evil type?

At least in Germany black letter typefaces (or gothic, whatever you might call them) are pretty much spoiled for contemporary design by the Nazis. Everybody generally links them to their propaganda before and during WWII. Of course we know the fonts existed and were popular long before the Nazis in almost every country. Some even know that the Nazis banned them as “jewish fonts” in 1941. But still, using theses fonts in our days might give the beholder or even ourselves a bad feeling. Consequently, neo-Nazis today use and abuse them to indicate their attitude and thus keep up the public’s perception of them as Nazi-related. Nevertheless, some designers try to bring the black letter back and try to get rid of its sinister connotation. Others depreciate it completely as historically corrupted.



- Do black letters still have these connotations in your perception?
- Are you aware that the perception in other countries or educational levels may differ?
- Do you think they will loose these connotations some day?
- Is there a way we can use these fonts today avoiding these connotations?
- What can designers do to restore the image of black letters little by little?

- Do you care?