You’d be amazed at the difference a font can make, especially one used in a wordmark or logo. Just using a different style of lettering can completely change the feel of a logo. I illustrated this a few months ago by using two widely-despised fonts, Papyrus and Algerian, in a variety of famous logos. The results were pretty hideous. As one commenter on this blog said, “These logos hurt to look at.” So then I went the other direction, substituting the graphic designer’s darling, Helvetica. This left me with a series of competent, but bland designs. So this week, I’d like to try it out with the Jokerman font.

Jokerman is a display typeface. Unlike Helvetica, or even Comic Sans, it’s not meant for large chunks of text. It’s meant for short, whimsical applications, like the logo of a day care center, or the headline of a church newsletter. It’s certainly not meant for the logos of serious, Fortune 500 corporations, so naturally, I used it for just that. Here are the results.

Boeing

Costco

Ferrari

Intel

Kroger

Lowes

Mastercard

Rite Aid

Valero

Wells Fargo

Like Papyrus and Algerian, Jokerman is often misused and overused. But unlike Papyrus and Algerian, I don’t think it’s a bad font. It’s just a flamboyant display font. Used in moderation, in the right context, it’s fine, like a few drops of well placed Tabasco sauce. That said, I don’t think any of the above logos are improved with Jokerman. Most of them look pretty damn silly. (That’s kind of the point). But for a small business, especially one that deals with children, Jokerman font might just be the thing.

Are there any loud and obnoxious fonts out there that you like? If so, let me know in the comment section.