In the beginning
One of the first things we begin to learn after we are born is what different sounds mean. As we grow, we become cognisant of words before we can form them ourselves. Our parents and others teach us routinely the intricacies of intonation and phrasing. We learn to adopt postures and facial expressions to elicit what we want. We learn to communicate. Later we are impelled to take up compulsory education managed through the state. Here we encounter the joys of learning by rote (repetition) designed to expropriate our unconscious nice and early, whilst it is at its most vulnerable. Times tables and the alphabet are the favourites taught by rhyme. These are the pill and the sugar, intended to get the unconscious mind conditioned to accept rote. Everything we learn from our first days at school is dependent upon our being adequately versed in the sums of the SUMMONS and the SPELLS of the alphabet.
Roman Times
Letter shapes are a vital consideration in communications. How they flow across the page influences the way your mind reacts to the content. Publishers think very carefully about the font they use depending on the subject matter they are presenting. Different letter styles evoke deeply ingrained reactions from whoever is reading the material. Times Roman and its relatives look authoritative, reliable and substantive, honest and good for you. It is a dominating masculine styled type but with a little flourish here and there in the design it says, “we are dependable, and not as authoritarian as we look, see…we are generous and light-hearted too. (We are insisting you believe that).” Employing this style of print encourages readers to believe and fully trust in the message being communicated. Government departments, religions, scholars even some conspiracy writers depend upon Roman style lettering. Even if they are telling us a load of round things we are more likely to believe what they are saying because they have used this style. The difference between most writers adopting Roman style and the authoritarian agents is that mostly the former have no intention to deceive or prejudice anyone; they merely regard the style as more noticeable i.e. attractive. The other advantage of flourishes (known as serifs) in letters for Darkness-inspired literature is that people tend to zip through the documents with fewer pauses for thought. For the very same reasons, and not that long ago presenting authoritative works in other than Latin met heavy punishments. This convention ensured the material stayed within the boy’s club. As Latin became less and less practical its groomed offspring Roman English (and other Roman dominated languages) took over.
Serfing the Serifs
On the whole letter shapes without serifs (sans-serifs) tend to plod across the page which tends to tire people. Unless the subject matter is particularly compelling books written in these styles are not ones that will be un-put-down-able. All of this is not an accident. The Roman templates for our alphabet are thoroughly ingrained in our unconscious both individually and socially. If you notice conventional Roman design letters have feet. Subliminally people associate letters without feet to be precarious, probably unsafe, and unreliable, they are missing something vital. The reader probably will not realise why they are receiving this impression but they will be and are being manipulated. Of course in reality the font has no influence on the veracity of what is being presented at all. That is just one indication of the power behind letter usage and the effects they have on people’s opinions. One of, perhaps the, most influential tome ever printed uses the Roman style, the Bible or rather the Bible. Notice the difference? The Roman style is Saturnine – aimed at being anti-feminine and anti-everyone. Look at the first example (Arial) softer, gentle and free looking encouraging you to look closely, if you feel like it. The second example (Times New Roman) is sharper, more solid and bunched up – the Darkness prefers you to think ‘composed’ – Like a man wearing Y-fronts! And you know what is inside them. Some people reading this will be saying yes but I prefer the Roman example. Consider why you prefer it? Maybe it is a programmed preference an implanted obstacle that prevents readers from thinking for their selves, being told what and how to think and all wrapped up in a letter design. Even if the material is controversial or enlightening if the type style is Roman you cannot be objective and once it’s in it’s in. You cannot unread it. Newspapers as well have used this trick for generations to manipulate public opinion. Aha! You might say, what about the internet? Roman style is rarely used. True, but other factors and influences are at work on a screen including technical ones. Screens are much wider, brighter and give off waves which all tire the eyes.
Ellis Taylor Books 