2. Introduction
• A typeface (also known as type family) is a set of one or
multiple fonts that share common design features. Each
font of a typeface has a specific style, weight, width, slant
etc however can be adjusted if needed; the most popular
typefaces are Helvetica, Courier and Times Roman.
• Typefaces can be separated into 2 categories: Sans Serif
and Serif. The difference between the 2 is that serif is made
up of little decorative marks which make them easier to
read where as sans serif is composed
of simple lines. For example,
‘Times New Roman’ is a serif type,
where as ‘Arial’ is a sans serif type.
3. History
• Typography dates back almost 3800 years and has
recently a significant part of filmmaking, developing over
the years with the fashions and trends of the time.
• Typefaces are something that are used by many short
film makers; however it is also overseen by so many
others, particularly in lower budget films. Julia May from
Smashing Magazine wrote an article on ‘The Art Of Film
Title Design Throughout Cinema History.’ She stated -
“Film titles can be great fun. In them we see the bond
between the art of filmmaking and graphic design and
perhaps visual culture as a whole. They have always
served a greater purpose than themselves: to move the
overarching story forward.”
4. Typefaces within films
• Typefaces plays a very important role in films as they usually give the
audience a hint of what the genre is of the film. This can depend on
different factors such as movement, colour or positioning.
• Lets take a thriller film for example; the typeface in ‘Face/off’ not
only suits the ‘creepy’ setting in the opening sequence but the
colours are also black and white which is a typical convention of a
thriller and creates an eerie atmosphere.
• As you can see from this opening title sequence, it consists of a bold
black and white capital font which justifies the fact that the use of
colour can represent genres.
5. Conclusion – What I have learnt
• From this research I have not only learnt what typefaces
are, but how they can be used to make a big impact. Simply
by choosing a certain type of font size or colour, it can have
a significant effect on the audiences’ perception of the film
that they are watching. For example the boldness and
thickness can alter a romantic or comedy opening sequence
into a thriller film effortlessly.
