New Sprite Logo

Sprite just launched a new logo, which to me seems like a waste of resources.  Yes, the new logo is a little more creative and the colors are brighter and more alive, but I think the logo, which keeps the same color scheme and lemon lime symbol to dot the "i" won't be very noticeable to consumers.  The starburst around the words attracts a little more attention from the viewer, but not enough to make them stop and think "wow, I need a sprite."  

The similarity in font, color, and general appearance of the logos fails to draw much of my attention.  

Pepsi soda also recently launched a new logo and again I am not thoroughly impressed by the result.  The new symbol looks more like a sail boat's sail, and I think the lack of symmetry compared to the old symbol throws off the viewer.  Neither soda is

 changing the contents of the can so I don't see how a chan

ge in the basic makeup of the logo of the designs will help sell the product.  Both old and new logos are legible, easy to understand, and easy to place with the product so it confuses me why the corporations felt it necessary for the changes.

Television Show Ugly Betty Impacts the Graphic Design Industry in New York

According to an article found in the New York Times published today, Ugly Betty isn't just a popular show in television but a show displaying the importance of graphic design, interior design, and fashion. It's a show that thrives on the importance of image and visuals and after relocating from Los Angeles to New York City, the producers are able to use real shots. The imagery of the show is essential to displaying the story behind it and the office and display sets are as important as the script. 

Personally, I am a big fan of this show but before reading the article I never realized how important graphic design was to the show. The show is based on the communications part of business and when watching the show I realized how a graphic in the background can make or break the set. Within the article Patricia Field design coordinator of the show explained the story of Ugly Betty is in the point of view of Betty and her feelings about the industry therefore the sets have to be over the top. The designs are based on showing "average" people the glamorous and colorful world of fashion and magazine journalism.

Lastly, the show has integrated New York designers to the show in order to represent the real essence of the city. I think it's great to have a show that represents the importance of color and imagery and to show how important graphic design is to a show or image. Many don't understand this importance but a show like Ugly Betty not only represents a good message it also reminds the audience of what a color or thin line can do to a background. 

Emoticons Before AIM?!

In a New York Times article from January 19, Jennifer Lee described research done on an 1862 New York Times transcript of a speech by Abraham Lincoln. A historical newspaper specialist, Bryan Benilous spotted what appears to be a "wink face" in the newspaper. The transcript showed when the audience laughed or applauded by using brackets around the words applause, laughter etc. However, in one example, parentheses were used around "applause and laughter", with a semicolon included in the parentheses. Looking like this, (applause and laughter ;). Historians have debated whether this could have been on purpose or not. Benilous and his team seem to think it was done on purpose. However, the Carnegie Mellon professor Scott E. Fahlman, who has been credited with inventing emoticons claims that this was merely a typo. On the other hand, Vincent Golden, the curator of newspapers and periodicals of the American Antiquarian Society, explains that back then a linotype machine was used to write newspapers. This means that to insert a semicolon, the typesetter would have had to have done it purposefully. Some debate that parentheses were used because they were running low on brackets. Some debate that this was proper punctuation for the time. But, some have then wondered why there was a space in between the semicolon and the parenthesis. No one really knows!

Globalization's Effects on Font

I was scanning through the blog Brand New and I found a link to an article, mostly of pictures, in which the photographer compared English (or Western) logos with their Arabic counterpart. For instance this Dunkin' Donuts Logo. 

I'm taking ARB 102 and thought this was really interesting because the Arabic language has such a rich history of being written--painstakingly--in beautiful calligraphy, particularly in the Koran, but also in poetry, etc.  This tiger was drawn by Hassan Massoudy, and it says 'tiger' in Arabic. 

In my opinion, the westernization of Arabic script into fonts that mimic their Roman

 Alphabet counterpart underscores (a little satirically) the invasion of globalization and American culture into the Middle East. 

We took an entire class period to study

the history of Roman Alphabet fonts, and why they've transformed the way they have. This might be common knowledge, but Arabic is a phonetic language written right to left. Arabic is 

derived from Aramaic and shares common roots with Hebrew and Persian. 

Although I do not know the history of Arabic script and whether it has gone through artistic stages, the language is easily distinguishable by it's fluidity and has been a source of cultural pride for the Arab world for over a millennium. The text below is taken from the Koran.

Obviously, American or European companies would want the logo recognition across culture, and some would argue the ability to induce recognition across cultural lines is evidence of a growing global community. 

However, in my opinion it's also a little tragic because I expect this western font design will become associated with wealth and luxury, and will be incorporated more and more into Middle Eastern culture, while they already have their own rich (and beautiful) font history that will probably be associated with the past and the lower class. 

Hopefully, there will be some renaissance of classic Arabic script somewhere down the line. 

This pink logo is for a Arabic Ad Magazine. 

Finally, as a side note, it's interesting that companies that want to be associated with a clean, elegant, and traditional image prefer to simple write the name of their company out in clear, classic Arabic script, rather than match the English version perfectly. For example this Burberry Logo is simple and doesn't even try to mock the serif font that store like Banana Republic did.

 

Old Time Traditions, New Time Logos

Baseball is America’s pastime. It reminds millions of the lazy days of summer, spent cheering on your favorite team. Maybe you were even lucky enough to go to your hometown stadium, where you were able to witness the action first-hand. Either way, it is safe to say that baseball, specifically Major League Baseball, is a long-standing tradition in this country. That is one of the reasons the game is so revered—it has been around so long (over 100 years) that it is one thing to which many people can relate. Understandably, MLB relies heavily on that history of the game when it comes to uniform designs and the like. You rarely see anything in what could be considered a “modern” font; most are serif fonts that recall the beginnings of the game. If any designs did change, they have changed back to what designers of uniforms know looks more professional. Take for example, the Astros uniforms of the 1970s:Even though they are occasionally worn for “throwback” days, the upper management has come to their senses and these uniforms are usually worn.
The issue with baseball uniforms now is the sleeve patch for the Mets’ inauguralural season in their new stadium, Citifield, as addressed by Paul Lukas on his blog “Uni Watch: the obsessive study of athletics aesthetics.” This is the Mets traditional logo, to the right. This logo is similar to many other baseball teams’ logos in the fact that it has a script font and the team colors. Although they all differ, in essence there is not much variation. Traditionally, sleeve patches are used to commemorate significant events for a ball club: new stadiums, host of the All-Star Game, and World Series Champions, among other things. Clearly, the Mets felt the need to update their image to fall in line with their corporate sponsor of their stadium. However, I personally, (and clearly the blogger agrees with me) think that it was a really, really, REALLY bad idea. This is what they came up with:
I think that baseball relies on its history to make it successful; that is why so many people pay attention to the MLB—because they always have. Clearly, the Astros throwback uniforms didn’t work out too well; couldn’t the Mets take a hint from history and stick to what they know works? Take a look at the logo on the jersey; do you see how it clashes? I read somewhere that, generally, sleeve patches incorporate the shape of the baseball diamond somewhere on the patch. That was achieved by tilting the square sideways. However, the curved lines separating the colors in addition to the sans serif font make this look too much like a computer graphic and not authentic enough for baseball. Baseball needs authenticity to survive. Maybe the Mets think that the MLB should undergo a facelift and that’s why they are starting the process? I think that if there was really a problem, the executives of the MLB are man enough to address it. Clearly, The traditional logos are what works.
I think the Mets went in the wrong direction with this one, and I can see this ridiculous sleeve patch to be the object of ridicule for many months on “Sportscenter” and “Baseball Tonight.” There is no need to completely revamp a logo, and a brand for that matter, for the sake of updating for the times. Take, for example, the 2007 Red Sox World Series Champions sleeve patch. Although the Red Sox are one of the oldest teams in baseball, they were able to design a patch using a “modern,” sans serif font that was visually appealing. Also, look at this year’s All-Star Game patch, hosted by the St. Louis Cardinals in Busch Stadium. This logo doesn’t look too hokey and old-time, does it? This is using the script font but also has elements of modernity. The Mets, I believe, just missed the mark on this one. This just further emphasizes that serifs and scripts are never out of style. Although some people may think the only way to update something is by getting a sans serif font and crisp lines, that clearly does not always work.

A Change for the Worse?

After searching around many websites to find about any changes in companies or products' logos, I finally came across one that I was not too impressed with. I would not think that I would be the best person to judge on the quality or attractiveness of a logo, since I am not the most artistic person. However, after comparing the previous logo to the new logo, I was very surprised by the changes made. Animal Planet designed a new logo in 2008, and I would not say it is too impressive. It is drastically different. The television network decided to get rid of all the parts of the graphic that really define who it is. No longer is there an elephant or the earth, clearly the things that make up the name of the network.
Instead, the company has decided to change to use only words and no images. The sideways M could be there to represent some type of animal or nature reference, however, I can't seem to figure it out. I guess the thick, heavy typeface with all capital block letters could represent the strength and force of a channel all about animals, however, I don't if that is really the message they want to show or should show. I believe that the channel has many shows that cater to younger viewers as well as more intense shows that would only be appropriate for older viewers, so I don't think this logo portrays this idea that well. I just think that this logo is boring, to put it simply. The sideways M is the only part of it that is slightly against the norm, and even that is really nothing to exciting.
I understand if the network was looking to spruce up its logo with something new to give itself a new look, but I would have expected it be something a little more unique. I agree it was a good idea to stick with green color because of nature and the environment, but it could have even used color more creatively. Knowing what I've learned from only a few weeks of class, it seems like there would be so much you could do for a logo for a television program about animals. It opens up the chance to use a variety of interesting typefaces, sizes, colors and images. The new logo no longer portrays what the network is about, but instead makes you question why they decided to use this typeface and in this design.

Is it really all about the football?

Here they are. All forty-three of them. On the surface there represent forty-three different Super Bowl games- but is that really where it ends? If football is your thing perhaps you have a few of these logos stuffed in your drawers on tee-shirts, sweatshirts, hats, or even a pair of gloves. Looking back these seem to be just a collection of logos that you may not seem such a big deal. But after their initial release graphic designers across the country would analyze down to the last stroke everything about these chosen logos. A closer look at the logos through the years though shows how closely they can mirror what the country as a whole is feeling. During the 1970s the logos has more serifs and were more decorative mirroring the disco lifestyle that many people were living. The 1980s mostly incorporated red, white, and blue, mirroring the patriotism that was present during the Cold-War era. Then in the 1990s there is a clear change in the quality and sophistication of the logos as technology increased and the Internet exploded. The logo used for the 2002 Super Bowl was actually changed after the 9/11 terrorist attacks to mirror everyone increased sense of patriotism and to highlight how united the country felt at that time. The logo became an outline of the United States filled in to look like a flag. The original logo just wouldn't have felt right. It was a celebratory party-themed New Orleans logo and during our country's time of healing it would not have been appropriate. Whether or not your a huge football fan chances are you may at some point on Sunday tune in even if it's just to catch a minute or two of the game (or check out a few commercials.) That's what makes the Super Bowl different, tons of non-football fans (such as myself) find themselves at  Super Bowl parties and are suddenly part of the biggest game of the year of a sport they know nothing about (nor really care to learn.)  Suddenly they're part of the experience too and so whatever logo is designed needs to mean as much to them as it does to a season-ticket holder who stands in the cold with his belly painted the colors of his favorite team! Next years logo will be revealed after the game on Sunday. Our country is supposedly entering a time of great change - so what could be next for the logo? How could all this great change be reflected in a tiny logo design?

Fine Print

In 1991, researchers at the Japanese firm Hitachi set the record for the world's smallest lettering at 1.5 nanometers tall. Now, a team of physicists at Stanford University have equaled that record using something called holographic script.

The process is way too scientific for a graphics class, so here's the short version. Using a microscope, carbon monoxide atoms are arranged on a copper surface. A flow of electrons is sent through it, which interferes with the carbon monoxide molecules and projects holographic patterns. A computer program works out how to arrange the molecules so that they scatter electrons into waves of a particular shape – letters.

Okay, let's pretend I understood that. So far Stanford has produced an "S", a "U" and an "SU" pair. How fitting.

The people at NewScientist say that being able to write information on such tiny scales could lead to new ways of packing large amounts of data into small spaces.

I think it's typographic history in the making. Though you wouldn't be able to read the tiny typeface with your naked eye, the technological advancement could one day inspire a whole new family of fonts.

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.

I'm not talking about Christmas.  I'm not even talking about the Superbowl (though as a diehard Steelers fan I can assure you Sunday is about number two on the importance scale).  I'm talking about Oscar season.  As a self-proclaimed movie fanatic, the Oscars showcase a number of my idols all together in the same room, which is about the equivalent to my version of heaven.  And this year I'm rather pleased with the movies the Academy has chosen to honor with nominations--something I haven't been able to say in a long time, quite frankly--and as such, it seems appropriate to chose this momentous occasion for my current events blog.

The movie up for the most awards this season is David Fincher's The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, starring Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett.  With a total of thirteen nominations, it's clear that Mr. Fincher must 

have done something right ...including his poster.  The images displayed of Benjamin Button in theaters were rather unique in their layout; there were two variations of the graphic, one featuring Mr. Pitt, the other, Ms. Blanchett.  The one of Ms. Blanchett is featured left, with the title of the movie, its stars, its opening day, as well as the word Life printed behind the text.  The name of the main character, Benjamin Button, is written in what appears to be Trajan Pro font, but don't quote me on that.  Anyway, the Cate Blanchett poster, while quite beautiful, is not particularly noteworthy by itself:  after all, Cate isn't even the main star of the movie.  That distinction lies with Brad Pitt.  And it is Mr. Pitt's poster that creates a level of singularity in the Benjamin Button franchise.

The image at the right is the second in that series of graphics.  Much like Ms. Blanchett's piece, this one advertises the title of the movie, its stars, its opening day, as well as the word Life printed behind the text.  The only aspect different in this poster (minus the part where it's Brad Pitt's face as opposed to Cate Blanchett's) is the fact that the text--with the exception of the film's opening day--is written backwards.  The significance of this, if you haven't already figured that out, is (spoiler alert!) the plot of the movie is that Benjamin Button ages backwards.  In this way the graphic artist responsible for this series is using text to symbolize the theme of the movie:  regression, reversal, and opposition to the norm.  It's a fairly simple concept, mirroring the words to represent a larger motif, but its effect was certainly enough to make me stop and wonder.  And isn't that exactly the point of graphic design, to make a person stop, wonder, consider, examine?

Tropicana gets a new look

Going along with Pepsi's new design, Tropicana also has a new design, wordmark and logo. Tropicana is part of the Pepsi Company, so it looks like the company decided to do multiple redesigns. The new carton is simplistic and plain. The old design had a very recognizable picture and wordmark. My roommate and I were at Kimmel the first time we saw the new carton design. She was looking for orange juice to drink, and passed right over the Tropicana label. After realizing her mistake, she commented on how the new carton design looks very generic. I agree, it doesn't stand out much and is easy to pass over, like a generic version of orange juice. All in all, I don't think PepsiCo is doing a very good job with thier new designs. What do you think?

New Designer on the Block

We so often hear buzz about up and coming music artists, actors, politicians, and other public figures, but rarely do we hear buzz about up and coming graphic designers. It always struck me as odd that most people don't really care about who designs posters and other forms of media, especially the ones that stand out as innovative or unique. The clutter today is immense and we are surely not expected to critically examine everything we see, but I feel like the real talent in today's industry deserve due credit for their work. 

Steve Goodin is one of these individuals.  He is a sensational artist who uses perspective, color, and typography to create something truly original and ahead of the times. The way in which Goodin uses photographic elements and text is brilliant in my opinion.  It challenges the mind and the eye, both critical aspects to the arts of graphic design AND attention-getting. At first glance, the design aspect is rather overpowering, but i think that in order to get attention these days, there needs to be a "wow" factor. The elements require effort to be done on the part of the viewer in order for them to truly receive the intended message, but this ensures extra time spent negotiating with the material, and perhaps greater chances for retention.

Even though there is a great deal of symmetry to this poster, there is still a great deal of dynamics. This is largely in part due to the combination of bold and regular weight type, the use of perspective, and "motion". This example I posted above is certainly a departure from music posters we might have seen thirty, twenty, or even ten years ago.  Technology has really served as a tool without boundaries.  Steve Goodin is an explorer of this vast, new territory.

Lastly, I just want to give you links to the coolest Motorola commercials I have EVER seen! Steve Goodin created these for the Motorola Attila and the Niagara, which I don't even think I've seen out on the market yet. However, once these commercials air on television, I think they will receive positive feedback.  But until then, what do YOU think?

An Alternative Super Bowl Logo

Searching on the web for new logos, I found that The New York Times decided that there should be an alternative Super Bowl logo this year. The chosen one was a cartoon-like design by Stefan Bucher.

"The Super Bowl audience is stagnant. Any logo designed for the current target will not increase viewership. For the Super Bowl to thrive we need to tap new audiences. To this end I've designed a logo to engage the highly energetic, vigorously monetized and entirely underserved nerd segment of the viewing public by connecting the N.F.L. experience with a few of their cultural touchstones," said Bucher.

One of the cultural icons that Bucher is referring to is probably the ∑ symbol, which not only denotes the sum of a set of variables, but more importantly (in this context, at least), stands for Greek life, which is currently extremely popular among college kids (a prime audience for the Super Bowl). He might also have meant the chemistry symbol since the ones that appear in the logo represent the testosterone molecule, something connected to “manliness” and thus, “manly” sports and their respective events, such as the Super Bowl. Similarly, the triangles at the bottom represent team logos. Also, the barcode might stand for our society's ubiquitous consumerism, which is well apparent in the Super Bowl's association with advertisement. Moreover, you can take a look at the slogan in antiquated font—which could stand for something the Super Bowl definitely is—a tradition.

Pepsi's New Logo - Current Event

I found an article from Adage.com regarding Pepsi Co's new logo. The article is attached here and has been copied below.

Experts Estimate Cost to Roll Out New Look in the Hundreds of Millions

By Natalie Zmuda

Published: October 27, 2008

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- How long does it take to remake an icon? Try five months.

That's the amount of time Pepsi took to revamp its famous logo, after top executives Indra Nooyi and Massimo d'Amore called for a "quantum leap" forward in transforming the soft-drink category and defining Pepsi as a cultural leader, said Frank Cooper, Pepsi's VP-portfolio brands.

"We felt like, as we move out of this traditional mass marketing and mass distribution era into today's culture, there's an opportunity to bring humanity back, both in terms of the design but also in the way we engage consumers," he said. "By making the logo more dynamic and more alive ... [it is] absolutely a huge step in the right direction."

And a costly one. Pepsi would not discuss what it's paying for the revamp, but experts estimate the cost for a top firm to work five months at north of $1 million. But that's just the beginning. The real cost, said an expert, is in removing the old logo everywhere it appears and putting new material up. For Coke or Pepsi, when you add up all the trucks, vending machines, stadium signage, point-of-sale materials and more around the world, it could easily tally several hundred million dollars, the expert said.

The new logo is a white band in the middle of Pepsi's circle that loosely forms a series of smiles: A smile will characterize brand Pepsi, while a grin is used for Diet Pepsi and a laugh is used for Pepsi Max. The new logo is Pepsi's 11th in its 110-year history. Five logos have been introduced in the past 21 years, with the last update in 2002.

Less than subtle
Omnicom's Arnell Group was tapped to work on the redesigns, which also include Mountain Dew -- soon to be known as Mtn Dew -- and Sierra Mist. The agency already had experience working with Pepsi, having spearheaded more than 35 packaging designs for the company.

Consumers won't see a new campaign for a while. Mr. Cooper said the launch isn't expected until 2009. But "when we turn the lights on, hate it or love it, you will absolutely know that Pepsi is out in the marketplace," he said.

So far, branding experts are in both camps. "It's tilting the whole brand presentation from a classic expression of uniqueness and quality into something that is much more humorous, almost flippant," said Tony Spaeth, an identity consultant. "It worries me that it is less durable, less permanent and classic. It comes across as more of a campaign idea than an enduring brand expression."

"This seems to be a really good solution. It feels like the same Pepsi we know and love, but it's more adventurous, more youthful, with a bit more personality to it," said Chris Campbell, executive creative director at Interbrand. "In theory, what they're doing sounds like a really clever solution to link together a family of brands."

********************

Pepsi is a global brand--naturally the cost of changing the logo is in the hundred millions. The article notes that the new logo on all the different Pepsi products represent different types of happiness - a smile, a laugh, etc.





There are some, however, who feel that the next Pepsi logo also happens to represent the era of Obama (whose logo is shown to the left). Of course this is something that the Pepsi brand could never admit, but I personally find the new logo and Obama's campaign logo quite similar. In a way, that could serve as a problem for people who believe this possibility and don't support Obama. Those 60 million voting Americans who advocated McCain's administration could get upset.

The future response of Pepsi's new logo? Only time will tell.

Current Event Blog

The Article I read was published this morning on Cnet news called "Intel, DreamWorks take 3D Graphics to Super bowl."

  This article explained how Intel and DreamWorks Animation are collaborating on two 3D pieces for this weekends Super bowl commercials. One will be a 3D trailer of the animated movie "Monsters and Aliens," to premier in March 2009. The other will be a 3D commercial for PepsiCo's SoBE lifewater energy drink. 

  However, viewers will need 3D glasses to get the 3D effect of the commercials. Therefore, Intel has made 125 million of them that are free at stores like Target and Best Buy. 

  Stereoscopy, the formal name for 3D has always been a topic of interest to me. As a child, I loved to watch 3D movies especially when I was in Disneyland. This article made me glad to hear that DreamWorks and Intel are planning on producing 3D movies to be seen in theaters this year. 3D creates the classic "going to the movies" experience into something fun and exciting. I believe this is a smart decision the companies are making and will target children and their families at most, which is a great market to be involved in.

  In the article it also said DreamWorks and Intel are updating their graphics software to Larabee which will increase what they can already do 20 times.

  This is exciting for DreamWorks and I can’t wait to see the graphic designs they come up with using the high tech advanced system. According to the article, there will also be different filters used to create better reproducing color and precision. 

From a little bird to BIG hair

Members of the Cornwall County Council in the United Kingdom are debating the incorporation of a new controversial logo.  The new futuristic design is based on the Cornwall crest and was said to "represent Cornwall's new unitary authority beginning in April. The new design would replace Cornwall's current logo featuring a chough - a type of bird.  The controversy surrounding this new logo centers around the logo's stark resemblance to Don King's hair.  According to BBC news more than 10,000 people have signed a petition against the new logo.  David Whalley, leader of Cornwall County Council, said, "If the 24 members of the implementation committee listen to all the views and decide the best decision is to keep the existing logo, I will ask them to make that decision." Whatever the decision may be, the design will appear on council websites, stationary, vehicles, signs, ID badges and staff uniforms. 

I personally see only a vague resemblance between the new logo and Mr. King's hair.  The thought would have never crossed my mind.

Telling Stories With Type

So before I stated this class, I had never really thought about typeface too much. Sure, I've gone through the long lists of fonts in Word when making a birthday card or poster, but I've never stopped to think about why I selected a certain font. Now, I've realized that typeface makes a big impact on how we see things. Even the spacing of letters and phrases give off a certain feel.

I found a few clips off YouTube that use typefaces to tell a story. The way they are spaced, the colors, and the orientation have a big effect on the feel of each story. Each one is set to an audio clip from a famous movie, and even though there are no pictures, only words, the viewer gets a feel for the mood of the movie. The first one I found was from Wedding Crashers. When he starts to ramble off the thoughts in his head, the words jump back and forth, portraying the dilemma he is going through. The sentences are also very close together, empathising his rambling. The words bend to mimic two bodies when he talks about the 'awkward hug.'

The second clip I found was similar but for the Dark Knight. Even though this clip is also just using words to convey the story without images, the feel is very different from the Wedding Crashers clip. The dark backgrounds and types make you feel like you're in the middle of Gotham, fearing death and the Joker. I like how each character's voice has a corresponding typeface. For example, the when the Joker is talking, the typeface is unorganized, messy, and the letters are not lines up. This is how we see the Joker, as a crazy mess. When the butler speaks, the fonts are classy, going along very well with his British accent. The typefaces are intimidating when they need to be and crazy when that is the point to get across. It is amazing and very interesting to me that so much can be portrayed simply through the design of a letter.

Giving Serif a Facelift

In the section Letter in Thinking with Type by Ellen Lupton, she demonstrates how Serif types carry a connotation of formalness and clarity, while Sanserif types are less formal and used more artisitically. Lupton clearly has an argument, citing that most news publications, texts books, official documents, etc. are printed in serif fonts.

After reading through the chapter and thinking about it, I decided that I liked serif fonts better because they’re more decorative. In my opinion it’s sanserif fonts that are boring.
Despite what Lupton says about the inherent formalness of serif fonts, I wanted to find examples of serif-use that had an edgy quality. They also might inspire some resume/workmark projects.

I found an Urban Outfitters logo that I thought showed how serif font could be manipulated to look more informal. They made the “urban outfitters” all lowercase and then tilted the first word (urban) so that the whole design was a little asymmetrical.

Similiarly, the hair product Bedhead adds edge to their serif font logo through all caps, and having parts of the letters appear chipped away.

The Rolling Stone logo also uses serif font. In my opinion, what makes this font appropriate for an youth geared, music magazine, it’s almost always bright red. In this case, it’s an intense color that made the serif font have a little flavor.

Seventeen Magazine also makes serif font youthful by making their title hot pink.

Letter Reading

I never really thought of fonts or typefaces as something that writers and designers put so much thought in to decide which one to use. It was not something that struck me as something that someone put the time in to carefully select a certain font. Since we are exposed to it constantly and are surrounded by fonts, it is not something we tend to think of often. However, after reading this section specifically on letter, it has made me realize a lot more. Not only are the type of fonts important, but they also have a large history of how they have evolved over time. I thought it was interesting how designers were so extreme as to think that at times the alphabet was "gross and immoral" and therefore they looked to times such as the Renaissance and the Middle Ages to find "pure and uncorrupted letterforms." Just reading about the importance of the changing of the style of letters was all really surprising to see.

Even though I have never really thought about the thought process behind a designer's work and the fonts they use, now, it makes a lot of sense and seems very logical. Lupton said that the designer's goal is to find a match between a style of letters and the specific situation at hand and the body of content. This makes perfect sense. The designers wants his or her work to have the correct connection between the typefaces and the graphic made. A applicable type face will add to the meaning of the graphic and enhance its meaning for the viewer.

I thought of how this is true in real examples such as the Coca-Cola logo. The typeface the designer chose is script, very flowly and curvy. It relates to the product because since it is a bevarage, a font like this one portrays what the product is. There are drops of water around the writing and with the letters all attached, the whole graphic comes together and relates really well.

The connection between the typeface and design is now something that I see is very common and extremely important.

Selling with typography: Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts

I had no idea what to write for this blog, so I decided to take a look around the room. It took me a second before I realized the iced coffee in my hand would make a perfect topic. I was holding a grande iced coffee from Starbucks, where I had stopped before making my way back to the dorm. Why did I go to Starbucks and not Dunkin Donuts, which is also on Marshall Street and actually closer to my dorm? I do like the taste of Starbucks better, so that was the selling point for me. But is that why so many people around the world flock to a Starbucks (which isn’t difficult, seeing as there is one on every corner) instead of Dunkin Donuts? For the taste? I doubt it. However, I think the reason why is very simple.
Let’s analyze the clientele of each of the establishments. When you think Starbucks, you think celebrities with venti lattes walking through Hollywood, or extra-hot-soy-caramel-no-whip-macchiatos. Dunkin Donuts? I see the working mom on her way to work rushing through the drive-thru, or a “regulah” coffee with “cream n’ sugah.” (At least that’s the way it is in Massachusetts). It’s clear that the clientele of each company is different. The message that the respective chains are trying to convey is different, and they are attracting their type of people through their logos. They are branding their product. The logo, however, cannot be something obscure that requires a lot of detail—it needs to fit on a coffee cup. That is where typefaces come in.
When I look at the Dunkin Donuts logo, the bright colors attract me. However, the font of the text is the most important thing. The designers of this logo opted for a rounded font, which isn’t necessarily childish, but it reminds me of something a bit less serious. It is welcoming, unpretentious, and less assuming. Take a look at the Starbucks logo. The woman in the center draws allusions to mythical characters, and the sans serif, large block typeface is very serious and more sophisticated. The typefaces play to the clientele of each company. Starbucks sells a higher-priced, “fancier” type of coffee, and they have a fancier, almost more-educated type of logo. Dunkin Donuts has a less expensive, more home-y, and regular person-feel to their logo. This isn’t to say that only a certain type of person drinks each type of coffee; people should choose the caffeinated beverage that is most tasty to them. However, I’m sure that much of America is more concerned about the image of their cup than what is inside of it. Either way, (and it should be no surprise) both Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts have successfully used typefaces to sell their products across the United States and even around the world.

L E T T E R

We’re bombarded by thousands of typefaces every day, yet I’ve never really given much thought to the meaning behind them. I blame this on years of having to write papers in Times New Roman.

This chapter opened my eyes to typeface as an art form. It was interesting to find that typeface, like any other traditional art form, both influenced and was influenced by our changing society. Fonts were created with a purpose, survived criticism, and began movements.

Having just watched The Office, I was curious to know which font the creators chose for its logo.



In my search I came across WhatTheFont, an online font-recognition system. I uploaded an image of the logo and determined the font to be American Typewriter, which fits the theme of the mockumentary and incidentally goes to show how technology has shaped the art of typeface.

Pepsi and Design

Pepsi underwent yet another rebranding a couple of months back, something that I for one had been oblivious to until I saw my roommate drinking a bottle of Pepsi several hours ago (yes, I know Pepsi is everywhere on this campus). Pepsi decided to change both its red, blue, and white circle and its typography.

For one thing, the Pepsi circle has changed, becoming more diagonal. Some people have discussed whether this was done in order to make it more similar to the Obama symbol. What has sparked even more conversation, though, is the fact that it now looks like a smile—perhaps this is Pepsi’s attempt at some sort of subliminal message that ties Pepsi and smiles together in the consumer’s mind?

Also, they made the white swirl on the Diet Pepsi thinner than that on the Regular Pepsi, which one could interpret to be due to the different effects each type of Pepsi could have on your body. However, the Pepsi can with the thickest white swirl is that of the Pepsi Max, which throws things off, because it, too, is a diet drink.

“In the early 1990s, as digital design tools began supporting the seamless reproduction and integration of media, many designers grew dissatisfied with clean, unsullied, surfaces… (Lupton 29)” Over the last couple of changes, however, Pepsi has brought this back to its logotype.

The old font, which used to be all in uppercase letters, is now all in lowercase. The sans serif typeface was also slimmed down. Furthermore, the letters were distributed more loosely, giving them space to make them look more relaxed. All of these changes might be said to add more simplicity—something people often look for in today’s rushed and complicated world—to the Pepsi logo.

Will Pepsi’s decision to change at the same time America changes bring it prosperity?

Oh look! Another post on typography!

What is there to say about typography that hasn't already been said?  It's one of the most overlooked yet profound methods of advertising and expression in the history of media, and as such, it seems only fair to devote at least a few blogs' worth of time and effort to this noble art.  The lectures, combined with the Lupton reading, have made it all too clear how much of an effect typefaces and type orientation and type color and type size have played in our decision-making as consumers.  It's a job that rarely receives its due credit, choosing fonts that will catch our eye and convey meaning and manage to not overwhelm us with too much visual stimuli.

But when you think about it, and I mean really think about it, typography is one of the only things in our lives that we encounter on a regular basis.  I'm talking every single day in our nearly century-long existences.  Even

 looking around my room I am bombarded by text, be it from my Dark Knight poster or the label on the bottle of the aspirin I took last night for my headache or the label on the Obama pin on my bag or the title of my Snow Cake DVD sitting on my desk.  It's everywhere, and what's more, for some things it's universally recognized.  Take for instance a poster for one of my own personal favorite movies, Jonathan Demme's Oscar-winning picture The Silence of the Lambs, displayed above.  It's a fairly well-known image:  Jodie Foster with the death's-head moth over her lips, the title of the movie featured beneath.  We probably all recognize it right off the bat, and if you don't, you need to start watching better films.  Point is, the set-up is a pretty clear indication of the sort of picture you're about to see:  suspense-thriller, intense plot line, won't-take-your-shit characters.

Now take a look at the image I created in Photoshop.  It's the same basic idea:  Jodie Foster with the death's-head moth over her lips, the title of the movie featured beneath.  The picture is the same, the coloring is the same.  Except...oh wait, there's a small adjustment made to the words The Silence of the Lambs.  I just used a different font, but now the tone of the entire poster has gone from suspense-thriller, intense plot line, won't-take-your-shit characters to something akin to "Clarice Starling goes skipping through the meadow with Dr. Lecter in search of bunny rabbits and rainbows."  In going from a sans serif typeface to a downloaded font called Font Diner Dot Com Sparkly, the whole theme has been altered.  THAT is the power of typography.  Genius decisions can bolster sales by the millions, and mistakes have the potential to lead to marketing flops and even bankruptcy.  It is a rare form of art that can so evenly balance the incorporation of creativity with the preciseness of logical decision-making.  This is the definition of graphic design.

Type Type Type

Ever since I joined my high school yearbook, I realized the importance of typography. Different fonts can insinuate completely different images, even if the discrepancies between the two are minor. A font says a lot about a design, ad, or image; often, it defines them.

The first two images I’m putting up illustrate serif fonts. The first phrase is written in Times New Roman, and the latter is in Minion Pro. Times is unoriginal, conventional, and normal. Minion looks mostly the same, but has a seemingly greater sophistication than Times. These subtle differences had the ability to change the entire feel of our yearbooks (and ultimately, designs on the whole). Thus, I can only imagine how varied a tone can change when using completely different looking fonts.

I adore the intro to the most recent version of Casino Royale. I've attached it here because every aspect of the credits works so well together, including the type. That video, among others (including ones like that Kanye video posted below) inspired me to design that way for various school projects.

I love type//typography. It’s an amazing way to express the tone and message of a design. What if Harry Potter had been written like so?

The whole Medieval look doesn't really suit the cover even though it could be argued that the style is the same. No, we (Harry Potter readers) grew up with the US title design of Harry Potter and most happen to find it completely appropriate.

Type is so easy to analyze, yet so difficult to master.
Hopefully by the end of this class, we will all have a better grasp on the typography phenomena.