Comments on: Help me search for specific typographic examples.

Question: Help me search for specific typographic examples.

nanook — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 14:15:49 -0800

I am looking for examples of typography that reflects or contrasts the meaning of the word(s) it is being applied to. For example, the word 'power' being set in authoritative/powerful typeface. Is there a name for this use of typography?

By: Eicats

Eicats — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 14:26:26 -0800

I'd just call that typography—or one aspect of it, anyway. But someone, somewhere might have actually given that usage a name.

Here is a website that gives a few examples of this: when-typography-speaks-louder-than-words

By: paperback version

paperback version — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 14:27:04 -0800

Not sure of the term (typographic dissonance, maybe, when it contrasts?) but this could be an example.

By: Juliet Banana

Juliet Banana — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 14:45:01 -0800

"I don't think that type should be expressive at all. I can write the word 'dog' with any typeface and it doesn't have to look like a dog. But there are people that [think that] when they write 'dog' it should bark."

― Massimo Vignelli

Thanks to this quote I always think of such text as "barking," but I'm probably the only person in the world who does.

By: subject_verb_remainder

subject_verb_remainder — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 14:51:35 -0800

I have called it onomatopoeia, which is the term used for words that sound like their definition ("fizzle", "boom"). A quick google search shows that some people use this term in typography as well, and while it doesn't seem to be particularly popular it does give a bunch of examples.

Kinetic typography refers to videos, but they have lots and lots of examples of what you're looking for.

By: coevals

coevals — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 14:59:54 -0800

stereotypography!

By: dephlogisticated

dephlogisticated — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 17:33:29 -0800

Seconding kinetic typography as being full of examples.

The other thing that came to mind is this t-shirt, which Engrish.com has sold for more than a decade, apparently based off of one of their pictures.

By: Bella Sebastian

Bella Sebastian — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 21:30:25 -0800

Here's a bunch of examples that are pretty popular on pinterest.

By: Sidhedevil

Sidhedevil — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 21:58:21 -0800

I've seen "mimetic typography" and "semantic typography" used to describe this.