Monday, March 24, 2008

Taking a font obsession too far?




Alright, so I couldn't decide which one I liked better.
First, off I like the phrase the person tattooed on the nape of neck. But what I hate is the spacing between the lines... I don't know if this person wanted the letters to connect on purpose or by accident? Either way, it looks funny. I also really like the barbed wire running across the bottom.. it makes the phrase stand out even more.

The second example is quite humorous because it shows they are "obsessed" with typography or just the univers font. I think the placement of this font on the leg is really appropriate... this tattoo deserves to be shown off. I don't like the spacing between the word "univers" and "gothic.." it's too far away. This example makes me wonder why the person chose the font "univers." What type of attachment did this person have to the font?

7 comments:

LmBaptista said...

really interesting choice on not having the letters in a set ground, it really adds to the idea of chaos and destruction and with the barbed wire. so it is really thematic...also how heavy the type is combines with the style.

pollypocket said...

In the top picture, I agree with you, the leading is definitely too far away. For someone who loves a typeface so much that they would tattoo it on their arm, you would think they would know more about leading. The barbed wire creates a really neat effect because of how it wraps around him,but I agree, the tracking, kerning, and leading is pretty chaotic.

Ebee said...

I agree also that the leading needed some adjustments. i like the playful baselines its different and adds to the message of the tattoo.

little cody. said...

i enjoy the silence at the end of the phone tattoo because it is very powerful and moving. the type face is bold in order to get the message across and i think it is successful at that.

I'd Rather Be Baking said...

Thats a good point, if your obsessed with a type face enough to tattoo its name on your body, you should be a little concerned with the leading. The barbed wire is successful in that it draws you into the tattoo and causes you to read the typography.

Sarah Reed said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Sarah Reed said...

The wavy baseline is a little distracting on the neck tattoo. Since there's no meaning for it, I think it would have looked much purposeful without it. However, I like the curved effect that the designer included so that the words appear to be curving around his neck. I think it could have actually been exaggerated a bit more. The barbed wire seems odd next to the text, but I think it gives the tattoo a little intrigue.