Epcot Type

Yesterday, I went to Epcot and they had the Flower and Garden show going on throughout the park. I really liked the typography they developed for the show and for the logo. I kept seeing it throughout the park all day in different applications and forms, all while maintaining consistency. Who better to learn from than Disney who has every detail entirely planned out, even if it only reaches many on a subconcious level.

For the logo, they used little icons on each letter that represented elements of a garden. They created a logo that is appealing and "cute", exactly what they were trying to convey because an appealing logo will sell great on merchandise. They already have the captive audience looking for commemorative items of the park and day, and this logoworks because people like it. It was all over tshirts, hats, bags, mugs, ect, and was selling.

The typography is very hand made and earthy looking. The

transparency really made the type for me. I liked that even when using 5 colors, it doesn't feel random having that many in the type. The transparency created even a higher number of colors but all have the same tone and look like a set. It is bright, happy and appealing; what else should a flower show be?

I am glad that they left the icons just to the logo and didn't get carried away with it on the type that functions as information based type. Each section or small venue related to the event was cohesive in using the type. In each section, the colors were reduced to a more limited color scheme and had subtle changes, creating differentiation between small sections. Also the natural free standing structure of them make them a noticeable sign, rather than blending in with all of the others around the park.

In addition to all of these signs, they had traditional vinyl pannels on many of the light posts throughout the park in varying color schemes and a new style of graphics, like a variation in a series. The type was now a solid color that related to the overall color of that poster. There was hot pink, turquoise, purple and this green, all with mildly distressed simple vectors that were garden themed. They even when to the extreme of in the miniature village about 6'x 20', in I think Norway, that had these banners about business card side pasted onto the small posts, hanging from barns and in the windows of shops. Now that is totally extreme when you think of the size of the park in relation to business card size.

Cool Typography Illustrations

I started by looking at Sarah A. King's unexpected typography on fruits. The sayings are actually engraved into the fruit, almost like a stamp which is interesting to think of the process she went through from designing the scale to transferring the design to have dimension. I really like the changes in size, even within a word itself and they way they contour around the particular fruits.

As I continued to look around her site, I found these full composition illustrations done with her hand formed typography to create designs that are successful as graphic design posters. This one particularly was strong in promoting green energy for a Texas company. The type not only provides a background texture for the main image, but the way she arranged that type supports and creates interest in the purpose of the ad. The twirling type generates movement and "energy" in the piece around the windmills. The stair stepping type is actually a representation of solar panels. The piece moves viewers eyes around and maintains interest as well as if it is literally read, supports the overall theme.

There are a lot more crazy designs that take type to almost a blinding magnitude on her website http://www.sarahaking.com/ . check it out.

Simple use of type for packaging

In doing hours of research for packaging, some interesting trends in packaging has surfaced of using pure type for the imagery. Using san serif type as a block and varying the scale and weight has created clean packaging.

B.E.E. is a line of environmentally friendly home cleaning products from New Zealand with packaging that focuses on typography as the main design element. Not only is it visually interesting, it catches your attention and focuses you on the benefits of the product. Each product is distinguishable by a different color. The clean use of typography and design works with the target of the brand, clean and minimal to relay the minimal effect of the actual product on the environment. Simply done with type.

Interesting typeforms

In looking for another image, I came across this poster that someone made by cutting out each letter by a series of thin lines that formed the overall shape, close to the goal of our letterform series this week. The most abstracted form, 'u' , is pushed pretty far by deleting out the aperture, but still in reading the words, your eye is able to still make sense of the form and get the word being communicated. What is also interesting is that since the forms are cut out of the black paper, the white wall texture shows through, enhancing the interest.

Letterform 3 +fedex = almost Perfect match

I have always admired the FedEx logo. There is no other way that could more simply and perfectly fit for the company. The logo works as a graphic symbol (just like a nike swoosh does), the company name, interesting typography, and as the exact principle of the company (speed). Once I saw one fedex truck this morning and realized the relevance to our class project...I kept seeing trucks everywhere on my drive to and from school.

The kerning of the letters form the company's visual slogan and mission. Ex- the company's short for Express, form an outward pointing arrow that expresses the advancement of shipped goods and progressive thinking. Additionally, most don't realize the negative space between the 'e' and 'd' form a spoon, relating to being fed...being offered and fed service. lol.

The only downfall in relating to the project is the mix of uppercase and lowercase :/ still shows the opportunity to 'explore the space'

Letterform series

This piece fits into both of our typeface series projects thus far. The figure ground ambiguity of the letters is jumbled. With the second project, the white letters over the black background, which in this case is other letters forming the background, creates a cool contrast. Within the positive area of the black letters, it is broken up by an active negative space of another letterform. The collage of letters keeps viewers interest as they try to take in everything going on in black and white.

Billboard Type

Saw the "EAT" billboard for Krystal on 1-95 today and thought it was pretty inventive. I really liked how not only were there real object photos that made up the letters, but also that they were the product and packaging that distinguishes Krystal as a company. A great, fast communication of what they have to offer that is perfectly conveyed even going 70 mph.

Upon going online to get an image of the billboard, I found another version of the ad campaign "HOT".

http://www.creativeavenuesinc.com is the design group that created them.