Robin Barnes
As a data-loving, geeky kind of person, the creative side of our business holds no end of fascination for me. The ability of our designers to produce a stream of high quality layouts month after month seems nothing short of miraculous to a research-wallah like me.
Having said that, I like to think that I can turn out a nicely honed powerpoint slide and, though I like to tease Stuart our creative director that Comic Sans is a really cool typeface, I've learned enough over the years to not get kicked out of meetings where designs are being discussed.
There's a great book which I read several years ago called Stop Stealing Sheep and Find Out How Type Works which is highly readable and very helpful for non-designers who have an interest in page layout and type. I have never understood what the title means, but I have learnt an inordinate amount of stuff about the letters and numbers that are the building blocks of our trade. Including, for example, how Cedar's last-but-one corporate typeface was the same as that used on German motorway signs. Crazy, eh?
I strongly recommend the book, which is available through Amazon, and it will of course free you and your powerpoint slides from the tyranny of Comic Sans.
BUY IT HERE: Stop Stealing Sheep and Find Out How Type Works