Design for Hard Times

from the New York Times:

DURING the 2008 presidential campaign, Barack Obama’s choice of Gotham — an elegant 21st-century font — for his campaign signage was praised by graphic designers for its modernity and implicit message of change. Critics derided John McCain’s font, Optima, which was developed in the 1950s, and recalled the printing on a remedy for gastric distress. . . .

Kate Murphy, "The Candidate Is Not My Type," New York Times, 29 October 2010.

McCain Font

There's a fascinating essay by Steven Heller in the New York Times for April 21 on the choice of type fonts for John McCain's campaign signs. He uses OPTIMA, a font based on Roman monuments, including Trajan's column. Optima is also the font used in Maya Lin's Vietnam Veterans' Memorial in Washington. Heller consults a variety of designers, who offer interesting histories of the type face and speculations about its power to communicate.

Opinion

Campaign Stops: McCain’s Optimum Look

By Steven Heller

Published: April 21, 2008

What the candidate's typeface says about him and his campaign.

Heller's article on McCain is a counterpart to his earlier article on the Obama campaign's choice of GOTHAM font.