All theory is gray? Not at all: theory is serious play and contemplation of connections. There is no design without rules and no design without intuition. Design does not simply follow mathematical logic. Predictability and unpredictability are omnipresent. Laws, rules, constructions, and proportions support the design process, but they are not a guarantee of good design. The Swiss typographer Hans Rudolf Bosshard demonstrates that engaging with the history of typography provides perspective and insight, yet he simultaneously warns against uncritical admiration of role models. For one's own work, a certain distance from history is necessary - if one chooses to draw on tradition, a good measure of ironic deviation is required. The demand for aesthetics is legitimate, but it carries pitfalls behind which the pleasing lurks. Function stands in opposition.