Good Type In Film: Typography On The Big Screen

A little type can add a lot to a movie. There are surprisingly few movies in my memory that take advantage of this. Here are a few that do.

A little type can add a lot to a movie. There are surprisingly few movies in my memory that take advantage of this, making the movies that do use type to it’s fullest all the more special.

The films that do come to mind when I think about the utilization of typography on the big screen are Away We Go, Public Enemies and Stranger Than Fiction.

Away We Go

Away We Go was a surprise favorite for me for this year, thanks in part to the typography in this Sam Mendes movie. Despite it’s hipster-tastic movie poster and trailer, the actual film experience was no Juno knock-off.

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A young couple look for a place to settle down and travel around the country to find the best place with the best people. As they travel from place to place, a title screen appears with “AWAY TO PHOENIX” or whatever part of the country they’ll be in next. The large bold title cards were a nice unexpected addition to a movie rich with small and beautiful cinematographic sequences and a golden soundtrack.

I couldn’t find much information about these title cards and images of them were impossible to find, but they stood out as a underused storytelling device in movies. Trust me, they were good. [ if anyone can find them on the internets i will give you something. ] Like a novel is sectioned into different books, this movie was partitioned into segments my these wonderful screens.

Typography aside Away We Go is a fantastic movie and if you get a change you should give it a watch.

Public Enemies

Public Enemies is not a movie I’ve actually seen but from the first preview I was in love with the title type. “New Deal,” a custom typeface developed by Research Studios, is inspired by WPA posters from the time of the New Deal.

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The article on the New Deal typeface on Creative Review states “Public Enemies follows the exploits of American gangsters Jon Dillinger, Baby Face Nelson and Pretty Boy Floyd during the 1930s and goes on general release in the US on July 1st.”

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The movie’s website features the typeface prominently which seems to fit in perfectly with the aesthetic of the film. This one’s on my must-watch list just for the sake of type.

Stranger Than Fiction

An older favorite for in-movie type is Stranger Than Fiction with Will Ferrell. The film incorporates the type and motion graphics from the opening sequence into several facets of the movie, placing it in three dimensions as the character interacts with the world around him.

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Part infographic, part motion graphic, part great movie type, the sequences are quite beautiful and engaging and bring a whole extra level of awesome to an already strange and wonderful film.

What are your type movies?

Which movies you’ve seen use typography effectively enough to be remembered for it? What are the under appreciated works of type in film? Post them in the comments.