Taking Shape

Fresh Ideas in Brochure Design, 1997, p29
Purdue University School of Education, Designer: Sue Miller, Annual Report

This is an annual report that was created for Purdue University School of Education. It was based on the idea that "although the school was young, it was quickly taking shape." Taking Shape became the theme and shapes were used to crop photos or frame quotes. Notice how the designer continued the circular shape of the cropped ball image in the triangle with a curved text path. This small line of text very effectively seems to anchor the large image to the rest of the composition and balances the opposing text. I also like the way the curved text was placed around the large circular image. The way in which the bottom text is purposely misaligned adds a lot of visual interest to the page as a whole. The fonts used are Futura and Garamond.

Is it or is it not?

TDC Annual Typography 29, p56
Design: Evan Gaffney, bookcover

I found this bookcover really intriguing. At first, I kept trying to figure out if the "receipt" was stapled on or if it really was part of the cover. It just seemed hard to conceive of creating a bookcover then "covering" it with a pretend receipt. But then when you read the title, you get an "a-ha!" moment and you realize the bookcover is brilliant. What better way to represent selling than with a receipt? Even more interesting is the fact that the "receipt" uses no numerals. The monotype font with its thin square characters and wide kerning give the impression of numbers on an adding machine tape, further enhanced by the long vertical right-justified placement. Finally, by keeping the pretend "cover" simple, attention is focused on the "receipt".
Fonts used include ITC Edwardian Script, Garamond FB, and FF Typestar.

Sculptured

TDC Annual Typography 29, p99
Design: Sonya Dyakova, book

This is such a perfect type treatment for a book about sculpture. The designer very effectively created what appears to be 3-D strips of paper lying on their edges to spell out the title. The letters themselves are "sculptures". The use of white on white reinforces the concept of a paper alphabet. I like the added details of "cuts" in the background that give the impression that the letters are literally pushed through the paper. Looking at this cover reminds me of standing playing cards up on edge to create "houses".

The font used is called Paper Alphabet created by this designer.

St. Lou Is

Lambert-St. Louis International Airport, St. Louis, Missouri

As I was riding down the escalator to baggage claim at the St. Louis airport, I looked up and saw this painted on the wall. (Yes, I looked pretty silly going back up the escalator to take the picture.) I loved the play on the city's name and the way the city's trademark arch is used to engage the viewer's eye by leading you from the St. Lou to the is. The gradient in the arch and the asymmetrical legs of the arch create a follow-the-bouncing-ball effect with the ball being the SQUARE dot of the i. How ironic is that!
The design's focal point is clearly the word is created by contrast in color and font weight and by its placement. The proximity of all the elements would lend this design to be easily used as a logo. The font is the ubiquitous Helvetica - it's everywhere!

Rodrigo Sanchez

www.underconsideration.com/speakup/metropoli
Metropoli Sunday newspaper supplement for El Mundo, Rodrigo Sanchez, Spain

I went online to research Rodrigo Sanchez, a designer well-known for his very artsy and original Metropoli magazine covers in Spain. Much of his work makes use of typography as art. This particular cover made me think of my fellow classmates solution to a book cover design so I wanted to share it.
I find it amazing to see a magazine cover with so much empty white space. It's very refreshing and allows the viewer to actually enjoy the design. The design draws attention to itself just because of this space. Also, the white effectively balances the bold black font so it's not so overwhelming. I'm not sure what exactly the cover reads but I've deduced it's something about the magic of Peter Pan enveloping the Metropoli.
I can't decide the direction of the flow—is the magic flowing into the title or dropping out of it? The gold stars work great as a symbol of magic and the randomness of size and placement are effective in imparting a feeling of floating.
The best thing about Rodrigo Sanchez's covers is the dynamic treatment of the title. He has the freedom to alter the font and the placement of the magazine's name to fit the cover's design. How fun is that! Notice on this cover, the name is floating off the page! The font he chose for this cover is a very solid, heavy slab serif which makes a perfect contrast to the fluid, airy design of the cover.
The site link above shows 50 Metropoli covers.

Vincon

www.designarchives.aiga.org, collection 2008 AIGA 356:29
designer:Ena Cardenal de la Nuez, Madirid, Spain

I fell in love with these shopping bags at first sight. How fun! The designs are so bold and simple and the bright red "gift tag" bearing the store's name begs to be read. I enjoyed the lack of verbiage on this bag. Again, it's the simplicity that sells it.
This is very successful series of bags designed for Vincon which seems to be well-known for their very clever packaging. Check out their site for more designs at vincon.com. They are also known for their eye-catching window displays which you can also see on their site. Vincon is a retailer that sells contemporary design products for the home with storefronts in Barcelona, and Madrid. Their logo was designed by America Sanchez in 1972 and they have been at the front in graphic design ever since.

Harriette's Song

www.americandesignawards.com, 2007 Winter Semi-Annual Awards
design firm: Rule29 Creative, logo

Harriette's Song is an organization that matches corporations to projects that aid impoverished children around the world. They associate their mission to music and the desire to "change the world's tune".
I found their logo to be a perfect fit. I loved the way the H and S are incorporated into the shape of a guitar. The logo simply and elegantly represents the company's name and the musical symbolism of their mission. The curvaceous letters used in the figure contrast effectively with the sans serif font used for the company's name and give the logo a very lyrical feel.