We’re more likely to remember them when we see something that is familiar, yet fresh. We may not consciously realize it, but we perceive subtle visual cues because we know subliminally that we’ve seen them before. When typefaces are reminiscent of historic lettering, our perception of them can be reassuring and trustworthy. In this hopelessly over-communicated world, something amazing happens when designers are willing to honor our rich typographic history while putting a modern spin on traditional design. It wasn’t long before the face gained traction, earning publicity from its appearance in Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign and on the One World Trade Center. With this in mind, he developed Gotham, a typeface that felt contemporary yet distinctly familiar.
Interestingly, the facades of New York’s buildings are adorned with a distinctly American sans serif.įixated on preserving the historic lettering in New York’s ever-changing public spaces, Frere-Jones set out to design a modern typeface that would capture elements of the city’s heritage and endure for years to come. Inspired by the attractive and unassuming lettering scattered throughout New York City, Frere-Jones took to the streets with his camera, chronicling the various forms of signage he found. GQ commissioned American type designer Tobias Frere-Jones to design a typeface that would look fresh, new, and masculine, with a geometric structure. Though many recognize Gotham from its role in the Obama campaign, it was initially created for GQ Magazine. So when designers Slabyk and Thomas were hired to work on the campaign, they switched the campaign typeface to Gotham, which was inspired by a form of twentieth century architectural signage found in New York City. The typography had to work for every medium: television, social media, banners, websites, and more. But in order for the campaign to truly take off, it had to stand out from the others by being evocative, memorable, and versatile.
Originally, the Obama campaign used a relatively plain serif typeface called Perpetua. The campaign was likely successful for a whole host of reasons, but as a designer, I was particularly interested in the typeface behind it all.
Some attribute the campaign’s success to its clever command of new media, while others argue that it was Barack’s ideas and goals for change that elected him President of the United States. When Barack Obama ran for president in 2008, many credited him as having one of the most brilliant presidential campaigns in history.
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