Examples of applied visual hierarchy and design structure

Sample 1

Title: Hijack your life
Designers: Hanna Nilsson, Sofia Østerhus for Byggstudio.

Sample 2

Title: Bookclub Font

Designers: Hanna Nilsson, Sofia Østerhus for Byggstudio.

Both samples take into account the Artistic & Concerned with documentation design approaches, and are sourced from Typomofo – Type Morphing into Forms (pgs 21-22, 94-95).

Sample 1 is an artistic representation of the music, in which all letters are made up of highly detailed figures and objects that make the word ‘Pang’ as a visual pun. It also acts as an invitation where it is a form of documentation. The visual hierarchy is structured so the main heading ‘Pang Musik’ is highly detailed, significantly larger and therefore highly attention grabbing. This contrasts with the invitational information that is quickly handwritten in a near scribble. The smaller text describes the less important information such as a lesser important DJ performing and a reference website.

Similarly, the name of the literary dictionary in Sample 2 is highly decorative and readable, and the rest of the details of the book are smaller. The ‘Bookclub Font’ header goes over four lines splitting up the words, adding a visual pun (books on a shelf) to the text, though it becomes less legible. In comparison Sample 1’s header is more legible, while Sample 2’s detailed informational text is more legible.

expressive;

"Looking for a holiday with a difference?" strikes upon the heart strings, but in a very subtle way. A photograph is shown beneath the text, and just enough is framed to inform the viewer about the content of the advertisement.

The visual hierarchy is evident while the eye catches the larger font size "HQ", the eye is more inclined to read the text in the deep red, following this pattern, the eye then discovers the image embedded within the text. In this sense, HQ is seen as rather legible text first, then as an image.

There is a strong sense of texture throughout the page evoking a soft almost natural feel through richly toned earthy colours, but this is juxtaposed with the use of bold capitals in sans serif typeface, which effectively reveals this notion of being yelled at or a state of urgency, which is still relative to the advertisement, as it promotes social change and activity.

(Picture scanned from Master Mouse Patrol, Edition 1)

documentation;

This ticket in particular can be seen as a purely functional piece of cardboard, it can be ripped from the perforated edges, scanned or fed through a machine, each section, bit of information and security measures; all lead to there being a purpose and a reason for it being there in printed form, as part of its design.

The only somewhat, textural design that is formed can be noted from behind the text- a subtle yellow watermark found in the middle part, on the front. On the back; text has been colour coded to form barriers in order to highlight the most important bit of information to take away from that section.

It seems to lack all design sense, but while the design is minimal and linear, the information is legible and easily accessible, while in itself - isn't a great piece of design, it does, however pose an interesting idea of how design has mostly been re-purposed to either be highly decorative or conceptual. I think somewhere along the lines we need something that leaves much to be desired, just like the distinctive, dull, but-it's-OK-because-it-does-its-job tickets from Ticketek.

wing's reading list 4

a type primer

john kane

The author believes that the only way to recognise successful typography is through informed, direct observation. It takes time, trial and error to know what works. This book provides a practical guide for beginners, presenting the basic principles and applications of typography with a series of exercises that help readers reach the point where they can understand and demonstrate the basic principles of typography.

http://www.laurenceking.com/

wing's reading list 3

Detail in typography discusses in simple steps the factors that make text easy to read and good to look at. Hochuli starts by describing what we know about the reading process. Then he looks at the letters of the Latin alphabet: what is good form in letters? How has script and type developed? How do letters work as visual elements? He goes on to discuss words: how do they hang together? How do we recognize them? Next, he looks at lines of words, and thus at the space between words. Also here he considers punctutation as an element of the line. Then there is the question of the space between lines (‘leading’): what are the factors there? The book is rounded off with a look at typefaces and their properties.

Detail in typography, designed by its author, is printed and bound in Switzerland to the best standards. It provides, in its own form and manufacture, a demonstration of how books can be made.

http://www.hyphenpress.co.uk/

circular projects

circular projects — created by melbourne based typographer stephen banham from letterbox and artist christine eid.

http://www.circularprojects.com/

**guys, please don't forget your sr2 task from lecture 6.

TJ's Two:

1 Magda the knit lady
Why Magda, you little renegade you. In case you can’t tell from the image she uses knitting to warm the city, and so the pull quote taken from her interview in Dumbo Feather was darned into the page (BIG UP TEXTILES). The pink hand sewn ‘BAD ASS’ made me think about how fantastically well this nostalgic trend in design is doing. If I see one more illustration of a man with an owl head, or a babushka screen-printed onto a teatowel, or a black and white swirly sketch of a wolf chasing a bunny rabbit – what’s wrong with cockies and dingos? Oh I’m sorry, I forgot Ken Done ruined all that for us… but hang on, I saw a guy at Falls rocking a pair of Done Design shorts with only the vaguest trace of irony!
D’OH! And there it is again: nostalgia.

The in-your-face margin-less layout breaks the general space rules of typography to add to the bad-assness of the message.


















2 Fallen? Yup.
While my brain screamed 'do not dare purchase this contrived collection of tree wastage' my heart was struck beatless by these empty yet fully charged pages and it begged ‘please brain, grant me just one moment of gratuitous visual pleasure’ and I confess, I have returned to this place for more than just an odd moment, and each time still, it renders me just that. STILL.

TJ

'Live a life less squinty' vs 'Colour in Culture'

The recent Transition lenses advertising campaign 'Live a life less squinty' conforms to the conceptual approach. These posters are dominated by digitally enhanced contorting faces that convey the effects of going into bright sunlight on those who wear glasses, and offers their lenses that transition to a darker tint as a desirable alternative. It relies strongly on its use of image to gain the attention of its primary target audience, create humour and convey its message, and also perhaps on the viewer's previous knowledge of the product as the supporting text is rather minimal. As a result when the campaign was first released many outside their target group did not understand the advertising campaign or the concept.

This contrasts against the information diagram 'Colour in Culture' by David McCandless and AlwaysWithHonour.com, which uses the analytical approach. Here there is much more of a focus on the organisation and interpretation of complex information of what different colours represent to different cultures, through an otherwise relatively simple vector graphic. There is no required previous knowledge or specific target audience. Thus the diagram and accompanying key are relatively equal in their dominance of the page since multiple of both elements is required to understand the information.