Giving Serif a Facelift

In the section Letter in Thinking with Type by Ellen Lupton, she demonstrates how Serif types carry a connotation of formalness and clarity, while Sanserif types are less formal and used more artisitically. Lupton clearly has an argument, citing that most news publications, texts books, official documents, etc. are printed in serif fonts.

After reading through the chapter and thinking about it, I decided that I liked serif fonts better because they’re more decorative. In my opinion it’s sanserif fonts that are boring.
Despite what Lupton says about the inherent formalness of serif fonts, I wanted to find examples of serif-use that had an edgy quality. They also might inspire some resume/workmark projects.

I found an Urban Outfitters logo that I thought showed how serif font could be manipulated to look more informal. They made the “urban outfitters” all lowercase and then tilted the first word (urban) so that the whole design was a little asymmetrical.

Similiarly, the hair product Bedhead adds edge to their serif font logo through all caps, and having parts of the letters appear chipped away.

The Rolling Stone logo also uses serif font. In my opinion, what makes this font appropriate for an youth geared, music magazine, it’s almost always bright red. In this case, it’s an intense color that made the serif font have a little flavor.

Seventeen Magazine also makes serif font youthful by making their title hot pink.