Thai Fonts Used In Advertizing.

[Cuban]

I was discussing with a friend today a sign that he is displaying at his business offering free wireless internet access.

One point that I pondered was that in every case of poster advertizing I can recall seeing where the Thai script for the word "Free" is used, it is displayed in that curvy font with a generally circular footprint for each character where possible. The image below represents this well with both ฟรี and the other letters shown.

Example:

I appreciate that this is a stylised rounded smooth font with ี above the ร flattened and the ร itself twisted into an s as in the font used on the washing powder 'Breeze' that many read as 'USA'.

Is there a particular reason through association with this curvy/rounded font that it is used so frequently in advertising in particular?

Is it just currently trendy as a font? Is there an association with food, if anything it feels to me that this is a gluttonous-fat-font being rounded and taking up more space than the slim BrowalliaUPC. In the McDonald's example is the sub-text "eat me get fat" conveyed by the font?

I liken the question to the use of Mock-Chinese Thai fonts used on Chinese centric food outlets and at coupon restaurants where the Thai letters are always presented to look Chinese and so carry the message that this is Chinese. ( Like this Chinese take-away container does in English or the Logan's Run font was futuristic in the '70s. )

I find it funny that the word free in this context is the transliteration from English, Thais not wishing to give anything away for free as the Klingons don't have a native word for fluffy.

Indeed does the use of the word ฟรี carry with it a non-Thai aspect being a borrowed word or is it like หนังสือเดินทาง that is most often used in the context of non-Thais where English is spoken to some extent, so saying "passport" is quicker than saying "หนังสือเดินทาง" ?

All thoughts welcomed.

[AyG]

Think of older English typefaces. They are all serif. Sans serif typefaces are widely considered "cleaner" and "more modern". It's a similar thing in Thailand, where eliminating the initial loops on letters produces a cleaner look.

There's also a second factor working here. Thai typographers have also been influenced by English letter forms - hence the ร's being transformed into an "s". Foreign script is considered trendy. Consider the way that teenagers in the UK like to wear T-shirts with Japanese lettering, whilst in Japan they like ones with English words on them.

In short, the chosen typeface is intended not to look fuddy-duddy.

As for using the loan word "free", it's not that Thai doesn't have a corresponding expression - it does: ให้เปล่า. However, imported words typically have a slightly different register from native ones. Compare, for example, "free", "gratis" and "complimentary" which have Old English, Latin and French roots respectively.

[Cuban]

Good insight thank you.

Any pointers for modern Sans Thai fonts before I go looking....... thank you.

As for Japanese fondness for English words - when they start getting Water and Heart tattooed on their upper arms we know the cultural mix is complete.

[AyG]

Searching for "Thai Sans Lite", "Droid Sans Thai", "Sawasdee", "DejaVu Sans", "Garuda", "Waree" should get you started. I'm pretty sure these are all free.

[Cuban]

Brilliant - pointed me in the right direction.

Installed and solved - thank you.

To benefit others finding this thread:

http://www.tongdownload.com/%E0%B8%9F%E0%B8%AD%E0%B8%99%E0%B8%95%E0%B9%8C-thai-sans-lite/

http://www.f0nt.com/release/thai-sans-lite/

[KhunBENQ]

ฟรี free

to me looks kind of "halfhearted fashionable".

On one side they want to be "modern" and use english terms, on the other hand they shy away from simply using english script.

For an overview of font styles you can look here:

http://www.thai-language.com/ref/typographical-styles?page=33

Edited August 8, 2013 by KhunBENQ