The History of Type: Production and Distribution

Type is a form of visual literacy agreed and used by people. Letters are set of codes used to communicate information that existed since 5,000 years ago. It is unique that the human mind reads alphabetical symbols as a word, and not each letter on its own. Therefore, it must be understood that individual letters does not contain information, and human beings could only make sense of it if letters are grouped together to form words. This concept is similar to how animation works, such that to make illusion of motion, we need to have a collection of frames compiled into a single footage that plays the motion. A single frame does not signify any message as animators communicate messages through movements.

Eadweard Muybridge's Photographic Studies of Motion

Due to the increasing literacy in the Western World, many modern typefaces were developed to suit printing needs. Walter Gropius (1919) distinguish forms and function of these typefaces, creating norms for typefaces used for decorative purpose and those used to mimic handwritten words in printed literature. Around the same time, The Bauhaus also started designing crafts movement where designers designed typography that could make a significant impact to those who read the texts. Nowadays, graphic design has become a famous occupation. They use typefaces to advertise products, or even develop a cultural language of protest and conflict. With this in mind, graphic designers does continuously develop new typefaces to suit social needs, political and cultural preference, and advancement of technology. This give rises to a wide range of typefaces that the designers can use in their design, and lead to individualistic tendency which threatens the design process. It is a crime for a designer to choose a typeface solely based on personal taste, and they are responsible to take into consideration whether the typeface would enhance or disrupts effective communication of the core message to the audience. 

OUCH!

Sometimes, animators underestimate the importance of using the right typeface to represent their animation. This is because making animation is the focus of their occupation and adding text is just a post production thing, yet this is a total misconception. Considering typeface used for the title of the animation as it sets up the mood before the animated film starts, so that the audience know what to expect from the film. Typeface that appears at the end credit is as significant as those used in the title, as both of them must reinforce the genre of the film. In the present, it is popular for title sequence or end credits of animation to be made with kinetic typography. Saul Bass pioneers this trend as he created many title sequence masterpieces by designing the motions of typeface so that they are coherent to the musical piece that sets up the mood of the film.