Madmen and Type Obsessions
Upon our friend Tom’s recommendation, David and I have been watching the DVD series Madmen. It’s about a Madison Avenue advertising firm set back in the 1960’s. At first, the show made my stomach churn and my temper rise. In almost every episode the ad guys are smoking and drinking at work, sexually harassing the secretaries and cheating on their wives. It took me a long time to get past all of this. I reassured myself by thinking that director was trying to make a period piece that accurately depicts this time in our country’s history. And if you ask Mark Simmons, he would wholeheartedly disagree.
Mark is a little pickier about the accuracy thing than I am. And thank goodness for that. Mark wrote a great article about the typography found in the show’s opening, signage and props. He states that many of the typefaces used in these instances were actually designed after the 1960’s or were not widely popular during this time period. For those you who are obessed with typography, you’ll find it to be a great read. For those who think it’s a bit to picky, go eat some popcorn.