I’m starting to develop a love for fonts. What, you say? Yes, fonts. Typefaces. The art of typography is absolutely wonderful; it comes the elements of text, lettering, and words, into an art of design and readability.

I think one of the best things you can do if you’re serious about typography is to go out and buy the Adobe Type Basics package. It includes wonderful typefaces, including all-time classics like Garamond. And then, add on with as many as you like…

What really sets apart the professional fonts from many of the downloadable public fonts, is an immense clarity when you use them in text. The readability is enormous. And yet, when you pull them up in several times magnification, they are absolutely beautiful.

These are some of my absolute favorites:

This is Adobe Garamond. Originally designed by Claude Garamond and first gained popularity in the 1540′s, it is one of the most well-known typefaces. It is a wonderful serif font, with a sense of “old-school” writing and a fluidity that is amazing, especially in the italics.

Futura is an interesting sans-serif designed in 1927, building on the Bauhaus ideals and the Universal typeface. It was used heavily in the 50′s and 60′s, and its fans include both Stanley Kubrick and the Pittsburgh Steelers.

A new font, made in the early 90′s, it is much warmer and friendlier than Futura. I like it best in its heavy setting, giving an impressive weight and clarity to the text.