I share the view that Fonts/Founts are both important and interesting. They help convey identity and provide visual cues about something or convey character - maybe a Restaurant has an 'Italianate' Font that helps subliminally identify the place as Italian.
@Ian H is correct in that the use of a specific font gives identity. They can also give clarity for example on road-signs that are as legible in daylight as they are when reflective at night. Some Fonts are designed to use very little print ink, therefore a cost saving over older types. Some are space-aving to allow more letter per line.
A Mutual friend of
@matticus and I (Pete B) works in typography, book and dictionary layouts where legibility, space, printability is important. Some fonts work better on paper, others on screen. We have a corporate font, I find it less legible than others available so don't use it prefering Calibri, Arial or Gill Sans. I have a soft spot for Courier but it's very space heavy, but easy to read!
My daughter is also a graphic designer in product branding, where choice of typeface is critical to convey the brand identity.
I could become a Font geek, but don't have the time....
