Typography is 95 percent of design.
Typography makes all the difference in whether the right tone and values are being conveyed by the way the words look and feel. How something is said is just as important as what’s being said.
Gill Sans is a sans-serif typeface created in 1926 by Eric Gill in Speen, England. It was inspired by Edward Johnston’s type for the London Underground and mixes geometric and humanist ideas. It came to define British culture. (Gill Sans’ popularity spread in 1929 when it became the standard typeface for the London and North Eastern, appearing on everything from time tables to locomotive nameplates.)
Characteristics include a very long leg that extends far beyond the upper bowl on ‘R’, very wide ‘c’, and top heavy arch stroke on the ‘a’. Gill Sans has an odd English élan, a certain lasting charm.
Today, Gill Sans is the typeface of choice for the BBC, Pixar, Mac OS X, Microsoft Office, Bennetton, Penguin, and Tommy Hillfiger.
A comparable typeface is FF Yoga Sans designed by Xavier Dupré in 2009 and ideal for newspapers and magazines thanks to its strong personality and excellent legibility.