20th Century Typography

This is an appropriate poster for my 50th typography blog because this is honestly one of my favorite designs that I have found that focuses on typography. There are two main sections of the design, both of which mirror the similar pointed shape. There is also a repeated banner that is found at the top, middle, and bottom of the design. First of all the hierarchy is great. The title lines are in large type and even have different fonts. This also shows hierarchy within the title itself. Under the title is the guest's line of type which is in a blocky font that doesn't differ too much from the main title font. Below is the location which is surrounded by smaller secondary type that is basically more info about the location. In the bottom section is the date and time, tickets, and an additional tagline. These lines of type are aligned very well and create implied shapes that help form order. There is also a difference of the pattern in how the type is aligned, which helps to create variation and interest. After these type boxes is an additional line of type that includes some social media advertising in bold and regular forms for more variation. I only see three different fonts used for this design which follows the first rule of typography. Different variations of the fonts are used to help the hierarchy, but still follow the rule of fonts. I think that the monotone color scheme works very well and I like the over all look of this design. This layout has all of the features of a well designed event poster. I can see that this poster was well thought out and that alignment was important to the designer. I think that the poster grabs immediate attention from far away and even at a closer glance. This is truly a great event poster and I think this would gather the attention and interest of the audience while also being very easy to read, which is what typography is all about.

Why Design Now?

This typographic event poster has a very cool design idea, but there are some pros and cons about the overall typography. The top of the poster is nicely done and the green color scheme is very appealing on the yellowish-brown background. Unfortunitely the type underneath green type is lost due to the lack of color variation. It looks like this design is going for cut out look at the top, but there is not enough definition on the bottom of the type to show which letters are which. It honestly took me some time to see that "now?" was at the top and it looked as if the recycling logo was randomly placed on the page. I like the way that they mirrored the first and second halves of the tagline in the middle. This is a really cool idea but I personally would have moved "for" over a little to the left and aligned the "f" with the "r", that way the "o's" would match up and the "r" would match the same half-arch shape found in the beginning of the "m". This would require some additional spacing adjustments, but would help the design feel a little more authentic. The address, time, date, and contact info are all separated by the line coming from the "f". The time & date, as well as the contact info, are all left justified on the right side. The address is right aligned on the left side. This is inconsistent and does break the readability. The actual synopsis of the event is sideways and runs next to the almost-centered bar. This is also very hard to read and very unnecessary. There is so much empty space in this piece left over and this really makes me ask, "why didn't they at least make the type large enough to read?". I think that they could have used the synopsis to take up most of the empty space on the right and if they made the type larger it would be easier to read and it wouldn't look as unfinished as it does now. I think that this was poorly designed typographically. I think that there could be a lot more elements of design and typography in this poster, but unfortunately they were not added.

Jackson's

Jackson's Restaurant Bar & Grill has a two sided menu layout. The menu has a very interesting layout in the way that the menu section is split into four sections. The logo is at the top and therefore has hierarchy over the menu items showing that they are all to be associated with the logo. Each group of menu items is given a large title that features a very interesting font with an underline. Beneath the title is the list of menu items for that sections. All sections are center justified and are in a brighter color so that there is a variation in the fonts and so that it stands out more. Each menu item has the price next to it but it is separated by a vertical bar. This is a nice touch and at first I thought this could make some items look like they had a 1 in front of them, but once I realized that the price tag is in between the price and the bar. At the bottom of the top half of the menu features some additional details about what comes with the meals. I like the idea of using additional information in a bold font as a dividing line that separates the page. I really like this design and the layout. It features great organization and it shows really good consistency.

Menu Typography 2

This menu design uses an illustration for the background that has a low opacity but uses two colors that work very well for a low opacity design. I like this design because the design is very simple, doesn't stand out too much, and blends nicely behind the type. I also really appreciate that the design continues on both pages. Having the image on both pages helps guide the customer's eyes across the menu. As far as the type goes, the I think that they are very consistent with their layout. The title fonts are larger and in a center justified alignment, while the menu items are a little smaller in a black font to create variation. Underneath the item is the description. An interesting feature is that the left side items of each page have right justification, while the right side items have left justification. This means that there is a distinctive center line in the middle of each page. I am not sure whether or not I like this design feature or not, but it does stand out as being different. I think that the menu uses very unique ideas as far as the layout goes, but I would like a little bit more variation in the title font and maybe a little more leading before each title. There are some space issues that make some areas look a little bunched together.

Menu Typography

This menu uses a lot of very common elements as far as the typography, but the other small design elements that they use are very nice. I like that in the background is an illustration with the opacity turned down low to add an additional interest to the type while maintaining good use of real estate. As far as the typography goes, I think that the type is very well done. The type is center justified but because of the layout and how they are placed within the menu it still creates an implied sense of organization and shows order. The title for each category is in a much larger font than the menu items themselfs which helps finding items much easier. I also like that there is a thin line running underneath each title. This helps to create the order in the menu. Underneath the title is the menu item and the price. I like the font that was chosen for the sub text because it provides don't variation, but doesn't go too far away from the look of the other fonts. The additional description is also well designed and has an appropriate amount of leading so that the spacing between descriptions is close enough to see where it falls but far enough for easy readability. Over all I think this is a great menu and the layout and type play off of the subtle illustrations very well.

Hard Rock Cafe

This is a menu cover for the Hard Rock Cafe in Detroit, MI. The front cover has a tagline at the top above the graphic which is a great idea to get the attention of the customer and kinda give them a sample of what the restaurant experience will be like. After the graphic comes the logo. The logo sits right in the center and is in the same color as the rest of the type on the front. Underneath the logo is the address and the phone number, fax number, and website. I think the front is very well done and the information given is done appropriately for the cover. The back side of the menu has the salad options, dessert options, and additional information. The address and restaurant name are also repeated on the back of the menu. The typography for the menu items is very well done. They used a larger font in a centered alignment to create a headline for the category. Underneath that is the actual list of menu items. These menu items are all left justified and include the price after title of the menu item. There is also an appropriate amount of space given for the price after the menu item. A font variation is used for the special/featured menu items. They are in red as oppose to the other black fonts. Under the name of the menu item is the description of the menu item. This is in a smaller font to create hierarchy and helps show that this information falls underneath the headline of the item menu. The additional information on the back of the page features a basic white font that resembles the font, Impact. I think that having a font like this and making all of the type in one line of text is a little too intense for a menu; all of the type underneath this looks very small and unimportant. Overall I really like the design of this menu and I think that this is a great example of typographical hierarchy and an appropriate use of font variation.

Tea Room

Unlike most menus, this menu uses many different alignments and variations for the typography. The logo type is directly in the center of the menu at the top and takes a large section of the menu's real-estate. On the top left is the location of the tea room, while the right side has a date stamp. The different menu categories are found on both the left and right sides of the menu and also the bottom underneath the Saladier section. These categories use hierarchy to show importance in the menu categories over the importance of the menu item. The items themselves are listed in a center aligned format and have the price listed right after the item description. The categories are separated by the use of tiny star illustrations to add a small design element and help create and organized look to the menu. The middle of the menu has a section of salad choices. The title for this category is much larger then the others, is in the direct center of the menu, and uses a different font to show that that is the highlight of the menu. The type for this section is aligned very well to create a boxed shape and to maintain a very nice, organized look. The choice numbers are very large and stand out a tad too much. Under the categories are the quickie meals, children's lunch, and the featured lunch special. I like this menu, but I think that there are too many different fonts and that they are not similar enough. The bottom fonts look more sophisticated then the category type that looks to be more military inspired, while the logo looks to be very very script heavy and looks to be something found in a calligraphy book. The different alignments are very inconsistent and the "salad symphony" section looks squished underneath the other choices and can be overlooked. I think that this could use more consistency throughout the menu and less focus on creating a border around their salads.

Teddy's

One of the under appreciated parts of a dinner menu is the cover and back. Most of the important content is in the pages of the menu so the cover and back are sometimes overlooked. On the menu cover for Teddy's Restaurant in NYC, there is a very simple design element in the center to draw the attention of the customer to the menu. The type at the top includes the name of the restaurant in a large font. I like that there is even font variation in the logo type on the cover. Since the name "teddy's" is more important than the already known fact that the menu is for a restaurant, the type for teddy's is larger and even has a different font than the rest of the entire menu. The title is all in lower case and has a very nice look to it. The back has another small illustration and the address of the restaurant. I think that this is a very nice menu cover design and it shows a lot of appeal even though there isn't much going on. I like the color scheme and I think that the two tone color scheme makes things simple and actually makes it look of elegance.

Koyo

This design for Koyo Authentic Japanese Cuisine uses typographical hierarchy to show importance and categorization. There are very few illustrations to this design so the hierarchy of the text is the most important part of the design and layout. The menu is categorized by meal type in a large type that is given a very handwritten looking font. Underneath the menu category is a smaller line of type beneath it with additional descriptions of that specific category. Then the menu items for that group are left justified in a normal looking font size and are given a font that is close to a Times New Romans look. The menu item is then followed by either a smaller font type with a description of the meal, or a series of periods to create a line for the customer to follow to the price. The amount of periods depends on the length of the menu item's name and the amount of additional description. After the periods is the item's price, which is right justified and matches the font and size of the menu item. This process of alignment helps the customer to see an organization to the menu. The side box has additional info about the restaurant itself and has the logo at the top, followed by the specials, address and phone numbers, hours of business, and additional payment info. I think that the side box of this menu could be put on the front of a menu if the payment info was moved to the back of the menu with a few extra details. Overall I think the design is well done and doesn't use too many design elements outside of typography.

Rolo

Rolo has been designed using contrasting colors to stand out and help the customer see this candy bar over others. The color scheme works very well together and the red blends well with the brown and gold. The red stands out well on the white stroke and is seen easily by consumers. Since the logo type is duplicated on each side of the wrapper its also very good for brand recognition. The wrapper also leaves a large amount of room on the one side for attaching the two sides together. I think that the design is eye catching, but has too much information on the package for a point of purchase decision. I think that this wrapper style has a very specific market that it is targeting. I really like the way the layout is designed and I like that they found enough room to duplicate the logo on a majority of the sides, but I think that they have over done the information and taken up a lot of space with info about a simple candy bar.

Snickers Satisfies

When I think of a good case describing point of purchase, I think of Snickers. This design is very simple but great for a quick sale. The front of the wrapper has the name of the bar in a large type that takes up the entire front. This is great for brand recognition and helps the consumer see this brand before all the others. The bright red border, blue type, and white background helps make the type stand out on the dark brown wrapper. If someone is in a hurry and sees a rack of candy bars, this one would stand out first and would probably grab the consumers attention before all of the others. Under the logo is the link to their website which is called, "SnickersSatisfies.com". They use the name of their website as another way to reach the customer. The large boxed font stands out and is very noticeable, and also acts as a form of advertisement for the candy bar itself. At first glance it looks like they are just saying that Snickers satisfies. This is another great way to reach the interest of the customer. On the opposite side of the main logo is a very similar logo that plays off of their brand, but instead of Snickers, this says "Satisfies". If this candy bar was on a rack and turned upside-down, then someone would see a candy bar that says "satisfies". This is also another way to reach the customer. By using a familiar looking logo, but replacing the content with a desirable message, this creates an immediate brand recognition while also sending a message to the targeted market. I really like this design layout and I personally think that this is a great example of how to sell something based off of "point of purchase".

Franck Trebillac

Franck Trebillac is a designer in London who has done work for Norton, Hyundai, and even Harley Davidson. He works in print, motion graphics, advertising, art direction, and general illustration. This piece by Trebillac is an illustration of Edger Allen Poe with typography to create his hair and other features. The type is made up of quotes from Poe's works and uses an older curlier font to bring the nostalgic look and feel to the design. There is typographical hierarchy throughout the piece to show important quotes and to make Poe's name stand out. I think that the words "a dream" are out of place being the same size as "Poe" and makes it look like the piece says "A Dream Poe". I think that if the area that had "a dream" was full of other quotes it could add to the interest of the design, while also taking away the confusion of the type. There is a problem with the spacing of the type within the eyes. The eyes does become covered by some of the actual image and is harder to read. This could easily be fixed by just playing around with the sizing and positioning of the type, but unfortunately it was not fixed. As the type comes closer to the neck there is some more covering of the type which again could be fixed. I think this is a very cool concept and I like the font choice, but I think this could use a little more work. 

Glenn Wolk

Glenn Wolk has designed for Tommy Hilfiger, Led Zeppelin, The Rollings and many other clients. In this design, Wolk has created an advertisement for Sperry's Shoes. This design has to rely a lot on the typographical elements to help sell this brand of shoe over other brands since this is a very common shoe type and style. First of all the type uses hierarchy to create importance in the terms "World's first boat shoe since 1935" and "The Authentic Original". These are both very important selling points and  using larger fonts and even displaying the type on the white of the shoe are great ways to show the importance of those two key phrases. The type is a tad off in the alignment. Some words like "grip" stick out farther than "decks" and the same for "ready" and "no". The typography does use too many fonts and does become a little inconsistent as the script font is added at the bottom next to all of the sans serif and serif fonts. The middle line that reads "grip and traction for slippery decks" seems smaller than the line above and below and looks a tad cramped. Also I think that the logo at the bottom left of the type should be made smaller and moved to either the bottom left corner of the design or placed in the center under the type. In the place of the logo could be four more stars which would help with the continuity of the piece and help make the weight of the design more even. I like the design and don't think its bad, but from a typographical viewpoint I am not a huge fan. I think it sells the two key phrases well by using hierarchy, but unfortunately I think that the alignment is a tad off and the logo is oddly placed.

Am I Collective

This is one of many typographical illustrations that design team Am I Collective has created for Dockers Pants. This design creates the silhouette of a man wearing their brand of pants. The entire type is created out of things that manly men hold in their pockets to show that these pants are for any kind of man. The illustration has different fonts throughout the piece to create font variation and to create implied texture. The tagline is located directly in the middle of the illustration and  says, "Pockets for hiding your various man things". This line is in a larger font which creates typographical hierarchy. Am I Collective is a design and animation firm that has created designs for companies such as Adobe, Apple, BBC, HP, Red Bull, Converse, NBA, Nike, The XGames, and many more. I like this piece a lot in the way that it creates a living illustration from type and that when you first see this design you don't see a bunch of words, but rather a man wearing his Docker cargo pants. Am I Collective clearly knows what they are doing when it comes to illustration and marketing and they truly know how to connect their product to their targeted market.

Teagan White

Teagan White is a designer and illustrator who works on very detailed and anatomically correct illustrations and using those illustrations to replace some of the type in her designs. The entire design uses elements of the body to spell out the phrase, while also showing very interesting detail to body parts. The line that reads "person" is made of body parts; the line "you love" has a heart; the line "is 72.8%" is sketched out and looks very scientific; and the line "water" has an almost water like look to it. The typography itself is center aligned and is a tad off. None of the lines match up on the edges and since the word "water" is in a lighter, less detailed design it does have a small weight issue. The color choice for the line "you love" is great and shows the blue veins turning red as they approach the heart. Also the word "the" is very small and could be lost in the design. Although the "the" could be small so the illustration is the main focus, there is no way that the quote could be missed or under appreciated. White has a long list of clients who appreciate her hipster style of design. She has worked for such clients as Coke, Sprite, Target, Wired Magazine, The NFL, and Nike. The designs White puts together has a very unique feel and I really like her typographical realism.

Nothing Can Stop A Good Idea by Mauro Hernandez

Nothing Can Stop A Good Idea is a design created by Mauro Hernandez. This design shows clear and easy to read type while also showing a message of motion. The lines that connect at the top of the "N"s, and the line that comes from the "I" create an implied motion through the illustration. I lines also show that the motion is never stopping and that adds to the actual meaning of the type. This is a great example of how to bring an illustration idea into the actual type to create an appealing design element, while also giving the type more meaning. This design uses a very gradual gradient and helps to make the words look separate, while also looking uniform. On thing that is nice is that this piece does is in the center, but is not confined to center justification. Hernandez works as a freelance designer who has made designs for Nike, Grooveshark, and The Vega Surf Festival. I really like the design and the use of a very subtle texture in the type. There is a lot of negative space and the additional type is all stuck in the bottom right hand side. This does make the bottom look a little heavier than the rest of the image around the illustration.

Typography

Typography is a design created by Sam Morris, a web designer for the news website, The Guardian". This design creates the letter "T" out of different key phrases that are related to typography. This is a very simple and creative design that has a lot to show about typography. There is type variation to create interest and difference of appearance. There are some issues of consistency within the spacing of the type, but the type itself is clean. I also like the variation in color to create form and directs the audiences eye around the image. Since it follows the shape of the letter, there is a lot of implied lines and direction. I also like that the design is slanted because it provides visual appeal rather than just a centered design. This slant also creates an implied motion and helps to make the design look more alive. The fact that "ypography" is significantly smaller than the "T" does make this a little bit harder to read, but I think this is a really cool design and shows that typography is more of a science than just a technique or element.

Thomas Price

Thomas Price is a graphic designer who believes that design is a part of life that is engrained into and its something you can't ever turn off. Just like one's artistic talent is a part of who someone is, so is their religious beliefs. In this typographical illustration Price shows an entire verse of the Bible and explains an entire thought in one illustration. The great thing about using a Bible verse is that it shows more than just a sentence or saying, but also an entire message, view of faith, and witness. This design is great and shows hierarchy by using larger type to show God's importance and that the word "Live" is a very important part of this message. The use of hierarchy in this illustration shows the message made in the words, but also uses visual cues like hierarchy and font type to create additional understanding of the importance of the words. The different uses of fonts for this design is really nice and adds additional definition to each word. Using a bolder and more attractive font for the words "I AM" shows God's majesty and strength and that He should be the focus of our life. The only thing I think is distracting about this design is that the line between "and the life" and "whoever believes" looks like it could be an "I". I would fix that by using an illustration of something relating to the design to break up those two sections of type without making them look as if they're actually one block. I think over all this flows well and gives a very relaxing look to a joyful verse. I think that typographical designs like this that give that hand-drawn feel could be used well as decoration in homes or as posters.

Zombies

This typographical illustration is by designer, Sion Lee. She is a mostly a website designer with such websites as, The Awesomer, Not Always Right, and Ubiki. This design is the image of a human hand turned zombie and is recreating the very well known scene of a zombie hand reaching up. This hand is made entirely out of text and features references to 978 different zombie games, movies, and books. There is a lot to say about the uniqueness of this piece, but the design is fantastic. The shading and use of different colors and shades creates depth and implied textures. The green helps show decay and show that this is a zombie hand and not a regular human hand, the white shows where the bones are, and the red shows the muscles and where the skin could even possibly be torn off. The direction of the type creates motion and helps guide the eyes of the audience very well and brings their eyes through the entire piece. Using font variation helps bring interest in and makes people look closer and study the piece for a longer time. This is an awesome design!

Great Value

The Campbell's soup can is well known and is very nicely designed. This is a very professional and stylish design that creates the idea in the consumer's mind that this is the best quality soup available and that they should buy this over any other brand. The Great Value soup can goes the other way. The design is very simple and pushes the idea that this is soup, but not an expensive soup. The font style is bold and plain. The name is even suggesting that price is more important than quality. The Campbell's can also contains added content and features info about the soup's contents, the other can just features the name, flavor, and an image of mushrooms. The Great Value can shows the consumer that this product is about affordability and not just about taste. This is a great design even though it is simplistic. It shows the main info about the product, without overcomplicating the design or making the design make the product seem more important than it actually is. This is a layout for providing this type of imagery and for this product's targeted group of consumers.