HISTORICAL INFLUENCE

Seek and find an example of contemporary type usage that is influenced by historical type design.

Interpretive Type - Chili's

I've always admired Chili's logo. I think it very recognizable. Using the red chili pepper as the apostrophe is subtle, yet effective. It doesn't distract from the rest of the word. However, one thing that has always puzzled me is the leg of the "h" curving down and around to connect to and form the "l." Almost every time I see this logo, I try to figure out what the significance of it is, thinking maybe it will just hit me one day. But, it has not. I've thought that maybe its supposed to mimic and be an abstract shape of a chili. But that just doesn't seem right. Does anyone have any input on this?

I found this in ComArts Design Annual 48. The article uncovers the rough life of horse racers, and explains how a little mud on the face is the least of a jockey's worries. I enjoyed the striking contrast between "Hell" and the rest of the text. I also think it is interesting that even though the word appears messy and dirty you can still easily see the typeface Helvetica through it. Another thing that impressed me with this layout was how the splashing mud from the word "Hell" trails off onto the next page, where it corresponds well with the image. 

Pointing in the Right Direction

What I love most about this logo, is the subtlety of it.  From shortening 'Federal Express' to 'FedEx' to the ingenious arrow created in the negative space between the E and x.  And while I want to congratulate the individual that figured it out and put them together, I also am regularly in ah of the complete randomness of that working out.  Pure luck really. I mean it even works that the arrow is facing in the "Right" Direction, and pushing forward not backwards demonstrating the forward movement of the company and it's delivery.  The clean, crisp typeface only helps support this idea.  The funniest thing about this logo that's get me every time, is that it was only about two or three years ago that I realized it had an arrow in it.  With a logo I liked anyway, imagine how much more I appreciated it when all of a sudden there was this arrow popping out at me.  All in all, very well done.  I would have a hard time trying to change it.

Bethany

Interpretive Type.

I have always loved that Chick-fil-a's C makes a chicken.  It is precise and shows you exactly what they are all about, Chicken! It draws your attention and is very recognizable.  It stands out for the right reasons among its competitors. 

Tots & Tykes

I drive by this all the time and it took me like 5 times driving past it before I finally realized what it said; therefore I deem it bad typography. I appreciate the initial idea of using the stethoscope in a playful manner as the 'y' to describe their business but I think it could have been executed in a more effective way. For instance the fact that it is red while the rest of the word (that it goes with) is black makes it a little illegible. Also adding to the illegibility is the fact that its on a different baseline than the rest of the word. Instead of seeing it first as a 'y' you see the stethoscope, which is not good typography if you are trying to advertise your business. It's especially not good for a large sign by the street,  because when drivers are passing by they only have a few seconds to glance at it, and you want to be able to get your company's name across and then the idea.

an example of interpretive type which is used in commercial signage

something i never looked at was and only realized today when we watched  the movie helvetica was the staples sign at the staples stores. I always looked at the sign and never realized the " L" had a form of a staple...It seems so simple but i had never seen the staple. It is a pretty good design, very subtle , it really blends in with the name. it reminds me of the Fedex logo on which a lot of times people fail to see the arrow. It was a very good idea to deform the letter and not necessarily make it into a staple.

Guitars pish posh...I'm a drummer (assignment 1)

I think this signage is not very subtle, and rightfully so.  The guitar substituting for the 'G' is legible because there aren't any other suitable letters to fill the void.  I think there could be a more representational presentation instead of a full guitar outline; however, as previously stated, I believe the sign is made to attract those who tend to be less subtle, and more like rock stars.

I went out driving for an example of interpretive type, and although I did to my surprise find a lot of good examples, I chose to come back to an old photo I took this summer of the Whole Foods in London that had just opened. I really appreciate this as interpretive type for its subtlety. Just by making the "o" in whole an onion, they really describe what they are about. In fact, it was not until recently that I even noticed that the o was an onion. This is probably due to the fact that I never used to scrutinize type the way I do know. But I really think that it was wise and successful that whoever designed this logo chose to incorporate the image into the typography instead of just as a side note next to text. It also works well that the onion's weight and appearance matches the rest of the logo. 

I was driving down University when I saw the Fort Worth Zoo logo. I think that the Fort Worth Zoo logo does a good job of using interpretive type because the F and the W put together make out the shape of an elephant. Just having those two letters incorporating an image that is typically associated with the zoo allows people who are driving bye to quickly glance up at it and understand what the sign is about without having to read the entire thing. It is also a very cleaver way to get the point across without actually having a picture of an animal.

hooters. enough said.

So I was driving around looking for examples of interpretive type and then I saw Hooters. I creepily walked up to the window to take this picture...needless to say the people at the table thought I was a freak. I think that this example is effective because it is a unique approach to pulling together the name and the atmosphere of the restaurant. I love the double meaning that it has and that if you just see the sign without the bird...you still can see that its birds eyes, you still know what it means. It is definantly a less obvious approach, but I think it still works. The eyes are the O's for Hooters representing the name, but still representing why a lot of guys love that place.

Balloons Fantastique

I was driving down Belliare and found this business Balloons Fantastique. The designer decided to have the baseline shift on the second O and created into a Balloon. I think it seems fairly well done yet could have done other things to make it a stronger design. I think the use of brighter and bolder colors would have added to it because Ballons are for partys and celebrations and the off white back ground and tan back color to the text are boring. I think the subsitution of the balloon for the O is the most sucessful in this design, I would have maybe seen what it looked like making both O's ballons.

So I went and saw 27 Dresses last weekend at Movie Tavern and I was thinking this was a great example of "interpretive typography." The way the letter "o" in the word "movie" represents a plate to eat off of, is an excellent way of seeing that you can eat dinner while you watch a movie. But transforming the "o" isn't enough... they had to add the fork. In some of the more recent ads I have seen for Movie Tavern (see picture below the top one), they have placed the word "tavern" beneath "movie" and extended the "v" to make an ending of a fork. I prefer this method rather than the sign you see in front of the building. I do like the way this sign creates good usage of interpretive text, however, I believe the color is a little blah. They could have used red and yellow for popcorn in the red container.

Blog Entry #1

The Staples logo is very well known because it's simple and it works. This is interpretive type because the L in the logo is a stylized staple. This very simple change in the letter catches your eye, which then relates back to the idea of the business: office supplies. Even though the rest of the logo is done in..... you guessed it..... helvetica, the creation of the staple in the word "STAPLES" generates interest and originality. Even though the L has been manipulated, the logo is still very legible through the white font on red background. The hierarchy is on the logo then the phrase "The Office Superstore" because of the logos size and all caps. This was done very well and rememberable. 

Baller's Delight

This example of interpretive type was one I found from the 2007 HOW Design Conference in Atlanta.  Their job was to help make a "flashy, hip hop-inspired photo font".  They used beads, baubles, fake diamonds and glitter glue to add flair to the typeface, which was actually named "Baller's Delight" and refers to the Atlanta rap scene of the late nineties.  What caught my attention was the amount of detail that was needed to make each letter unique.  I found it interesting that each letter had a different color scheme and texture with the varying sizes and shapes of the beads, and the design of each letter was apparently carefully thought out before the beads were placed on the forms.  I also liked the contrast between the lowercase g (which has a higher baseline) and the gothic-looking B.  Overall, I thought its flashy quality, creative medium and varying letters were effective in portraying the sometimes garish style of this musical, artistic expression.

Blog Entry # 1

The decision to have the background of the sign as white on the red brick building make the sign pop off the wall and immediately grabs the viewers attention. Using a san serif type increases the legibility of the sign. The piece has a strong sense of hierarchy with "Back in Action" the most dominant due to scale, color shifts in the two ( i ), and the illustrative i as a spine. Using the ( i ) as a spine is an effective way of visually conveying the company's goals. Having the dot in the ( i above the spine) as red draws the viewer in and pushes it forward in the hierarchy. It was also a good decision to make the second( i ) in the title have a red dot. It balances out the title and shows relation between the words and the central theme of "getting back in action". In conclusion I find this to be a highly effective example of interpretative type in commercial signage.

INTERPRETIVE TYPE

Seek and find an example of interpretive type which is used in commercial signage.