MED4110 Visual Design | Week 2 | Type and Typography

Typography in the Wild

Apple's Think Different advert

Above is Apple's Think Different advert that uses Adobe Garamond font. Adobe software was released in 1982, then Macs and screen fonts were released in 1984. The type used reflected society's obsession with the digital process. This helps Apple to communicate with their audience or potential audience through the advert, which relates to the audience and what they like. 

The slogan "think different" works together with Apple's logo at the time to advertise what their brand and company was about - being different and better than their competitors. The multicoloured apple is different to the usual green or red apple and this reinforces the "think different" message.

According to webdesignerdepot.com Helvetica is the most widely used font ever, which is the most recognisable, distinctive, professional and timeless type face. Helvetica is a sans-serif typeface developed in 1957 by Swiss typeface designer Max Miedinger. Notable features of Helvetica include the termination of all strokes on exactly horizontal or vertical lines and unusually tight letter spacing, which gives it a dense, compact appearance.

The collage above shows logos of big brands that use the Helvetica typeface in their logos. They show that effective logos can be made by using a simple font. Each logo uses Helvetica for the brand name, and some logos use a simple illustration along side it. Brands like American Apparel simply use Helvetica bold and keep it black, whereas Jeep colours their logo a forrest green colour. 

Business card designs

Below I have designed 5 business cards using only type as a tool for design. The idea was to use my name as the design. I used InDesign to create these, and set the business card to 85 mm x 55 mm, with a margin of 5mm and a bleed of 3mm. I kept the design inside of the margin for my business cards, with the exception of design 2, where I decided to ignore the margin and use the whole document.

Design 1

For my first design, I wanted to experiment with the type tools on InDesign as it was the first time I had used it. I started with typing my name onto the document using the textbox tool, and then experimenting with the colours. I decided to go with a transparent fill and a black stroke, so that when I adjusted the tracking, the letter outline would be visible on the inside of the other letters (I also adjusted the leading so that the "amy" and "snow" where closer together). I used the font Helvetica, as it is regarded as "recognisable, distinctive, professional and timeless", and this is something that I would like to convey on a business card for myself. I also rounded off the edges of the join to "round join" as I prefer soft, round, natural shapes rather than harsh bold ones, and again this is something of my personality, or opinions, that I would want to show. To fill the negative space, I created a background using a mirrored "a" and coloured it grey. I mirrored the "a" so that it would create an even background that was not drawing attention to one side of the design. I used kerning to bring the letters together so that it looked more like a pattern. I chose a monotone colour scheme as I am not subjectively fond of colour. This could set me back in a design perspective, as when designing something for an assignment or a client I shouldn't use my personal tastes, however as I was creating a business card for myself, it seemed appropriate. At the bottom in 6pt Helvetica I put my contact details in the centre. 

Design 2

For my second design, I adapted my first one. I decided I wanted to make the background take up the whole business card and not stay inside the margin. I think that it looks better this way, as it looks like full background rather than an empty one. I increased the size of the background "a" to 283pt from 214pt. 

Design 3

For design number 3, I took the "amy snow" from the first two designs and made it larger, so that it filled the margin. I took away the grey background so that "amy snow" became a logo. I changed the leading so that the bottom of "amy" and the top of "snow" overlapped and the outline of the letters were visible inside the other letters. I like the simple look of this, and I think that this design and design four are my favourite, as it represents my tastes and that is important for a business card for myself. 

Design 4

For my fourth design all I changed was the fill colour of the document inside the margin to ???. I also changed the stroke and font colour to white. I chose the blue colour as I think it stands out and is attention grabbing, which is something that is needed for a business card. 

Design 5

For my fifth design I left the helvetica behind and chose a Blackoak Std font. I arranged lowercase and uppercase letters of my name (12pt) into the shape of an "A", the beginning letter of my name. This is obviously not an original idea, however I do like the look of it and I think that the "A" doesn't need a background to support it. I added my contact details on the right hand side in a vertical position, as it didn't work horizontally. I used Helvetica font in 12pt.