Selection of Fonts | Creative Diary 22may2015

When it comes to selecting fonts, uniformity reigns. We would rather make Digital Watch a bit different by selecting more creative fonts, but we face the same dilemma as with other visual elements. If we don’t follow a template, we walk a very delicate line between being considered too ‘dated’ or too ‘cool’ to challenge the visual mantra.

Since the main purpose of the GIP is to communicate to our audience, we will probably be more conservative – following templates in order to ensure that visual handshake with our audience. It’s tough trying to contain our creative urge. The people who created Helvetica a few decades ago had a much broader creative space (video).

For us, working on the Digital Watch design is a very interesting journey. By discussing issues like fonts we also discuss some core issues of our visual culture and ultimately our time.

About Diplo’s Creative Lab Diary

You can follow Diplo’s Creative Lab diary which provides updates on the development of Digital Watch – a dynamic observatory built on the dynamic interplay of

• advanced use of technology (data-mining, cognitive and language analysis);
• creative visualisation (a mix of modern material design and hand-drawn illustrations in traditional Diplo’s style);
• a network of knowledge curators who analyse and contextualise data in specific policy and cultural contexts (the impact of policies is ultimately local even in global developments such as digital policy); and
• experience in developing information repositories and observatories (the first observatory was developed in early 2000 – see WebArchive).

Diplo’s Creative Lab includes IG experts, techies, cognitive scientists, data specialists, graphic artists, and designers.

The Alpha version of the GIP’s Digital Watch will be prepared by the end of June. If you want to follow Diplo’s Creative Lab diary, please subscribe to the GIP mailing list or contact Tereza Horejsova at terezah@diplomacy.edu