Word of Mouth - Not My Type - The world of fonts on BBC Radio 4

The episode of BBC Radio 4's Word of Mouth programme on Monday 23rd April was titled 'Not My Type' and focused on the world of fonts. Some of the questions asked include: How do fonts change the meaning of a message? What was Comic Sans invented for? Why was Obama's first election campaign so typographically bold? And which font would make you buy one chocolate bar over another?

Michael Rosen was joined by graphic designer, author and the font of all knowledge when it comes to fonts, Sarah Hyndman, to discuss the psychology of typefaces.

Sarah is the author of 3 books, including 'Why Fonts Matter' and 'How to Draw Type and Influence people'. She is also the founder of the Type Tasting studio, which aims to change the way we think and talk about typography through interactive and sensory experiences.

Hyndman talked about the link between fonts and taste. She reported that anything in a round font, especially if it is in red, makes you think that it is going to be sweet. Conversely, a jaggered font is associated with food and drink that are bitter or sour.

She also talked about some of the fun tests that can be done through her website. For example, viewers are shown 9 small paragraphs, each one with a different font. and are then asked which one they would date, which one they would choose as a friend, and which one they would ditch. All these decisions were based on choice of font. She then goes on to explain what characteristics each of the fonts suggest. Very interesting.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b09z4k9v