HW #6

Is vertical text ever successful? (p.120)

Most of the time when I see vertical text it seems to look awkward. Roman letters seem to fit better horizontally, not vertically.  I feel lowercase lettering is especially unsuccessful when seen vertically. Many times these errors can be fixed but when is it okay to use vertical type?

I guess bookspines, which we have worked on in class can be an instance where the vertical type can be used. In my opinion san serif text looks more pleasing to the eye in all caps or small caps. Vertical text can draw in the eye and make you stop and actually read what it says. It stands out.

http://myweb.uiowa.edu/ssampsn/paulascher/pictures/4.jpg

 

Blog HW #5

http://www.empirella.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/not-all-who-wander-are-lost.jpg

I feel this design has a strong message both in the meaning in the saying and also the way it is presented.  By using serif and san serif typefaces the words pop out more to you, making you feel more than you would think through the typefaces. The sizes of the words also causes tension within the design.

Blog HW #4

Capture

Martha Stewart has branded her name and everything that comes with it.  Americans run to buy Martha Stewart towels and linens, read her magazines on how to position the furniture in their homes and memorize the recipes from her books, magazines, tv show and apps.

martha

There is a distinct style that accompanies anything with Martha Stewart’s name.  The goal seems to be to make everything well, beautiful.  Making things more pleasing to the eye, and that goes across all platforms of her brand.  In Living Magazine the design concepts seem simple yet pleasing to the eye.  Different type faces are usually used, combining serifs and san serifs.  More of a feminine vibe is set out to the consumer.  Also, there is not much design elements that make up the covers of Living Magazine, but it seems to work.  There is a simplicity and warm feelings that accompany looking at anything Martha.  From the bright, yet soothing colors to the typefaces used.  Also, small caps are used along with upper and lower case words to make the text more eye catching but still seems well put together and easy to read.

Martha Stewart

Through the designs of Gael Towey the Martha Stewart brand seemed to become a well balanced system across all media.  Recently Gael Towey was recognized for  “Boundless Beauty”, a special issue of Martha Stewart Living magazine created for the iPad and featuring original and interactive content. It became the number one paid app on the App Store immediately after its launch; it was also recognized by Time Magazine as one of the top 10 magazine covers of 2010.

boundless_beauty

Blog HW #3

Typeface Mixing: Mixing typefaces can be successful at times, but unsuccessful at times as well.

Typeface Mixing

 

Kerning: Some companies are very successful in the way the name looks.

FedEx

 

Leading: In order to make text look pleasing to the eye there needs to be proper leading.

leading

 

Marking Paragraphs: Successful type categories need to be broken up accordingly. In order to stray away from confusion.

Paragraph Breaks

 

Blog HW #2

Monster Fonts emerged from the rise of industrialization in the nineteenth century.  Advertising became extraordinarily popular and was in need of new forms of type to communicate their messages.  Classical letters now became embellished and over the top, stretched in height, width and dimension. Even the serifs were now used not as finishing details but as their own ornate structures to stand out to the public.

There were new techniques in making these fonts come to life. In 1834, the emergence of the combined pantograph and router revolutionized wood-type manufacturing.  Lead, the go to source for casting metal type was too soft to hold such large sized shapes under the printing press.  The pantograph was now able to make the type accessible in maybe shapes and sizes, with different weights and proportions.  The alphabet was now open to interpretation, being able to be flexible letterforms.  The identity of the individual characters became less important, the actual relationships between letters in a typeface was the focus.

Monster FontMonster Font

HW #1

It does sadden me to see the decline in books being read as I look around during my morning commute each day. Technology is taking priority and the traditional methods of receiving information is becoming somewhat “uncool.” Holding a book in your hands, smelling the crisp book smell and supporting an industry  in need gives no greater feeling of satisfaction. I must admit, I do own an iPad and I do love all the great tech savvy-ness that comes with it. But nothing will ever compare to the timeless, classic book. It is all about the experience and some of that experience is lost when holding an electronic device instead of a real book.