In class this week, we all brought in a stack of magazines to critique with each other. It was a really good chance to see what elements of design speak to the different designers in the class, and to see which current magazines are the favorites. Some people brought in multiple issues of the same magazine, while others brought in a mixture of old and new magazines. For example, I brought in a cover of Rolling Stone magazine that was a special issue about Michael Jackson's death (Aug 2009), and compared it to a past cover by designer John Heartfield (November 1943). Here's a look at the comparison:
This was the first time I was able to take a close look at a cover from the past and from the present and find specific similarities and differences. Between these two, I found that both are special issues, both have a large head shot as the focus of the page, and both have their sell lines across the bottom. The past image is more of a photo montage, but both covers have a little bit of a distant quality in how the photos are taken. It is clear that the designers have a message that they want to tell the reader in designing these covers, and that is a mixture of power and the unknown. I loved comparing how the designs from today mirrored designs from different time periods.
Some of my classmates did this with the same magazines. I didn’t even think to bring in a few different issues of Vogue, for example. It would be very interesting to go back now to my Vogue collection and try to find inspirations and elements of design from different time periods, movements, and designers – which some people were able to do today. That was a really refreshing take on the assignment, and it makes me once again appreciate our differences as designers.
…response…helvetica
Today we were also lucky enough to watch the movie “Helvetica.” Here is the trailer:
In the movie, I was finally able to see some of the best-known designers speak about their perspectives on Helvetica the font - its use, its history, and how it makes them feel. As the designers spoke about the time periods they grew up in and how that related to the fonts being used in the world around them, I found a great sense of connection to their messages. There was one particular quote that I could relate to, where a man noticed that he knew which restaurant to go to in the city and its location was based upon the poor typography of one of the buildings by it. That was so comforting to hear, because I realize I am not the only person that has thoughts like that! I always make mental notes of typography on street signs, designs on the sides of busses, and spacing on restaurant logos. I now realize that there are a few other people in this world that notice those things, too.
On another note, this week my first department page was published. This was so exciting! There really is nothing like seeing a design concept printed on paper for everyone to see. It makes me much more motivated to get back into the lab this weekend and create the next Arts department page. Now I know how ling I can it expect it to take to design, what day I should have artwork prepared, and how frequently I need to interact with the editors of the stories. You can also check out the link to the article on Vox.
…you can’t miss…typodarium font calendar
I also noticed that the Helvetica movie was made in connection with Veer, which is the blog I critique each week - which is a perfect segway into my reaction to the most recent posts on the site.
There is a great 2010 font calendar posted on the site that is a result of a collaboration of multiple designers, who designed a new and different looks for each day of the year. The font calendar is from Typodarium.com. The most interesting way to look at the calendar (for me) was to download the widget and look at the new calendar page each day on my Mac. There is a widget available for both your dashboard as well as in an app form for you iPhone (or iTouch), which makes it very accessible. All of these photos are courtesy of Slanted.
Here’s a more complete list of the designers taken directly from the Veer “Skinny” blog: “Among them you'll find some Veer favorites, including Eloquent (Jason Walcott), Oscilloscope (Luke Prowse), Adios and Miss Stephams (Alejandro Paul), Pilo Thin (Kenneth Pilo), and Pill Gothic (Christian Robertson).”
This collection of artwork gives a fresh way to look at typography every day, which is inspirational to me as a designer. I love being able to look at a new type each day since I am always thinking about the next design project ahead, and applications like this calendar get my mind in design mode long before I sit down to my computer at the end of the day and open up InDesign.
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