# Heard of Chatype? Like it? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 2, 2012, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heard-of-chatype-like-it/614540 "2012-03-02T13:22:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jasper\_Kent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a9a28c/32.png) [@Jasper\_Kent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasper_Kent)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2012, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heard-of-chatype-like-it/614540/1 "2012-03-02T13:22:27Z")
Never thought much fuss would be made about a typeface, but apparently this is kind of a big deal. At least to some Chattanoogans and a lot of font fans: > **[Kickstarter Project: Chatype, Chattanooga's New Visual Identity - Core77](https://www.core77.com/posts/21757/kickstarter-project-chatype-chattanoogas-new-visual-identity-21757)** > > While Robbie de Villiers and Jeremy Dooley want to design the typeface Chatype to celebrate everything that the growing community of Chattanooga, Tennessee has to offer, I'm supporting them on Kickstarter simply because they've created a beautiful... What do you think? ---
**Author:** ![Al\_Bundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e79b87/32.png) [@Al\_Bundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al_Bundy)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2012, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heard-of-chatype-like-it/614540/2 "2012-03-02T15:03:01Z")
Font does nothing for me. Make it readable is all I ask. Not capitalizing properly seems so low class to me. ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Tyger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Silver\_Tyger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Tyger)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2012, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heard-of-chatype-like-it/614540/3 "2012-03-02T17:00:37Z")
I can see the influences on the font, which isn’t a bad thing. It seems well designed, but nothing special. > [@Al\_Bundy](#): > > Not capitalizing properly seems so low class to me. I’m not sure about lower class, but frikking trendy. It’ll look really dated in ten years. And I think using it on the roads (as the example for the bike lane) is a bad idea - but just because they’re presenting it that way doesn’t mean it’ll happen. ---
**Author:** ![fubbleskag](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@fubbleskag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fubbleskag)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2012, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heard-of-chatype-like-it/614540/4 "2012-03-02T17:50:27Z")
the idea of this catching on and cities all around the country (world?) coming up with their own typeface is intriguing (albeit unlikely) ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2012, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heard-of-chatype-like-it/614540/5 "2012-03-02T19:34:43Z")
What’s wrong with [this picture](http://i.imgur.com/B1YJi.png)? 3 guesses, but you’ll only need one. The point of road signs and painting on streets is to be as readable as possible to accommodate poor conditions \*and \*people who don’t read English very well. Thinking the best font for this job is 1) serif and 2) non-capitalized is freaking DUMB. ---
**Author:** ![Jasper\_Kent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a9a28c/32.png) [@Jasper\_Kent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasper_Kent)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2012, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heard-of-chatype-like-it/614540/6 "2012-03-02T19:41:36Z")
> [@rachelellogram](#): > > What’s wrong with [this picture](http://i.imgur.com/B1YJi.png)? 3 guesses, but you’ll only need one. The point of road signs and painting on streets is to be as readable as possible to accommodate poor conditions \*and \*people who don’t read English very well. Thinking the best font for this job is 1) serif and 2) non-capitalized is freaking DUMB. Good points, but the picture of the bicycle is pretty obvious in any language. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2012, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heard-of-chatype-like-it/614540/7 "2012-03-02T19:49:00Z")
> [@Al\_Bundy](#): > > Font does nothing for me. Make it readable is all I ask. Not capitalizing properly seems so low class to me. > [@Silver\_Tyger](#): > > I can see the influences on the font, which isn’t a bad thing. It seems well designed, but nothing special. . . It’ll look really dated in ten years. And I think using it on the roads (as the example for the bike lane) is a bad idea - . The point isn’t really about the particular characteristics of the font. Rather, the point is simply to have it omnipresent. People will come to associate it with the city, to the point where you can identify Chattanooga from any photo with a sign in it. When people leave town for a while, and come back to Chattanooga, they’ll experience a subconscious sense of being “at home,” and “in the right place.” ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Tyger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Silver\_Tyger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Tyger)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2012, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heard-of-chatype-like-it/614540/8 "2012-03-02T19:54:18Z")
> [@rachelellogram](#): > > What’s wrong with [this picture](http://i.imgur.com/B1YJi.png)? 3 guesses, but you’ll only need one. The point of road signs and painting on streets is to be as readable as possible to accommodate poor conditions \*and \*people who don’t read English very well. Thinking the best font for this job is 1) serif and 2) non-capitalized is freaking DUMB. I’m assuming, for sanity’s sake, that when it comes to actually use this the road people will say that using it on the asphalt is illegal. There are several towns in California where street signs are in a certain color and font (some of them less legible than this one). I can’t see the average person being able to distinguish a font closely enough that just that will be associated with something. (In my experience, to most people there is Times New Roman, Arial, Papyrus, and Comic Sans.) The whole things seems a bit silly to me, but I don’t live there and it’s not my decision. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2012, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heard-of-chatype-like-it/614540/9 "2012-03-03T00:57:38Z")
My question is: how many fonts actually do well over time? We have a few that have lasted, and the rest seem to disappear. The most distinctive looking ones are usually the first on the chopping block. This font, even if not used on roadways, it going to look dated rather quickly. Sure, people will think of the city when they see the font, but that association will soon be a negative one. ---
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2012, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heard-of-chatype-like-it/614540/10 "2012-03-03T01:07:58Z")
I do think it would be cool if towns all had their own typefaces. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2012, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heard-of-chatype-like-it/614540/11 "2012-03-03T06:38:42Z")
I live in the Chattanooga metro area. I think it’s neat. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2012, 9:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heard-of-chatype-like-it/614540/12 "2012-03-03T09:55:13Z")
Think the idea of regional typefaces is great. That font is ugly and already looks dated. $10,000? What a rip-off. “the m.l.king” sign is hard to read too. But I love the layout and colors of the signs.