Type in the Wild

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Brittany Comer @#$%^&*() You are walking through a world of typography

TABLE OF CONTENTS Good Type Week One Week Two Week Three Week Four Week Five Week Six Week Seven Week Eight Week Nine Week Ten

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00 - 01 02 - 03 04 - 05 06 - 07 08 - 09 10 - 11 12 - 13 14 - 15 16 - 17 18 - 19 20 - 21

Bad Type Week One Week Two Week Three Week Four Week Five Week Six Week Seven Week Eight Week Nine Week Ten

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22 - 23 24 - 25 26 - 27 28 - 29 30 - 31 32 - 33 34 - 35 36 - 37 38 - 39 40 - 41 42 - 43

GOOD

01

02

WEEK ONE This card is legible and gets to the point. Each word is clear and fits into the design. All the words are clear and work together to convey the message. The birthday card is designed to be used for a child’s eighth birthday and that is seen through the larger number “8” used within the word “greatness.” I think it’s very clear and fits nicely within the design. There are a few typefaces used, but they all work well together to create a nice flow. I do wish that the last few letters in “reached” were not squished into the design. With this being said, the kerning does not seem to change. The gold and white colors differentiate the importance of the works.

Arguably the gold is used for the words with the most importance and the white for the less significant words. Imagine what would happen if every word was in gold? Would it still successfully convey its message? The subtleness of the white words helps draw the eye down the card.

The designer created a design with multiple typefaces and colors to create a cohesive design.

04

WEEK TWO The first thing the viewer will notice is the name of the product. The use of red within the background allows the white text to pop forward. The name “Beef Ribs” is large and easy to spot. At the top right, the same red background and font is used to tell the viewer that the product is “All Natural.” The kerning is nice and so is the tracking within all the text. I do like that the company name utilizes a different font. I would say that the cursive in “Treat every day with love” can be a little distracting.

The small extra details at the bottom allow the viewer to learn more about the product. The purple text within this area is a nice touch as it divides it from the rest of the information. The typography does a wonderful job conveying each section of the product to the consumer.

The title is large, front and center. More information is available to the consumer if they are interested, but it is divided away from the main title and logos.

06

WEEK THREE I really like the layout of the typography within this product. The one thing I do not like about the design is the typeface used in “5 Value Pack.” The 5 looks wide or even stretched out, the V and the A seem a little awkward with the other letters. Other than that, I do like that “5 Value Pack” is in blue. It stands out from the rest of the type and allows the consumer to notice it quickly. I believe that the Hot Pocket logo is clean and well designed. You could argue that the tracking is pretty close together, but I think it works well. I’m glad that “Ham & Cheddar” is very legible, that way the customer knows exactly what they are buying. “Crispy Buttery Crust” is highlighted and easily draws the eye to it. The fact that it is sitting on a blue background is a nice touch. It conveys the message to the viewer of “hey, this is different.”

The important information is not hidden away.

Everything is right in front of you.

08

WEEK FOUR I believe this bottle of grade spread is an example of good typography due to its ability to use multiple typefaces and still contain a unified look. The cursive font in “Natural” is clean and legible. An issue with some cursive fonts are that they look too elegant and are unclear. Not everyone can read cursive well, so I appreciate the legibility in this font. All of the text fits very well together and is pleasing to look at. You have the Welch’s logo at the top and that is easily identifiable. The consumer immediately knows exactly who made the product. The second piece of information presented is that it is Natural Concord Grape Spread.

Underneath the name of the product is “no high fructose corn syrup.” This may be important to certain consumers so it would be good for it to be quickly accessible on the front. The kerning and tracking of the text look good. The lower-case g in “high” is not too close to the i and h. The same goes for the t in “fructose,” the letters are tracked well. The grapes in the background really pull it all together for me. The purple and tan colors work well to me. The designer carefully placed each text and graphic to create a uniformed composition. Overall, the designer chose fonts that worked very well together, the text is kerned and tracked well, and the colors work together to create a visually appealing design.

10

WEEK FIVE “Leak, Rip, and Odor Protection” is bold and right to the point. No one wants a trash bag that leaks, rips or smells. I think having all of the letters capitalized also strikes the message well. It is a bold statement. The company stands behind their bags. The Glad logo is simple and uses a nice color scheme. The white, yellow and red, work nicely together. The small yellow drop shadow is a nice touch. I like the font used for “ForceFlex Plus” and I like the white stroke on it. It allows the text to pop out. The white highlight on the top of the text is a nice touch as well. I would say that the Febreze text should not be on the front, but maybe on the back. I understand that it is something that they want to advertise since it’s a trash bag and no one wants to smell their trash. For the sake of the typography, I find it a little distracting. The design is just too busy and I wish that certain graphics and texts were eliminated or maybe placed on the back. They are kind of distracting, but at the same time I could see why the designer would want to show that information to the customer. Trash bags are something we do not think about, but if we purchase the wrong bag, we take note. Once a trash bag rips or smells, we will most likely not buy those bags again. Displaying texts such as “LeakGuard” and “RipGuard” may be what brings in another sale.

12

WEEK SIX I found this steak house seasoning while I was at Walmart this week. I choose this as this week’s good example due to the legibility of the type. The kerning is very nice within the text. The font is bold which helps emphasize that the seasoning is probably strong. The white text on black helps convey a bold statement as well. The black text on a yellow background allows for a nice play for the word butter. I think these two colors work well within the design; the yellow helps make a connection. The visual hierarchy is presented well. The company logo is at the top, followed by “seasoning” and then “buttery steakhouse” as the flavor.

At the bottom the viewer will find the less important information such as the year founded and the butcher’s name.

The flow of the design is well done. My eye starts from the top and travels down. I enjoy the use of smaller type for “Premium” and “Quality” on the sides of the logo. This fills the negative space quite well. I believe that if these two words were not present, the design would feel a little empty or awkward. The use of red for the butcher’s name is a nice touch. If it were in white, I think it would blend in too much with the rest of the information at the bottom. Having it in red signifies that the text is different and a little more important than the small text around it. Overall, I believe this design showcases the seasoning well. It has a nice flow and creates a good example of visual hierarchy. The viewer can easily spot what is the most important information and what is least important.

14

WEEK SEVEN I found this weeks example at Walmart. I picked this birthday card for my good example for the week because the typography does a great job moving your eye throughout the card. The letters appear to be moving, almost pointing you to the next word. The placement of the words also helps move your eye down the card. The one thing I will say is that from the font, you would not immediately assume that this was a birthday card. The word “happy” may allow you to potentially make the connection, or the fact that it’s in the birthday aisle, but the typography itself does not tell the viewer that it is a “Birthday” card. I still think the typography is pleasing to look at, but the message is not completely clear from the front. The use of a sans serif works well within this card. The message of the card implies that it is for a child. The childlike font, and movement within the letters helps to imply this. The visual hierarchy is nice as well.

“Today” and “Happy” are the most important words. “Today” is emphasized by a box or speech bubble like design.

“Happy” is emphasized by its larger appearance. The yellow and orange letters on the light blue background allow for the words to stand out. It almost appears as if the text is popping out at you. The same goes for the white text on light blue background. The colors allow for the typography to stand out and allows it to be read well from afar. Overall, I enjoy the typography within this card, the only thing I would consider is implementing a birthday element to the front of the card. That way the message is right to the point.

16

WEEK EIGHT I was walking through the peanut butter and jelly aisle when I spotted this jar of Smucker’s Fruit Spread. The typography insanely stood out to me. In a good way though. I enjoy that the logo is in black and so is most of the text. The white and purple background allows for the black text to stand out. The purple text works well on the white/cream background. The yellow rectangle that suites as the background for “seedless” is a nice touch. The same goes for the purple box around “blackberry.” If Blackberry was not in front of a different color background, it would be hard to read. The white/cream background would soak it up and the legibility would decrease. The typographic hierarchy is nice within the product. The consumer can clearly tell that Smucker’s is the logo and then Simply Fruit is the next most important piece of text. Following this is “sweetened with ingredients” as a little interjection and then “Made From Real Fruit” in bold. I do enjoy the use of all lowercase and all upper-case letters within the type. It allows each piece of text to stand out, but still be unified within the typography.

Now, my issue with the typography here is that Simply Fruit does not tell the consumer what the product is. Yes, you could assume that it’s a type of spread or a type of jelly, but the only indication of this is the small text towards the bottom right that says, “Fruit Spread.” Other than that, the design is clean. The kerning and tracking within the different typefaces and fonts look fine. Overall, the design has a good readability and legibility.

18

WEEK NINE I found this product in the tea aisle at Walmart. There are a few things about this design that do bother me, but for the most part, I believe it is a good example of typography. For starters the text above “Twinings” has low readability. It’s so small that I have no idea what the text is. I do like the use of different typefaces within this product. I believe they create a nice look that allows your eye to travel down the box. The Kerning within “Twinings” is nice. I like that the typeface used is bold and stands out. I enjoy the cream/tan color used within the word “Chai.” It stands out against the red background.

The laid-back look the font produces allows for contrast between the bold logo. The tracking and kerning within “French Vanilla” is good. The black text on a tan background creates a nice flow with the company logo since they are both on the same background color. The description on the bottom left may be small, but I believe it is still legible and easily readable. I like that the text is a brighter color and has a stroke on it. This allows for the text to stand out a bit more. Due to the smaller text, the text is visible due to it being white. The visual hierarchy is nice within the typography. Overall, I believe that this is a good example of typography. The typefaces work together well and allow for some contrast to show through. This keeps the viewer engaged and allows their eye to travel down the product.

20

WEEK TEN I found this box of Frosted Mini Wheats in my pantry. I believe it is an example of good typography. The text is nicely spaced out and even throughout the box. The blue stroke and white lettering against the beige background allows for the text to pop out. I do not feel like the text is lost at all. It is readable and legible. The kerning and tracking within “Frosted Mini Wheats” is nice. The visual hierarchy is easy to see as well. The Kellogg’s logo is at the top, followed by the name of the product, and then an incentive to buy the product, followed by a small text of information. The visual incentive of “1 BOWL & YOU’RE GOOD TILL LUNCH” is nice. The typeface sits nicely with the typeface used within the product name. I do enjoy that the incentive is in all capital letters, I think this brings in the reader. It draws attention. I will say that the small informational text under the incentive is a bit small. Maybe the designer did not want this fact to be seen by many, but it just states that half of adults that have a bowl of this cereal with 2% milk have a less desire to eat again for at least 3 ½ hours. It’s just slightly backing their “claim” since it is only halfway true. I would like to see the information a little bigger. That way it is not hidden. The designer could be more transparent with the customers. Other than that, I believe that the typography within this product is nice and easy to read. The visual hierarchy is nice, and all the colors work together to make the text pop.

BAD

23

24

WEEK ONE I was at Target looking through the card section when I spotted this card. At first glance I had no idea what it was supposed to say. I actually had to open the card to realize what the front says, “Rock on Dude.” Even with looking at the inside, I still struggled to decipher the text. The gold glitter sinks within the background and the blue stands out and seems to confuse you even more. Some letters are larger than others making it unappealing and confusing to look at. The U in “Dude” is a focal point to me. The right side of the U is functioning as the ascender for the D and it’s not working. With the glitter sinking into the background you lose the entire letter D and are left with just the blue accenting the counter. In reality it just looks like an awkward “p.” The blue part of the K in “Rock” and the exclamation mark are partially off the card which just off sets everything. I know that the blue accents on the N in “on” are not supposed to be two L’s, but that’s what it reads off to be.

Honestly, I’m not sure what the designer wanted them to read off as, but instead of the word “on” it looks like “Oll”.

Right above the “E” seems to be an apostrophe, but there is no need for one. Maybe it was meant to be an oddly shaped star? I have no idea. The “E” itself has its ascender cut into.

I’m assuming it’s because the D is cutting into it, but it should not be. If you look at where the glitter stops on the letter D, the letters should not be touching. Despite that, it still seems like the designer wanted the letters to cut into each other.

26

WEEK TWO While looking for some dog treats, I found this example of bad typography. It took me a while to find out what the product name actually was. When I finally realized that it was “Three-Flavor Kabobs� my mind began to analyze why it took me so long to realize it.

My biggest issue is that the product name is slightly larger than the attempt of the promotion description. The other issue is the use of similar text. What if the font was different? Would it make the product name more apparent to the eye? The kerning within the product name is not consistent. The spacing between Kabobs and Dog are too close together and if it was not for the size difference, it would have seemed as if they were one word. I believe that the product description/promotion text would be located on the back of the packaging. This would prevent some confusion. The addition of color to the text would help differentiate the different messages. The company logo is in color and that helps the reader realize that that is the company name. If the product name was larger then the descriptors, then the consumer would be able to locate the product name quickly. Overall, the text could be adjusted to better suit the packaging and product. Right now, the typography leaves the reader confused and it lacks a clear message.

28

WEEK THREE This week, I was in one of the frozen food aisles when I found this product. Can we just observe how many typefaces are being used within this design? Their use of different typefaces is a distraction. There is not an ounce of uniformity to this design. These is almost no communication between the product to the consumer. The type does not intrigue the consumer to purchase the product. What was the purpose beyond having mild in italic and also in white? Maybe it was in white to differentiate itself from beef patties?

The horizontal lines that extend out from “Jamaican Style” and “Empanadas De Res” contains two colors. I do like the addition of the element, but I think the two colors take away from the type. It’s more of a distraction in my opinion. I believe that the text is too small in my opinion. I can barely read “Empanadas De Res.” The top text in blue almost seems like a heading to me. The green background separates itself from the blue background of the picture, almost forcing itself to be a heading. Overall, the typefaces are overwhelming, there are too many of them being used without a form of uniformity. There are four colors used within the typefaces and that again is confusing and draws away from a uniformed look. Even if I liked Beef Patties, I would not purchase this product from the way it is presented.

30

WEEK FOUR The Baker’s Imitation Vanilla Flavor is another item that I found in my home. The main issues I have with the typography is the two fonts used within the prominent text. The use of a serif and a sans serif font in this setting sticks out. The fonts used together do not create a uniformed look which makes it another visual distraction. In my opinion the red and black text do not work well on the yellow background. The red seems to fall into the background and the black makes the text static.

Baker’s and Imitation Vanilla Flavor are almost the same size. Baker’s is just a little larger, but the first thing I see when I look at the bottle is Imitation Vanilla Flavor. This may be what the designer intended to do, but I think the company name should be the first thing the viewer sees.

The kerning between the letters I, M, T in “Imitation” are too close. From a far the serifs within certain letters seem to be touching. I wish the ingredients were on the back of the bottle. Everything just seems too cluttered.

The barcode is also on the front. This may not pertain to the typography, but it is visually distracting. There are too many elements on the front of the bottle. The front of a design should focus on the branding. Overall, the distractions within this design consist of the use of different fonts, the colors of the text, the kerning between certain letters, and the excess information displayed within the front.

32

WEEK FIVE I was looking around Walmart when I ran into the cleaning supplies. At first glance, I did not realize that these were trash bags. That was mainly since everything about the design was so distracting. The text, the colors, the yellow stroke on the logo. Why was it so important to throw “Contractor Bags” diagonally on the design?

Why is that text almost larger than the company logo? Why is there a stroke on it, honestly it looks like a drop shadow, or maybe both? The kerning between most of the letters are weird, the tracking might be the issue, but then you see how the T and R in “contractor” is almost touching and the same with the R and A. Then you look at the B and A in “Bag” and that seems fine. The yellow, red, and grey color scheme is not working. I understand that it’s a trash bag, but the design does not have to be ugly. If we take a second to look at the company logo, they use two fonts.

They do not work together and that is visually distracting. Their poor logo design matches their product design. This design is an eye catcher, but for all the wrong reasons.

34

WEEK SIX I found this product in the seasoning aisle at Walmart. The typography immediately stood out to me on this product.

The use of the different typefaces and fonts does not create a uniformed design. The red and black text on a yellow background does not work well. The black does not always come off as a bold look. The italic text seems to fade into the background making it difficult to read. The black stroke on “Back-Yard” seems to be more of a distraction than serving a purpose. The black and red seem to be fighting for dominance. The tracking within “Back-Yard” is off as well. At the baseline all the letters seem to be touching. As for the visual hierarchy, back-yard seems to be the most important text within the design. “Original” also seems to be important due to it being slightly larger and has a bolder appearance to it compared to the rest of the text. The italic text in this design seems to be deemphasized. “Grill, Fry, and Bake” seems to be more important than “Not Salty or Hot.” Eliminating certain texts may benefit the design. I do not think “all meats, vegetables, bread and cheese” is necessary to the design. “All purpose” conveys the message that this seasoning can be used on anything. Including the specific foods that the product could be used on is excess information that may confuse the viewer. Overall, the color scheme does not work for this design in my opinion. The tracking within “Back-Yard” would be improved and the visual hierarchy should be reconsidered. Eliminating excess information would help the hierarchy within the design.

36

WEEK SEVEN This week I was at Walmart looking for a birthday card when I stumbled on what I would consider an in your face and bright card. The first thing I noticed is the diverse colors on a black background. All the colors pop out at you to create a distraction. It seems as if the card is screaming “Happy Birthday” at you. The next thing I noticed was the use of a serif font with a decorative font. For me, this also comes across as a distraction. The exclamation point is not decorative and sticks out as well. The punctuation mark is placed right after the decorative style, so it should be decorative as well. Instead it stands on its own. The tracking is off within “Happy.” Most of the letters are touching. We can see this clearly within the two P’s and the Y. The H, A, and P all touch at the base. I believe that the kerning between the H and A and A and P are too spaced out. The A seems to be on its own compared to how close the last part of the word is. Or maybe the P, P, and Y should be more spaced out. As we continue down to “Birth,” the beginning of the word seems to be closer together compared to the end. Increasing the kerning between the B and I and the I and R would improve the typography here. In the word “Day” the kerning seems too spaced out within the D and A. The kerning between the Y and exclamation point is also too spaced out. The use of a drop shadow on all the letters is over the top. Some of the letters seem to contain a shadow, while in others the shadow almost blends in. There is an awkward space at the bottom of the card.

If the leading was increased the lines could have been equally spaced to eliminate the space at the bottom. Overall, I believe that this birthday card is a little too over the top. The decorative elements take away from the typography.

38

WEEK EIGHT I found this product at Walmart. From first glance, I have no idea what this product is. It has poor readability and legibility. The cursive font makes the typography very hard to read. The consumer has to focus really hard to make sense of the brand or even the name of the product. The white background of the label allows for the black to stand out, but at the same time, I feel like the background is too bright. The label stands out and takes away from the type. I feel like the kerning between the B and O in Bonne is too far apart. The rest of the letters are connected. Maybe this is due to the capital letter versus the lower-case letters, but this is not the case with “Maman” or “Strawberry.” I would have rather seen all the letters connected to create a fluid motion between the type. The typographic hierarchy could be better. The company name is at the top, but I feel as if the size of the type within “Strawberry Preserve” could be smaller. Now, I feel as if the company name and product name carry the same importance. Maybe this is what the designer intended. I would have rather the designer used a font that was not cursive. This would increase the readability and legibility. The design is simple, and the typography should match the simplicity. The background is plain so the typography should not be decorative.

Overall, I believe that the typography within this product should be redesigned.

40

WEEK NINE Walking through the tea aisle at Walmart I came across this product. At first glance, I noticed how many typefaces were used. Starting from the top, the company’s logo is in all capital letters. I do not necessarily have an issue with this, but since it is a serif font, the text looks a little too busy for me.

I like the incorporation of a tea kettle within the type, but since the font is in all caps, the kettle almost seems to be touching the W. This could be improved by increasing the kerning between the O and W. Moving on to the text that is on the left and right sides of the logo. “America’s Classic” is too small in my opinion. It has poor readability and legibility. I would have preferred this text to be in white. This would have added to the unity of the white within “Constant Comment.” Speaking of Constant Comment, the decorative font throws the typography off. It’s just confusing and has a low legibility. The scripts on the “C” are too long.

The gold background that sits behind the black “Black Tea” almost absorbs the text. I find the readability to decrease within the text here. The green box that surrounds “Decaffeinated” is not centered properly. I also believe this to be an anomaly. It is the only piece of type that is engulfed by a box. The text under “Decaffeinated” is misaligned. If you look at the straight edge on the right-hand side of the box and then look at the white text, you will see how the text curves up ever so slightly. Overall, I believe that the typography within this product could be improved. The colors and backgrounds could be more unified to work together instead of causing visual disturbances.

42

WEEK TEN I found this product at Walmart and I believe that it is a bad example of typography. For starters, looking at the Great Value logo, the kerning between certain letters seems off. The “r” and “e” seem to be touching. The “e” and “a” and “a” and “t” seem to be touching as well. This may just be a tracking issue, but I do not really see the issue within “Value.” I do believe that the letters may look a little squished within “Value.” The graphics within the text is “Frosted Flakes” is too distracting. The snow or icicles take away from the text. The gradient also placed within the text washes down the text. The only element that allows the text to pop is the white stroke. Even then, the text barely pops out with all the visual disruptions. The product name also has some kerning issues.

The “r” and “o” and “e” and “d” seem to be touching within Frosted. The “F” and “l” seem to be a little too close and the “e” and “s” seem to be touching. The color of the oval around “No Artificial Flavors or Colors” can almost be confused with the flakes. It honestly just seems like a horizontal flake. The white text within the golden oval becomes washed up. The informational text at the bottom has low readability and legibility. Overall, I believe that the typography within this design could be greatly improved. For starters, the graphics within the product name should be removed. The gradient should be removed as well. The kerning within most of the text needs to be carefully looked at again.

Typography is all around us.