Pan Am

Source: Pan Am bag from Austin City-wide Garage Sale. Now it resides in my home.

Typeface Classification: Serif, possible modified Egyptian font

What is it?: An original Pan Am bag that the stewardesses would carry around from stop to stop filled with their toiletries and clean clothing. These bags were a complimentary luxury items for the first-class passengers of the plane, and it was a symbol of wealth to have one.

Analyze this piece:  The typeface has serifs that look like someone went in and smudged them to the right.  This gives it the look of going fast because it is an airline.  One thing that has always bothered me is the space in-between the "N" and the second "A".  I know that Pan Am was two words, but people would say the same correctly wether it was two words or not.  That space used to really bother me, but now I have seen it so much that I don't really care.  However, It still needed to be fixed.  Thankfully the 70's swooped in and changed the font to a sans serif that goes under the circle logo.

How will this influence my work?:  I know now that if I need something to look fast, I will just grab the nearest serif font and drag the serifs to a point.  I also learned that if something doesn't feel right then don't print it on a ton of bags and hats.  It is a waste, if the design isn't working, go on to something else.