I spent the morning doing book work — SNOOZE! So boring. I admit that I have very little patience with this kind of stuff. But what’s an artist / businessgirl to do?
While I was working in my accounting program, I started entertaining myself by noticing the interesting fonts in the program. Letter after letter, number after number, all in different shades, shapes and colors – I became mesmerized. The smallest details, down to a single curve or a minuscule mark can change the entire feel of the symbol. Each font is a piece of art in its own right, with designers spending their whole careers developing new, useful, beautiful sets of letters, numbers, and symbols.
Do you feel the same way I do about bookkeeping? Check out this site and keep yourself entertained during long hours of boring, boring book work.
So, later on, I had a meeting with my friend and technology consultant, Victor Boyer. Victor has been my superhero many many times – we worked on projects together throughout highschool, and now, anytime I need help building a machine or incorporating a motor into my work, he’s the genius who makes it happen! So anyway, we were riding in his superheromobile, a Volvo, and I noticed the lettering on the climate controls.
“That’s a nice font,” I said.
“You know that’s custom, right?” said Victor.
Custom fonts? This opened up a whole new world for me. Yes, Victor said, Volvo created (and carefully guards!) the font used throughout their cars. “It’s called ‘Volvo Broad,'” he said. “The font is ubiquitous and gives the car a premium feel since it’s consistent, unlike some other manufacturers’ font choices.” So here are some pictures from his car.
Victor also told me that the lettering used on highway signs is custom! The original one, “Highway Gothic” was introduced in the 1950’s. This is a sample of Highway Gothic:
And just a couple of years ago, a new font was introduced for interstate signage. This one is called “Clearview.”
As I continued noticing fonts everywhere, all around me, I started getting really excited, and suddenly a lightbulb came on. Product idea! Fonts in glass! The artistry in fonts can be recognized and used to create really unique accents in the home. That’s it! That’s my newest product. I’m so excited as I write about it now, I’m throwing on my hot pink boots and coveralls and heading to work. This is going to be fabulous!
Moral of the story? Inspiration can come from anywhere, even while you’re doing bookwork!