Typeface is a cornerstone of visual communications. Though readers (or customers) don't completely understand typefaces, customersfeel typography well. Tone of Typeface aims to match brand tone-of-voice with certain geometric parameters of typeface glyphs.
Tone of Type is about setting links between typef forms' geometric axices and typeface emotional impact.
Choosing type for branding projects or any visual communication usually is a question of personal experience and luck. Readers don't need to be into typeface theme to feel the emotional message of type forms. Is it possible to link basic and more complicated emotions with geometric parameters of glyphs? That would make typeface choice more logic, reasonable and probably more valid for brand's tone of voice.
Type form is a multi-axis system. None of axis parameters is completely isolated from the other. So direct linkage between one geometric axis and one emotional axis is hardly definable (actually, it could be set for a limited number of simple emotional axises). So to define links geometry–emotion a vast number of typeforms it to be analysed.
The research for defining connections started with analysys of existing typefaces and setting relations with tone of voice emotional variations. All found relations tested to be objective through prototyping a typeface with preassigned emotional impact.
Some emotions have exact connection to 1 geometric axis, some link to 2–3 axises. Today a certain list of these connections could be shared:
Current status:
The Tone of Type theory and method of font parametrisation is prooved on parctical projects. The method is being further improved. You can order a Tone of Type research for any brand-related project. Just send a request:
