Support for LAist comes from
Become a sponsor
Audience-funded nonprofit news
Donate
Stay Connected

LAist is part of Southern California Public Radio, a member-supported public media network.

Audience-funded nonprofit news
Listen
Donate
Podcasts Take Two
A $20 million war is brewing in the font world
solid orange rectangular banner
()
Take Two Logo
Apr 10, 2014
Listen • 4:54
A $20 million war is brewing in the font world
We look at a bitter falling out between two of the world's most famous typography designers and what it might mean for the designer-world.
US President Barack Obama speaks during a rally at Veterans Memorial Park on October 18, 2012 in Manchester, New Hampshire. Obama is traveling to New Hampshire and New York to attend campaign events before appearing on the 'Daily Show' and attending the 2012 Al Smith Dinner.
Barack Obama’s team chose Gotham, created by Tobias Frere-Jones and Jonathan Hoefler, as the official typeface of the campaign in 2008.
(
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images
)

We look at a bitter falling out between two of the world's most famous typography designers and what it might mean for the designer-world.

You might not realize it, but fonts matters a whole lot. 

Times New Roman, Gotham, Arial, Helvetica — ask a group of designers about what makes them special and you'll get some nuanced answers. 

But it's not just aesthetics.

Big companies recognize that picking the right font is crucial for their brand and they are willing to pay for a good one. 

Tobias Frere-Jones and Jonathan Hoefler are two of the biggest names in typography. They co-created Gotham, the font used by the Obama campaign. 

For years they were seen as a font powerhouse, but in January, their partnership came to an ugly end. 

For more, we turn to reporter Joshua Brustein, who wrote about this in Bloomberg BusinessWeek.