Featured image for Times for New Romance? Font Dating Card Game Pairs Personality with Typography.

Times for New Romance? Font Dating Card Game Pairs Personality with Typography.

by Rudy Sanchez on 02/14/2019 | 2 Minute Read

Some people have a hard time finding their perfect match. You waste whole days swiping left or tight and going on terrible first dates, just to inevitably end up totally, utterly alone. Nothing makes that sink in more than Valentine’s Day.

But what if typography could help you figure out the kind of person you’re meant to be with?

What’s Your Type? is a card game featuring 50 different fonts. Unlike most card games, this a dating game where your suitors are typefaces. One side of the card says “hello there,” then asks “do I look like your type?” On the other side of the card, you'll find the font named and described.

Game creator and graphic designer Sarah Hyndman has explored the impact typography can have on individuals and how fonts change our experiences and invoke particular memories and reactions. She has worked with psychologists and neuroscientists on the ways type influences us and changes the meaning of words-she has even written a book on the subject called Why Fonts Matter. Her latest effort is a fun, approachable examination into the personality typefaces express, turning the study of typography and psychology into a compelling game.

Variations on the game include “bonk, marry, kill” and “date, ditch or friend” and is designed for everyone, not just for typography nerds—although designers may choose different fonts than their non-designer friends based on their experience with all things type.

In addition to being a fun dating-style card game, the descriptions on the back of every card could potentially serve as a tool for designers when choosing a particular font for a project.

If you find yourself single and perhaps lonely this Valentine’s Day, maybe take a chance on a dapper Didot, bold Bauhaus, or fashionable Futura. You never know, you might just find the perfect font for you.