type connection typeface matchmaker

the ‘type connection’ game charges users with finding the ‘perfect match’ for one of a number of typefaces above: examples of unsuccessful matches

billed as a ‘typographic dating game’, ‘type connection‘ by american designer aura seltzer uses the idea of the perfect love match as a metaphor for the pairing of typefaces in print and web documents. the educational game invites users to try to make a love connection between two different typestyles, based on a range of criteria, offering information along the way about the history and design of each face.

read more about the game below, or go play it!

step one: choose your typeface

design aficianados first select one of five typefaces as the base character for whom they will make a match. then they decide what kind of dating strategy they want to adopt: ‘rely on family’, which exits from the matching game to provide information about the font family; ‘seek the similar’ which seeks to match similar looking typefaces together; ’embrace the other’ that pairs two very different styles; or ‘explore the past’ in which partnered typefaces should reflect a mutual origin or shared history.

in the next step, users meet three new typefaces and select one for the pairing. the next screen aligns these two faces over one another to render more clear the similarities and differences in their design, pointing out in detail bubbles typographical notes.

a player must then ‘send [the typefaces] on a date’ where he learns that the match was either successful– with a screen featuring more details about the typefaces and a real-world example of the two in use together– or not, with a pop-up bubble explaining why.

information about the history and design of each typeface are offered throughout the game

when a match is made, users are privy to a real-world example of the two typefaces in use together, with a ‘first date’ story to match

via thenextweb