Jonathan Hoefler and Tobias Frere-Jones, the New York-based fontographers behind the modernist Gotham font being used widely by the Obama campaign, slam the other candidates' typographic choices:

Hillary's snooze of a serif [seen here] might have come off a heart-healthy cereal box, or a mildly embarrassing over-the-counter ointment; if you're feeling generous you might associate it with a Board of Ed circular, or an obscure academic journal. But Senator McCain's typeface [seen here] is positively mystifying: after three decades signifying a very down-market notion of luxe, this particular sans serif has settled into being the font of choice for the hygiene aisle.

But when it comes to Gotham, H&F-J's sales copy reads like a pitch for Obama:

Friendly without being folksy, confident without being aloof, [its] many moods run from hip to nostalgic to brash to eloquent.

Related: A post on Gotham from the film blog for Helvetica that's actually titled "A Font We Can Believe In." (Thx diggersf for the photo and Lindsey F. for the tip.)

Feb. 26, '08
typography