Looking At Logos

Since our current project is about designing logos, I couldn't think of a better time to share some really creative logos that may just give us the inspiration we need for our own project. One of the popular ways to design a logo is by only using typography - we've seen many popular brands such as Gucci, Vogue and Sony do this. Typography may seem like a simple tool therefore many people underestimate what typography can do. However, this article proves that you can be creative and effective by using typography when designing logos.

Among the 72 logos that are shown in the article, these are some of my favorites:

I know that the name of the brand is hard to read by using this sort of typography but this is a very interesting typography because it reads the same when it is rotated: beeq. This name logo has a very minimalistic look to it yet its simplicity achieves so much.

I know many of us can't live without our caffeine - so here's one for the coffee fans! I find that this is an extremely quirky typography that we typically won't use but the 'f' from the 'coffee' cleverly brings out the aroma from the cup of coffee. From the logo, it seems that you can almost smell it just by looking at it!

Now when we hear the word 'motion', I think of things that move and transportation is definitely one of them. This logo uses the 'O' as wheels which implies motion and the typography has a flow to it causing the letters to join together adding more weight to that motion effect.

I also really like this logo, the 'i' from 'Tic' and 'O' from 'Toc' joined together forms a pendulum that reminds me of a sturdy old-fashioned grandfather clock. Ironically, the logo is about a brand that sells clocks yet the typography and color scheme makes the logo timeless.

Ultimately, in our brand-conscious world that we live in, logos should definitely be innovative and more importantly, eye-catching and effective enough to leave a long-lasting impression. Which logo is your favorite, and why?

The Demise of Typography?

While reading the second section of our required reading, I was a little shocked to see that people had thought that the demise of typography would have come from the internet and other electronic communication.  Writes Lupton, "Critics of electronic media have noted that the rise of networked communication did not lead to the much feared destruction of typography (or even to the death of print), but rather to the burgeoning of the alphabetic empire" (Lupton 76).  As we have seen, electronic media has allowed typography to grow by leaps and bounds.  

Take any website...for example, look at the homepage of the New York Times.  Count the number of typefaces, including the iconic header that has graced the top of the newspaper for years and years.  Granted, many may be from the same families, but there is a lot of them!  Not to mention different sizes, bolds, italics, etc. etc. etc. 

The internet and electronic media have allowed the history of typography to continue and expand, as new typefaces are electronically (but still creatively) constructed and used.  There are data bases of fonts such as fonts.com, there are programs such as Suitcase that have lists and usable typefaces by the thousands, and all allow users of almost any skill level or age to master them.  It all comes down to point and click, which allows the replication of almost any font.  Try to do THAT by hand.  

Reflection on Lupton's Thinking With Type

I never realized that typography had a history or a creative process to it. I always thought of it as just different presets of fonts on a computer. Lupton helps explain why typography is so important in conveying a message. This is relevant to us because we are surrounded by type everywhere we go.

For example, cursive writing denotes sentimental thoughts or sophistication.
Serif fonts gives off a sense of professionalism, sans serif sometimes gives a 'youthful' look (and is also easier to read on the web), bold fonts show power, all Caps is alerting, and so on.

I thought the information on producing new fonts was really interesting. The details between two different fonts can be so minute that an untrained eye probably cannot readily notice the difference. Yet, the differences do have an impact. I like how the book describes fonts as if they have a personality. "Gotham expresses a no-nonsense, utilitarian attitude that persists today alongside the aesthetics of grunge, neo-futurism, pop-culture parodies, and straight historical revivals that are all part of contemporary typography." (30)

Thus, typography can give off the essence of the message you are trying to get across without having to spell everything out. It's interesting how typography can say so much.

My friend who recently graduated from Parsons just posted this video on his blog (nice timing). It's on typography and how it's so important to choose the right font, colors and spacing so that they can appeal to our 5 senses. On the flip side, it also shows how our 5 senses can inspire creativity in producing new typography. This video and the Lupton book show us that type is something that we can experience.

Typophile Film Festival 5 Opening Titles from Brent Barson on Vimeo.

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A picture...oh, uh, strike that, a LETTER is worth a thousand words!

Whoever first said that writing is a form of expression should have added a little note to give credit to typography too.  Sure, when reading a sentence, paragraph, advertisement, or story, you can use your voice to inflect emotion and character, but when you are only given a visual, designers rely on typography to get the point across.  The size, shape, and font of the text matter.  The color, the flourishes, and the placement of the text have a difinitive impact on the way that text is interpreted.  In advertisements and logos, text is crucial to the product and the company.  In class, we looked at the Hummer® logo, and tested out different fonts o

n the word, but none seemed to fit besides the bold, Sans Serif text that we all recognized as the real thing.  The letters are bold, bulky, and in all capitals, creating an overpowering sense, such as many feel on the road with one of the big, tank inspired cars.

If we looked at a poster for any one of the 

infamous "Saw"

films, even without any visuals besides the text, we would instantly recognize it as a horror film because of the spooky text.  Text is one way that we use to draw associations with brands, movies, places, or emotions.  Other examples include Verizon, which features an added descender to the "z", and Walt Disney,which, without the distinctive lettering, would not be as recognizable.  Both brands are instantly recognizable by the text, which proves that a picture, or in this case, a font, is worth a thousand words.   Lupton stresses that everything–stems, bowls, ascenders, descenders, and everything else that makes letters in different

fonts look like they do–are important.  Whether the reason be because the letters were created for digital display, like Matthew Carter's Verdana type, or Times Roman, originally created for use in a London newspaper, each font and the individual letters involved are important to the way the message is both read and conveyed.  

LUPTON: Letter (Starter Post)

Type bombards your everyday life. Every waking moment you are surrounded by messages expressed in typographic form, whether it is the box of your favorite morning cereal to your school textbooks. Designers take a lot of time and consideration to select the most appropriate typeface to convey that message to you.

In the first section of your reading entitled "Letter" from Ellen Lupton's Thinking with Type, she discusses how typography derived from handwriting and evolved over the years.

Through the evolution of type during the Renaissance, Baroque, and the Enlightenment periods up to present day, the preservation of type heritage became very important in the classification and identification of typefaces.

As a graphic designer, it is through these classifications (humanist, transitional, modern, etc.) that you will be able to express certain moods and emotions by selecting an appropriate typeface(s) to accomplish the message you are trying to send to your audience.

From page 30 of Thinking with Type:

There is no playbook that assigns a fixed meaning or function to every typeface; each designer must confront the library of possibilities in light of a project's unique circumstances.

Now take time to explore the use of type in your everyday life. Find, post, and discuss examples of type in design used appropriately, or even inappropriately, and the message the designer is trying to send to his/her audience. Keep in mind the discussions we've had in class including the lectures on gestalt and typography.