typography anatomy

I decided to look at the sans serif font Arial and the serif font, Book Antiqua. I chose Arial because it is a font that resembles both universe and Helvetica however there are unique glyphs that allow you to tell them apart, especially when looking at the tail of the capital Q. Arial is classified as Neo Grotesque and was designed for Monotype by Robin Nicholas and Patricia Saunders. The feel that I get from Arial when thinking about fashion is a trendy, modern, urban feel. Arial reminds me of brands like American Apparel, even though the font for American Apparel is bolder and more condensed, the fonts have similarities. It also reminds me of another urban modern clothing brand called Bench. These two brands are often identified with being "hipster" brands.  In general when thinking of urban clothing brands that are classified as being hipster, it seems that the typefaces used for the brand is most often a sans serif typeface, which is why when looking at Arial, I get the same feel.

The second font I chose was Book Antiqua, which is one of my favorite serif fonts. The reason why I like Book Antiqua so much is because of its roundness and delicate look. It is a roman typeface inspired by the Italian Renaissance and influenced by another typeface called Palatino. It was created by Monotype Staff for Microsoft. When looking at this font and how it reminds me of fashion, I get a feeling that is more fine and delicate. I think of brands like Ralph Lauren, Vineyard Vines and Brooks Brothers. Although both brands have typefaces with different serifs and RL is more condensed while BB is less condensed but more narrow, the typefaces used for these high end, preppy brands seems to most often be a typeface with serifs, similar to that of Book Antiqua. Book Antiqua not only has a preppy feel to it, but it almost feels like a typeface that would be used for royalty. It feels formal and proper while looking elegant at the same time.