Massimo Vignelli, the iconic 20th Century corporate identity designer, famously quipped that five good fonts was all that’s needed — Futura, Times New Roman, Helvetica, Bodoni, and Century. That’s it. With those fonts, every piece of communications can be laid out. Every billboard designed. Every brand built.
What’s most interesting about Vignelli’s take on type, of course, is not the specific selection of fonts. (Personally, I would replace Helvetica with Franklin Gothic.) Instead, what historians recall the most about him is his pragmatic approach to graphic problem solving. In a field as subjective and creative as graphic design, can you imagine practicing such restraint?
“In the new computer age, the proliferation of typefaces and type manipulations represents a new level of visual pollution threatening our culture. Out of thousands of typefaces, all we need are a few basic ones and trash the rest.” ~Massimo Vignelli
Casting a Wide Net
Restraint is exactly what I needed in focusing my efforts to develop an insightful series on custom type and lettering for logo design. But narrowing the focus of any project can only happen after first rifling through a lot of research. It’s a messy process and, obviously, research takes time. However, within only a week, I was able to source over 30 references from books, online articles, journals, and online videos that were relevant to the subject matter. Some of these sources were helpful in deciding the social platform and content format. They will hopefully lead to other authors and articles that are perhaps more insightful. Others will undoubtedly be tossed to the wayside. The ability to sift through content for meaningful references, rather quickly, will be important to creating a strong concept and ensuring each deliverable supports the overarching idea.
Focusing on Format
As the owner of a branding studio, I knew my intended audience for this project would be potential clients. One of the first questions I asked: What format would be the most appropriate for this topic with this specific audience in mind?
After brainstorming various formats, and researching different channels, I narrowed the focus to LinkedIn articles. Most business professionals in marketing are engaging on this channel. And, according to Edelman’s 2024 B2B Thought Leadership Report, “nearly 75% of decision-makers put more trust in an organization’s thought leadership content than its marketing and product materials.” Bingo, I found a potential format.
More importantly, LinkedIn’s algorithm favors high-quality content, “which can lead to a 30% increase in engagement rates.” This discovery expanded my audience to include creative professionals. If thought leadership means establishing credibility among industry peers, then the content I create needs to resonate with graphic designers as well.
On limiting his wardrobe, Steve Jobs reported, “Every day I get up to a closet hung with the very same shirt, and the very same slacks, and the very same shoes. Elegant, yes, but the very same. I do that so that I don’t have to think about that. And I choose not to think about that because I choose to think about much more important things. Like our brand. Like our operating system. Like our positioning in the world.” Limitation in one area, it turns out, can be liberating in others.
Thinking Ahead
Within a short timeframe I’ve narrowed the subject matter, channel, and format into a comprehensive project proposal. I like the way it currently exists, but I look at it as a starting point. For example, the deliverable ideas are thought starters. More research could lead to content or formats that are more suitable for the subject.
At the same time, I consider each deliverable, no matter what decisions are ultimately made, as an opportunity to test results. If one approach achieves better engagement or increased followers, I would most likely pivot to create more similar content. The great thing about the internet is we can learn and optimize in real time, thought I may be getting ahead of myself.
For now, I’m looking to home in on custom type and lettering for logo design, and the ensuing deliverables. There’s looming deadline to meet! And, limiting yourself to fewer decisions can make the task at hand seem more achievable.
In the film Helvetica, Michael Bierut talks about the use of the namesake typeface in the 1960s. He says, "I imagine there was a time when it just felt so good to take something that was old and dusty and homemade and crappy looking and replace it with Helvetica. It just must have felt like you were scraping the crud off of filthy old things and kind of restoring them to shining beauty." Is Mr. Beirut referring to anyone specific? One can only assume it's his old boss, Massimo Vignelli, that scoundrel that painted America with only five fonts, including Helvetica.
References
Gerber, M. E. (2015, November 23). Here’s why Steve Jobs’ dress code mattered | inc.com. Inc. https://www.inc.com/steve-jobs-had-a-dress-code.html
Latin, M. (2021, June 7). All you need is 5 fonts. Better Web Type. https://betterwebtype.com/all-you-need-is-5-fonts/
Rep Cap. (2024, December 13). LinkedIn for thought leadership: A beginner’s guide. Homepage. https://repcap.com/b2b-content-marketing-insights/linkedin-for-thought-leadership
Swiss Dots. (2007). Helvetica [Film].
Williams, M. (2023, October 3). The golden age of digital typography. Creative Review. https://www.creativereview.co.uk/monotype-digital-typography/
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