Does superstition effect your work?

Picture borrowed from Russell, thank you very much.

No, right? You're not superstitious, that's just silly.

I used to work with a chap who would never use the type size 13pt. Never ever. He was an artworker (and a very good one) and so occasionally he used to get jumped up little twerps like me asking for stuff in 13pt. He'd refuse and normally use 12pt or 14pt. If you noticed and argued he'd switch to 12.5pt. Eventually you might get a 12.99pt but you'd never get a 13pt. Never.

Another guy I worked with (senior designer) would never use odd numbers for type sizes. 13pt was out but so was 15pt and 17pt and 19pt and don't even ask about .5pt sizes. It's was even numbers all the way.

This of course is ridiculous.

Who cares? Who notices? If you need a piece of type to fit a particular space you squeeze it in there and who cares what size it is? Digital DTP technology has made all this possible.

But there was a time, not that long ago, when this wasn't possible. Type had to be 12pt, it couldn't be 12.31pt. Decisions had to be made and stuck too. I also worked with a designer (Chairman, technically) who went to the RCA with Ridley Scott (they were flat mates). He could design a brochure by voice control. He just knew what would look good. He'd walk into the studio, "Four column grid, type in 11pt, headlines in Pantone 032" and so on. Sure, that kind of stuff was never going to change the world, but it looked good. It looked solid. And it was quick.

So. Do you ever use 13pt? Do you have any graphic design superstitions?

Comments

[Ric]

I never let superstition AFFECT my work.
:-)

[Simon]

I have the same problem with odd-numbered type. But then I also have a problem with, say, the odd-numbered volume numbers on my car radio, so we're really into psychological defect territory rather than superstition.

[Bez]

I'm not remotely superstitious, but I tend to use 9 or 12 point a lot because those numbers divide and multiply easily to make nice simple grids and leading. 13 is a prime number and makes life difficult :)

One thing I would avoid, though, is a red flag containing a white circle with a black glyph inside it! When you hire the equipment for a round of putting there, do they only give you one ball?

[bob]

Does your inability to spell simple words affect your work as a graphic designer?

[Cool Unicorn]

Well, I have let some clients' superstitions affect my work. One woman would not let me get anywhere near the color maroon because it reminded her of her dead creepy grandmother's house. Another one was a believer in "feng shui" and made use of comments about "qi" to critique my designs. Ugh.

[David Airey]

When I was younger, a couple of my old friends held nearly every superstition you could think of. When I realised how ridiculous it seemed, I found great amusement in opening umbrellas inside their homes, and pushing them onto cracks in the pavement.

Childish, yes, but I was a child.

Off-topic, I figured out why I couldn't previously comment here. It's because I was using the recently released Firefox 3 browser, so if someone else says they can't click the 'post' or 'preview' buttons, it'll probably be down to their browser.

[andrew]

I think people who say they are not superstitious are like people who say they are never influenced by advertising.

But apart from superstition there is the Golden Mean (or Golden Ratio) where certain proportions will always look good - if you use the principles of the Golden Mean for a design it is always going to look satisfying.

[Matt Cooper]

Funny to read this today, because i've just noticed that a couple of my illustrator files are up to version 13, i'm getting sick of both of the projects they are related to.

does that count?

[lauren]

I can't cope with courier - or even courier new. back in the old days, before the pdf saved the world, courier was the default postscript font for: YOUR FONT FUCKED UP! and now, i can't even use it ironically. i don't know if that's superstition, or just training, but hey, it's there.

[Simon]

Just read the comment left by another Simon, who, like myself won't have the car radio set to the volume between 12 and 14. Ironically, 12 is a bit too quiet, 14 too noisy... This kind of thing doesn't feed into my design work though.

I think the only thing I know that I do is to always make sure I've pressed the Save command twice, as if the first command won't actually save.

I'm not superstitious or owt. Probably just nuts thought.

Does anyone else take a photo of the mileometer dials on the car when they all line up at, say 77777 or even 90000 (it's an old car).

[dik]

Personally superstitions don't play a role in my design work.

I've done my fair share of typographic shonking to get lines to fit, but I do as a general rule of thumb try to work with numbers that are based on multiples so the grid/golden ratio/fibonacci sequence work in some form.

However on two very different occasions I have been asked to remove the colour green because it was deemed unlucky with no greater explanation than that from the client.

[Matt Noble]

ive never consciously not used a type size because it we x number or y number, i tent to use whole numbers where possible but if a type has to fit exactly then i have to ignore that

Matt

[Russell]

I'm not superstitious, oooooo no I've ceated comment 13, aahhh I'm going to burn in hell now!!!!

Superstitions are for those who have no sense or you could say are full of nonsense!

Excuse me while I burn in hell over a black cat and a broken mirror.

Voodoo is much more interesting than superstitious anyhow!

[Russell]

OOOOOO spooky not only did I make comment 13, I've just noticed that I made it exactly at 1300 hours!

That's it I'm doomed for sure!

[fer]

no. that's why i have a brain. i don't dance to make it rain either.

[Alistair Hall]

Um, yup. I avoid 13pt type too. But black cats and hats on beds are fine.

[Steve Price]

I salute Mag-pies if they land within my peripheral vision. Does that count?

[El Roño]

My pappy always said being superstitious is bad luck; so I'm not. Unless it's football…

[Nick]

I used 13pt leading on a document recently. Nothing particularly exciting happened... yet! Also, @Russell - that is weird actually. Anything to report yet?

[Russell]

To nick sorry for the late reply - I burned in hell (man that smarts!) and it took a long to re-generate, as I am half reptile too.

[s13]

I actually go the other way, because I was born on the 13th, I try and slip in 13 pt fonts, and 13mm borders, 13:02 on clocks whenever I can, it feels like an in joke when i'm presenting work.

[Sketchee]

I don't know that I call anything a superstition as much as habits. I know that certain colors work well on certain materials and I tend to use them a lot

[caroline]

I don't think I know anyone who is completely unaffected by superstition. It is a human behaviour whic aims to make sense of things where there is no need or little need at best. But, as pointed out to me many times, superstition relies on the belief in destiny and a predisposition to be religious or at least a sense of a higher being or source of power dictating destiny. This is quite normal even in people who believe themselves to be athiest.
Oh yeah...
Green motorbikes/vehicles are considered bad luck, but I don't know why.
Maroon and burgundy, I'd be interested in the difference in ingredients - my old uniform was Burgundy, apparently people tend to wear their school colours more than other colours in adulthood...Im not so sure...
Has anyone seen the film 23? its suprisingly entertaining, involves numbers and paranoia oh, and Jim Carrey being good in a serious role.