2021), was designed by Fontself to commemorate the death of Gilbert Baker, LBGTQ+ activist and the creator of the iconic Rainbow Flag. Fontself have taken their design cues from the stripes of the flag and created a series of interlinked components that flow and create each letter form. These components are all unified in their use of angles and widths, creating a diverse selection of shapes that are all recognisable as one unified whole. This reflects the inclusive and diverse nature that the Rainbow flag represents.

On the theme of community and diversity, the Diversity Type project from Distillery (2021) creates unity out of disparate letterforms by unifying them with colour, size and position on the page to ensure that the content is read a word rather than a series of letters.

Diversity Type Project (Distillery 2021)


In general, legibility is key to the communication of meaning. Without being able to discern the letterforms of a word then meaning can be lost. However, designer Sam Barclay flips our perceptions of legibility in his book I Wonder What It’s Like to be Dyslexic (2014). The book, made of various essays around the subject utilisise layout, colour and typefaces to communicate to the reader the many difficulties that a dyslexic person may encounter. The image here is of a double page spread set in the Can You Read Me font, a font made by Phil Baines (1995) to test our perception of each letter.

I Wonder What It’s Like to be Dyslexic spread. (Barclay 2014)
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