Production and Page Format

PRODUCTION/PAGE FORMAT

• Trim size dependent on content- size and scale of photos and amount of text
• All of our books had a vertical layout
• Page sizes allows the work to be showcased in different ways:
• Some books were smaller and didn't have much room to experiment with radical design choices. They showcased simple documents of the works in a more structured and consistent layout.
• Other larger books had much more freedom to play with different layouts and typically included a bigger variety in the type of content.
• An advantage of having an unusual trim size is you can really capture attention depending on the work that is being presented. Although it may be a disadvantage because you can pigeon-hole yourself; the size may not allow to make certain decisions, and possibly compromise communication.
• Some of the books had different paper stocks
• typically a mixture of glossy and matte
• what paper used depends on the content
• glossy- images
• matte- text
• covers are thicker too- enhanced versions of body copy (for paperbacks)

Ice Cube Type

I thought this was pretty clever. This sans serif typeface is made entirely out of ice cubes. It is appropriate to the context as it is conveys the temporary element of the expo it is advertising. Simple, yet extremely effective.

Great example of using one's hands and actually creating type away from the computer screen.

The Plain of Heaven

The international exhibition "The Plain of Heaven" was inspired by the redevelopment of the High Line, an unused rail structure that runs along West Manhattan. The group that organized this exhibition, Creative Time, describe "The Plain of Heaven" as "taking off from this elegiac and exciting moment of transformation to consider how we imagine, and long for, inaccessible spaces; the relationships between transfiguration, destruction and rebirth; the opposition between nature and the urban environment; and more generally, the way in which we re-mystify the world we already know."

The design studio, Projects Projects, embodies the show entirely with this custom-designed, serif, stencil typeface. Since the exhibition was housed at a vacant meatpacking warehouse that was soon to be demolished, the designers chose to spray the type directly on the walls of exterior and interior, playing off that idea of destruction and rebirth, as the decrepit warehouse is transformed to be a sort of canvas. Not only that, but the green color chosen really exemplifies the show's theme of nature and urban development. The type designs definitely mirror the "mystifying" subject of the show.

This is a great example of how to incorporate the space and type so fluidly in designing for an exhibition. It shows just how much a designer needs to be familiar with the subject in order to create designs that mimic an exhibitions ideas.

Architectural Digest

Another example of Futura! This is an article found from Architectural Digest that caught my eye because of its great hierarchy. Although Futura is the only typeface used for this spread, the designer created a diverse palette by playing with different font styles, sizes and colors, making it easy to follow along in this Top 10 List.
A nice example of getting good mileage out of a single typeface.

Font Explorer X Advertisement

So I thought this was pretty clever. I'm sure plenty of designers flipping through the magazine have been stopped by this ad's bold color and graphic design. It's an ad for Font Explorer X, a font management software, that I found in Codex magazine. I like how the ad's designer brought together different fonts, serifs and sans serifs, to create an image. And the idea of a typeface pocket knife is perfect in depicting the usage of this software... like their ad says "simple and practical."

This is a great example of using type to create an image, viewing them as forms, rather than text, as the ad tilts, stacks, and repeats letters. I enjoy how the different fontfaces are used in the appropriate situations, depending on its form, like the m's made to look like a sort of corkscrew.

This is ad is very thoughtfully designed, in how the all-white image is set in the center of a bold, red background. It is definitely something I could always revisit, when thinking of similar projects.

Futura

Futura. I'm sure you all are familiar with this typeface: the geometrically-based sans serif designed by Paul Renner. I've always been fond of this typeface and I'm glad I came across this neat example. I found this on fontsinuse.com:

 



 

These walls were designed to distinguish each of the 19 floors of the Landesbank Baden-Wurttemberg an German bank and major international business. According to the website, the building's interior is uniform, aside from each floor's different wall pattern, giving a little bit of life into the space.

The font choice is very appropriate for this design because of its geometrical nature, allowing for such patterns to exist in the first place. And each pattern is unique, eliminating any mistaking of what floor it is. Futura also reflects the nature of the business well, as a bank and its employees deal with plenty of numbers and math.

When I first saw these pictures, I didn't realize they were actually numbers. I saw them purely as form. This is an excellent example of how to manipulate type to transform into a completely different visual language. Also a pretty cool example of designing for the environment, making simple, informative signage into something fun and unique, yet appropriate.

Lava Sans Avec

I found this spread in etapes magazine, a french publication that is all about design and visual culture. The spread featured Lavafilm's, a Norwegian film studio, new visual identity designed by Bureau Bruneau. The film studio, having roots in fashion and contemporary art, "cock a snook" at how the industry has come to be so commercialized. So they hire on designers to create this identity.

Designers Ludwig Bruneau Rossow and Henrik Wold Kraglund say they have created a typography "in progress." The fontface, Lava Sans Avec, is described as a mixture of serif and grotesque versions of Futura and Times New Roman. The unique part of this typeface is that there are several versions for each letter. The magazine describes it as "like the planet, [it's] constantly evolving." The designer comments on how he finds inspiration from earthquakes and volcanic eruptions (Lavafilm) for the design of this typeface. Each symbol is subject to a series of natural disasters and there are visual vibrations within the characters itself and even the layout of the type. It's safe to say that this is strictly for display type.

Lavafilm has two collaborative directors that produce music videos, commercials and short films. The directors are young and it seems their target audience is pretty young as well (teens, young adults). I believe that this edgy style is extremely appealing to this genre of people, as it is filled with whimsical, youthful elements. In example below is with what I believe to be an ad for film screening. I think it works well with it's contrasts of thicks and thins against the white background and low contrast photos. Also, the overlapping and asymmetry of the layout further convey the feeling of this rebellious identity.

This example is definitely influential in that it is teaching to think outside of the box, that a typeface can be flexible and versatile. Seeing how there were multiple versions of each symbol made me realize how far you can develop a single idea. It also showcases how a single character can take on different personalities, i.e. volcanic eruptions and vibrations. 

Baseline Magazine: Ivan Chermayeff

Hello all!

From Baseline International Typographic Magazine, I came across Ivan Chermayeff's work. 'Hint' is the name of this "playful and experimental" sans serif typeface. Each letter (typeface is all caps) is derived from a solid square and can therefore be arranged easily on a grid.

With simple visual suggestions for counters and corners, only the essential forms of each letter is showcased, giving the typeface very limited usage. It is meant for short and easy-to-read words.

Baseline goes on to suggest how 'Hint' may be best utilized: Ideal contexts for this bold typeface may be when the words are in some way connected to design or the visual arts and perhaps when the act of discovery becomes in part the message it displays.

Here is an example: the title page of the article. The essence of the typeface is displayed perfectly. It is displaying a short word (its name), the squares are arranged to form a bigger square, displaying its grid-like functions, and the fading of the red reiterates the idea of a suggestion of a communication.

 

Here is an example of the typeface in use. This is a poster designed for AIGA/New York 30th Anniversary. This typeface is appropriate in this context for several reasons. For one, it is set in a design context. As designers being the audience, the strong character of this typeface would be more appreciated and understood as the font face is designed with a lot of character and limited function. Also, the grid-like functionality allows for the words to stack and resemble buildings of New York. The bright colors and the contrasting black background add to the feeling of a night sky cityscape.

This work is very interested to me because of its simplicity. The designer really keyed into the vital and distinguishing elements of each letter. It's another example of how letters can go beyond its function and can inhabit certain forms. Examples such as this encourage me to continue to explore the versatility letters' counters and corners.

Hope you enjoyed! 

-Tiffany