Paula Scher's contributions to the field of typography have expanded the possibilities of how type can be used to communicate messages, evoke emotions, and engage audiences. She encouraged a more experimental approach to design and typography, advocating for embracing mistakes as a learning process. Her philosophy, as she said in 1995 is that “It's through mistakes that you actually can grow. You have to get bad in order to get good,” has inspired countless designers to take risks and push boundaries in their own work.

Her work inspired a more flexible use of type in compositions. Since she is not afraid to make mistakes in her designs she can push beyond the norm and expectations towards typography to create pieces that stand out and grab the viewer’s attention almost instantly. Moreover, her designs do not neglect the purpose of typography as a method of communication, instead it makes it an experience to see and understand the content of her work. Some of the ways she has influenced the field of typography are not only through her breaking of rules like the grid, but also through her mentality that pushes for change and making mistakes to learn.

Even if Paula Scher did not create a typeface, she did give new life and possibilities to the ITC Avant Garde Gothic typeface, Helvetica Bold Condensed and Franklin Gothic, which she often used in her works. Her use Since she did not design a typeface, I will analyze two posters created by her and her use of type in it.

In this poster, the composition of the text is interesting because it adds movement and playfulness to the piece. Another element that attracts attention is the color of the text. Paula Scher is known for her use of bold colors, which are noticeable in this poster. She uses bright blue, red, black and purple throughout. This is a poster that Paula Scher designed for New York’s Public Theatre for the musical Bring in da noise, Bring in da funk. In this poster Paula breaks the traditional grid to rotate text to fit around the center image. Even if the text in the middle is not as readable, the most important information has a clear position in the hierarchy, the theatre’s name and the title of the play are at the top of the page, while the time and place are at the bottom. To make the title seem playful, she changes the width of each letter of the title and rotates some text. The tilted text gives more movement and emotion to the poster, which also fits with the image of the man jumping. Also, most of the text is placed around the central image without touching it. The only time when the image overlaps with the text is in the title, where the man’s sleeve covers a part of the letter N.

This is a poster for an orchestra event in Germany, which was designed by Paula Scher. PicturePaula is also known for her bold use of color in her works. She uses bright colors for the background and subject (the hand) to attract attention by adding contrast with a split-complimentary palette. Another detail that adds interest is the comic-like texture added to the hand, which is more noticeable in the shaded areas of the hand. The text follows the movement of the hand to add movement and interest. The most important information is bold and a bigger size than the rest. Other text that is next in the importance hierarchy is positioned closer to the top left side of the page, where the eye usually goes first to read. Since the words look like they are directing to a point, the viewer follows the direction to read them. Since the text is positioned in diagonals, that adds to the movement and dynamism of the piece. The rest of the open space adds focus to the image and text because there are not a lot of elements to distract from them. Since the space is beneath the diagonals, it also gives the illusion that the text is falling or could fall into the open space. Also, since the audience cannot see who is holding the stick, that adds interest and mystery to the piece. This Scher poster might seem simple, but the elements work together to grab the audience’ attention and curiosity.

Paula Scher’s most significant contribution to the field of typography is her approach to it as a means of expression, not only as a communication tool. She uses type in bold and unconventional ways that broke the rules of type at the time; for example, she broke the standard grid for type to create works like her posters for the musical “Bring in 'Da Noise Bring in 'Da Funk” in 1995 or her poster for the play “The Diva is Dismissed” in 1994. In her compositions she changes the alignment of the text to interact with the rest of the composition. The boldness of her type and color choices plus her intentional breaking of the traditional grid create works that not only communicate important information but also evoke emotions in the viewers that motivate them to interact with brands.

In addition to these contributions, Paula is known for reviving old fonts and using them in “excentric” and innovative ways (McGibbon, 2017). Most notoriously, Scher gave new life to the following typefaces: ITC Avant Garde Gothic, Helvetica Bold Condensed and Franklin Gothic. Plus, she modified typefaces to create custom Lettering for New York’s Public Theater and MoMA.