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: