Fonts

I am noticing an increasingly alarming trend which falls in direct opposition of my concepts of branding and font identification. Some background:

First: I believe that fonts are dramatically important. They are an essential accessory and means of expression. They can convey all sorts of important and eye-opening leanings in a person both professionally and personally. For example: as a grant writer, I have recently realized the deeper and reactive importance of serifs.

Second: I believe that consistency in fonts is important within a single work. I am not saying you have to limit your font choices to one (although that is preferable) but should you choose to mix it up your motivation behind that choice should be evident, readable and utilitarian. Because really, when you're trying to convey knowledge, what is more important?? I know I may have some font-consistency opponents out there but I am getting more and more vehement on the topic so I suggest you rally and deliver your opposing thoughts soon.

So, to get to the meat here: In much television and film, I have noticed a high and inappropriate level of attention being played to fonts that identify locations and places, the most laughable being that awful new show starring Pacey, "Fringe" and the most recent being the new James Bond " Quantum of Solace."

In Fringe, the fonts float in ridiculous ways, in ridiculous places and interact subtly and ridiculously with the locations they are identifying. It is hugely distracting and clearly a strange and misplaced allocation of creativity. It's like they have a whole team dedicated to font selection/placement/interaction/size which is insane when it's such a bad show and clearly needs creative work in other, more critical areas. It got to a point (and granted my household only made it all the way through one episode) where we were MUCH more excited about the next opportunity to spot the outrageous fonts and committed to their zany adventures than we were to the actual storyline and/or characters.

In Quantum of Solace, fonts are, again also used to identify setting and are nearly as distracting, irrelevant and ridiculous. Although Quantum of Solace is actually a good and fun movie which takes the pressure off the creative font choice team on having to carry the entire project. also, thankfully, the setting identification is much less prevalent than it is in Fringe.

Point: Hey, entertainment folk! Less creative energy expelled on font choices. It's real stupid. May I suggest identifying a signature font per project, make an executive decision about screen placement/size/color and then stick to it. It's better branding and, even more important, it will quell my wrath/ridicule!

off-topic FYI: the AMC movie theater in Tacoma (on Mildred) offers FOUR DOLLAR AM movies! They start showing films at 10am and, until noon, the shows only cost $4 a ticket. These are first run too! Neat! Cheap!