OUGD601 - Kate Moross

Kate Moross is a creative based in London. A lot of her work is done by hand, and is commercially recognised with work for brands such as Cadbury's, Nokia & Ray-Ban.


Ray Ban

The Guardian

Nokia

Cadbury

OUGD601 - Dan Cassaro

Dan Cassaro is a typography and graphic designer based in New York. He is known for his hand drawn typography work for brands such as Ford, Billabong and Land's End.

Link

Examples of work

Ford Fiesta

Ace Hotel:

Old Navy

OUGD601 - CoP3 - Resolving your Research Project (Academic Conventions)

Introduction - What are you going to address and how are you going to address it?

Academic Conventions are like an institutional framework for you work.

They structure and standardise. They aspire to academic honesty.

At this level you are expected to be able to:

• Demonstrate a critical knowledge of practice
• Apply theory tot practice
• Analyse relevant material
• Evaluate theory and evidence within the context of study
• Reflect - critiquing and critically reflecting on your leaning and using this to improve practice.

Deep & surface learning

Remembering, understanding, applying, analysing, evaluating, creating

Surface approach - Avoid

• Concentration of learning outcomes
• Passive acceptance of ideas
• Routine memorisation of facts
• Sees small chunks
• Ignore guiding patterns and principles
• Lack of reflection about, or ignorance of, underlying patterns and theories
• Little attempt to understand
• Minimal preparation and research

Deep approach

• Independent engagement with material
• Critical and thoughtful about idea and information
• Relates ideas to own previous experience and knowledge
• Sees the big picture
• Relates evidence to conclusions
• Examines logic of arguments
• Interested in wider reading and thinking
• Ongoing preparation and reflection

How do I evidence deep thinking?

• Academic writing is formal and follows some standard conventions
• Each academic discipline has its own specialist vocabulary which you will be expected to learn and use in your own writing
• The substance of academic writing must be based on solid evidence and logical analysis, and presented as a concise, accurate argument.
• Academic writing can allow you to present your argument and analysis accurately and concisely. Directness.
• Aim for precision. Don't use unnecessary words or waffle. Get straight to the point. Make every word count. If there is any uncertainty about a particular point, use cautious language.
• Avoid abbreviations and contractions
• Avoid slang words and phrases
• Avoid conversational terms
• Avoid vague terms

In many academic disciplines, writing in the first person is not acceptable as it is believed to be too subjective and personal. Many tutors prefer impersonal language to be used in assignments.

Structure

• Preliminaries - title, acknowledgements, contents, list of illustrations
• Introduction - The abstract, statement of the problem, methodological approach
• Main body - review of the literature, logically developed argument, chapters, results of investigation, case study
• Conclusion - Discussion and conclusion, summary of conclusions
• Extras - Bibliography, appendices

Resolving your essay - 15th January, 4pm

Getting stuck

• Ask yourself why are you really stuck?
• Avoid negativity
• Picture what being 'unstuck' would look like

Project self assessment

• Write down the major aims of the project
• Give a brief summary of the work so far
• Comment on your time management
• Do you know what the final project will look like?
• What steps will you take o ensure it gets there?
• What areas of the project are your worried about?
• What risk management plans do you have?
• How are you going to use the remaining tutorials?

OUGD601 - Hand Drawn Type

Typography Sketchbooks
Heller, S. and Talarico, L. (2011) ‘Typography Sketchbooks’, London: Thames & Hudson

'When playing or caressing type, it is not so much what it says, or in what specific tongue a message is communicated that matters most. An understanding of content and context is essential, but, typographically speaking - that is, in terms of the letterforms - beauty, however defined is key. The beauty of precision; the beauty of expressionism; the beauty of how one letter conjoins with others on  either side of it and above and below; the beauty of how it looks on page or screen.'

Hand Job: A Catalog of Type

Perry, M. (2007) ‘Hand Job: A Catalog of Type’, New York: Princeton Architectural Press

‘Hand drawn type may not always be the right answer or the most time-effective solution, but it is definitely the most fun.’

‘It is the answer that keeps the artist from taking himself or herself too seriously and infuses some fun into an industry that sometimes takes itself too seriously.’

‘It reveals the hand of the maker and its viewer finds comfort in that.’

Letterforms Bawdy Bad & Beautiful

Heller, S. and Thompson, C. (2000) ‘Letterforms Bawdy Bad & Beautiful’, US: Watson-Guptill Publications

‘Handlettering - the original kind of typographic expression - is naturally more informal and artistic, offering human dimension and individual personality. The computer ensures tidiness and orderliness, resulting in blandness on the desktop.’ 

‘Handlettering was a means to break conventional reading patterns, as well as to offer color and texture that a neutral typeface could not. The hand also allowed for greater fluidity and spontaneity.’

‘The real keys to success are the unforeseen mistakes, misplaced marks, and careless juxtapositions that appeal to us not only because they are visually pleasing, but also, and perhaps more importantly, because they are evidence of human touch.’

Examples of a variety of different Hand drawn typography styles in commercial work


Maki-San

Daisy Bank Soap Co.

Panda Soft Drinks

Made By Sloths

Sources
https://www.behance.net/gallery/14736805/Maki-San-Branding-Print
https://www.behance.net/gallery/7209197/Daisy-Bank-Soap-Co
http://www.robot-food.com/work/panda-drinks/
http://www.jameslafuente.com/120841/4677821/work/made-by-sloths

OUGD601 - Typography & Branding - Sweden

I came across an article on Daily Mail about how Sweden had branded itself, commissioning a design agency to create a typeface and an integrated identity for the country, to be used over a range of media, and is to be used on all publicity/promotional materials put out by the government.

Link:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2835785/Can-tell-nation-typeface-Sweden-launches-font-based-Scandinavian-minimalism.html

The identity was created by 'Söderhavet', a Swedish based design agency.

http://soderhavet.com/en/projects/sweden/

The brief – Sweden’s government asked us to develop a new identity for the country, to be used when communicating on behalf of Sweden. Our brief was to replace the many fragmented organizational identities of Swedish ministries, agencies and corporations with one integrated visual brand identity system, to unambiguously represent Sweden in the world. 

The process – During the design process, we grappled with many questions, including: Which symbols best represent a country? How do we design a unified identity for use in extremely divergent contexts and on wildly different scales? Which parts of an identity should always be used, and which parts only in the right context? And how do we clarify when an organization is speaking on behalf of Sweden?

Typeface - Sweden Sans

We wanted a distinct typeface that can stand alone, but which also works well with a broad range of other typefaces. Early designs were kept rough, so that we could iterate quickly.  

We decided to go with the feeling of old signs, of mono, of a classic sans serif with a Scandinavian heritage. In collaboration with Swedish font expert Stefan Hattenbach, we then engaged in a long process of polishing the font.

In Context:

OUGD601 - Steven Heller & Brian Collins Interview

An interview conduction by Steven Heller for The New York Times. An Interview with Brian Collins about the font 'Gotham' and branding a political candidate.

Interesting/relevant quotes are highlighted

Date: April 2nd, 2008

Link:
http://campaignstops.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/04/02/to-the-letter-born/?em&ex=1207454400&en=fc018196e1792388&ei=5087%0A&_r=0


Many designers have waxed admiringly about Barack Obama’s sophisticated typographical design scheme, particularly the consistent use in much of his graphic material of the typeface Gotham, designed by Tobias Frere-Jones. So I called Brian Collins, an expert on branding, to get his thoughts on what this “good design” means for the candidate.

Steven Heller: As a branding expert, can you tell me what it is about the typographical scheme of Senator Obama’s campaign that is unlike his challengers’?
Brian Collins: John McCain’s, Hillary Clinton’s and Barack Obama’s campaigns all make good efforts to brand their messages consistently. And that’s incredibly hard to do. Just imagine the thousands of volunteers and endless elements they must orchestrate from town to town, state to state. But as a result of their approach to design, the Obama campaign really stands out. From the bold “change” signs to their engaging Web site to their recognizable lapel pins, they’ve used a single-minded visual strategy to deliver their campaign’s message with greater consistency and, as a result, greater collective impact. The use of typography is the linchpin to the program. Type is language made visible. Senator Obama has been noted for his eloquence, so it’s not surprising that someone so rhetorically gifted would understand how strong typography is and how it helps bring his words — and his campaign’s message — to life.

Q: The other campaigns are less typographically successful. Is maintaining a strong design program really so difficult?
A: I think the real story here is less about typography than it is about discipline. Political campaigns are the Brigadoon of branding. There’s a compressed amount of time to tell a candidate’s story before the race is over and the campaign vanishes. During that window, the campaign must make sure that everything it produces — everything it touches — delivers the candidate’s message in a meaningful way. No opportunity to amplify that story should be missed. The Obama people have used design to take that discipline to a whole new level.
Barack Obama is running the first real transmedia campaign of the 21st century. His people not only understand how media has splintered, but how audiences have splintered, too. Cell phones, mobile devices, Web sites, e-mail, social networks, iPods, laptops, billboards, print ads and campaign events are now just as important as television. The senator’s design strategy has given these diverse platforms (and their different audiences) a coherence that makes them all work together. I’ve worked with giant, global corporations who don’t do it this well.

Q: What is it about the typeface Gotham that adds personality to the Obama brand?
A: I don’t think that Gotham adds any personality to Senator Obama’s brand. I think it just amplifies the personality that’s already there. In fact, the typeface would work just as well for John McCain or Hillary Clinton, for that matter.
With that said, though, there’s an oxymoronic quality to Gotham, which is why I think it’s become so popular. It has a blunt, geometric simplicity, which usually makes words feel cold and analytical (like Univers), but it also feels warm. It’s substantial yet friendly. Up-to-date yet familiar. That’s a tough hat trick. And Gotham has another quality that makes it succeed: it just looks matter-of-fact. But perhaps any typeface inspired by signs at the Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York City — as Gotham is — will look like that.

Q: Could this have been accomplished with other typeface(s)?
A: Yes. But most of them have been crafted within the last decade or so. Newer fonts don’t carry as much historical visual baggage for candidates looking to the future instead of the past. Among them would be a typeface called Whitney.
We used it in the new identity program we did for Kodak. It has many of the same qualities I like in Gotham. But Whitney’s roots are in calligraphy, not geometry. So it’s a bit more handmade, more friendly.

Q: What is the most significant trait that emerges from all Senator Obama’s campaign artifacts?
A: I was most impressed by one artifact: the signs that turn each campaign state into a logo for the Obama campaign. I’ve never seen anything quite like that before. I think it’s clever. But it also works as it makes each state feel part of a larger, national movement.

Q: Do you think the typographical style actually makes a difference?
A: You bet I do. Style equals accuracy. Put the word “change” in Comic Sans and the idea feels lightweight and silly. Place it in Times Roman and it feels self-important. In Gotham, it feels just right. Inspiring, not threatening. In the end, typography makes a real difference when it delivers words and ideas that are relevant to people. And for many, that seems to be the case here.

OUGD601 - Typography & Branding - M&S

Marks & Spencer was founded in 1884 by Michael Marks & Thomas Spencer in Leeds. It is the first independent supermarket chain in the UK.

Below shows the change in there branding since the establishment of the brand.

The change in branding shows a clear attempt at continuing to keep up to date with current design trends and what is classed as contemporary. Instead of celebrating what is unique about the brand, in being the oldest and original independent supermarket, the brand has chosen to continually update its appearance.

The last rebrand was in 2014 in which the brand had completely revamped its logo designs and promotional material, going for a much more young, contemporary and trendy style of appealing to consumers.

Below is one of their more recent ads which shows this approach to their promotional material.