A Typographic Stroop Test

When we see letters, we can’t help but read them. When we’re asked to look at letters and complete a cognitive task other than reading, it goes against our very nature. The Stroop test taught us that. So here’s a challenge. Designers are used to seeing the name of a typeface set in the font itself. Can we identify the typeface used when the word is, say, hamburger? Easy. But what if the word is the name of another font? Let’s take a moment to turn off our left-brained urges and put our typeface-identification skills to the test. Because our brain only has a handful of colors to choose from in the original Stoop test, I’m limiting the type choices to just three heavy weights of classic typefaces: Clarendon, Bodoni, and Franklin Gothic. They’re different enough to be obvious but hopefully similar enough for my mischief.

Instructions: When the test starts, identify the typefaces that the words are set in. You have 10 seconds.