The Rhetoric of Typography
could be regarded as aggressive. This kind of impression is evoked by its formal qualities – pointy and spiky letterforms may suggest direct physical harm. Naturally, this experience changes in time, therefore also the perception of a particular typeface is formed according to what we have seen before and what we remember. Eva Brumberger concludes that selection of typeface does not have a big impact on the meaning of the text, implying that even if the text and used typeface indicate exact opposites, the meaning remains unchanged. This is particularly observable in the case of words with strong, emotive meaning because these words already have powerful associations, which are not easily altered. Typefaces, thanks to their rhetorical abilities, are commonly used to evoke a particular atmosphere. There are of course certain qualities that can be distinguished as indicators for various vocal features; for example, Comic Sans can be regarded as a playful and friendly voice, while Helvetica can be understood as a neutral and cold tone of voice. In a similar manner feminine looking typeface (such as Edwardian Script) can indicate a high-pitched female voice, because it reflects the subtlety of femininity. In this context, it is rather difficult to manifest these qualities by only using a particular kind of typeface, since we are used to reading them every day and therefore read them normally. Rendering such qualities in an oral performance would be merely a subjective interpretation of a typeface, while for untrained people it is often hard to distinguish typefaces at all. It is a question of how a reader can be lead to perceive different typefaces as indicators for vocal changes. This awareness could probably be achieved by using unusual or experimental typefaces that would challenge our reading habits.
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