![\"\"](\"http:\/\/raphaellowe.com\/portal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/09\/beforeandafter_futura-vs-verdana.png\" "\\"beforeandafter_futura-vs-verdana\\"")
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Here’s another font-related issue for your type purists out there. This was brought to my attention by a friend (and occasional reader) of mine who signed a petition<\/a> on the issue that IKEA changed the design of their marketing material to use the Verdana font as opposed to some of their offshoot Futura fonts they’ve been using these many years. There’s more information from a ranting designer<\/a> here. (via Iancul<\/a>)<\/p>\n Personally, I’m not sure what to think. I’m not a big fan of using Verdana (I think I might have used it once or twice in the past for some website paragraph style or something), nor do I really follow IKEA to the point where I’d alter my life over it. Maybe because I’m bitter that IKEA isn’t here in Hawaii?<\/p>\n I think as designers, we’re definitely paid to be more anal about things that may seem very trivial or even unnoticeable to the general public. So this is definitely not a topic I’d be quick to dismiss.<\/p>\n BUT on the other hand, it’s often my point that there’s beauty in everything…so what that this font isn’t as perfectly balanced as that font, or that this one is more over-used than the next? \u00a0Can we not explore design using things that may be considered plain or even ugly by today’s standards? \u00a0Much like I admire a fine painting if I can see the artist’s imperfect underlying sketch-work, I’d admire a designer who could take something I would never consider in my own design and she made it look good.<\/p>\n