Pre-Workout

This is the type on my pre-workout tub. I've never been a big fan of the packaging and type choices used for fitness products. First of all the designs for these products seem to incorporate too many different type faces that often clash and do not look good together. Another common mistake with these designs is that the type often has some type of extensive treatment, like a gradient and a drop shadow, or somethings of that sort. The scale tends to be a bit off as well; the viewer often can have trouble deciding what to look at first, because of the excessive color choices and over designing. All in all, not a fan.

SeanP's_Week5_Casey Sturm

Source: Sign at Sean Patrick's Irish Pub
Classification: Serif block letter, all cap, with old style serif
Description: The sign is merely meant for decoration, its one of many placed around the restaurant. The serif block type is reminiscent of high school sporting events, clean and clear, while the old style serif is more stylized.
Enhancement: The old style type is stylized and makes you think of old Ireland, while the block letter serif is clear and easy to read.
Influence: I feel like many of my type examples are reminders to myself to not stick to just one type but find an interesting contrast and balance in each of my works.

Jen Stephenson

Typeface Classification: San serif font, hand drawn, graffiti style

What is it?: 

This poster was done by Matthew Lawson for my Graphic Design class at Appalachian State University in 1997(?). The assignment was to create a playing card in the style of an assigned designer. He actually drew on the wall of the men's bathroom with markers, photographed it, and then did some digital processing. 

Analyze this piece: This poster has a sense of realness added especially since he actually did the typography by himself with hand. It adds the graffiti feel that you actually see in bathroom stalls but still has a design aspect to it. 
 
How will this influence my work?: love the concept and the idea that not everything that is designed and has typography has to be done on the computer given a font. He didn't even illustrate the typography which could have been done. I think it is a unique approach and can be used in appropriate circumstances to add extra effects.

Wayne White: Painter of Type

Source: http://waynewhiteart.com

Typeface Classification: Sans Serif, Bold or black, 3 dimensional

What is it?: This is a painting done by Wayne White.  He buys terrible goodwill paintings, and then paints type in abstract and complex ways.  Normally the type has depth in the painting as if it is just a part of the scenery.  Wayne White is also the man who designed the entire Pee Wee Herman Show set and puppets.  How cool!


Analyze this piece:  The type looks as if it is part of the landscape it is painted on.  This is achieved with shadows and the treatment of light with the reflections of the water.  Wayne White obviously spent a great amount of time getting the colors desaturated enough to look as if they are apart of the landscape.  The boldness of the type really puts "hot shots and know it alls" in their place.  It looks as if he is trying to show his hate for those kinds of people by putting them in a gross lake.


How will this influence my work?:  I love the concept of type in an environment.  The next time I do an editorial or a logo, maybe I will put the type in the editorial illustration or make the logo a landscape and the type will be apart of it.  This opens the doors for art as well.  How can you make an awful painting look good?  Make it abstract, and mix the colors well.  Problem Solved.

Typeface classification: bold san serif-
Description: Krink markers , geometric typeface , using "Varsity " bold, the type has been kerned tightly and has a very even look
How it enhances the message: the message is simple and and is an icon in the painting world, the inks are connected to their logo just as much as their quality , i really think the simplicity and boldness speaks for the product in that it is so strong that it really kind of sells itself. 
Influence:the ink itself as well as the type is very influential in my work  , i appreciate the typeface and cleanliness of it as well as the way it's organized so tightly , the simplicity is versatile and carries across many mediums. 

Molly Gardner

1.

2.CLASSIFY TYPE: Sans-serif.

3. DESCRIBE OBJECT, AUDIENCE, PURPOSE:This is the title of a sandwich shop. The audience is any consumer. The purpose is to communicate the name of a company.

4.HOW DOES TYPOGRAPHY ENHANCE MESSAGE? Although this is very simple, these choices serve it well. Its simplicity makes it clean, crisp, orderly, simple, and original. The color choices make the whole title pop. The stacking and size is great because it is well balanced and bold enough to make an effective impact on viewer.

5.SPECIFICALLY EXPLAIN HOW EXAMPLE WILL INFLUENCE CREATIVE WORK: Although this extremely simple, the contrast of the bold navy and the clean white make a great solution. I will keep this in mind as a possible successful solution, contrary to my instinct.

SPIRIT-AMY KLIMITCHEK

Source/designer: Mirko
Typeface classification: liquor
Description: cool typographic packaging with a vintage look
How it enhances the message: The variety of older typefaces(mix of serif and san serif/bold, outlined, and 3d ) along with the illustrations gives the bottle that vintage style thats been popular among many areas of packaging. 
Influence: This is a good example of how a busy mix of illustration and typography can look good if well organized…you don't have to simplify it down to almost nothing to make a good piece. Even the newspaper wrapping it comes in is well organized type.

San serif
Dermodex ad.
This is a creative use of interlocking words that somewhat demonstrates how a dyslexic reads to the average person. It might also be that it was meant to be easily read by dyslexics. The interlocking letters appear to be cut out, placed and photographed. They found a word that had the same amount of letters as dyslexia and was also positive and inspiring.
It works because the letters are intertwined in such a way that they are each easily readable. The best example of that is the 'L' and the 'E'. The bottom stem was left out just enough that it was still understandable that the 'E' was not an 'F', and it was done in such a way that all of the letters were evenly and visually balanced. The type they used was probably chosen for that visual balance.
This process was probably a lengthy and involved one and I can imagine there were many versions an tweaks to get here. I find it inspiring that they could have used an adobe product to get this result, but they put in the effort to cut these letters out and photograph them, and it stands out because of it. It is a good reminder for me to get my face out of a computer sometimes and grab some scissors for a new look.

Soap a Towel

Source: laundry room at home
Typeface classification: The typeface looks like an old hand drawn serif font
Description: As long as I can remember my mom has had this old washboard in our different laundry rooms in every house we've lived in.
How it enhances the message: The typeface being hand drawn and the overall layout - the strangely skewed look to it - gives it a very organic and vintage look.
Influence: This is another object that I've basically been around my entire life and not until recently had I noticed or thought anything of it. It serves to remind me that there is still room for handcrafted items and how they can totally bring out certain characteristics or vibes within a design.