Cantara Ali Week 2

I have been drawn to Leanne Sharpton's hand-lettering and this book cover is an excellent example of how much emotion her work conveys without much help other than a simple illustration. She does some script style lettering, but my favorites are always of this sans serif-like lettering. I suspect she uses a steel brush nib on a pen holder because the strokes are too clean for a brush, but I could be mistaken.

The author of this book is British and this is a companion book to one of his earlier novels about an Irish revolutionary living during the 1920s. In this book, Henry becomes the unofficial manager of Louis Armstrong at some point, hence the trombone. It sounds like a very interesting series that plays around with history, "Forrest Gump" style, but it probably does a better job than that.

The leading and size of the lettering really conveys the emotion of the phrase, when you read it you imagine yourself saying it like you were listening to Louis Armstrong just, jammin'. If the leading were tighter you wouldn't get that sense of savoring a moment. The red "oh," is a nice subtle distinction for emphasis and really helps with how you read the phrase. I really want to get to a point in my lettering skills where I can do emotive type like this.

Jessica Prohl

The word document said to include a Bauhaus example (not sure if that was a note for you or us so I'm just being safe.) This one really caught my eye because of the colors and the balance of negative space. Not only does it display this typeface in an interesting way, but it includes subtle visual texture as well with the glyphs.

Kara Albe

This is the menu from Potbelly Sandwich Shop. All of the type looks hand-lettered, and I thought it was until I saw the same font on their website. The menu is pretty large and in two different places in the restaurant, on one wall by the line and on one behind the counter. Legibility is key, both primary and secondary information so customers know what to order and what's in it in a timely manner. There's a cohesive color scheme and they did a really good job of establishing hierarchy. The salad section is green and the new exciting (more expensive) flatbreads are in yellow. I like the grid they were able to create and how organized it is while remaining simple and beautiful. It gives off the chalkboard vibe while staying clean and informative. I really want to find the name of the typeface and use it in the future.

Jessica Prohl

Super beautiful sign painting, really love it. (Updating because I wasn't sure how much to type). This is my online picture for this week, and it appears hand rendered, which is highly impressive to me. Even though there are a lot of different styles in the same picture, they're not conflicting to me, because they're all so beautifully done. "The Lost Art" really goes with the old tools and cash register.

Bria Crain: Week 2

I found this example of packaging in September/October 2014 Communication Arts Design Annual. The Providore is a company in Singapore that curates a line of gourmet food and food-related products. Their chocolate packaging, designed by Blue Beetle Design, utilizes a sans-serif font for all of the type except the numbers, which are set in a modern font. The typefaces chosen tie in with The Providore's logo and brand. Their chocolate line is upscale, and the minimal, clean layout reflects that well; if any images were added or the type were more flamboyant, the chocolate packaging would not seem as gourmet/luxurious. It's easy to get carried away when designing, especially with packaging. This is a good reminder that a simple type-only solution is sometimes the best choice for a project.

Ashley Tann

Store signage for The Vault in San Marcos

This is a picture of the signage for The Vault in San Marcos. It's hard to tell what the business is if you don't already know, because there are no visible indicators from the street or even on their website. After digging around on their Facebook site, I discovered that The Vault is a bar on the square that caters to college students. The typeface used is very likely Futura. While I like the style that they were going for, there are two really big problems with their typography. The first big problem is obvious: someone wasn't paying attention to the kerning between the "V" and the "A" when designing the sign. To be fair, the logo they use on the website has been properly adjusted, but the signage is, for me, a really big misstep. The second problem is that the typography doesn't really speak to what the business is. Before I researched the company, I thought they were either a clothing store or antique store. This business is a good example of why the details are so important in design. You can have a good idea or concept, but if it isn't executed well, it doesn't get you far.

Brooke Garner

This is the cover of a book including short, linked poems, Outside, Inside by Michael Penny. This is a good resource for people who are interested in the universe. The poems begin with the unknown of what is outside and what is inside, and then engages to poems about the true nature of outside/inside our universe. The title of the book is a serif typeface, cut out large with a blue space-like image in the background. The small word ‘inside’ appears equally as effective to the large word ‘outside’ because it is italic and creates tension since it is inside the circle, which represents a globe. The plain cover gives the title of the book a clear hierarchy. I really enjoy type that is rendered partially by hand and appears 3D or with texture. If I were to remove the typography off of the front, the cover simply would not work. My last typography teacher taught me that type itself is more important usually than the designs around it. I will continue to keep this in mind when working with type in my future.