Presentation - Commercial and Retail Typography

As a group, we next put together a presentation including what we found out by considering the commercial and retail typography of Worcester town. We also collected any examples of Helevtica seen throughout the day.

High Street

Friar Street

Reindeer Court

Helvetica

Commercial and Retail Typography

The High Street

Superdrug

 

 

 

Superdrug is the second largest beauty and health company in Britain. Its logo appears feminine and friendly, as well as young. Looking at this shop logo, I would expect to see teenagers inside the store, as the shop exterior looks fresh and young. When we looked inside the store, however, we noticed that most customers were women in their late 20's. However, there were still a few elderly people present,  as well as some men. Most people in the shop were there to specifically buy something and few left without buying a product.
Superdrug is advertised as affordable, which customers are made aware of by the posters seen around the store and in the shop's windows. These posters are simplistic and basic, offering great deals. Boots, it's competitor, it's the first largest beauty and health business in Britain, yet Superdrug manages to keep up with this larger business by offering a cheaper alternative.
The font used on Superdrug's main logo is very quirky and different to what you usually see. The font is rounded and playful, which helps to attract a female audience.

Debenhams 

The exterior of Debenhams appears stylish and sophisticated. The text is similar to the fonts seen in a fashion magazine, while the black and white shows class. From the outside, I would presume that the shop would be of good quality products that are perhaps quite expensive.
When we looked inside the shop, we found that most people were women in their 40's or 50's. There were also some elderly women and some in their 20's, though there were hardly any men. It also seemed to have attracted women from a higher class. There were a few people buying, though most seemed to be browsing.
The different brand of women's wear downstairs was an immediate change in atmosphere. Everything appeared more casual and it gave the impression of being more affordable (though the prices were still quite expensive).

Primark

 

The logo of Primark looks sophisticated and classy, yet it stops from becoming too much so with the introduction of the bright blue, which causes the logo to appear young, fresh and friendly. The blue and black of the logo also reflects that the shop is suitable for both genders. 

When we looked inside, we discovered that most people shopping were young families and teenagers. Most people had the intention to buy rather than to browse; they had gone for a purpose.  

Friar Street

Chocolate Gourmet

The typography of this shop is classic and sophisticated, which makes the shop appear expensive and of good quality products. The typography used suggests that luxury items would be seen inside, which they were. The shop wasn't very busy when we entered (as it is quite a small shop) but the audience included teenagers and more mature people. It is unlikely people would purchases items here regularly - they could have been shopping for gifts or for a treat. Some products were also child friendly, yet the displays of the shop appeared delicate and breakable, so perhaps these products would be purchased as a gift as well. 

The Hat Shop

The target audience for this shop is more mature women, looking for something for a special occasion. Though the items seen in the window are classy and elegant, the typography for the shop unfortunately does not reflect this. The typography is simplistic and, while it appears attractive, it looks like the exterior is designed for a different shop - perhaps a quirky stationary shop - rather than for this elegant hat store. The sign in the window, however (seen above), appears much more to the style of the store. The font is quirky yet elegant, showing sophistication. Perhaps if the exterior of the shop appeared more to the style of this sign, it would look more effective and would mirror the style of the shop more appropriately. 

Injitv

The target audience for this shop is adults of both genders, with more people having the intention to browse rather than to buy.

Upon seeing the logo for this shop, you wouldn't presume that the store was a furniture shop. The logo appears quirky and stylistic, perhaps suitable for a photo-printing store or a quirky clothes shop (something like "Fat Face") rather than a traditional furniture shop. Personally, I don't find the logo very attractive. I think that it appears quite messy, while the squares after the text seem random and don't add anything. The font following the shop's title also seems out of place; the two fonts don't seem to work together well. The composition for the whole store front just seems a bit off and random. 

Reindeer Court

Adorned 

The target audience for this store is young women, with the intention to browse, perhaps for a treat or a gift for someone else. The store is small and delicate inside, with hand-made price-tags that add a personal touch. However, inside they also ruined a lovely delicate label with Comic Sans!

The logo for the shop's exterior works well, as it attracts a female audience (the target audience) with the round letters and the red hearts coming from the "n". The over all effect is something very delicate and feminine, which works well, as it matches the products seen in the store. 

Fatlip

The target audience for this store is middle-aged women, with the intention to browse or shop for gifts. The exterior of the shop appears completely unrelated to the products inside. The bright blue of the shop and dripping, blue font of the logo appears like the design of a surfer shop rather than a delicate jewellery store. Pastel colours would appear more effective for this shop; the bright blue makes the shop look tacky and doesn't suit the style of the products inside. 

Dare

The target audience for this store was hard to identify (with mixed signals from the shop's design) though it was definitely aimed towards women. The shop itself, however, had too many mixed styles. The logo is modern and young, yet the shop front suggests a store for more mature women. When we looked instead, we discovered that the type of clothes were aimed toward teenage/young women and were more going-out styled clothes. The logo in the bag also doesn't fit any of the other styles seen in the shop. Overall, the shop presents many different styles that is confusing to the viewer.

Links

 links for research
http://www.nikibrown.com/designoblog/2009/01/03/mmmmm-packaging-pt-1/
http://www.miss-design.com/interior/cielito-querido-cafe.html
http://weburbanist.com/2011/08/15/totally-typography-18-textual-packaging-designs/
http://www.dearcoffeeiloveyou.com/mighty-handsome-coffee-packaging/
http://lynnedoor.blogspot.com/2010/06/cider-cheers-mates.html
http://lynnedoor.blogspot.com/2010/06/cookie-dough-monster-strikes.html
http://himecha.wordpress.com/category/design/packaging-design/
http://www.coffeestrategies.com/2005/06/02/coffee-shop-names

Seb Lester

SEB LESTER

Seb Lester works in London as a type designer, illustrator and artist. He has created typography-based artwork for large companies such as Waitrose, Apple, The Daily Telegraph and British Airways. 

 

Most of his work appears extremely elegant and decorative, with lots of swirls being used. For example, the image below seems very busy, but because of the curvacious, thin letters, it also appears elegant and attractive.

I really like the image and style of the design below. How the many different styles of text has been wrote in one, large letter - "S" - causes the image to appear bold and dramatic. The image should appear messy, with the amount of different text being used, but Lester has managed to create a balance with the different typefaces that I find to be very attractive.

PechaKucha Presentation Task

PechaKucha Night, set up in Tokyo in February 2003, is a special event intended for designers to discuss new ideas and meet new artists. During the event, a presentation - containing different artistic images - is shown, though the designers only have twenty seconds to discuss the image before the next slide appears. Our class task was based on this. As a small group, we had to first research twenty typefaces - gathering images and information - before we were to show our presentation to the rest of the class, where we would then have twenty seconds to discuss each typeface individually. My slides are shown below.

I found it quite difficult to get all the information I had discovered across in only twenty seconds - and often found I was still talking when the next slide appeared. However, this meant that I was quickly trying to get the more important information across to the rest of the class.

When I was researching Bodoni, I was surprised how different in looks on different logos. For example, I wouldn't have realised that it is the same font used on Nirvana's album cover and Mamma Mia!'s theater posters - perhaps this is because Mamma Mia! and Nirvana are two very different areas of culture. However, Bodoni manages to achieve the right mood for each of them.

I was surprised - when I was researching these fonts - of how many appear on logos, and yet when you view these logos you don't take the type in as that specific font. I found it very interesting. I think that I will now definitely be looking at logos a lot differently. Knowing the font, for example, leads you to wonder why the designers chose to use it. Fonts usually have a background to them, which is why the designers chose to use it. For example, I learned from another group that Didot is used in many fashion brands, as it screams sophistication, high prices but good quality.

I was unable to include the information during my twenty seconds, but I found Eurostile to be a very interesting font. This was because that, though it appears quite square-shaped, the style of the font manages to stop appearing harsh due to the curves seen, for example, on the O and C. I also found it interesting to find that it was used extensively in the Science Fiction genre.

I felt that this task was a good way to expand our knowledge on fonts, as not only did I learn from the research I underwent, I also learned a lot from the presentation of others.

Helvetica

I was able to view the 2007 documentary “Helvetica”, which outlined typography and visual culture throughout a number of years. The video was based around the typeface Helvetica (“Helvetica” meaning “The Swiss Typeface”), a sans-serif font, developed in 1957, conceived by Eduard Hoffman and executed by Max Miedinger. The aim of this typeface design was to create a clear, easy-to-read, neutral font.

Helvetica became a nice break from popular fonts seen during this time period, which were usually overly expressive and difficult to read. Alfred Hoffman, son to Helvetica creator Eduard Hoffman, explained in this documentary that type doesn’t need to be expressive; it needs to be clear and neutral. A sudden change from the over-used, overly decorative fonts, perhaps this is why Helvetica became so popular. It became the new hit; being frequently used on shop logos, posters, signs, TV show posters, CD covers and even tax forms in an attempt to make them seem more wholesome. In fact, Helvetica was then said to make logos appear professional, efficient and clear – and was widely used because of this. 

Many designers attempted to copy or improve this font, though found it difficult to do so, as it was already so well constructed and distinctive in itself. Fonts such as Arial and Microsoft Sans Serif, for example, contain similarities to the Helvetica font. 

Because this font was being so frequently used in Graphic Design, Helvetica then gradually became dull for modern day designers to use and view. The font was routine, boring. Designers wanted a change, wanted to produce something with vitality instead. David Carson, a well-known typographic designer, explains in the documentary, “Just because something is legible doesn’t mean it communicates” and that, “There is a very thin line between simple, clean and powerful and simple, clean and boring”. To many Helvetica appeared to have crossed that line. 

However, Helvetica is still regarded as a design-changing font and is still often used in advertisements to this day. Examples include American Airline, the iPod, Microsoft, Jeep and many informative signs. 

In my opinion, Helvetica is a very attractive font, which works well on signs, as it is clear and easy-to-read. Perhaps it has been over-used to some degree, though this does not take away from its professional feel. Sometimes logos require more expressive fonts and Helvetica may not match the mood for some, though I think it does appear attractive and effective when used correctly.

For the next few days I looked around me for any signs of Helvetica and found it everywhere: on directional signs, on shop bags, on the button for traffic lights, on various websites, on town signs, in magazines, on DVD's, even on my Dry Shampoo bottle and my iPod.

Live the Language - Typographic Videos

These videos have been made for the company Education First, created to promote studying abroad. The designer of these films, who uses typography in such a skilful way, is Albin Holmqvist. I was able to view the Paris film in class and found it extremely interesting and effective, so decided to research the video further. 

Paris Video

The use of type seen in this video perfectly captures the feel and essence of Paris. The fonts used contain something very Parisian about them; cursive, swirly, elegant fonts remind me of brochure advertisements to Paris, while the thin, simple, yet decorative fonts remind me of text commonly seen on logos for Paris fashion brands or perfumes. This video does an extremely good job of communicating the spirit of Paris through the simple use of typography. 

London Video

The London video also manages to achieve the same effect of capturing the location it is promoting. Elegant, old-fashioned, serif fonts are used to convey this feeling. Compared to the Paris video, the fonts used for London are typically simplistic and give a sensible, reserved British feel. The break of this is the text “An Englishman”, which is written in a swirly, old-fashioned font, which successfully communicates the era of old England.  

These videos are a perfect example of how text can convey emotions and symbolise a location. The videos wouldn’t be nearly as effective if the fonts were unrelated to the location being used; they would have instead been confusing and wouldn’t quite work. 

Some more typographic logos by Albin Holmqvist: