AnotherDesignBlog.

Posts for Tag: typography

Design Process: Experimental Jetset / Le Cent Quatre 2

via jetset.nl

Experimental Jetset explains the design process from initial requirements/workshop/clients likes & dislikes through to all the design elements in all their required scenarios - it's a really interesting look at a very intelligent & detailed design process that shows the amount of thought and iteration that goes into designing a graphic brand.

Also, download the final styleguide at the bottom of the page: "The final and complete graphic manual ('charte graphique'). It was developed in installments; every time a certain design or template was approved, we added it to the manual. Sometimes the city council rejected something, months after the directors had already approved it; in that case, we didn't remove the design from the manual, but just added another chapter, in which we negated the previous chapter. In that sense, it's a manual that really shows the development of the graphic identity; it shows not only the remaining, 'winning' parts, but also the rejected proposals, and the failures."

Which typeface are you? Fun personality analysis microsite / #Pentagram / #Typography

What typeface are you?
See http://www.pentagram.com/what-type-are-you/ (Password: Character)

Im Cooper Black Italic (pictured), rather pleased as is an old favourite of mine, nice... (thought it might turn out to be Helvetica?)

Better summary article on the project than I could cob together here: http://www.fastcompany.com/blog/cliff-kuang/design-innovation/your-personalit...
"If you've ever sat down with a type designer, what you quickly realize is that they rarely talk about fonts in purely aesthetic or even functional terms: They talk about assertiveness or calm or friendliness. In short, they talk about personality traits. It makes sense, then, that your personality could be translated into a typeface. And Pentragram has done just that, in this lovely microsite, What Type are You? (Password: Character) It takes you through four simple personality questions, guided by a faceless psychoanalyst. (The analyst's 1920s Bauhaus office setting is a witty touch.) After answering the questions, the analyst spits out one of 16 typefaces, and an explanation about the design and how it exemplifies the characteristics you laid out. There's even a bit of history about each, and a list you can see of who else had the same results. (For example, "Virginia Heffernan," which just might be The New York Times's TV critic, is Bifur.)"

Who loves Verdana?

Ikea are changing from Futura to Verdana in all their printed and electronic
communications, and I¹m torn as to what I think about this change. If everyone is using it then we¹ll use it too - safety in numbers, right?

Futura, created in the 1920¹s by German designer Paul Renner is simply one
of the most timeless, beautiful typefaces ever and usable in any medium.
Kubrick used it for most of his film titles after years of painstaking
research on the quest for the perfect font and if Kubrick chose it then
I¹m of the mind it can't be wrong. I use it a little too much myself as I
always go back to it for the sheer bold clarity of it.

Verdana, designed in 1993 by Matthew Carter for electronic communications
was not particularly intended for print usage. It does indeed stand tall in
the world of readable on-screen fonts, I always use it in my website designs
as it¹s wider and more legible than an aliased Arial or Trebuchet at a body
copy size. However, I always use a different font for headers as I find the
large Verdana rather clumsy, especially the serifs on the capital I - Ikea are
using it in all instances big and small.

I can understand why Ikea have changed to Verdana (costs debate aside) as
they want to be able to give the same visual impression both in print and
the web, which matches perfectly with Ikea's ideology of non-elitist,
ubiquitous and affordable design. It also makes sense from a global
operational standpoint, no need to worry about not having the correct font
installed on your printers computer anymore.

Verdana is everyman¹s default font choice, but is a default choice really
what we want from the companies we buy our products from? Ikea¹s designers
are inspired by a variety of styles in all their products, because people
want a choice of style in their homes, not a default.

See new Verdana usage here: http://www.iancul.com/blog/2009/08/25/ikea-sans-replaced-by-verdana/