Facing Fonts

Free instructions and downloadable materials

This activity is offered free of charge for your use in educational settings or World Usability Day events.

On this page: Activity Summary | Learning Goals | Preparation | Setup | Moderating

Activity Summary

Description:

This interactive table activity encourages participants to match typefaces with photos of children wearing a variety of costumes. The intent is to demonstrate how typefaces convey a message through their shape, beyond the message they spell out.

Activity type:

Table-based activity

Good for:

Individuals or groups of all ages

Requires:

A poster-board display of photos of children in a variety of costumes, printed typefaces that may be scrambled and then matched to the images they resemble.

Minimum activity time:

5 minutes

Docents/Moderators:

One or two

Equipment:

• Posterboard
• Photos of children in a variety of costumes that may be matched to thematic typefaces (pirate, ghost, princess, magician, cowboy, athlete, etc.)
• Printed examples of typefaces that are thematically linked to the photos
• Something (like a small box) to affix the typefaces to in order to make them more durable

Signage:

• Download the Activity Signage (488K PDF)

Learning goals

To illustrate the point that the design of typefaces gives them an inherent message beyond the words they spell out.

Activity Preparation

1. Take a number of photos of persons wearing a variety of costumes. These costumes must be able to be matched with a thematic typeface
2. Glue the photos to a large piece of posterboard
3. Print out the typefaces in 28point type. Have the text for each read simply "Typeface."
4. Mount the individual typefaces on a small box or other sturdy surface to make them easy to pick up and move.

Activity Setup

1. Lay the posterboard on a table
2. Scramble the typefaces and set them on top of the poster

Activity Moderation

1. Individuals are encouraged to pick a typeface and move it to the picture that it matches. (i.e., a spooky font will go with the picture of a person wearing a ghost costume, etc.)
2. Moderators facilitate discussion among visitors about the messages that the shape and design of text send, and how that contributes to the overall meaning of the text.

Enhancements/Variations

• n/a

Tips & Tricks

• n/a

Found a Better Way? Question? Comment?

If you have a variant, enhancement, or comment on this activity, send an email to: volunteer@upaboston.org.