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Right-reading (adj): Having the proper orientation (used in printing)

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Language is a skin: I rub my language against the other. It is as if I had words instead of fingers, or fingers at the tip of my words. My language trembles with desire.”
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Trajan, the movie font

I don’t know why the Hollywood folks are so in love with Trajan, but it’s been a designer’s joke for years now — any Hollywood epic MUST use Trajan. I prepared a little talk on typefaces a while back for which I gathered together several movie posters that used Trajan. But this guy does me one better, in this amusing video on the subject.

Comments

Comment from annexensen
Time: January 14, 2008, 8:22 am

The font that I really cannot stand and that is seen everywhere is Papyrus! Please people there are so many better alternatives. And yes, I see Trajan used too much also, but I do rather like it.

Comment from Nancy
Time: January 14, 2008, 11:14 am

I agree on the comment about Papyrus. It’s nice for somethings but not good enough to be so widely used. However, I don’t mind Trajan; the letters have a clean, strong shape which makes them very legible. What fonts do you think would serve the purpose better? Clever vid though.

Comment from xensen
Time: January 14, 2008, 7:04 pm

If all movies were exactly the same, then the same font would be right for them all. Nothing against Trajan (a nice enough digitizing job by Carol Twombly — can it be almost 20 years ago already?) but can Trajan really be the best typeface for almost every movie? A good designer designs from the inside out — that means watching the film and picking a font that conveys the qualities it’s trying to express.

Comment from Nancy
Time: January 14, 2008, 7:37 pm

I wasn’t trying to say that the overuse of Trajan is justified. But - as regards film - how many movie title designers get to see the final cut so that they can match film content with a more judicious use of type? How much communication is there between the different areas in any area of media as regards book covers, etc? Your careful matching of content to font, design, etc is exemplary but isn’t it the exception, rather than the rule? Of course, I think that the worse offenders are the romance novels; there’s a very funny site which mocks them and the covers (plus titles) are an absolute hoot!

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This companion blog to www.rightreading.com explores the full gamut of print and electronic publication, from conception, research, and editing through design, typesetting, and image preparation, through paper, print, and pixel on to marketing and sales. It seeks to integrate the editorial and design functions, which too seldom communicate effectively. Books, authors, translation, and reviewing are also covered.

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