Is serif use dead?

[JonathanArias]

I made some designs ideas for a client. a magazine cover.

in one of the design ideas i mixed serif and san serifs. i was asked to do away with serif fonts since they want a modern look.

When did using serif become not modern?  i think is modern when you mix them..

opinions? thoughts?

[Steve Werner]

I totally disagree.

Serif is quite a "modern" as sans serif.

It's also generally easier to read for body copy.

[BobLevine]

Totally agree...with Steve!

Of course, it depends on the font, but that kind of generalization is almost always wrong.

[Gusgsm]

Wrong statement, but your client might become a difficult one if you try to prove him wrong. You might take this as an exercise of typographic self restrain (no serif fonts)... or best luck trying to convince him (her?) that any alternative serif proposal that you make is his idea.

Best regards

[Derek Cross]

It reminds me of when people want to use all lower case, imagining somehow it's smart, modern and new.

[MW Design]

I agree with Gusgsm as regards client education. I find that one needs often enough that, over time, one needs to get some clients to see change as their idea.

The client is incorrect, of course. At least in its sweeping over-generalization. But still, it depends on the type of publication. If you/they are building the next 4x4 monster truck or a realtor publication.

[Jeff Witchel, ACI]

We both know that most clients don't have a clue what they're talking about. That's why they hire us.

There are definitely "Old Style" calligraphic serif faces, but there are also limitless very modern serif faces. A sweeping statement of any kind about typefaces being old fashion is just silly.

[Bill Silbert]

I'm curious as to what age group the people making this silly comment were. It certainly doesn't sound like anybody who's been around long enough to know that "purpose" and "product specifics" should always dictate design. Not some arbitrary code of ethics.

[yn]

Some people just need to believe they know more than they do. They see a billboard, read an article headline, reference some obscure NASA study on fonts, and it all just reinforces their preconceived notions of whatever. From there, it's damn near a futile effort to educate them (ever how passive your efforts may be) that a world exists beyond an island.

Granted, most of my work comes from local, state, and federal government contracting so it's more common here I suppose.

[Derek Cross]

He who pays the piper calls the tune.

Though I did turn a job down once when the customer specified Comic Sans!

[Jeffrey_Smith]

A magazine cover or the entire magazine?

A cover (even without knowing the content, audience, theme of issue, etc.) designed with only san serif type faces is not that uncommon.

[JonathanArias]

Just a cover

[Randy Hagan]

Designing exclusively with sans serif display type is kind of a cliché, though as with most clichés it's based in regular use/overuse. A quick perusal of any magazine rack will be chock ful'o'blocky sans serif type.

If you like your display type packed tight, you're never going to pull it off with Bookman Old Style.

Pack those feature teasers in heavy, condensed sans serif type and it conveys substantial, solid, hard hitting. Do the same cover blurbs in, say, Souvenir bold and you'll never be able to pack the character count per line and it'll connote old-style, conservative and (dare I say it? Nah, I dare-n't) less serious overtones. Serifs may be considered more Old Home Journal; sans serif is certainly more Guns&Ammo.

I don't necessarily agree with the call – it's all in the execution, of course. But I can understand where it came from ..,

[Randy Hagan]

One more practical consideration I forgot to add:

If you're setting knockout/reversed type or light type trapped by dark color builds, Serifs can break up and print poorly.

With the heavier-weight sans serif type you'd use for smaller display type, like cover blurbs, edges are substantial and clearly defined. That makes it easier to print well and contributes to packing the type slug and still getting good results on press.

[JonathanArias]

thanks for this info/feedback. really useful.

[Scott Citron]

If your client wants to be modern tell them to can the whole magazine idea completely. Magazines require reading and, as we all know, nobody reads anymore (except for this Forum). Tell your client to put together a nice audio book or podcast. Doing so means an end to the serif vs sans serif discussion and many other nagging design choices.

Just a thought.

[JonathanArias]

i agree. nobody reads. and i do push more audio. But they still want magazines. mine are training magazines, pharma training. so they are mandatory to read.. lol