New way of thinking

I came into these art classes thinking that I had to learn a new way of creating art! But learning new ways of adapting old skills is what I've learned. 

What I've Learned So Far.

In the world of art I think the thing that will stick with me through it all will be this past weeks lesson about grids and how to use them. People look at magazines not knowing that it's not just pictures and words. It's more complex than that. You have thousands of typefaces to chose from and you have so many other variables to put into your designs. One thing I think people forget about is to use grids when you're making something. In the past couple weeks I have learned that useing grids really help with taking something that looks okay by the to making something look great with focusing on alignment and structure. It's important to always use grids making any design that you could be doing whether it's a business card, a poster or anything of that sort. Every designer should also think about Hierarchy and the way your design is presented it is one of the most important aspect of being an artist. I think if you don't get the concept of that you can't begin to be a designer. I think these things I will take with me through my journey of becoming a designer.

Wow tough question.

Honestly I can't think of anything that wasn't worth learning. The most important thing in typography I have learned is that you shouldn't use more than two typefaces in a piece.  the only thing I can really say wasn't that helpful was having take my career development class already. Because I took it first quarter I didn't have all my projects to throw in to a portfolio or fix my resume towards the career I want. So I feel like the class was wasted. Other than that nothing I would say was pointless.

In My Head

Alright, I never thought that I would be using grids in typography. Really I thought that I was done with all of that in grade school. Now its back, and will be drastically creditable in each and every assignment I will ever create as A designer. With all of the guidelines that I have learned in typography I feel that I can do anything. I have learned all of the rules, well maybe not all but i'm on my way. I also feel that anyone who wants to be a designer or even think of themselves as a designer is not  a designer until they have taken typography. I believe very strongly that this is the base of any creation, there is a whole history behind it and many many people have not the slightest idea. Hierarchy and the concept of what you are putting out there is very important because its making sure that the readers or even more importantly that your clients receive wholeness and accurate completion in your design.

Typography in Real-Life

The importance of typography skills are drastically needed no matter what field of art you are involved in. Once I gained my game design certificate, I had not known the importance of a hierarchy or even the sense of a grid. With knowing these concepts now, I can concur that using both these skills would both help me be more successful with my finished product as well as make the work easier. I have not yet determined what I want to do with my graphic design degree, however fallowing these concepts will help me in my art career.  Typography can be found in any artistic field and the importance of these typographic guidelines can make a good concept an amazing concept. Using the correct typeface for a given idea is also a great tool for artists. Many people can initially look at a word and instantly determine the feel it is trying to portray without actually reading the context. This helps gain attention from certain audiences in which the designer is wanting to reach. Bellow is an example of an artist using a grid for his concept art. This goes to show that grids are useful for many art fields.

Web Image Source:
http://media.tumblr.com/b5c8a99207099a5f3ca4ae074dbc2eca/tumblr_inline_n9u66s3f7h1qjvn5w.jpg

As I Move On...Type Will Follow...

Although I'm studying for a degree in animation, I'll be honest, I believe that what I've learned so far in typography will be very useful in this particular field. Whether it'll be animation in movies, games, or cartoons, type and the knowledge of typography can have an important role in this trade. For example, let's say in a cartoon or video game. There will always be type included; as in a title of a show, context in a game or the ending credits of a movie...typography is everywhere in animation. This is where choosing the right typeface for the theme of your work comes to play (action or sports game, children's cartoon, etc.).
Learning the skills to classify typefaces and which ones will convey the message I'm trying to give, I know this knowledge will be a huge tool in my future trade. If I decide to pursue a career in graphic design I know grids are going to be one of the most important skills to master to become successful, but I'm not quite sure how they could work in animation. I may be wrong about this assumption, I'm not really sure, but I'm willing to learn anything and everything about typography. A career can go a long way when it comes to showing clients that you really know what can work as a great design. In the end, whether I use typography a lot in my career or not, I'm grateful to be in this course and excited to be studying the "science" behind type. 

Which is important and which is not?

     I have learned that grids are one of the most important things, especially if you want to be precise when arranging your designs and type in a specific way. I have also found out that there are many different types of fonts and classifications of type. Each one can give a different feeling than the other.
     Even though I never thought any of the stuff I learned was entirely useless to me, but there was only one thing that didn't seem as important to me as everything else I learned. I don't think of the phrase "Typography is what language looks like" as a very important thing that I had learned. As to why I feel this way is probably just because I never really thought about it. It just seemed kind of like common sense to me like walking and talking.

Real-Life Typography

We’ve spent a lot of time in our design classes critiquing our own designs and those of others. Fortunately we usually know the context… the background of the work and the specific design brief that was (or was not) being followed.

We’re developing skills and a knowledge base for our continued growth as designers. Generally, though, the user (or viewer) of our work as designers won’t be interested in the skill with which we have met our constraints. Does the use of contrast or proximity really mean anything to the reader of a newsletter? Does any viewer ever consider the hierarchical level of the type on a poster? Does anyone even see the relationships between shots when viewing a video (for there is, indeed, such a thing as proximity in time)?

“For the designer,” Norman Potter wrote, “good design is the generous and pertinent response to the full context of a design opportunity, whether large or small, and the quality of the outcome resides in a close…correspondence between form and meaning.”

Architect Louis Sullivan expressed the thought in simpler terms: “form ever follows function. This is the law.”

But whether in building a skyscraper or in designing a business card, is detail really all that important? In a market economy world of fast food, designer knockoffs, and discount stores, could the time put into a design be worth the effort?

What have you learned in Typography that is truly useful to you in your career? Will it really matter if your designs follow a grid? If you are (correctly) choosing an Old Style typeface instead of a slab serif?

Provide a couple of examples of what you think really might of use to you (and your fellow students) in your careers…and what seems to be less than useful. In your reply to at least one of your peers, either offer a counterpoint or suggest an area that you think will be even more important as you develop.

What I have learned.

One of the most important things I have learned is how far back Typography goes. I never looked at it as more than just another type of art. It actually is a way of life. I love the the quote from Ellen lupton. "Typography is what language looks like." It is such an awesome simple phrase that has so much meaning. The second would be the difference between legibility and readability. Not the fact that I learned them but a I learned the difference between the two. I believe those a very confused group of words. They are so similar and very hard to explain the differences unless you fully understand. I believe that I have learned them. The only thing I would say is that I do not agree with Typography being the most important tool in design. Although very important especially for displaying an image but I think like a band, everything must work together equally to create a masterpiece and obtain the definition of harmony.

In this course I have learned many things, like the whole history behind Typography. I would never have guessed that all of these things were so important to be a designer. All iv'e ever wanted to do was draw, color and paint. Drawing was my strong point, not all of this digital stuff with type and fonts all of the uploading and downloading. I really thought that typography was going to be a breeze. I came into this course fresh and dumb, I thought it was a complete joke. I found out different very fast.


I have to admit that one of the things that have stuck with me and i think about it all the time, is that its unprofessional to outline a title or type. Maybe the reason why i think about it so much is because i see it all the time. Now when I see it in public places I laugh to myself. Iv'e also learned how to sketch a font, which i really enjoy doing. Iv'e also learned partially about grids i'm sure we will learn more this coming week.

Two Elements;

From this course I have learned one key element to always keep in mind when making a design is picking the right typeface, when you're making a poster or anything of that matter. It's always good to keep in mind what your client wants and also put your spin on things. Bring a couple idea's to the table but always make sure you do what they want. You want to always make sure the typeface you choose flows with the design that you are choosing.
Also, another elemnt I think would be important that I have learned is something Mr. Sattelmeyer always works into our assingments every week, "readability and legibility." You must always make sure that your piece is readable, meaning is clear and put together with lettering and the way you put them on the design. Legibility meaning the way the design is it's not to much but not to little. Make the design where it's able to be read it's clear and nice.
I think these two elements are the most important because it could make or break the design with the clients and or with the people who see it. I think I have learned first hand that it's not easy doing this all in one design but I also am getting to know myself better with designing and using these elements in my designs.

Is Everybody In?? Our Careers Are About To Begin!

Ever since starting this course and even this program itself, I've learned so much about the actual science behind design, hand drawn and digitally. As long as I can remember, I've always wanted to be in the design field, specifically animation. I've had a love for character design my whole life and my love for drawing and designing goes back to my childhood but I never really broke down all the aspects of what it is to be a good designer as well as a successful one. I believe this program will help me as a designer and teach me the tools to create the best pieces of art I possibly can. I've always had some what of an idea on the importance of appearance when it comes to graphic design, for example, placement of images and text and having an eye for color schemes and what fits best in a design. Typography..I'll be honest, I've never realized how crucial and important it really is.

The two concepts that stand out the most to me when it comes to typography is choosing the best typeface that helps convey your message and placement of text. Before, I'd probably just decide on any kind of typeface but now, knowing the classifications, I can decide if a design of mine would best work with an old style typeface or maybe something more contemporary like a modern typeface. I would have never given it a second thought! Although my first attempt at using grids was bit of a failure, after going over it in class and with the critiques from my peers, I'm gaining a better understand of it all. Now in the process of learning grids a bit more, I can really perfect the ability to establish balance and hierarchy when placing texts in any project I'll be working on; in school and beyond..I love this typographical design of the lyrics from a Doors' song that I had to put it with my post. I couldn't help it!!

  It is always important that the viewer of your work be able to understand your intent whether it be through reading what is in the design or understand the feeling you wish to convey through the placement of the designs or the colors you implemented into your work. The most important things, I believe, to be implemented into a design is the combination of a concept and a rule, "readability and legibility" and "no touching." These are important in the way that your work may be misconceived if you do it wrong. If your viewer cannot read the type correctly, they might become confused or lose interest fairly quickly. The rule of "No Touching" is to avoid visual tension in a design. Even though "No Touching" is a good rule to go by, this doesn't mean that you can space out words too much as it can still be irritating, but in the sense of causing too little visual tension. If you space the letters of a word out, you can strain the reader's attention just as much as putting the same word too compressed, as in putting the letters too close.

  I will implement this knowledge into my career as a designer so that the viewer will understand the message I am trying to convey. If I make a poster or such, I will not make it too compressed or too spaced out with the text and I will make the letters not blend with the background but instead pop out. Since I will have to use designs almost all the time, I am also sure I will have to add text to the design eventually, if not immediately. This will also mean that I will still need to make sure the text stands out from the background in a way that it is readable and legible yet still fits with the design.

The Two Elements From This Course

   Throughout this course I have learned many things that will make me a more successful graphic designer in the future. Before this class, I had pictured graphic design being a combination of graphics on a web page or poster that portray a meaning or concept. I really hadn't thought about the text that reside upon the page or the importance of the typefaces within. With this said, the first important element I have learned from this course is choosing the correct typeface. Choosing the correct typeface to bring about a certain tone or meaning is such an important step when creating a graphic.  The font selection is crucial when trying to convey an emotion to the reader. We had touched on this subject briefly in our last class, but I wanted to share another example with my team members.  For example, say a poster is created to express the negative affect war has on our economy. The font chosen should portray that emotion, choosing a typeface such as the one bellow would not work for the given poster. The one to the right would however work.

                                           







  The second important element I believe is most important is "readability and legibility". This goes hand in hand with the phrase " no touching". I have learned that we should organize our graphic designs in such a way in which the viewer can read it easily and can visually see the important context within it. The graphic should be formatted in such a manner that gains interest from the reader.  This lures the viewer into reading on and potentially urging them to learn more or attend such event. Overall, I believe that typeface selection as well as legibility and readability are the two important elements I can take forth from this course.

Week 8: Typographic Education

Art direction, design critic, and author Steven Heller wrote in The Education of a Typographer that “teaching a student graphic design before teaching her type and typography is like teaching a baby to walk before she crawls.”

“Type,” he says, “is the formal expression of writing, and writing is the physical representation of language. Type is the lingua franca of graphic design… type is the single most important graphic design element, and typography is the most consequential course a student can take as an undergraduate.”

I certainly have to agree with that, for, even as a filmmaker, I was indebted to dedicated typographers who helped create the graphics for innumerable commercials, films, and ads. If I didn’t believe how important typography was to my graphic design career, I might not be teaching a course in it…and making you learn type classifications.

But, as Steven Heller wrote, “the efficient study of type and typography is an ongoing process that involves much more than knowing the names of a few typefaces.”

Studying typography prepares you to draw from history, develop confidence, and be informed by the experience of generations of designers. “Yet, good typography does not happen with the flick of a switch. Fluency (in designing with type) means having the ability to … to make considered choices, which is the paramount result of a good education.”

But this class isn’t about me; it’s about you and what you are learning.

This week, stop and think about what you have learned from your reading, from the course content, and from the projects and their critiques. What are the most important things you learned and how will you apply that knowledge to your career as a designer?

In two or more paragraphs, explain the importance of two (2) concepts, rules, or elements of design that you feel are the most significant things you’ve learned in the course.

In your reply to a fellow student, explain which of the two items that student chose is, in your opinion, the most important.

readability

Ok on this one i scaled it at 106 points and i used Garmond. i used the type tool and wrote the word out and then i used the rotate tool on the second one, and i individually typed out each letter and rotated the letter. The third one i used the reflect tool and i also typed each letter out individually and tried to pace them neatly. I do believe that something like this is readable long as you dont try to over do it. I do believe that a project such as this should stay really simple.

Read it and we... .wait wait..

I used Comic Sans MS for my experiment. In the second line I flipped the I and the S around and upside down then changed the P and H to caps while taking the L, U, and C out of caps. I reflected the D. The third line I reflected it horizontally. I believe that readability is always important. If you can't read it then how would I get the message to you. The only time I would say that readability doesn't matter is if you were making a jumble puzzle for some one. I do believe what we did here could be a very valuable design tool as long as you don't over do it. You ever read those type of puzzles where the letters are all jumbled but somehow you can still read the whole paragraph with ease and the paragraph is usually is explaining why that's possible? I that is a perfect example of this design tool and how it can be used to grab a readers attention. For example see the link.

http://www.ecenglish.com/learnenglish/lessons/can-you-read

The first version of the word is clearly legible and readable and to me, words in all capital letters are by far the easiest to read. For the second version, I still kept it readable but somewhat illegible. I can still read the word without too much of a problem but I reversed the B and K as well as flipping the R upside down to trick the eye just a bit. For the third version of my word, it's obviously very much unreadable and without a doubt, illegible. I basically placed the whole word upside down, or reflected the second version of the word. Although it's totally illegible, I kept the W and R in the correct form just to make it SOMEWHAT readable...just for fun! This technique can be a valid tool in design in certain cases. If in a case let's say an album cover, and the band was going for an intricate design feel, where there is basically no rules or standards, I can see this working. So in cases such as the one I've stated, sometimes readability isn't too important but I wouldn't recommend having your business logo/title or for example, magazines and/or novels designed in this way. It may not be a good idea to have a reversed, upside down title. Do you agree??

My thoughts are that this is a really useful tool in the sense of making a poster to draw somebody's attention but then again the quantity of words that are unable to be read can cause somebody to just give up entirely. So with that I would say that it matters in order to draw a crowd but if you do more than a headline or such of a poster or sign it will make the customer or viewer lose interest. All I did was made an outline of the letters and reflected the y o h and a and then rotated all of the letters except y and h and reflected the rotated M a and r.

Readability in wording

For this weeks blog post, I chose to change the font Arial.

In the example below, I started off with the word readable typed in Arial font.

For the second portion, I chose every second letter and flipped it horizontally.

This makes it a little harder to read then the original text. 

I then flipped the two beginning letters and last letter.

This is now a hard to read word.

I believe this can be a valid design tool in certain circumstances.

If the message your are trying to portray is lackadaisical, then this would work perfectly.

However, this style would only work for a small portion of designs.

Many people have enough trouble reading a sign while driving.  

Readability is almost always important, to insure people are understanding the concept of the wording. 

In this corner: Legibility vs. Readability

In studying design rules, we’re often reaching far back in time. For example, an optimum line length between 18 and 24 picas—3 to 4 inches—was established back in 1929. Today, readers have a higher tolerance for both longer and shorter line lengths; your APA-format papers are 6 ½ inches wide and browser windows can be much wider; mobile device screens can be much smaller than 18 picas.

When a web page can get shrunk to the width of a smartphone, it would seem that the “rules” about legibility need to be revised.

Adrian Frutiger (well known for the creation of Univers, Frutiger, Glypha, and Avenir typefaces) concluded: “the foundations of legibility are like a crystallization, formed by hundreds of years of use of selected, distinctive typefaces. The usable forms that have stood the test of time are perhaps permanently accepted by human-kind as standards conforming to aesthetic laws ...”

In other words, new forms of type and type of poor quality hinders the reading process.

This would seem to imply that type could be legible and still unreadable.

Typographer Matthew Carter (who designed Verdana and Georgia) finds it’s difficult to define legibility/readability because “Legibility can be measured because successive degradations demonstrate how letterforms hold up. But readability is difficult to measure. People read and comprehend best those typefaces which they are most familiar.”

Type designer Zuzana Licko (Mrs. Eaves, Filosophia) extends the argument: “Typefaces are not intrinsically legible. Rather, it is the reader's familiarity with faces that accounts for their legibility. Studies have shown that readers read best what they read most.”

Consider blackletter typestyles. While we find them illegible today, they were actually preferred over more humanistic designs during the eleventh and fifteenth centuries.

Today, Times New Roman might be the “most readable typeface” since you are required to write all your papers in it. (Oh, go ahead, be radical: write a paper in Baskerville Oldface or Garamond and see if your professor notices!)

On the other hand. Rudy VanderLans, founder and publisher of graphic design magazine Émigré, thinks that “If you can’t read something—never mind, it probably wasn’t written for you. People who complain about not being able to read the type are usually not the audience the piece was destined to reach.”

This week, perform a design exercise for your post. You experimented earlier in the quarter with derivative typefaces. This week, take a font you are familiar with that is easily readable and over 3 steps make it illegible. (1: original-readable font; 2: difficult but possible to read; 3: really-difficult to read/illegible.)

You don’t want to completely obliterate the type, just reduce the readability.

For Example:

Use your choice of software (Photoshop or Illustrator), but don’t just use a filter or simple distortion. (In the example above, I started with the normal Georgia typeface, then—starting with the third letter—I flipped every other letter upside down in the second version. In the third version, I flipped a copy of the second version upside down.)

Once you’ve created your readable to unreadable example, post it and then describe the process you used to gradually reduce the readability. Tell us if you think this might be a valid design tool to use. Why or why not? Is readability always important?

Online or magazine.

I have found that there are cons and pros to both. A magazine is something that you can own and hold in your hand which can give you a sort of happiness because you own it. It is a material feeling. I have found however that online that between the 3 magazines I chose you can actually go online and start reading the articles without having to pay. The plus side to online subscriptions is that they can do more with the format of them. They can implant videos that you can not put in a magazine. They have more of a choice of how they can set it up to appeal to the reader. (pop outs, moving affects, videos. etc) it can also be more interactive. You can also usually search certain subjects that you are interested in. A magazine can be a little more easy to reach in the sense of not having to type the web address in to get to it. It can be easier to use. It has the index so you can turn right to the page. It is just more simple and plays on what you are already used to doing to read. I would say though that if you have a computer then online would be the best way to view your favorite magazines. But, if you have to invest in a computer than that could be a pricey investment over a magazine.

http://www.aarp.org/magazine/
http://www.rd.com/
http://www.glamour.com/

From Print to Digital...

There are a lot of differences in printed versions of magazines from the online publications. In today's fast paced world, everyone is on the go. I work in a hotel and I know there are still demands for printed newspapers because some are just used to the old ways of getting their daily news. However, with the obsession of devices such as tablets and mobile devices, consumers prefer these modes of access to information over print. In this digital world, magazine companies are looking to roll with the times and benefit from all of this. Some may do well with the transition and some may not unfortunately. Here are three examples I've researched: 

The New York Times, one of the most prestigious papers ever published, as made this transition. With a new design online that is more suitable for work and life on the go and with the cheaper cost of having the subscription online, it seems like the obvious choice. For some, the want to stick to the old ways. A research conducted found that people who read the printed version remember more news stories and the points of the stories more than online readers. In this study, done by readers from the University of Oregon, found that the layout of the online version may alter the reading experience with ads inserted mid-story and forced to click additional pages to finish articles. Some still find printed newspapers easier to finish the articles and are less distracting. 

Sports Illustrated is one that may have a tougher time with the transition. The customer base is an older demographic which, not all of course, may not be very familiar with using the internet. When a consumer has defined a brand a certain way, it's hard to change the meaning of that brand and SI is closely tied to the print product as well which can be an upside to the digital world because this magazine is still in print and I see them everywhere! The positive side of the mobile version however is that it has a tiled look on the desktop with scores front and center and allows editors to mold the site into different formats depending on what is happening in the news. These tiles allow for ads that can attract advertisers and that can always be good for business.

In one case where a magazine threw in the towel in this fight was Newsweek. After 80 years in print it will solely be online-only. Unfortunately for them the cost of print and distribution was too great and instead looked at the opportunity to expand digitally which was a huge motivation for this choice. It was difficult for Newsweek to maintain printed weekly magazines with the declining advertising and subscription revenues because readers were asking for the magazine online more and more. I think if layouts are right, websites and mobile versions are user-friendly and the content is on key, digital can be a great alternative but there are a lot of consumers out there who are not connected to the digital world so a decision like this could make or break any business.

After 79 years in print, Newsweek goes digital only | Reuters

Stretching a brand from print to digital | Olive Software

Print vs. Online: How the print edition of the New York Times trumps the online version.

* NOTE: I do not have an actual subscription to ANY of these magazines. Also I cannot use internet on my phone, so I couldn't really view the mobile site but I viewed the computer's version. *

TIME – February 2015

In the online version and the printed version, you see the same cover page which is “Cheap Gas” for this issue. In the online version, the headline is right underneath the cover page’s photo. As for the printed version, you have to flip halfway through to page 32 to see the same article. The picture shown in both are very different in one very big aspect. The picture shown online is seemingly small while the one in the printed version takes up a page. In the online version you don’t see the first letter of the article in a drop cap as you see in the printed version. The online type’s margins are also larger than that of the printed version’s margins. The online magazine seems to be more popular in the aspect of it being easier to access on-the-go, but you have to have a subscription in order to access the full magazine articles and pages. Even with buying them from the store it is not always in the best interest as you can easily forget to take the magazine with you. They both are in the same type but not the same sizes. The online version is larger and easier to read, since you can zoom in and out but with the printed version you will need a magnifying glass or put the paper as close as you can until you can read it.

 Cheap Gas - TIME

ConsumerReports – January 2015

            The online version and printed version are different and yet also the same. The online version does not require you to pay for the subscription so long as you search for the magazine you want to view and don’t go to the magazine page that pops up as you search for the site. The printed copy does not have all of the content that is available on the website. The magazine takes 3 columns per page to fill up the page with type with small amount of thumb space but the site has PLENTY of thumb space as you scroll down, and get past the ads. The type is definitely different as the type in the printed copy has a serif type but the online version has a sans-serif type. Once again the online version has no drop cap while the printed version has one. I believe that once again the online version is much better since it is mobile and has more pictures to help you understand the article’s meaning.

 Will A Gluten-Free Diet Really Make You Healthier - ConsumerReports

Florida Sport Fishing – January-February, 2014

            The online version and the printed version both have serif type. Maybe since it is an older issue, the online version did not require a paid subscription. The picture shown to symbolize the article is very different in both versions. The online version is extremely small compared to the printed version, which takes up two pages. The quoted section in the printed version has a green box around quotation marks but the online version has a red box around the quotation marks for the same quote. The thumb space is seemingly larger in the online version than the printed version. There are less photos in the online version than the printed version which makes for less space taken up on the online page. In this case, the printed version is better than the online version because some of the pictures shown in the printed version displays a visual reference to more valuable information about the article.

Midnight Mules - Florida Sport Fishing

Magazine vs Digital

     To start this discussion post, let's first take into fact that depending on the circumstance, one may prefer a magazine over digital content. For an example of this,  say you are out in public, walking around, or a passenger in a car, you would most likely prefer digital content over a magazine. This is because, it is easier to multitask while out and about, as well as easier to hold and read when doing activities. However, if someone were to be at home, or in a hotel, magazines would be more successful and used. When solemnly focused on reading content and not involved in walking or activities, a magazine would best be used. Magazines give a brooder view of the images within the text, as well as being more visually appealing. 

The magazine I chose was the FLW Bass Fishing magazine.

    Within this magazine, stories and news about bass fishing are shared as well as lures and equipment that is working.One one constant and noticeable thing about this magazine is that it consists of manly images ti catch the viewers attention. Having a magazine over digital content is more successful because it gives the viewer a brooder area to view the images. The digital content would be viewed on either an smart phone or laptop, which restricts the size of the images that are being viewed.   The magazine also allows the viewer a faster way to assess certain pages faster then digital content with just a turn of the page. With digital content, one would have to wait for the next page to load. 

      Which one is more visually appealing to you?

                              

       

Works Cited:

Digital Magazine source-
http://www.flwoutdoors.com/fishing-articles/153219/digital-version-of-flw-bass-fishing-magazine-now-available-on-nook-kindle/#.VNv1iktH3FI

Image Source-
phone: http://www.flwoutdoors.com/image.cfm?id=84753&thumb=1&maxwidth=200&maxheight=200
magazine: http://i2.wp.com/bassanglerhq.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/BAM-2013-Fall-Cover_96.jpg?resize=600%2C772

DIGITAL VS PRINT

DIGITAL VS PRINT

   For the most part the basic aspect of having a printed magazine is not that different from having a digital one. The pictures and graphics are they have the same articles. So why would digital be better or worse then print? 

 

    Well if your like me who mainly skims the magazine, looking at pictures reading only the articles that seem interesting. Digital might be you thing. But for so many who like to keep with with what is going on in the world who start off there day reading cover to cover there favorite magazine you might argue " there is not  a replacement for the real thing" that you can replicate the look but there is no substitute for the smell and feel of a real magazine!

 I myself am partial to digital copies reasons. First, I  rarely read the articles just to read.  I like so many use magazines as a source material. Having an abundance of material at your finger tips is a great advantage. Digital copies give you the ability to have countless amount of resource material in your grasp. And second it's just easier. Buy that I don't mean I'm lazy and don't want to read a real magazine but that I really find myself wanting to pass the time by reading that magazine I carry clutched under my arm. 

     The magazine I have chosen to write about is one that is no longer in circulation. It's a workout magazine and it just missed the digital age. You can still get back issues but not in digital form. In this health centered world why a workout magazine could got out of business is my first question! I myself do not know much a bout the business aspects of the magazine industry but from a consumer point I can clearly say that the magazine was designed to appeal to as pacific clientele. Those of which it was common not to be prod to flaunt it around. Many magazines may have been lifted. Although  this may not have been the soul reason for there down fall it didn't help . I feel that having digital copies would have released some of this theft  as well as the a utility to have a subscription with little guilty feelings!

   

Ink vs Pixels: Analog Publications in a digital world

Mobile, internet-enabled devices have made it much easier for people to get the content they want without the expense or waste that comes from printing. Magazines and newspapers continue to create content, but they are at a serious disadvantage. Printed material that was once nearly 200 pages and filled with ads, are now much slimmer, with less content.

Aggregators like Flipboard make it easy to collect and gather just the specific kind of information you are interested in, currently with over 34,000 topics from astronomy to game reviews and dating tips to photojournalism. It’s even possible to curate and publish your own “magazine,” collecting content to share as you surf the Web or other Flipboard magazines.

For traditional print content, from the New York Times to Wired Magazine, finding the right design, the right layout, the right content, and, of course, the right way to make a profit was a long, complicated road.

Except for publications like The Atlantic, a 154-year old magazine, which was doing so poorly, it had been losing millions of dollars every year for a decade. Then in 2008 The Atlantic decided to be “digital first.” http://mashable.com/2011/12/19/the-atlantic-digital-first/

“Atlantic had so serially failed that it was overwhelmingly likely the next thing we would do was fail,” owner and publisher David Bradley said, “…and the next thing we would do was fail…"

Other magazines are not doing so well. http://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2013/aug/19/digital-magazines-popular-circulation-figures

Could it be related to the design of the digital version of the publication? Take a few moments to look at some current magazine publications and describe how the printed version differs from an online delivery of the same content. Research at least three different magazines and write about your impressions for your first post.

There’s no excuse for not actually looking at real, printed magazines. You don’t have to travel to Barnes & Noble, your local grocery store and pharmacy have well-stocked magazine racks. Of course, you’ll need to find magazines that already have a digital version.

Make sure to tell us what specific magazines you looked at and which version of the publications you think is the more successful... and why. Consider layout, amount of content per “page,” use of images and photos, and, of course, note how typographically the text is different.

For your reply, comment on an original post…looking at the same magazines and take the opposite position. (If the original poster thought that the magazines they researched were better off staying in print, argue why they would be better off as digital magazines.

I do agree with Ricky when I read I like to get the mental image of what I'm reading having the picture in my head of what it is just makes whatever it is so much better. With type I think it's very important to capture that and to bring the readers in .

what is good typography ?

I do agree with Beatrice, also i agree with the metaphor she used. The metaphor she used had my mind picturing some of the things that she was saying, "so that it be a deep shimmering crimson color." right then my mind pictured a kind of thick red wine it conveyed her words and thoughts to images and colors in my mind. Typography to me is an art, a font, words or type that is made basically to look like what it sounds like. Then if you let your mind wonder enough you could have a whole image or picture in your head from one word and in the style, typeface or font it is written in.

  After reading Beatrice Ward's essay, it seems that she believes that words should not be enhanced by typography. It should not stand out and distract the reader. I don't see how that can be possible because if so, everything you read would only be typed in one basic font and possibly even the same size. If typography was not important then why are wedding invitations done in a formal script type style and road signs done in a grotesque sans serif type style like Highway Gothic? Road signs are written in a clear and legible font, but what if it were in a formal script type style like Edwardian Script ITC (Edwardian Script ITC)? Sure, it would be prettier but would it be possible to read this quickly as somebody drives down the road at, say, 60 mph? "Good typography supports and reinforces the message. Good typography makes the text more effective." - Butterick's Practical Typography.

What is good typography.

"Typography matters because it helps conserve the most valuable resource you have as a writer-reader attention. Attention is the reader's gift to you. That gift is precious. And Infinite." - Butterick
Typorgrapy is more than just design. It is like  Ellen Lupton said. "Typography is what language looks like." It is how we communicate visually. There is emotion. There is Expression. It is important for people to be able to notice good typography but that doesn't mean it is visible. (sounds wierd right) Before I knew what Typography was I would see these pictures of words and if they were good I would get this feeling from them. Usually an awesome one. But again, I did not know what Typography was so therefore good Typography was invisible to me but at the same time I still saw the awesomeness of it. So I think it is important to notice good Typography. I do not think it should be invisible though. Good typography will contain the needed content to capture the readers attention and keep it. Sometimes when a reader has to read something they are looking for a reason to stop reading. It needs to contain the material to change their mind. I think it can contain all things from decorative fonts to big letters down to just a simple old time type face with just proper drop caps.s

http://practicaltypography.com/why-typography-matters.html

What Constitutes as good typography

After reviewing Beatrice Ward's reference article, The Crystal Goblet,  I support and agree with her argument on which what constitutes as good typography. She used a metaphor that involved wine bottles and how the text on those bottles gave off an image, which could also be portrayed and understood by other individuals. She explains that certain type should be used in particular products in such a way in which to convey a certain idea. As said by Ward, "the most important thing about printing is that it conveys thoughts, ideas, images, from one mind to other minds". I also found an additional article which supports Beatrice Ward's stand on this matter. Within this article, it speaks about how good typography "supports and reinforces the message",  such as giving someone a visual or thought that is derived from that type. I agree with both outlooks, thus being, good typography is text that gives off the correct visual image or vibe, in which the product is wanting to portray to the consumer.


Works cited:

1] http://practicaltypography.com/what-is-good-typography.html
2] The Crystal Goblet- Beatrice Ward

What is good typography??

I agree with this essay. Sometimes over extravagant type can get in the way of getting the mental visual of what you are reading. For me, when I read something, I love to get that picture in my head of what the type is actually portraying and trying to show me, as in a novel for example. I think real fancy typography would get in the way of that sensation. The sensation of developing what the main characters may look like, or imagining what the setting of the story looks like. Being distracted by unreadable and illegible type would distort all that for me and remind me that I'm just reading words instead of being entertained by the actual content written. On the other hand, a situation when typography should stand out and not be so invisible could be in logo designing. Hundreds of businesses  and branding create their logos just from type. In this case, I think you would want to develop a typeface that works well with your brand; a perfectly bold, aligned, and colored typographical design.

How to Explain Why Typography Matters


  is good typography invisible? if it is how should typography grab the reader's attention? | A conversation on TED.com

Week 5: What is good typography?

Over a decade ago, graphic designer Armin Vit posited the question, “What constitutes good typography?” It’s incredibly easy to simply reply with an ambiguous or personal response on the order of “I like it” or “I don’t like it.” But that's not a sufficient response.

Generally, good typography is recognized as a measure of a good designer. But that still begs the question: what is good typography?
Typography is such an important element of graphic design that it often becomes invisible: designers select the appropriate typefaces for a project, spacing it properly, aligning elements, working with grids, and not abusing the type design with distortion or unnecessary artificial stylings. Of course, anyone can learn the rules of line length, leading, font-matching and the like and call it design, but, again, what separates good typography from bad?

“Is it the choice of typefaces?” Armin asked. “Is it the point size the font is set in? Is it the… combination of sans-serif with serif faces? Or the leading? The kerning? What is it? What are the uncovered secrets of good typography?”

Designer Beatrice Warde wrote, in her essay “The Crystal Goblet ,” that “… type which, through any arbitrary warping of design or excess of 'color', gets in the way of the mental picture to be conveyed, is a bad type.”

Think about what we have been studying so far. We’ve become more conscious of type in our designs and in life. Could, as Armin asks “‘good’ typography be invisible to the reader? Should it be? What significance does typography have beyond the fact that it should be read, and read well?”

Read Beatrice Ward’s short essay—I’ve posted an excerpt as a PDF on Angel in the Week 5 folder—or research what others have said about what constitutes good typography. Take a position and defend it with citations that justify your position.

For your reply, find another post and take the opposite position to the author—why does that particular reasoning fail to prove what good typography is—countering the original argument with your own evidence.

As always, post by mid-week. Reply by Sunday at midnight.

HOME DEPOT

"

         "More saving. More doing."

What they don't tell you is that the associates there are less likely to help.

Within the store itself it's very hard to get any person to help in any way. When you find someone they have major attitude about helping , you know doing there job. So there slogan should say " more saving , you want buy much because you can't buy what you can't find". "more doing, because we won't help you find anything."

- mdelair 

Logos and their TRUE meaning...

A brand that conveys it's intended message simply from it's logo and name is the Australian company Rip Curl. The logo alone says enough about what this company is all about. The simple but cool logo of the "R" in red captures the connection and association with the sun, blood, courage, and sacrifice almost like braving the next big wave. This is what these Aussie surfers from the 60s wanted to signify. Not only is this a sleek and sharp design but it also can be interpreted as the breaking of a wave. To me, this screams surfing, waves, the beach and all that comes along. The name Rip Curl stands out as well. In the physical world, a rip curl is the lip of the wave that forms the mouth of a "barrel" when a wave begins to break and at first these were just words. Doug Warbrick, co-founder, later admitted, "Ripping was groovy; surfing the curl was groovy; we wanted to be groovy..so that was it." That right there says it all.

Companies that bother me the most with their ads, slogans and super cheesy commercials are the insurance companies. I know they are businesses I get it, but sometimes I think they exaggerate just a bit. Take Allstate for example; "You're in good hands". Please, tell me what this exactly entails. From what I've learned, these people are not always willing to lend that helping hand. A lot of times claims are denied, people can be refused coverage, and premiums are constantly increasing. I've had Geico for some time now and being a loyal customer I really haven't had any kind of compensation for being one.  Not to mention not being in an accident or receiving a ticket in years. I'm not asking for a lot just maybe lowered monthly payments? All I'm saying is that I think they over-do their advertising to the point where it's almost just plain ridiculous and they can sometimes be a hassle to deal with and not always "on your side". Oh, and I'm done with these meaningless commercials that have nothing to do with insurance.

The secrets behind the surf company logo
Rip Curl North America | The Name 'Rip Curl' | Where did the name 'Rip Curl' come from?
Allstate – You are NOT in Good Hands! | St. Louis Legal Examiner | St. Louis Missouri Personal Injury Lawyer

Messages in typography.

As seen in the Hanes sign this advertisement is not ledgable. It is very hard to figure out what the letters are by looking at it. It stands out because it looks pretty but then your eyes move to the other text automatically  because they are easier to read. In the hallmark advertisement  for valentine's day it is ledgable but the readability is bad. Because the love is pretty but the other words or more normal and you read those first for Saturday and February 14th. 

http://smad.jmu.edu/shen/webtype/read.html

Pandas and Apples, Burgers and Towers.

First things first, I am doing this post on four companies: World Wildlife Funds (WWF), Burger King (BK), Apple, and the World Trade Center (WTC). The two whose signs and logos clearly portray the companies meaning to me are WWF and BK while Apple's and WTC's logos both confused me on why they were made the way they were.

For those of you who have no idea about WWF, their logo is a panda. As for what the company is doing is quite simple, they raise money and awareness of endangered species across the world. Why this logo wasn't, say, a Bengal Tiger or African Elephant? It is because of a certain panda named Chi-Chi who was kept in a zoo in London back in 1961, the year this organization was founded. This symbol was chosen so people across the world of different languages and cultures would understand their company's message. Since the beginning the logo has changed and seemingly grown from a cub to an adult. This panda will most likely remain to be a symbol of the conservation movement and the logo for this company of WWF.
- References - http://www.worldwildlife.org/species/giant-panda

This Burger King logo from 1957 to 1969 is shown above and plainly shows what the company was selling, burgers and drinks. However the most recent logo is actually a lot more subtle about the burger reference. Today's version of this logo has hamburger buns holding together the text "Burger King." A site I found says that the logo "demonstrates an alluring and vivacious image of a fast food restaurant, which is ideal for the fast food culture amongst the teenagers. The sparkling colors used in the logo are vibrant enough to draw attention of the spectators."
- References - http://www.famouslogos.us/burger-king-logo/

This company's choice of logos didn't make any sense to me, neither present day nor past logos. The logo shown above is the first logo for Apple Computer Company. It was created back in 1976 and depicts Sir Issac Newton under the tree from which the apple fell. In extremely tiny text, you can barely make out a phrase, "Newton... A mind forever voyaging through strange seas of thought... alone." This logo was created by Ronald Wayne, the third co-founder of the Apple company. The logo below shows an apple with a bite out of it. The common rumor surrounding this logo's creation was because of a man named Alan Turing, who committed suicide with a cyanide-laced apple. When Rob Janoff was confronted about this being the true reason, he laughed and said "What a wonderful urban legend." According to him, the bite on the Apple logo was to really let people know that it was an apple and not a cherry. The bite also played along with the computer buffs at that time because it had a similar sound off to the word ‘byte’, a unit of digital information in computing and telecommunication.

- References - http://blogs.tribune.com.pk/story/19792/the-evolution-of-the-apple-logo/

Here is my most tricky sign that I cannot understand fully. This is the logo for the World Trade Center and it is just a simple "W" right? WRONG! The "W" you see is supposed to represent the five towers that will be in the 16-acre lot in lower Manhattan of New York City. Wait, there is more to this logo than just representing the five towers. It also represents the twin towers which fell on 9/11. The three columns on the top half of the logo have two spaces which are supposed to represent the twin towers and their absence. and then finally all together it makes a "W" which stands for the World Trade Center or Westfield World Trade Center. Now I understand it after looking it up but I didn't even think of that all for the logo in the beginning.

- References - http://www.fastcodesign.com/3034384/the-world-trade-center-has-a-new-very-confusing-logo

Messaging in company logos

For this weeks discussion post, I was given the task to find a given message on a given company logo that gets noticed overall. I decided to choose chewing tobacco and the competing companies within. My go to choice, when buying chewing tobacco would be the brand Copenhagen. The reason for this is simply given on their can's logo. The phrase "Satisfaction since 1822 says it all. The word, satisfy, means to meet the expectation someone has for something, as well as to fulfill desire. I know, just by looking at that can, that others have been satisfied with this product since 1822. the font choice for such a phrase is also an advantage. The font is in Georgia typeface, which was inspired by the 19th century and calligraphy. This gives the can a sense of elegance and antique like feel. For a company to derive their phrase base upon tradition will gain loyal customers.  The can doesn't portray an image to express their product, just simple elegant text. Overall, to help my argument, Copenhagen's product is one of the oldest branded products still used in america.

The image to the left is an example of what the Copenhagen can looks like.








For my ineffective messaging logo, I chose the Apple Computer logo. This is because, without prior knowledge of the company, the apple logo would be confusing and misleading. I decided to dig up some information on why the company decided to use an apple as their logo. I came across a CNN article in which discusses numerous theories on what the apple meant. One reason that was given was based on a man named Alan Turing. Alan was one of the original people that helped lay out the fundamentals for computers. the connection Alan has with the apple logo derives from his suicidal death. Alan was facing jail time for gross indecency as well as the pressure he had from being a homosexual. Thus leading him to bite into an apple laced with cyanide. this became the creation of the apple in which has a bite taken out of it. Other allegations discuss that the apple meant knowledge, and the bite mark that is taken out of it was to differentiate it from a cherry. Overall, at first glance, the apple does not portray a computer company and their for is my choice of an ineffective message.

Bellow is an example of the Apple logo.

Works Cited:

Copenhagen-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgia_(typeface)
http://www.ussmokeless.com/en/cms/Company/History/default.aspx
Apple-
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/2812071?tstart=0
http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/06/opinion/apple-logo/

Messaging Sells

In this age of 24 hour media and service, it is difficult to process all the messaging that surrounds us. Some messages penetrate, and some get lost in the din. What is it that makes a message stick the mental landing? How does it manage to get noticed while so many others are ignored?

Take McDonald’s as an easy example. Aside from the Justin Timberlake jingle (ba-duh-bup-bup-bah), the current McDonalds slogan—I’m lovin’ it—created by a German advertising agency in 2003, was uniquely, for the time, set in all lowercase.

McDonald’s claimed “It will rekindle the emotional bond our customers have with McDonald’s through a campaign that depicts how people live, what they love about life and what they love about McDonald’s.”

The slogan is the company’s most profitable and successful campaign to date, surpassing the previous “You deserve a break today.” The Slogan Doctor, reporting in business magazine Management Today, declares “From the lower case 'i', declaring a youthful disregard for grammar, to the mysterious 'it', this slogan is desperate to give Big Mac a tiny hint of outlaw chic.”

Improper grammar though it may be, it instantly conveys the McDonald’s message, and partly due to the typography. Think that the type isn’t important? Try to imagine the type behind “It takes two hands to handle a Whopper” or “We speak fish.” For that matter, what about the typography for “Two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun?”

And then there’s Starbucks. Which recently eliminated text from its logo altogether.

For your initial post by Wednesday at midnight, please provide a link to two examples: an example of very effective messaging (a symbol that instantly conveys the precise intended meaning), as well as an example of ineffective messaging (a symbol that causes confusion). Explain why...not just why you personally think "why," but support your position with cited evidence. Critical Thinking! Do your research.

For your second post by the end of the week, respond to the findings of your peers. Add additional support or defend a different position. Perhaps you think it is a totally ineffective message or can give an example of a better (stronger/longer-lasting) message.