Superhero Typographic Classifications

So you like superheroes? Who doesn’t, these days?

How about typography? Now we might have fewer takers for this. Truth be told, I am not much of a font person, and while I do understand that there is beauty in fonts, I honestly sometimes couldn’t care less. I even think that the passion for, or against, certain fonts is overrated. No offense, meant.

If you put together superheroes and fonts, though, I might look slightly differently at the beauty of fonts.

Matthew Olin from Duluth, Minnesota has taken a look at two things things close to his heart: superheroes and fonts. While these two things may not immediately come to mind as partners in any sense, Olin has decided to scrutinize them to find defining characteristics that are similar. By doing so, he has linked superheroes and fonts together in a creative project: superhero typographic classifications.

He describes his project:

“…we can draw analogies between the elements of design and those of superheroes in an attempt to create clarity, educate and inspire. These elements, primarily the use of symbol, color and typography, have the power to communicate with an audience far beyond the surface level. Relating these characteristics to those found within beloved superheroes lets us connect the qualities of each and draw similarities between the two.”

He also says that typefaces “often speak to us more powerfully than the words that are written with them”, but I am not so sure about that. Sure, one can’t deny that fonts do have an impact on the message that you want to send across, but I cannot come to terms with the form overriding the content. Then again, I could be wrong. What do you think?

Whether he is right or I am right, Olin’s work is nothing but creative. I was captured by the simple artwork, not to mention the parallelism he employed. Here they are for your viewing pleasure. I think the Hulk will be happy with this! (Click on each thumbnail to get the entire picture, literally and figuratively.)