What I love most about Emily In Paris (and it’s not what you think!)
Season 2 of the Netflix Series Emily In Paris was released on 22 December 2021 and I’ve already watched it twice!
I can imagine there is a lot of criticism and negative reviews about the series but most of my girlfriends were excited to (binge) watch it.
As we navigate through the waves of Covid-19, this show offers the perfect entertainment that we all need — escapism — from the number of cases of Covid-19, masks and nonetheless the virus. From the comfort of our couches, we are transferred to another world of simpler times — exploring the Parisian cafes, streets and French culture through the eyes of the Chicagoan marketing executive, Emily Cooper. To make it a cheesy TV show, there is boy trouble mixed with exciting work disasters (which, of course, always turn out to be a success in the end).
Having been an expat myself, this show takes me back to exciting times of living in a foreign place, exploring new places and meeting new people from different cultures. Season 2 introduces some new characters who are not French. For me, this is a good move since most of the larger European cities are filled with people from different cultures. However, let’s not talk about the Ukrainian lady Petra from Kiev though! Without revealing too much of the storyline, let’s just say the portrayal of Ukrainian women was boo boo from Netflix! Conversely, I loved the portrayal of the British via the cheeky lad Alfie. This cliché character was spot-on for me. One thing they got right is that the Brits can banter. As an expat, I noticed that the show conveniently leaves out feeling lonely and homesick but hey it’s a show and not reality, right?
Of course, a must mention is the fashion and the clothes! The wardrobe is designed by Patricia Field who famously designed costumes for Sex and The City and The Devil Wears Prada. The style is loud and provokes an instant reaction from the audience — you either love it or hate it! I’m team ‘Love it!’. They are super duper over the top. It’s like they just grabbed these clothes off the models coming down the runway. There is so much eye candy BUT would I wear them? Hell no! Let’s just say I appreciate (and can only afford) them from afar.
Getting down to it, the thing I love most about the show is…wait for it…the typeface! I think it’s gorgeous! I’m not sure if it’s just me but doesn’t the ‘A’ glyph in Paris remind you of the Eiffel Tower? The leg of the ‘R’ glyph is also so stylish and chic! For me, this typeface really embraces the essence of the show.
As much as I love the typeface, I’m not crash hot on the line shape in the counter of the capital O and Q. It’s a little over the top where the typeface could do without it.
The Emily In Paris typeface is a variation of the Rumble Brave typeface. The Rumble Brave was created by Alit Suarnegara. Alit is a graphic designer and a type designer from Bali Indonesia. The typeface is published by Alit Design. Alit describes his typeface as vintage Victorian classic and is suitable for beverage label design projects, coffee labels, logotype design, badges, classic wedding concepts, gig posters, letterheads, droop cap, titles and any artworks. He can now officially add Netflix show typeface as well!
So if you are curious like me, you’re probably wondering what are the differences between the Emily In Paris’s version of Rumble Brave and the original.
Firstly, the differences are only in the title of the show Emily In Paris. If you have a keen eye or obsessed with type, you’ll notice that typeface of the opening credits uses the original Rumble Brave Typeface.
So what are the differences in the show’s title compared to the original?
- Letter spacing is more cohesive. Letters are nicely tucked together in the title such as the letters L and Y in the word Emily.
- The E letter has had a bit of do-over. The tie of the capital E in the original is closer to the horizontal bar whereas the Emily In Paris one is centred. The arm has the same serif style as the horizontal bar in the show’s title whereas the original has a tear drop terminal for the arm.
- The N letter has a very small change that I nearly missed. Its right stem is the same thickness as the left stem in the show’s title whereas it is thicker in the original.
- The S letter from the show’s title also replaces the serif tear drop upper terminal with the same terminal type as the bottom terminal i.e. tear drop without the serif.
The changes are slight but I do like and appreciate the changes as they bring a sense of balance and more symmetry that I think is required for a title.
Did I miss any other differences? Comment and let me know!
