Phyllis Hoffman Celebrate: Halloween

This Phyllis Hoffman Celebrate: Halloween may be from last year's Halloween season, but I kept it around not only for the great ideas for crafts, decorating, and food, but also for the wonderful mix of typography used throughout. Each major section gets its own type treatment, which makes the subject matter for each spread seem even more special. Scripts, serifs, and sans serifs combine to set a tone of Halloween mischief laced in elegance. These typefaces aren't the typical ghoulish, dripping blood, "Goosebumps" fonts usually seen around this holiday, which is quite refreshing. Here, they give a completely sophisticated, polished look while still maintaining that mysterious and magical Halloween feeling. They also compliment the photography beautifully and perfectly reflect the content of the articles, which is very important to keep in mind. You'd think combining three completely different typefaces just begs to be called "overkill," but not so in this case. This magazine has nailed it and has definitely inspired me to be less timid in my font choices and really push for that perfect seamless connection of content and imagery.

The Georgia O'Keeffe Museum

The Georgia O'Keeffe Museum catalog has a nice, traditional layout. There is a single column of type for the main text which remains constant until the end, where it splits into 2-3 columns for the chronology, index, and bibliography. Margins and grids are fairly constant as well. There are maybe just two photos in the entire book which are flush with the page. O'Keeffe's classic paintings are a burst of color and excitement against the tame typography and layout. There's even an added surprise of some pages folding out to allow more real estate for larger artworks.

Grid Girls

Below is the grid system chart we created during our meeting on Wednesday. With the information we were able to see the following pattern: there is no pattern.

In our group there were two types column styles. Two catalogs had a one column (two column span), and two had a two column layout.

Another design decision we found our catalogs were that some had an index and others did not, we noted that if they were present the grid system got significantly smaller.

Below are some spreads from each of our catalogs:

Grid systems are an important part of the designing process. We agree that choosing that system and how it works for your design is completely up to you as the designer.

Thanks for reading!
Whitney, Raven, Laine, & Mia-Sara

EMPO: The Bones of a Typeface

Empo is a typeface created by Barcelona design studio Lo Siento for a psycho-osteopathy (homeopathic medicine) school and office. The project, taking roots from the study of the human body and its parts, is meant to represent the organs and bone structure in a physical and volumetric form. The typeface was created by hand-modeling pieces of cream-colored cardstock and faceting them to resemble bones. Lo Siento said this alphabet should "lift" in random volumes to hold an organic reminiscence. Along with the alphabet, Lo Siento included paper models of human body parts—heart, spine, brain—in the identity. 

Lo Siento explains that this unconventional typeface emerged from "an obsession with the constraints of traditional orthogonal typography." 
"[Each typography] is always inspired by a study of the grid. Each existing grid can hide a typographic character and thus, an alphabet."

This is a wonderful example of manipulating type to express an idea. Even the material constructing the typeface was a perfect choice for achieving an organic, skeletal feeling. Also, this is a great way to show and remind ourselves that creating a font just on the computer sometimes isn't the best solution for a concept—sometimes a more hands-on, artisanal approach can breathe more life into a typeface than a digital program ever could. If I ever had the time for creating something like this, I would go for it. I love working with paper and thinking 3-dimensionally, plus it would be a chance to totally escape from the computer world. 

http://www.losiento.net/entry/empo

DMA Posters of Paris: Toulouse-Lautrec & His Contemporaries

Over Christmas break, I had the opportunity to see the Posters of Paris show at the Dallas Museum of Art. The exhibition took an in-depth look at the affiche artistique (artistic poster) of Paris, pioneered by Jules Chéret, the "father of the poster."The show included work by Toulouse-Lautrec, Alphonse Mucha, Pierre Bonnard, and other artists who pushed the popularity of the poster in the 1890s.

http://www.dallasmuseumofart.org/View/PastExhibitions/dma_442782
http://www.dallasmuseumofart.org/PressRoom/dma_499417

This was by far one of my favorite art exhibitions! Being able to see some of the work we have studied in graphic design history classes up close and personally felt like meeting a celebrity, as nerdy as that sounds. While the posters themselves contained fantastic typography, one of the coolest things about the show though was the title type for every section/movement of posters—each section title was lettered in that particular movement's style. For instance, the title lettering for the posters belonging in the Art Nouveau period was literally painted on the wall in the flowing, curvy, asymmetrical Art Nouveau style. I thought this was a great way to introduce each section of the show's posters—fun, yet not overboard. The artwork is what should speak for itself, not the titles. But if I was to design an exhibition someday, I could definitely see doing this kind of thing for each section's title/introduction, if it was an appropriate fit for the exhibition's content.

Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to take pictures of the exhibit. I wish I had just been a rebel and taken pictures anyway, but for now, here are some images some other brave souls had taken and posted online...

      

Vermeer by Pierre Cabanne

This is a book about the paintings of Vermeer. I thought this was an interesting example of a mix of justified text for the main body copy and and flush left/ragged right text for pages devoted entirely to quotes. The book itself is a compact, small size and in this case the justified text works well for the entirety of the body copy. There is a good balance of white space and text. Most of the paintings throughout the book are given their own personal space on pages separate from the main text, which I think is nice in that it doesn't make the content of the book too crowded. Even the way headers and paragraphs are spaced is a good example to follow for organizing a lot of content. 

Mary Kate McDevitt: Hand Lettering & Illustration

So I was doing my usual Pinterest browsing earlier when I came across this eye-catching poster: 

I followed the link and stumbled upon the website of Mary Kate McDevitt, a letterer and illustrator living and working in Portland, Oregon. She graduated from the Tyler School of Art in 2007 with a degree in Graphic Design and Illustration. As a freelance illustrator and artist, her list of clients have included Chronicle Books, Adobe, CMYK Magazine, Nintendo, and many more.

 

After perusing McDevitt's work, I realized this is a designer who I definitely want to follow and keep up with. You don't see a lot of designers today who do strictly hand-rendered work, and McDevitt's illustrations and type are so fun and whimsical. Her typography ranges from script to sans serif and everything in between. Hand-done type to me makes something just feel more special. I plan to have several illustrated artworks in my portfolio, and I would love to try my hand (haha) at illustrated type as well.

You can check out her website here: http://marykatemcdevitt.com/

Three Cheers for Cheer?

Whilst on a mission for dish soap during grocery shopping this weekend, I thought I would take a short cut down the laundry detergent aisle. I had no intention of buying detergent but couldn't help glancing at all the colorful bottles. Suddenly, a kaleidoscope of rainbow triangles jumped out at me from a dark bottle of Cheer. I'm a Tide girl so I've never paid much attention to Cheer, which is surprising since this design stopped me in my tracks. I thought it was such a "designer-y" approach to laundry detergent—the lowercase, sans serif type placed on white space balances well underneath a strong, colorful graphic. Very clean, very minimal, not at all commercial. This might be a custom typeface: the curved slip off the descenders is unique. If it's not custom, Avant Garde Gothic Demi might be a good place to start. So, while this design is pleasing to my eye as a graphic artist, I have to wonder if this is the right approach for a common household product.

I did some research and discovered that there was in fact some controversy when Cheer changed up its look back in 2011. Here's what some had to say about the change-up:

• "Too slick and abstract for the average housewife... Looks like an Epson Ink or Printer sign."
• "Finally a laundry detergent made for designers. ;)"
• "It might be a bottle of motor oil. It's certainly 'badass' but that makes the name 'Cheer' seem almost sarcastic."
• "I absolutely love the new system. It's simple, clean, and easily recognizable."
• "This is like the Darth Vader of Cheer."

And comparing the new design to the old one, I can see why these comments were made.

With a quick glance at the old bottle, I immediately know that it's laundry detergent. When I look at the new bottle, I don't really know anything. The font choices for the logo especially make a difference—the old font looks fun and whimsical with the little "e" hanging down and colors flurrying out of the top, while the new font just looks... cold. The opposite of how cheer and clean laundry should feel. 

Another consumer said "When it comes to laundry detergent packaging, I want a bottle that's going to reflect how my clothes will look after washing, which is why I like a brightly colored bottle. Like the old Cheer bottle. The new Cheer bottle makes me feel like my clothes will come out looking like mud."

Gotta say, I completely agree. Just goes to show how important font choice and color can make or break the success of a product. Something I need to be aware of all the time as a designer, but it's good to come across specific examples to remind myself of what to do, what not to do. Especially when choosing fonts. I like to use a lot of san serif typefaces, so I need to remember that the wrong sans serif can affect the mood of a product. Instead of feeling happy and Cheer-ful, you could feel Down-y. 

Coming Undone for Fonts (Hi-Fructose Magazine)

This unique typeface caught my eye as I was flipping through the latest issue of Hi-Fructose, a magazine for contemporary artworks. This font was chosen as the title for an article/spread showcasing Come Undone, a recent exhibition by artist Beth Cavener Stichter. Her animal sculptures are self-portraits representing different aspects of her femininity, each exploring themes of vulnerability, power, and desire. The pieces have a metaphorical, mystical quality about them, with some even playing off of fairy tales.

While I'm still searching for information on this typeface, I'm beginning to understand why this was chosen for the spread. It's inviting and threatening all in one—the soft curves of each letter are feminine and harmless, while the harsh, angular serifs seem to jab out like little knives. Like thorns on a rose. Such a weird juxtaposition, but it is a perfect reflection of the meaning in Cavener Stichter's sculptures. Even the way it's placed on the page: the tall caps of "Come Undone" are at once eye-catching and attractive, with the smaller text underneath drawing your eye further in and down to the actual article. Looking at the title as a whole, you notice the "prettiness" of it; it's only when you look at the letters individually do you notice the sharp, sinister qualities.

I'm not sure if I'd have a place for this typeface in my work this semester, but I am glad I came across it. This is a great example of how to combine several emotions into one. Should I ever need to achieve this kind of feeling for a piece, I'll refer back to this typeface for sure.

Beth Cavener Stichter's site: http://www.followtheblackrabbit.com/

Hi-Fructose magazine's site: http://hifructose.com/

Design Matters Podcast: Louise Fili Interview

In this audio interview hosted by Debbie Millman, graphic designer Louise Fili talks about the development of her typography, Italian influences, and why the sketch should be the "soul of the design." Fili's work includes book jackets, logos, packaging, restaurants, posters, and even postage stamps. Additionally, she has authored and co-authored several books, received numerous awards for her work, taught and lectured on graphic design and typography, and was inducted into the Art Directors Hall of Fame in 2004.

   While Fili's designs incorporate a wide range of typographic styles, I feel that the style most representative of her is the elegant, polished script which flows across more than several of her pieces. Each of her font choices (which I assume she designs herself—no font names are given or can be found) reflects the personality of the piece on which it resides. For example, in the photo below of the Bella Cucina cooking products, the hand-colored engravings and delicate typographic treatments give a very sophisticated, high-quality look to the packaging. The rest of the photos are of a monograph spanning Fili's work, a logo for New York bistro Artisanal, a book housing a collection of rare script fonts, and a seal for the 100th anniversary of Good Housekeeping.

   Fili's typography is quite a contrast from what I usually gravitate towards. I love big, bold typefaces that tend to take up most of the real estate of whatever material or product they are inhabiting. I find Fili's script typography quite beautiful in how it gives an heir of sophistication and flatters the space in which it exists. It's important for me to consider that an elegant script font can have as much impact as a bold, sans serif font. I would definitely like to incorporate this style into a project this semester—specifically for a packaging/branding product.

http://www.louisefili.com/
http://www.sterlingbrands.com/design/design_matters.php
http://observermedia.designobserver.com/audio/louise-fili/37572/