Bad font decisions, yes I’m talking to you Papyrus users!

[ALEX P]

Well its a wash between all of the above.  Im just confused how caring about something “silly” like letters means that I wont be a good/great landscape architect?  I have a feeling James Corner did not splash papyrus all over his design presentation boards for the Highline.  Just because LARE does not have a font section (maybe it should?) doesnt really seem to signify that it is not important.  Its interesting that you read all these posts.. way to go!  I started this while I was looking for jobs, and started barfing at all the awful graphic dispositions out there.  Luckily, I found a job at an Art gallery, that lets me obsess about fonts, spacing, good design, et cetera.  There are plently of great designers who use graphic design to their advantage in making (award-winning) designs.  The Seattle Public Library, is the first thing that comes to mind (OMA + Bruce Mau + Petra Blaisse- the landscape architect).  It seems that I really hit a topic that many people feel so strongly about, yet they feel so against. Dont you see the irony in that Bob?  It seems that you spent at least 4 seconds looking for a font for your Silver Rock Resort project… Its not just any font, its that font.. hmmmm.  So you do care, but not really. 

[ALEX P]

Oh heather, I forgot about your ‘witty’ comments.   

[Bob Luther]

Yes I use a whole crap load of fonts on a wide range of projects, it just isn’t the first or fifteenth thing I think about, in fact I love to make lists for my project to-dos, never have I written a to do… Find perfect font… I have had the opportunity to do a pirate/shark themed project and did use papyrus and who knows maybe I will put it on my next project. I do use fonts but it is not anywhere close to important to my design, it’s almost subconscious, i change fonts just because I get bored and want to do something else.

[ALEX P]

To be honest i only use 1 – 2 fonts because i spent the time to think about what i believe reprsents me as a designer.  Im not scrolling through the mess of options found online and on my computer.  And I am certainly not spending/wasting time looking through those font options like you are.  Why is it so bad to have font selection be number 15 on your to-do list?  Im not saying it is more important than understanding the site, native plantings, ecological impacts, conceptual underpinnings, but it is important.  Im not that stupid. 

I did notice the papyrus park.  Hopefully you/everyone will get bored with papyrus soon.  I cringe at thinking what will be next.  

I would just like landscape architecture to be taken seriously, and not be thought of as a bunch of landscapers/backyard designers, and i think ONE (maybe 15 to you) step is getting rid of papyrus.  I didn’t go to school for 5 years to be mis-represented as a landscaper. Unless you are opening an organic floral shop in Mesopotamia, i find if difficult to justify using Papyrus. 

[Bob Luther]

Well I am disappointed in my industry if you are the future… This whole conversation is a joke, I get it you are just trying to get people fire up on a stupid topic, egg on my face… You are… Why do I even, I’m done!

[ALEX P]

I pity it as well.  

[Heather Smith]

You’re funny. You can design the most beautiful landscape and if you don’t have competent, intelligent landscapers your work will come out looking like trash. Don’t denigrate those that do manual labor. It appears you believe that your choice of font is more important then a laborer knowing how to properly lay-out and execute drawn documents. Silly. I don’t know anyone that doesn’t take landscape architecture seriously…if they know what it is. Don’t like Papyrus…don’t use it. I wouldn’t be surprised if some clients like the look of it and you know…they are the ones paying the bills. There was a time when I didn’t want us to be confused with landscapers/backyard designers…then the recession came. Yep. We are landscapers and residential designers. Guess what…we aren’t the only ones in landscape architecture that do both. Check out this guy…http://www.scoteckley.com/pages/home.php

I don’t think he minds making a lot of money doing design build.

[ALEX P]

woah woah woah, miss smith.  I never knocked the laborers. Believe it or not, that was me, once. Diggen away at some dogwood in some rich persons backyard.  I just said thats not what i went to school for.  I learned that there is a difference.  The words are not interchangeable… but what do I know, I guess.  

If your after the money.. check out mvvainc.com… seems to look a lot nicer/profitable. But what do i know, im a sucker for that aesthetic.  To me that is landscape architecture.  

[Jason T. Radice]

Read this:

 

http://lifehacker.com/5899904/a-non+designers-guide-to-typefaces-and-layout

[Author]

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