Type 04/24/12

This next selection comes from another Sappi produced book on "75 Selections from the AIGA Design Archives". This book offers examples "that embody the best in communication design and strategy from AIGA's annual juried competitions".

This square book offers a challenging design problem for the designer, but i think it was held with extreme success. This book cover as a whole can be taken as a metaphor for design. The minimal design and color (only white) reminds me of design by it's nature of being able to be applied in any environment.

A minimalistic design doesn't force itself upon its surrounds but rather accepts it. I believe that this is a strong aspect of design in itself. To be a good design it must exist within a social environment and play with the understandings and values of it.

The typeface is Helvetica, in my opinion, for good or worse it has to be considered the "typeface of design".

  

Type 042412

This next type specimen was found it in the Opus paper sample book from Sappi papers. In their Opus book they display six works by different designers of areas of the nation. I choice the poster design by Paul Sahre on the Northeast. Paul used history as inspiration for his poster design. The NE has played a vital role in historical events in this country, Share played this up by projecting the future based on given realities of society, like "global warming, terrorism, the increasing popularity of football and bowling, war and socioeconomics."

Sahre's design is a humorous rendition of our culture and our (sometimes construed) values. The map is a brightly colored linear interpretation of the NE. The font that he used in the label and is Bodoni (http://www.fonts.com/findfonts/detail.htm?productid=716335).

Bodoni is a modern typeface created by Giambattista Bodoni in 1798 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodoni) . Bodoni pushed the font-weight of baskerville to arrive at one the first versions of the modern typeface. Because of it's tendency to "dazzle" at small point sizes (the thicks and thins tend to vibrate makes reading this font difficult), it is predominately used as a display font.

Bodoni is used largely in fashion magazines and hotels because f it's "posh" feel. The sharp clean looking serifs, give this typeface structure and elegance without the flowery scripting marks. The map uses Bodoni as a label lends itself to Sahre intention's with the map, this map demonstrates societies tendencies to idolize the fashionable stars that usually covers the magazines and ads. You could say the use of this typeface is a metaphor for our "star" obsession.

Type 04/24/12

@issue: is a journal of business and design designed by Pentagram. The magazine is "specifically published for business leaders, corporate communicators, the design and printing community, and business school students to communicate how design contributes to business success."

Their logo consists of the "@", "issue" and ":", set (in this case) in white. The logo itself is quite large on the overall page space. Its orientation also is important, the semi-colon is set right up against the right border creating a subliminal "issue." The semi-colon hints at further text in this text line but the page breaks it from the first part os the sentence, the  "@issue:" The "@" sign is reminds the viewer on the social, referencing the internet generations representation of the "current". This abbreviated at is a clear distinction to the audience, younger businesses that have something to do with the design field.

@ issue:'s logo typeface is called "Letter Gothic" (http://www.fonts.com/findfonts/detail.htm?productid=171579). Letter Gothic was created by Roger Roberson in 1956 and 1962. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Letter_Gothic). "This typeface was initially to be used in 'Selectic' typewriters" for IBM's Lexington plant. Because it was intentionally to be used on a typewriter in a technical way the typeface has larger kerning and and large x-height to make it easier to read in large quantities.

The most discernible trait for this typeface is the lowercase "i", "j", and "l" and the elongated finial right below the dot.  Another feature of this typeface is the subtle and reserve use of line-weight shifts, the"u" has a slight shift in weight at the bottom of it's counter.

The typeface is a large feeling type that takes up space. An interesting juxtaposition exists between it's contained "large-ness" and the lowercased text. Lowercase text lends type a more approachable feel, a more inviting or human aspect. The use of the lowercase and the "large-ness" represents the magazine's philosophy, to make big issues accesible.

Type 03-21-12

I found this next type selection a Rachael Ray Magazine (April 2012, p76). The headline of the page is "Pretty Peas" and highlights this months "hero" food, and gives some facts and a recipe including peas as a main ingredient. This caught my eye because of the visual play that the typeface has with the peas that are thrown across the page. The "r" and the "y" have almost detached circles that echo the pea shape.

Bodoni Typeface

This typeface is a modern one in the same vain as Didot or Bodoni. But this typeface is more playful than either of them (of course being heavily based on the modern type theory). The extremes thicks and thins of this typeface add a finished high-end flair that works well as a display font (this probably would have a lot of trouble as body type).

I looked into variations of both Didot and Bodoni and found one that I believe is almost identical in many ways. The typeface "Moliere" ( http://www.myfonts.com /fonts/eurotypo/moliere/ ) is the has many of the key attributes to the type used in Rachael Ray's magazine. The terminal of the "r" ends in that distinctive curl with the circle attached, also the top of the downstroke of the "t" is curved.

Moliere typeface

Moliere typeface is named after a 17th century French playwright and actor who is considered to be one of the greatest masters of comedy in Western literature (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moli%C3%A8re). This playful, colorful and almost comedic typeface I fell lends itself well to Moliere. Rachael Ray's magazine always has a quirky and playful approach to the design and the typefaces used and I think that the use of "Moliere" bridges the gaap between page content and aesthetic vision.

Type 031912

I decided to do a study on the Publix logo. Founded in 1930, Publix Super Markets is the largest and fastest-growing employee-owned supermarket chain that is located in the southeast USA.Like Stop and Shop they have a pharmacy, deli, seafood.

There logo consists of a dark green "Bauhus"-ish typeface (http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100407194153AAKdINW) in a white and lime green rectangle. The largest shape in the logo is a white "P" that plays off the lime green with a figure ground relationship. The typeface used is clean and inviting, two attributes that would be sort after for a grocery chain.

This clean and inviting feel comes from the high x-height and the rigid, modular, geometric forms. "Inheriting the simple geometric shapes and monotone stroke weights of Herbert Bayer's universal, it includes separate upper and lower case characters" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bauhaus_%28typeface%29).

To keep with the clean and inviting nature of the logo has a Swiss style design with emphasis on negative space and clean lines. This is because of the use of the typeface within the

Type 02-27-12

My post tonight involves a different approach from my previous ones. I am looking into a 1896 Providence newspaper that I found being used as a shim underneath some floor-boards. As you can tell they look like they have been used as a shim, complete with hand-cut nail hole (you can tell because the hole is square).


At first I can't quite tell what the title of it is because it is ripped in two. "The Evenin..." The only paper that this could be is the "Providence Evening Post". The Evening Post ran from 1859-1972 which certainly puts this particular example in the right time (http://www.genealogybank.com/gbnk/newspapers/explore/USA/Rhode_Island/Providence/Providence_Evening_Press/) because I fell in love with this thing the first time I looked at it. On the front page is an account of "Nansen's Triumph" in his discovery of the North Pole, complete with a nah-sayer who objects based on a dearth of evidence. Some evidence of the "monster type" phenomenon is present in the ads and headlines.

I looked into trying to figure out what typefaces are used on this but I am running into some trouble. This is probably because of the "almost science" that typefaces were in this day. The current belief of this time was that "egyptian" slabs were optimal to use in body copy. But the body type is certainly not a slab serif. I started by looking at looked at four pretty obvious candidates for the font; Caslon, Times, Garamond, and Baskerville. But this led to a different place.

Caslon has the correct looking "g" with it's two-stories and closed bottom counter. The "g" also has a right feeling ear, it comes of at the correct angle and also terminates in the correct way. But here is where the similarities stop. One definitive trait of Caslon type is the "nib" quality that is evident in the sllightly slanted top serifs. This is a humanist typeface after all. The "A" also doesn't have the distinctive Caslon top. Caslon ultimately feels to humanist to be it.

I looked and Garamond and it proved to be a quick and easy. Garamond is way to humanist, compared to this typeface it looks closer to a renaissance script. So Garamond is out.

Times had the appropriate weight shifts but it had some big flaws to it though. The ear of the "g" is wrong, it comes off flat not angles. Also Times "e" has a distinctive offset counter within, and a large bottom lower counter with very thin finial.

I found Baskerville to be the most likely but it still doesn't feel right. The transitional typeface feels right but there are certain elements that don't quite fit. The "e" has a low crossbar compared to modern Baskerville, also the "R"'s leg is totally different, while Baskerville's is straight the font used in the newspaper is similar to "Bodoni." Aslo the "Q" doesn't have that beautiful swoosh of a Baskerville but again the "Q" resembles a Bodoni.

So this led me to Bodoni. Overall the type doesn't feel like a modern typeface like this, the contrast on thicks and thins are not as extreme, they are pretty comfortable. Maybe this is a hybrid typeface of sorts? The "W" doesn't have the double "v" to it like Bodoni. I was thinking of Didot but I decided that the typeface used isn't "fancy" enough.

I end this post with no definitive solution. The typeface used seems to be a hybrid between baskerville and Bodoni, a transistioning transition font. It is like find a missing link, a evolutionary hybrid between two different forms. This does seem correct to me. The world that this font existed in was in fact a transitional one. The victorian age was in between agricultural life and big business, man power or horse power and machine power, women's rights was staring to germinate, the ruminants of slavery was still being struggled with in the nation. This time period was in flux in many ways, technological, political, and psychologically.

Type 02-20-12

This was bought at Barnes and Noble bookstores. It is  a remake of the famous WWII poster of  "keep clam and carry on." The poster was created to encourage the citizens of London to ignore the Nazi bombing of their city. The poster was a rallying cry for the English in their fight.

Today this slogan is reused in many different forms, like in this example, "Keep calm and eat cupcakes." The authoritative voice of the original poster translates well to these other versions by sprinkling it with humor. The sheer number of reproductions that are made now echo the difference in cultures.

Our culture is much more fractured than wartime England. England at that time had serious political problems and needed society to come together for the war effort. These modern versions poke fun at the original's serious tone by changing the subject matter by making everyday "luxuries" into serious matters.

This poster was originally produced byt he Ministry of Information. This ministry main objective was to produce propaganda material. "keep calm" posters aimed at reducing the fear the German bombing had on the civilian population by giving the people the impression that the government was calm and collected and that they will win the war.

Unfortunately, the original posters doesn't use a standard font because they were hand-designed and by a anonymous civil servant.This again reflects the state of the culture in war time England (http://www.keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk/guide_to_keep_calm/). According to discussions at typophile.com the closest modern typeface is Avenir.


Avenir was created by Adrain Frutiger un 1988 and was intended "to be a more organic, humanist interpretation of these highly geometric types" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avenir_(typeface)). Avenir was modeled from the early geometric sans-serif typefaces of Erbar and Futura. The "keep calm" poster typeface was certainly inspired by the same typefaces.


You can now generate these posters with a computer program now, http://www.keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk/. Here one can enter the desired content and generate it in this style. This is another way the "keep calm" posters have changed since their orignal conception. The government originally designed and published these as an important part of the war effort, now these are customized by anybody. 

Type

 These examples of Type comes from a type specimen that I had. It is a typeface calles Eames Century Modern from House Industrious (www.houseindustries.com). The entire book is designed in the "retro" style. The word "retro here is quoted because of the Eames House's effect on what is retro. Eames House IS retro, so I apologize for that previous redundant statement but I figured it had to be said.

Eames House was created and ran by Charles and Ray Eames from 1950-late 1970's. Their initial success came from their creation of chairs and their partnership with Herman Miller. Charles Eames, a architect, was the spirited leader of this duo and Ray Eames, painter, was the quiet genius behind their work. Their designs was the pinnacle of the modern style because of their clean lines, modular, and mass produced (of course American made).

The cover showcases the typeface in use. The white "eames" is coupled with silver "retro" stars and House Industries logo (clever tie in). The type is arranged on a diagonal repeating patterns of alternating type. The Eames Century Modern is described as a "honor to their aesthetic while maintaining the timeless relevance and functionality that characterizes their legacy."

They had such success with their chair designs that they ended up branching out in many different directions. Videography, architecture, graphic design and photography all came out of the Eames House each gaining great success. The common thread connecting all of these different ventures is the complete understanding and adherence to their classic, sleek aesthetic.

 The studio that produced this was known for its dynamic cluttered space. Dozens of products would be worked on simultaneously. The second photograph of an inner spread shows examples of this. this with the use of layered and cropped text and bold colors (a touch of Ray).

Eames Chair

02/02/12 Thesis Review

Tonight, because of the Research DP1 I sat in with Minko's group. This was enlightening to see how the other Thesis Studio students are shaping their studio ideas. Minko is having them create a visual vocabulary to help inform their studio designs. I presented my popup book idea and got some good feed back. Emily pointed out some similarities with a previous project i worked on in Graduate Seminar. The project was designing a poster on how Dr. Ramachandran acute observation skills and how he solved a complex problem with a simple solution. The poster consisted of a message being embedded in the folds of a brain.

To move on I will have to define an audience, make it personal or "human." This will help make my idea come across more effectively. The idea of incorporated the code and augmented reality into the aspect of storytelling went over very well.

I have a lot to digest after tonight. I will take the weekend to rework my ideas to sharpen the focus and solidify a strong foundational vocabulary to build my project on. I am going to set up a meeting with Mish to review where I am before DP1 next week.

I decided to look at the Entenmann's logo as my next type study. This is the second time I used food as an example, probably because I write these right before dinner. This particular box has the chocolate, powdered sugar, and plain (my favorite) in the box.

The Entenmann's company uses a classic feel to lend their products the "broadway" feel on the early twentieth century. This is appropriate for this company because it was founded in 1898 in Brooklyn. The typeface of the logo is called bold Meturas Face MT (http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=1006031610462). This script reminds people of a better time, where food was actually food and not processed awfulness. The golden age of America, when the modern roots of this country was being established. This design promotes the idea of the home-made freshness and that of quality ingredients.

I find this ironic. The classic hometown feel of the type is superficial idea. These donuts are probably the furthest thing from homemade. These lard rings are mass-produced in a factory by underpaid workers that more than likely have eaten thousands of these things and is utterly repulsed by them. I find this very interesting. A connection can be made to the typeface here. The battle of Meturas was a decisive battle in the second Punic war between Rome and Carthage (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Metaurus). A war is being waged in the modern food industry, unfortunately it is against the people who eat it. They hide these processed foods behind the facade of "fresh," "local," "organic." Entenmann's is certainly doing that here.

01/25/12 Thesis Review

Last night I made a preliminary studio pitch to Mich and the research students. I was taken pretty well. Below I attached my draft. Mich suggested that work on 5 different variations to this is idea of connecting the digital to the natural in the medium of storytelling.Also I have to expand further on the questions, "Why are you interested in code?", "What are the key notions or accepted status quo regarding your inquiry?", "What has this to do with graphic design?", "What is the possible scope contribution to the field?", "Who is your audience?", "How will you conduct your research? What are you reading? Are you using outside experts?",and "Do you have a feasible time-frame?" Also I have to provide contact information for my outside advisers by next Wednesday.

Thesis Studio Proposal

Background

In order for code to reach its full potential as a creative medium, one must consider it’s natural attributes. In the comparison between code and the creative medium of poetry, it is evident that code cannot be considered literally as a creative language. Code will have trouble conveying absolute meaning in the natural world because it is based on a numbered based sign system. Instead, one must consider that code doesn’t exist within our natural world, but rather within its own. It is this exclusion from our world that allows code to create it’s own.

This world of code mirrors that of the natural world. Its base level languages are pre-disposed to take values from our natural world. This pre-disposition, to accept our information, allows for the manipulation and adaptation of the digital world. The base languages are redefined as HLLs with the human user in mind. These HLLs make them closer to our own language by using human words and syntax. These languages have since become specialized in certain areas of the digital world to further adapt it to our needs.

The unique duality of code, as a communication language, shows dual natural existence. Code is the bridge between the two worlds, taking human ideas and turning them into reality. This is done by the conversion from the natural world to the digital world. The extent of the digital world mirroring the natural world can be found when considering Facebook. This social media created a copy of the social community by storing information digitally. Through the implementation of the hypernarrative, a website becomes a uniquely digital experience that changes as the user interacts with it. All of these factors culminate in the creation of a unique creative medium called a craft language. This medium shares important elements with the two distinct fields of craft and communication.

What am I going to do?

I propose to make an augmented reality popup book. There are two reasons why I am taking this route. First, code is communication and to use in the form of storytelling will provide the avenue to explore the code as a creative medium. Code must say something to both the human reader and the computer. Secondly Code existing in two worlds, the natural world and the digital world, and it is here that I want mainly explore. I propose a story that tells two stories simultaneously, one in the natural world, one in the digital world. The story will be written in a way that the original lines will be expanded when looked at under augmented reality. Color will be used as a tool for contrast to provide a distinct look into both of the worlds. The illustrations will also be completed with two different styles, one will be de-saturated pencil drawings (natural) the other will be energetic colorful statements. The story will be able to be read both ways, but each one will give a different meaning.

Another reason why I chose this, as my thesis project is to play with the notion the digital world is a mirror of the natural, that it is imbued with the natural. I wanted to imbue the natural world with the digital. With this project I would be able to place a piece of the digital world into the natural by imbuing a book with not only with strictly technology but also technology but by making it part of the story giving it a reason to be there.

What sets my project apart

I set out to incorporate augmented reality into my work, not apply it superficially. The story will be told twice from different points of view. The augmented reality will exist as a storytelling mechanism, it will tell the story from the boys mind.


Timeline

Feb 1
• Bring in the concept for approval
WHAT NEEDS FINISHING
-START TO WORK ON THE COPY AND STROYBOARD

Mar 7
• Complete storyline
• Complete a storyboard for both pencil illustrations
WHAT NEEDS FINISHING
-WORK THROUGH THE STORYBOARD AND ILLUSTRATE THE STORY
-FINALIZE THE TEXT PLACEMENT AND “POPUP” PLACEMENT
-CONSIDER MUSIC

Mar 21
• Both the digital illustrations and the pencil illustrations finished
• Final page layouts hashed out
• Decide on materials for book build
WHAT NEEDS FINISHING
-NEEDS TO RENDER THE AUGMENTED REALITY FOR THE BOOK
-MUST ASSEMBLE TWO COPIES OF THE “NATURAL WORLD” BOOK

April 18
• Ready for class presentation and Q and A

Why are you interested in code?

Code is logical and creative. In my past work my aesthetic has a structural element to it. My work is normally not very colorful, tending to be grays and de-saturated colors. My work is always based on reality, not really subjective abstractions. I play with the special depth of the image to pose interesting spaces. I feel this is probably why I connect with code. It is based in reality; it can be creative in the way you problem solve. A it is certainly logical.

What are the key notions or accepted status quo regarding your inquiry?

Augmented reality exists in games in for information. But I feel much of it is applied and not really fully incorporated in the overall design or expression.

What has this to do with graphic design?

This would highlight what I hope to be a new way to approach the use of augmented reality (code) in the creative world. Code’s existence in two realms I believe can be taken advantage of.

What is the possible scope contribution to the field?

The incorporation of augmented reality into the storytelling process, I feel this is worthy of my time.

Who is your audience?

Everybody. This would be a story that tells a story with the help of augmented reality, everyone who has that technology should appreciate it.

How will you conduct your research? What are you reading? Are you using outside experts?

I am relying on my workplace www.genuineinteractive.com for help through my research. I will have to find out exactly how my designed will be rendered in augmented reality and how to do this. I will be using genuine’s resources to compile the information into 3d images. The experts will be again at genuine.

Do you have a feasible timeframe?

Yes.

 This is a looking into my fridge. I noticed that there are three products that are ultimately that the fromt he same origin. The coffee creamer, the fat-free milk, the Reddi Wip, and the half & half are lined up to resemble a line up. I get the feeling of a game of dress-up. Each contain a cream based product that has been altered in some way. Each of these alterations are echoed by the different product packaging. One thing that they all have in common is the light blocking material that they are made from.

My concentration is on the middle two products, the milk and the Reddi Wip. The colors used are the same just in different ways. The organic fun type that is on the Reddi Wip can certainly lends itself to that, fun. The red can, the blue air symbol that is being shot out of the "reddi" and the juxtaposition with the dessert reminds the user of ice cream sundaes.

In contrast the stable reliable milk to in a pure white container.. The white is symbolic one because of the color of the product but also the pureness that HOOD milk represents. This is not as fun as the Reddi Wip can but it seems more reliable a product. The reliability is because Milk is a stable food. "Load up on bread and milk!" Again the strong horizontal baseline of the text only helps strengthen this stability. In interestingly the swoosh that goes down the can lines up with the milk's blue "nesting" curving for the red HOOD logo. This creates an interesting flow between these two unlike products.

 The designer I believe are getting there messages across. Milk wouldn't make any sense if it was packaged like the Reddi Wip can, it isn't a fun dynamic product, it would be like insurance adjustors dressing like rock stars to go to work. It wouldn't work.The Milk design is basic and stable for a basic and stable product.

In contrast the Reddi Wip is supposed to be fun. It is used during partying and dessert two things that are highlighted in their perspective fields.  Partys are always looked forward to while dessert are usually looked forward to (for the record I don't look forward to dessert).

01/18/12 Thesis Review

Last night I got in Studio! It was a process but it was pretty enjoyable. Mich gave me a clear direction of where I need to get next. The first problem that I have to resolve is WHY code,why am I choosing it to work with in the thesis, WHAT I respond to that is in code, HOW does it tie into GD, What am I going to do. Also Mich suggested that I look into connecting design with me, specifically my aesthetic. Fortunately my undergraduate work has helped me to resolve this already. My work seems to have a shallow depth of space, normally desaturated colors and structurally sound. Most of my work is strongly vertical and horizontal. My work is usually logically built. This logic and structure is certainly evident in the writing of code. Well tonight I had, I think, a break through in my thesis. The connection between typography and code, making typography (code) come alive.