Julian Writes: the Typography Summit

I held what I called a “Visual Values Alignment Session.” Paul called it “a hostage situation in Helvetica.” He objected to my proposed series font, “Bebas Neue,” which he described as “looking like an angry barcode.” I said it communicated discipline. He said it communicated dictatorship. I opted to adopt my reasonable tone.

Me:     Paul, if the eye can’t rest, the mind can’t wander. That’s good branding.

Paul:   Julian, if the eye can’t rest, the book gives you a migraine. That’s bad reading.”

I shrugged but sent over my digital mock-ups for the box set regardless.  Each book now features a minimalist racquet silhouette intersected by diagonal light bars. The subtitle floats above it in bold white. I called it “Motion. Emotion. Devotion.”

Paul replied with an attachment named “Corrected.” It was the same image, except he’d drawn tiny, exhausted cartoon tennis players dangling from the light bars, looking like they wanted to die.  I said  I appreciated his engagement with the concept.

Me:  The dangling players… I love the energy but maybe too they’re too tragicomic for Q4?

Paul:   The dangling players are the concept.

This was going to take a lot longer than I had envisaged.