Late - 3/6 Blog Post

Information found at the following URL:

http://www.depts.ttu.edu/communications/identityguidelines/idguidelines/ttu/elements/type.php.

I am not surprised that Texas Tech University has such a strict enforcement of what kinds of typography can be used when publishing things whether in print and or on the internet. TTU is a brand that stretches all across the globe and that brand needs to be consistent with all documents. It shows order, sustainability, and most importantly a center of higher education that cares about what is being published. You will see the same kind of strict enforcements in most centers of higher education, business, and non-profits around the world. It allows a voice to be heard, or in the topic of document design, a voice that can be seen.

Lets get into what Texas Tech uses as founts and why they have chosen these specific founts. When we first go to the identity guideline page for typography, link provided above, Charter is defined. We read that the use of this fount has three reasons.

1. “key concept of fostering success, we chose a highly readable Charter to represent our primary voice”
2. “reinforces the same classical associations we recognize in our campus architecture, forms that evoke a sense of history, integrity and trust”
3. “highly versatile typeface that's appropriate for a variety of applications from formal to casual”

Now that is a lot to take in, just from one use of a fount. Knowing that Texas Tech does not do anything with out research, the office of communication and marketing probably spent thousands of dollars finding out that Charter voices the above three concepts through market research and focus groups. Full circle, it works very well to define that voice of Texas Tech University. The office of communication and marketing even go into how to use Charter in headlines and body text, noting that only a few abstract changes can be made depending on the document that is being made. They also note that users outside the university system might not have the fount Charter installed on their own personal computers and that Times New Roman can be used instead, but in the same character style. I also noticed that they want headlines to be in a gray color tone, in order to voice a friendly nature in communication. I have never noticed the use of this gray fount, but will now have a keen eye to notice this type of voice in documents that are produced at Texas Tech.

The next fount that can be used within the University system is Helvetica Neue. Helvetica is used in everything we see due to its easy nature of reading. The identity guideline website says that Helvetica Neue is a “definitive sans serif font, with a classic neutrality that allows it to be used for all types of communication.” Having watch a documentary film about Helvetica in a past Mass Communication class, I noticed the use of it in many documents around Texas Tech. The communication and marketing office even go to the degree that Helvetica should be used for sub headlines, as well as information in charts and graphics. It can also be noted that Helvetica can be substituted with the use of Arial fount with the colors of red, black, or gray.

Edwardian is the last fount that is listed on the site as a usable form when producing documents under Texas Tech University. It is to be used for formal announcements and invitations. This makes sense, because our culture has seemed to connect cursive type as formal writing. Edwardian has a specific voice and is used correctly under our University system.

Side Note on cursive writing:
This is something I struggled with when I was growing up. I was taught in my private school to write everything in cursive no matter what. When I made the switch to the public school system (8th Grade), the complete opposite was taught. I understand the need for the switch because print type is much easier to read than cursive type. I do not like that the cultural mind set on cursive type is for formal voices. It seems ridiculous to me, and sometimes I even find my self switching from cursive and print type when writing notes in class.

I would not change anything about what the office of communication and marketing has put forth on its usage of typography. As I noted above, the university probably spent thousands of dollars finding out the right founts in order to voice the needs of the University System. Why change something if it works well? These above three founts work very well in my opinion.