A Boatload of Something?

Source: Alkek Library 6th floor

Type Classification: Serif, a creepy serif

What is it?: It is a book that I found in the Library last week when I was looking for an exhibition book.  I didn't have time to look inside, so I just snapped a quick picture before I left.  I looked it up, and I think the title of the book is "A Boatload of Madmen" by Dickran Tashjian.  It is a book of surrealism front the 1920's to the 1950's.

Analyze this piece:  The type itself looks as if Dali decided he wanted to make a type inspired by his own paintings.  The thorns that poke out from the counter space of the "o"s really give it a scary, harsh reality feeling that surrealism can give to the audience of the piece.

How will this influence my work?:  I love the creepiness that only spiny gothic gates in front of large houses can give.  This typeface definitely gives off that same feeling.  Next time I want something to be creepy, I would love to re-create this type for the modern world.  As long as the modern world can handle it.

Skervesen Guitars - Sean Falcon

Source: Internet
Typeface classification: Typeface looks like a customized sans-serif type
Description: Polish guitar company making hand-crafted guitars with very unique designs
How it enhances the message: The guitars themselves are very foreign looking in their design, and the typeface being heavily modified gives it that other-worldly look as well
Influence: Playing with letter forms is something I haven't really delved into, and this is an interesting choice of taking away some of the forms to create a certain "alien" feel to the logo

The Gentlemen's Brawl

Typeface: different typefaces (serif and script)
Describe:Bohan Advertising's identity for The The Standard club & restaurant in Nashville. Utilizing opacity and different font sizes and weights throughout the piece. 
Analyze: The use of diagonals and a path for the type really create a lot of interest in this piece. The heavy margin keeps the eye from wandering off the page and remains focused on the content. Although the type may seem too busy a sense of sophistication comes across through the simplified color palette. The banners and decorations that are behind the text keep the eye moving throughout the piece without the viewer guessing which line to read next. I believe that could be a difficulty when using this particular style. Organization is key to this design so that the readability is not compromised.
Influence: This style definitely inspires me to try this style. I am always interested in a limited palette and incorporating the "old-style" into a piece really creates an authenticity that we strive to have with every piece.

Typeface: Sans serif kind of type face. Hand made I'm assuming
Describe: This is so communicate the message that simple things aren't easy to create as one might think. The intricate details in this typeface make that very obvious.
Analyze: From far away this typeface seems pretty simple with a few extra things. Upon a closer look you can see that what seems simple is actually quite complex, which further enhances the message that "Simple Isn'tEasy"
Influence: I really like the style of this typeface and the feeling of it, so I will consider this in future designs. Also, it's a good example of hoe type enhances the message through the use of design elements

Hamlet poster- Sam Popham

Source: Online
Object Description: A graphic poster for Shakespeare's Hamlet. Anyone can read the play but many high schools incorporate this work into their curriculum so maybe young adults are the target?
Typeface Description: San serif and bold font. Very wide and heavy strokes. The type is overlapping and fading. The body copy is in an italic, scripted style serif.
How does it enhance message? The typography successfully expresses the darkness that is within the tragedy. The red symbolizes the bloodshed and the fading element describes the fading feeling in the tragedy as well. The body copy highlights certain moments within the play.
How will it influence me? I want to be bold with my designs and be successful at capturing a work by way of type and color.

MTV Logo - Dylan Rhynard

Classification: The MTV logo is done using a custom sans-serif font. It is a three-dimensional "M" with a custom t & v layered on top. The sub-heading "Music Television" is done with what looks like Univers or Helvetica condensed, with negative tracking.

Object/Audience: The type in this example is used by MTV as their logotype. It has been utilized as their logo since their launch, where they sought to do something that hadn't been done before: bring music to the new technology of the television.
Their audience at that time was more rock and roll, reaching out to multiple different communities depending on the music they were promoting. Their audience ranges widely, from a punk rocker to a rapper to different artists and/or music enthusiasts.

Communication: This logo not only represents music television for the first time in history, but the logo itself also is utilized in a way that (at the time) had never been done before. The logo was designed to never have the same look or color or pattern twice. It was shown hundreds of times a day, and it was never duplicated as far as the design or print goes. Each was done uniquely so no viewer would see the same version of the logo twice.

Influence: This logo was a groundbreaking evolution in the world of design. Not only does it influence my personal logo work, but it has influenced many to try and duplicate the same effect. It has helped me create different versions of the same logo, making it presentable in several to many different ways. It sure won't be the last time this is done, but MTV did it for the first time, setting a base that many designers and artists would reproduce with different branding identities.

Black Jazz - Andrea Johnson

This is hand rendered, sans serif type. This is a poster for a Jazz festival that would appeal to any lovers of Jazz. The solution for this poster is beautiful. The photograph is soulful and the movement of the type compliments the image perfectly. This inspires me to let my typography speak. This definitely will influence me to search far and wide for the absolute perfect type solution.