F
ashion TYPOGRAPHY masculine and feminine typefaces
-HKP *OLYY`
Contents 5
Introduction
8
Chapter 1 The relationship between typography and fashion Type and Vogue magazine.
14
Chapter 2 ;`WL ZPNUPÄJHUJL Fashionising fonts Brand ethics and aesthetics semiology study of type
26
Chapter 3 What makes a typeface feminine and another masculine? Experimentations.
42
;`WL JSHZZPÄJH[PVU Mapping results
59
Conclusion
63
Bibliography
Introduction
The purpose of this project is to L_WSVYL [OL ]HYPV\Z PUÅ\LUJLZ and relationships between fashion and typography. It investigates the function of typography in fashion; this research aims to highlight the multiple relations IL[^LLU [OLZL [^V ÄLSKZ “Type” is magical. It plays a big role in the fashion industry, thus we see it in different uses and purposes. Sometimes it is a part of the design and sometimes it completes it. Photographers, stylists and designers used the “type” to express their work and to communicate with people. In this project, we will see how ¸[`WL¹ ILJHTL ZPNUPÄJHU[ HM[LY ILLU \ZLK I` ZWLJPÄJ IYHUKZ and will analyze how fashion designers translate their design concepts and social/cultural PUÅ\LUJLZ [`WVNYHWOPJHSS` For the purpose of this project, my approach will be a case study of the Iconic album of fashion, VOGUE magazine and the changes of typography of its logo from illustrations to the use of the serif typeface “DIDOT”. From this translation, I will try to identify possible links and parallels between fashion, branding and typography. Then I will discover the use of the sans serif
with “CHANEL” and the connotation that it gains from this branding. Abbot Miller said, “If CHANEL’s identity exploited the traditional MALE (industrial, abstract, mechanical) characteristics of sans serif for decidedly “BUTCH” logo, and if the forms of Didot and Bodoni were so intricately wed to notions of fashion and femininity (the ultimate ‘femme’ typeface….) With YSL, Cassadre was playing with the subtle codes of gender and sexuality, just as Saint Laurent himself played with the intermingling of masculine and feminine language in his design for clothing. YSL logo claimed a 3rd position, a mapping of serif and sans serif, not roman or italic or even a proper script, but a complex hybrid of all letter forms targeting both sexes.” (Eye magazine 65/07, p.23) Moving from this, I will study and analyze the logos of the fashion brands inside the BritishVogue magazine (July – October /08), plus Vogue UOMO fall - winter /08 and Vogue Homme International / 08-09, discovering if nowadays new designers and people associate the type with femininity and masculinity.
This Book will begin with an overview of the various relationships between typography, branding and fashion, followed by a visual presentation of interpretation of typography in the fashion industry. The second chapter will present how a brand can gain sigUPÄJHUJL MYVT H [`WLMHJL VY JHU NP]L ZPNUPÄJHUJL [V H [`WLMHJL" a study of a type uses from the 50’s and 60’s till now and how a type can bec ome a mask of a ZWLJPÄJ PUK\Z[Y` The third chapter will demonstrate much experimentation and discuss how to identify a type HUK OV^ [V ÄUK [OL YPNO[ [`WLface for branding. The last chapter will present an in-depth analysis of what makes one typ e masculine and another feminine by trying to classify the typefaces and gathering all the results of method research 1 and 2 and stating the characteristics of a feminine and masculine type to end up having a guide for the graphic designer who works within the fashion industries. (UK ÄUHSS` 0 ^PSS HYN\L HUK JVUclude that fashion and type are not similar or inter-related as some graphic designers
assume that they are both based on aesthetics and are a matter of trends! Typography is a service HY[ ^OPSL MHZOPVU PZ H ÄUL HY[ Few typographers have analyzed the relationship between typography and fashion. But there are many graphic designers who have misunderstood this combination, which has led to a mess and confusion with their work results.
7
The relationships between typography and fashion
This chapter is a survey of the potential links between typography and fashion. It starts with a historical survey of how these [^V ÄLSKZ ^LYL WLYJLP]LK [V IL related by showing visuals and concluding the chapter with discovering that type could be ZPNUPÄJHU[ What is Type? Type is the visual manifestation of language. It is instrumental in turning characters into words, and words into messages. The way the message is read depends on the form of types, color, shape, scale and others. How much attention are you paying to the typeface that these words are printed in? Most probably not a lot... Typefaces are everywhere, yet the only time most of us notice them is when they are unclear and unreadable. Typefaces are becoming as fashionable in their own way as Chloé’s white embroidered tunics. Since ancient times, cloth was the medium by which story telling was transmitted through places and time. Much of our vocabulary is derived from the work of sewing, weaving and embroidery. The word “text” derives from the Latin word
meaning “something woven”, as in “textile”. Women were the creators of these anonymous works. Women whose work is in this show, taken to this handy work as their medium of choice and their creations, have much to say. Working with thread, wool, and beads they share their unique views of the world and their outlook on PKLU[P[` [OYV\NO VYPNPUHS JVUÄN\rations of familiar materials. In 15th century, nuns produced ecclesiastical vestments that involved lettering with rich ornamentation done from gold and silver thread. Later on and after it was banned by Henry VIII, for religious purposes, embroidery took place between the middle and high class of society to be considered as a distinguished fashion. Practically, every fabric surface was embroidered with a monogram style, referring to the initials VM [OL WLYZVU ÄYZ[ SL[[LY VM OPZ name and surname. (Fig.1-3)
Fig.1
Fig.2
Fig.3
The monogram style varied with different kind of lettering (block, script and gothic). (http://www.embroideryarts.com/ inprint/archieves/monograms_ more.php) Nowadays, many fashion designers use lettering with their creations even as a part of their designs or sometimes to convey a message. Victor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren, the famous Dutch fashion designers believed (fall- winter collection 2008) that the type has a voice and said in their interview for Nicole Phelps, “We love fashion, but it’s going so fast. We wanted to say NO this season.” Their show began with the word “NO” popping out from the dress chest in 3-D and ended with a strapless black tulle dress gathered below the knee and embroidered with the phrase “DREAM ON”. (Fig.4-5) As if Victor & Rolf were trying to express the frustration we all feel towards characteristic irony! (http://www.style.com/fashionshows/review/F2008RTW-VIKROLF/)
look more sophisticated and elegant on a woman’s dress! H. Bayer said: “Typography is not self-expression within predetermined aesthetics, but it is conditioned by the message it visualizes.” (Heller &Meggs 2001, p.110) If we ever have a look through MHZOPVU THNHaPULZ ^L ^PSS ÄUK out that many designers used typography in their designs to visualize their messages. Some of them use a particular typeface for its connotation and others pick it up aesthetically and arbitrarily by linking typography to the trend world of fashion.
Fig.4
What really caught my attention is that they used for their lettering the modern grotesque – sans serif type and not the gothic one although Gothic lettering may Fig.5
Chapter 1
11
How type works in fashion?
Type and Vogue magazine: The superlative way of analyzing the changes of type is with the iconic “VOGUE” magazine. Vogue passed through all the political and social phases from 1892 till now, where the alterations of its logos were obviously affected. Moreover, after a questionnaire I conducted by asking people MYVT KPMMLYLU[ ÄLSKZ HNLZ HUK genders about: “what is the most known fashion magazine? “Vogue” took the highest percentage of 73.3%. Even though many interviewed people were away from the fashion community and not necessarily enthusiastic about fashion. But they recognized well the magazine on the shelves of the bookstores and different media.
Then the logo became part of the illustration, so the illustrator was the one who determined its form, position, scale and color. (Fig.6) The second stage took place on 1907 where numerous efforts were made to modernize and unify the typography of the logo. And the result was by linking the “O” and “G” together in the word “VOGUE”. (Fig.7) From 1909 till 1940 and with the arrival of Condé Nast, the third stage was distinguished by the importance of the illustration on the cover and the logo was just integrated into it. (Fig.8)
1st stage
(Fig.6)
2nd stage
(Fig.7)
3rd stage
(Fig.8)
Vogue logo passed through four stages (Angeletti 2006, p.99), which shows the systematic changes of the logo. 0U [OL ÄYZ[ Z[HNL [OL SVNVZ ^LYL created by MC Vickar and didn’t change between 1892 and the beginning of the twentieth century. It varied only when the cover was published in color.
Later on as a fourth stage, after 1940, a more uniform typography came into use similar to the one employed today. Type choices varied extremely with the inventive approaches of lettering on the cover, till the immense transition in the photographic era.As late as 1955, the logo varied between serif and sans serif. It was after 1955, in the fourth and last stage, the magazine appears to have had a form of legitimacy conferred by the consistent use of Didone lettering set in capitals in all banner headlines. Since then, Didone was the trade-dress of a powerful international franchise for Vogue magazine and became to be known as a feminine, fashionable, elegant, posh typeface
Chapter 1
13
4th stage
(Fig.9)
Fig.1o
;`WL ZPNUPÄJHUJL
Featuring fashion and typography, A.Miller discussed “Fashion’s obsessions are mirrored in its typography, from Vogue’s femme serifs to butch Chanel and the hybrid YSL logo” (eye magazine 2007, p.7) This phenomenon is observable in the arena of fashion, where serif and sans serif typefaces have articulated a certain landscape among fashion magazines and fashion brands. From the twentieth-century until today, we can easily see the competing aesthetics of modernity with the uses of Didot and Bodoni as modern typefaces and the “avant-garde” aesthetic of sans serif grotesque.
Firmin Didot and Giambattista Bodoni +PKV[ HUK )VKVUP ^LYL JSHZZPÄLK as modern typefaces because of their extreme contrast between their thin and thick strokes. The two typefaces exaggerate the height and verticality of the ascenders and descenders of the letterforms, lending the characters an architectural grandeur. Bodoni described the ‘beauties of typ e’, (eye magazine 2007, p.17) as conformity without ambiguity, variety without dissonance, and equality and symmetry without confusion. It was a clear, sharp and net typeface with its features that stand as classic, beautiful and distinguished. William Morris called Bodoni’s letterforms (Lawson, p.200) ‘shatteringly hideous’. Didot and Bodoni were the most dominant typefaces in printing till the late nineteenth century. After disappearing for a time, the two typefaces showed up in the earlier twentieth century, attributable to their geometric clarity which seemed modern again. In 1901, Nebiolo an Italian Foundry issued a new cut of Bodoni.
After ten years around 1911 the largest American foundry, ATF, issued its own very popular cut of Bodoni. In 1912, at the French foundry, Charles Deberny with the help of Peignot brought the original punches of Didot and made it newly accessible to designers. Being proud of his work, Deberny was photographed in a classical poster with a scaled Didot “A” balanced in the background. (`Fig.11)
Chapter 2
17
Fashionising fonts
Fig.11
Didot and Bodoni have been used a lot in relation to fashion. Is it for their forms of lettering or [OLPY ZPNUPÄJHUJL& ;OL JHUVUPaHtion of the Didone style was observed in the evolution of Vogue magazine. After Vogue, Didot was known as a luxurious, fashionable typeface with posh attitude. Many other brands and magazines used Didot and Bodoni for [OLPY ZPNUPÄJHUJL -SHZO IHJR [V 1992 and the Didone aesthetic is powerfully resuscitated in Fabien Baron’s re-design for Harper’s Bazaar. Baron created a new digital Didot named it a kind of super Didot for the magazine’s headline.
When A.Miller interviewed Baron (eye magazine 1995) inquiring about his choice for Didot, how personalized the decision was and its relevance to the worth of the magazine concisely referring to the Brodovitch era, he replied: “No… we used Didot because it is very feminine, not because of the magazine history.” Later on, many different magazines such as “Elle”, “You” and V[OLYZ \ZLK +PKV[ MVY P[Z ZPNUPÄcance. Reading all that, made me really curious to know if it is all about Didot or Vogue?! I tried to ask myself; do people associate the brand to the typeface? Or it is just the point of view of designers and typographers? So I took my sketchbook and I did a questionnaire asking people around what “Didot” typeface TLHU[ MVY [OLT HUK PM [OL` ÄUK P[ feminine or masculine. The results of the survey came astounding indicating that 87% of the people associate Didot with “Vogue” as a feminine, elegant, classy, historical, branded, sophisticated typeface.
Fig.12
As we see, ages ago the type used to have an identity. The successful typographer H. Zapf assumed that: “Typographers used to spend several months to create a single typeface. This investment of time will be repaid bit by bit of time in the form of royalties.” (Heller &Meggs 2001, p.34) While our new graphic designers with the help of the computers and software could invent every one-hour a new “wrong” typeface which is functional and meaningful for the way it looks but never for the way it works!
So if by mistake the name was written in a wrong lettering, the brand will loose its meaning and never be relevant or successful. S. Rogner in his discussion about looking for the right type believed “a good typography ZPNUPÄJHU[S` PUJYLHZLZ [OL amount of attention a message receives: the right typeface is the basic of a strong communication.” (Branding with type 1995, p.11) Ty pe alone cannot maintain a brand name or an identity. But a brand with the wrong type or lettering can never KLÄUL P[ZLSM
How many times we saw a brand logo with the wrong lettering? Sometimes I think that people don’t know what the word “Brand” means. Brands mean different things to all of us, but how do they acquire those meanings and who produces them? “A brand is a combination of names, slogans, logos, product design, packaging and marketing that together give particular product of service physical, recognizable form.”(William 2000, p.7)
I am not against the fact of creating new typefaces. Probably what type and fashion have in common is that they are both a matter of trend. I could never imagine myself wearing the same shirt that is common and all other people are wearing. So logically, not all brands must have the same typefaces. “These days, people need better ways to communicate to more diverse audiences. We know from experience that what we have to say is much easier for others to understand if we put it in the right voice; type is that voice, the visible language-linking writer and readers (Speirkerman & Ginger 2003, p.7)
Very often a brand is solely about a plain bag, and plain background, with the name of the brand written on it as a logo.
Chapter 2
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Same name, Different identity Looking around, you will be shocked to see how many magazines have the same name but written in different typefaces. For example “Edit” for Getty images (Fig.13) and “Edit” for Harvey Nichols (Fig.14)
Fig.13
Writing the headline, with different lettering, could solve the confusion between the magazines. Typeface gives an identity to the brand. How many times we get confused between magazines using the same typeface, some of them do it for purpose just trying to imitate a more successful one! The simplest example of that was shown with the magazines “YOU” and “VOGUE”, both of them are about fashion, both of them are written with Didone lettering. Lately the legendary “Vogue” doesn’t care to write all the alphabet of its name on the cover, as it is well known. It is enough to see the “V” of vogue and you can easily say: “it is vogue magazine!” When you see “you” magazine, the descender of the “y” is really thin and not legible from far away, so you think that it is “V”. Many people are lately getting confused between “vogue” and “you”. Especially that the last is trying to imitate the photography style of vogue. I was surprised when I knew that till now there is a court case between both magazines regarding the headline issue! Looking into the market, many fashion brands used the Didone lettering, on the safe side, for its connotation as well.
Fig.14
Brand ethics and aesthetics. Semiology study of type The majority of brands are based on signs that signify meanings and ideas. The American philosopher Charles Pierce and the Swiss linguist Ferdinand de Saussure created the science of semiotics. Semiology is the discipline best Z\WWSPLK [V HPK H THUHNLY KLÄUing, prolonging and defending the identity of a luxurious brand. Jean-Marie Floch created a tool in Semiology called “The hinge”. It is a simple framework to bring out the different levels of analysis VY KLÄUP[PVUZ VM H IYHUK \UPverse. The aesthetic study is fairly easy to put into practice, especially if the brand question is very “typed” on, where the colors, shapes and materials are resolutely baroque or classical. He note that generally, the northern European brands: Jil sander, Helmut Lang… and the North American brands as Calvin Klein, Donna Karan, coach have an aesthetic of the classical type characterized pictorially by:
Chapter 2
*SLHU KLÄULK SPULZ HUK JVUtours, emphasized individually recognizable elements. :WHJL KP]PKLK PU[V LHZPS` PKLU[PÄHISL aVULZ LHJO ^P[O P[Z V^U elements *SVZLK ZOHWLZ ]PZPISL PU [OLPY entirely: planes. 0TWYLZZPVUZ VM Z[HIPSP[`! symmetries :H[\YH[LK JVSVYZ On the other hand, Mediterranean brands like: Loewe, Ferragamo, Dolce& Gabbana, Versace, Roberto Cavalli have a tendency toward the baroque. Characterized Pictorially by: 3PULZ +LSPULH[LK I` ZOHKV^ LMfect: curves and criss-crosses 6WLU MVYTZ ^OPJO JHU HWWLHY accidental ,HJO WHY[ SVZPUN P[Z H\[VUVT` and taking on meaning only in association with the rest of the work 4V]LTLU[ [YLH[LK PU KLW[O! Volumes *OPHYVZJ\YV HUK KLLW JVSVYZ (Chevalier and Mazzalovo 1943, p.105)
21
Typography is what language looks like. Words can be said in countless ways to convey ZWLJPÄJ TLHUPUNZ HUK LTV[PVUZ and the varying personalities of different typefaces allow these emotions to be translated on to paper. In my opinion, an excellent example of appropriate typeface is that of the “Chanel” logo. The sans serif black type used to represent the brand is clean, sophisticated and classic, just as Chanel’s merchandise. The use of the uppercase letter communicates authority and superiority and features the strong woman. A. Miller mentioned that the brand identity of Chanel aligned itself with the avant-gardism of Le Corbusier and the industrial vernacular. (Eye magazine 65/2007, p.21) Back with the history, According to one story of the creation of Chanel No.5, Coco Chanel commissioned the renowned perfumer Ernest Beaux to make 6 perfumes for her choosing. She liked the formula of bottle No.5 and the number “5” was also her lucky number. Thus, the name of the perfume was Chanel No.5 Chanel wanted to create a perfume a woman personality,
something abstract and unique HUK UV[ H ÅVYHS HUK WYL[[` WLYfume to enhance woman beauty as others used to do! Laboratories shows that Chanel perfumes contain secretions from perineal glands of civet cats. These secretions are a WV^LYM\S Ä_H[P]L THRPUN [OL scent last a long time and retain its strength. ;OL ÄYZ[ HK]LY[PZLTLU[ ZOV^U on British TV’s channel 5 was Chanel No.5. Famous Spokesmodels for the fragrance have included strong, sexy, superior women as Marilyn Monroe, Catherine Deneuve, Carole Bouquet, Estella Warren and Nicole Kidman. Chanel identity exploited the traditionally industrial, abstract, mechanical characteristics of sans serif for decidedly ‘BUTCH’ logo. A. Miller added in his report of Eye magazine that: “ Chanel’s sans serif set itself against the J\S[P]H[LK HZ Z\WLY YLÄULK aesthetic of Bodoni and Didot, as well against the loopy scripts used for other perfumes, clothing and fancy goods.” Since that the bold sans serif lettering was known as a masculine, butch modern typeface.
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The label’s little black capitals like the Chanel’s little black dress capture the power inherent in understatement. Chanel dress was an interpretation of the butch, block logo expressed by this short block, black dress. (Fig.15)
Fig.15
The same goes for John Galliano, his block lettering is a representative of his renaissance style in clothing (Fig.16)
Fig.16
As well for YSL and his “tuxedoâ€?; Created in 1966 by famous couturier Yves Saint Laurent, the Le Smoking tuxedo suit for women ^HZ [OL Ă„YZ[ VM P[Z RPUK [V LHYU attention in the fashion world and in popular culture. It pioneered long, minimalist, androgynous styles for women, as well as the use of power suits and the pantsuit in modern-day society. If you see the lettering of the YSL logo, you can see an interpretation of the logos on his clothes’, Ă…HYLK O`IYPK Z[`SL -PN
Fig.17
Fig.18
Talking about Yves Saint Laurent logo In 1962, while YSL was preparPUN [V OPZ Ă„YZ[ JVSSLJ[PVU \UKLY his own label. In the beginning he was given the choice of Didone lettering featuring his name but he wasn’t feeling satisĂ„LK ZV OL YLX\LZ[LK WYVK\JPUN for him a personal new logo. With YSL logo, the known typographer “Cassandreâ€? was playing with the subtle codes of gender and sexuality, just as Saint Laurent himself played with the intermingling of masculine and
feminine language in his designs for clothing. YSL logo claimed a third position, a mapping of serif (the feminine, sophisticated) and the sans serif (masculine, butch, mechanical) and not roman or italic or even a proper script, but a complex hybrid of all letterforms targeting both sexes –unisex. (Miller 2007 cited in Eye 65, p.23) The Yves Saint Laurent signature became one of the most distinctive graphic signatures in the world of fashion.
It seems that designers used to make an enormous study and research about the message they need to deliver to the consumer before they dress their logo with any kind of lettering as they do nowadays. Designers used to deal with expert typographers to create their logos unlike nowadays where any new graphic designer can operate his computer and with the assistance of fonts’ site, they pick up a font aesthetically without any research of the brand they are dealing with and without any references or experiences!
1st experimentation
Gazing deeper, I checked the logo brands of the fashion advertising in British Vogue magazines from the month of July till October 2008. I was curious to see if brands are using types and lettering that represent their brand, as YSL and Chanel used to do! So I took out all the logos and dropped them on a paper (Fig.19) and asked people ^OH[ PZ [OL ZPNUPÄJHUJL VM LHJO Logo brands. Sure many people around were not acquainted with all the brands, and that was a positive point since my objective was to see if they can guess what the brand is about from the typography!
>OH[ PZ [OL ZPNUPÄJHUJL JVUUV[H[PVU VM LHJO IYHUK HUK P[Z type/lettreing in your opinion?
Fig.19
Chapter 2
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But unfortunately, as a result, the opinions of the sample of people taken varied since they originated from different communities, cultures and backgrounds where each has a different understanding for a brand.
It is funny that sometimes only the designer himself knows the meanings of a logo and people never understand his interpretation. What really catches my attention is that there are brands for which identifying whether they are for men or women is impossible, when this is the minimum a type can offer to a brand logo, a gender identity! Too many brands, too many logos, too many typefaces but no rules!
For example, “TOM FORD” generally means “sexy” for the gay community but “Vulgar” for the straight one. Same for the culture, everyone has own understanding for a brand logo. And by chance, through a friend of mine, I met Tom Ford in New York while I was modeling for NYC fashion week - summer 2009. During a quick chat I asked him indirectly about his logo and he said a very quick response: “ My logos is sex and kinky.” ( New York, september 2008) I was a bit shocked. What is kinky about a bold typeface? Perhaps it can be casual, tough and macho, while still remaining kinky?When i returned home, I did a survey on his logo and his ads. I discovered that he is following the same line of SisleyBold san serif typeface in sexual ads. So far, Dolce Gabbana used the same style for his logotype and advertisements.
Fig.20
Fig.21
Fig.22
Fig.23
What makes a typeface feminine and another
masculine?
Fig.21
It is not easy. There are thousands of available typefaces and it is one-consuming task to detect an ideal one for every project. A typeface conveys a hidden message in the letter shapes themselves. So how to know if a typeface is masculine and another is feminine? As there are no references and rules for that, I decided to do a thorough research and experimentations to derive an answer to my question.
2nd experimentation (Z H ÄYZ[ Z[LW 0 [VVR HSS [OL brand logos of the fashion ads in Vogue magazines and I tried to classify them between serif and sans serif based on the reference I stated before that what is serif is feminine while sans serif is masculine.(Fig.24) (M[LY T` JSHZZPÄJH[PVU [OL YLZ\S[ wasn’t precise. Seems that most of the new brands, as mentioned before, are picking up their typefaces aesthetically! Even though looking for the typeface of few brands was anticipated to make some sense, however it didn’t unfortunately.
Serif
Sans Serif
(Didone)
Chapter 3
(Humanistic Lettering) (Didone & Bodoni)
(Didonne)
(Didone & Bodoni) (geometric s.serif Lettering) (Didonne)
(SLab Serif)
(TF Arrows Lettering)
(Futura) (Didonne) (Helvetica)
(Nicolas Cochin) (Futura Bold)
Fig.24
29
3rd experimentation As a second step, I decided to undertake research on each IYHUK HUK ÄUK V\[ ^OV HYL their audiences. And after that 0 JSHZZPÄLK [OL IYHUKZ IL[^LLU male, female and unisex. (Fig.25) Based on that, I did an alphabet typology for the male and female brands. For example, I took the “A” from all the female logo brands and put them together, and then I took the “B” and the same for the rest of the alphabets. (Fig.26) Same strategy been pursued for the masculine logo brands. (Fig.27)
)YHUKZ JSHZZPĂ„JH[PVU and alphabet typology: Feminine
Masculine
Unisex
Chapter 3
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Fig.25
Alphabet typology:
Female brands (few examples)
Fig.26
Male brands (few examples) Chapter 3
33
Fig.27
Personal Observation Obviously the masculine one is bolder, heavier in weight, straight lines more condensed and geometrical. On the other hand, we can recognize the female “M” stretched, more transparent with the contrast between the tick and thin strokes, and denoting a JSLHY ÅHYL ^P[O J\Y]LK SPULZ PU [OL lower case similar to the body of a lady.
As a personal observation, I tried to discover out what is the link between a feminine and masculine letter. So I took arbitrary an upper and lower case letter “M” from the male typology and another from the female one, set them at the same point size (116 pt) as height and then I tried to draw a comparison between them. (Fig.28)
Masculine 32 pt
Feminine 32 pt
2 pt
16 pt
116 pt
116 pt
124 pt
256 pt
m 20 pt
ascender 4 pt 61 pt
x-height 61 pt
18 pt
111 pt
18 pt
descender 5 pt
128 pt
Fig.28
The male and female sculptured bodies in relation to lettering In one of the strangest coincidences of history, the 5th century )* WYVK\JLZ [OL ÄYZ[ THZ[LYpieces in two incompatible styles of sculpture. Nearly 2500 years later, these styles become bitter rivals in the studios of our own time. The male and female bodies are acknowledged objects of beauty in ancient Greece and Rome; and nude they are perhaps the greatest achievement of sculpture. (Fig 29-32) Nowadays fashion designers, when they draw the “croquis” (a quick and sketchy drawing of a model, Fig 33 -34), they follow [OL SPULZ [OH[ V\Y HUJLZ[VY ÄYZ[ drew for us. The man sketch is done from straight bold lines and [OL ^VTHU MYVT J\Y]LK ÅHYLK lines. And this is common in the development of all culture having the same understanding HIV\[ [OL ZPNUPÄJHUJL VM H THSL and female body.
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Ancient male Greek sculpture. Fig.29
Ancient female Greek sculpture. Fig.30
Ancient male Roman sculpture. Fig.31
Ancient female Roman sculpture. Fig.32
Contemporary male sketch. Fig.33
Contemporary female sketch. Fig.34
For example taking the logo “MCM” (Fig .35), most of the WLVWSL PU[LY]PL^LK PU T` ÄYZ[ questionnaire thought that it belongs to male clothing, most probably because of the capital letters, straight lines and geometric serifs. The Basic of any well-founded decision on type is market research observation and if necessary in depth research, SVVRPUN [V HKZ HUK ÄUHSS` people understanding for type. (Rogener, pool, Packhauser 1995, p.38)
Fig.35
4th experimentation So my next experimentation was divided in two parts. First, I asked people about what makes a typeface masculine and another feminine by stating 5 characteristics for each. Then as a second part, I took as a representative the typefaces “Helvetica” (regular and bold) for the sans serif and Didot (regular and bold) for the serif by analyzing them again to link each typeface for (F) femininity and (M) masculinity.
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Results: /LS]L[PJH 9LN\SHY! 50% M, 25% F, 25% M/F. /LS]L[PJH )VSK! 90% M, 2.5% F, 7.5% M/F. +PKV[ 9LN\SHY! 7% M, 90% F, 3% M/F. +PKV[ )VSK! 45% M, 38% F, 17 % M/F.
People believe that a masculine typeface must be: Heavy, block serif, bold, black, geometrical, condensed, strong, formal, rigid, sharp, dense, sans serif, big scale, straight lines and dark colors. On the other hand and feminine typeface must be: Light, sans serif, serif, transparent, light glyphs, stretched, handwriting, italic, thin lines, rounded, spaced (kerning), small caps, small scale, curly ends and colorful
Mask of an industry Certain typefaces not the correct word… perhaps create or conjure direct responses because we constantly see them used MVY ZWLJPÄJ WYVK\J[Z >L ^V\SK therefore associate them to a ZWLJPÄJ JVTT\UP[` Most probably when the designer sets the typeface, he gives it a form that affects and stimulates our senses. After my last experimentation I realized that people link the typeface with the connotation of a masculine and feminine sculpture, which is logical based on how they perceive masculine and feminine. If we go back in time, most of the ads of the Male industry like clothing, whisky and others used to deal with bold lettering. Jacque Boyreau in his book “The Male Mystique” (Fig.36-40) by analyzing ads from the 60s and 70s, he proved that a time ago, typography used to have rules. A heavy weight, bold typeface represents the macho male industry. Maybe because now most men became sophisticated and with the new trend for the male model to be so slim and skinny, the connotation of a man is changing!
Fig.36
Fig.37
Fig.38 Men’s Magazine Ads of the 1960s and ‘70s. by Jacques Boyreau
Fig.39
Fig.40
What is feminine about Optima typeface? Optima the mask of the cosmetic industry Once the type designer Tobias frere-Jones been asked to develop a logo for a new cosmetic brand. After achieving a feminine logotype, he decided to make a trip to the market and compare his work with the competitor’s brands. He discovered that many - Almay, l’Oreal, Revlon, Cover girl - others follow almost the same uniform typographic code, alternative typefaces for “optima”. And he asked himself “what is feminine about optima?” (Eye magazine 65/2007, P.17) By looking deeper, I tried to collect the biggest number of cosmetic logotypes and as a result, most of the brands even use optima or his alternative. (Fig.41) Even though “optima” is serif and expert typographer mostly considered the serifs as masculine typefaces, but Optima did stand out by his stretched and ÅHYLK SL[[LYZ KPZ[PUN\PZOLK MYVT the rest of the serifs. If you look in an imaginative way to this typeface, it feels that his letters HYL Z[YL[JOLK HUK ÅHYLK ZHTL HZ the hair. And the cosmetics proof that by taking it as an identity for their brands.
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Fig.41
Alternatives: Signata, Poppl Laudatio, Today Sans serif, Formata ITC Eras,Lithos.
As well looking for male cosmetics Unfortunately, most of the ads inside ‘Vogue’ magazine are HIV\[ MHZOPVU 0 JV\SKU»[ ÄUK HU` cosmetic brands for men. So I went to the bookstore and was looking inside the magazines to see which one contains the largest number of male cosmetics. I decided to deal with “Men’s Health” especially that it targets the macho, butch, muscle gym guys. By collecting the logos of cosmetics, I discovered that most of the brands originally exist in female ones but they are newly launching “the men line”. When it comes for the word “MEN”, it is always expressed in a bold, heavy weight characters. When it comes to serif, they are using the slab serif which is known for it geometrical serif plus there is no contrast between stokes. When it comes for “Calvin Klein MAN” (Fig.46), yes the word “MAN” is written in a light sans serif because it can be bolder. The logos type of “C.K” is already light so when the man stands down heavy, it will not work well. But the typographer plays a wise role by writing man in “BIG SCALE” which is one of the known characteristic of a mas-
culine typeface. I would like to mention, that the logotype of CK represent his style and his TVKLS *HS]PU 2SLPU ^HZ [OL ÄYZ[ to be known with his slim skinny teen-ager male models. So his logotype is a part of his identity.
Fig.42 (Bold slab-serif . Heavy weight . Condensed)
Fig.43 (Bold sans serif . Straight lines . Big scale . Bold heavy weight)
Fig.44 (Bold serif . Straight lines . Heavy weight . Strong . Formal)
Fig.45
(MEN: Bold sans-serif . Straight lines. Heavy weight . Strong . Formal)
Fig.46 (Light Serif . Big scale . Capital letter . Straight lines)
Spiekerman and Ginger said: “Type has its particular uses… If you look closely at a letter, you can see personality expressed in its physical characteristic.” (2003, p.45)
Elaine Scarry discussed that: “Typefaces perform similar manipulations, conjuring visual association, rather than purely mental ones” (Cited in Eye magazine 65/07, p.20) Chapter 3
The idea that a typeface repYLZLU[Z H ZWLJPÄJ JVTT\UP[` gives us the chance to recognize to which brand this logotype belongs for even without looking for photos and asking around: “did you ever know this brand, what is it for?” A very common question we always hear when a brand cannot KLÄUL P[ZLSM ;OL [`WLMHJL PZ SPRL a dress to the brand. Could u imagine a man dressing up with a woman cloth or the opposite?!! Could you imagine a cosmetic brand written by “horror” themes typefaces or digital ones?! We live in a world where we have our understanding for everything in a way. We can’t now just for the sake of those brand owners whom try to save money and look for cheap naïf fresh graphic designer who do their jobs without any research and any references, and mess up the typography system. Fashion brands are surrounding us everywhere.
5th experimentation Thus, I decided in my last experimentation to be as objective as possible and extremely neutral. So I brought an empty notebook and I went down to the shopping streets like Bond Street, oxford circus and asked people to draw for me a masculine letter and feminine one. I wanted to observe how that issue is represented in their minds. Then I moved to the university and I asked few students from different majors to do the same exercise.
41
As a start, I must do a type JSHZZPĂ„JH[PVU HUK [HRL L]LY` category by itself and classify it between masculine and feminine based on the information I gathered from my experimentations and research.
Does a typeface appear more masculine or feminine, more rugged or more elegant? These reactions are not determined by the serif as much by the degree of contrast between letter strokes. (Rogener, pool, Packhauser 1995, p.31)
;`WL JSHZZPÄJH[PVU
)HZPJ *SHZZPÄJH[PVU Block
Roman
Gothic
- Old style - Transitional - Modern - Slab Serif - Claredon - Typewriter
- Grotesque - Neo Grotesque - Geometric - Humanistic - square - rounded
- Block Typefaces: Blocks, Blackletter, Brokenm Old english or Gothic typefaces (not to be confused with the sansserif gothic), are based on The heavy, ornate writing style that was prevalent during middle ages. - Roman Typefaces: Types following this model combine inscriptional roman square capitals with a lower case based upon the minusclues of the written humanist brookhand. The lower case also adopts attributes of the inscriptional capitals notably the tapered serifs - to achieve harmony. Its lines is YLÄULK HUK TVKLSLK ^OPSL P[ overall shape consist of continuous open curves with round aspect.
Script
- Gothic Typefaces: It is called sans-serif typefaces, The absence of any serifs, whilst providing a clean letterform, can impinge on the legibility of the body text. Gothic typefaces always have a ‘g’ with a tail rather than the double- storey ‘g’ used in some serif typefaces.
- Script Typefaces: It was created to mimic handwriting and indeed some, such as pushkin, were based on the OHUK^YP[PUN VM H ZWLJPÄJ WLYZVU Many have extended termination strokes so that they link together same as handwriting. (Ambrose / Harris 2005, p.36 - 56)
Gothic Gingoko Fraktur
EFMQ f e m q Blackmoor let plain
{
E F M Q e f m q 0[ YLÅLJ[Z [OL YLUHPZZHUJL Z[`SL >OLUL]LY P[ PZ SPNO[ SVVZL HUK ^P[O ÅHYL LUKZ JV\SK IL
“feminine”, but if it is Bold with heavy weight and geometric forms could be “masculine”. As well it must be used with a big scale to be legible.
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45
Roman
Garamond OLD STYLE
A a J j
Baskerville TRANSITIONAL
A a J j
Didot MODERN
A a J j
Garamond OLD STYLE
Baskerville TRANSITIONAL
Didot MODERN
}
WWW w w w Old Style - Transitional - Modern are prefered to be used as ‘feminine’ typefaces, since they are transparent (contast between the strokes of each glyph), elegant and sophisticated.
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47
Rockwell SLAB SERIF
J j Q q
Century Schoolbook CLAREDON
J j Q q
American Typewriter TYPEWRITER
J j Q q
Slab-serif or Egyptian are prefered to be used as ‘masculine’ typefaces because they are heavy weight, Bold, large and have square serif.
Clarendon and Typewriter are prefered to be used as ‘feminine’ [`WLMHJLZ ILJH\ZL [OL ÄYZ[ OHZ H NYLH[ contast between the thin and thick strokes, HUK [OL ZLJVUK OHZ H ÅHYL ZLYPMZ
}
}
WWW w ww Rockwell SLAB SERIF
Century Schoolbook CLAREDON American Typewriter TYPEWRITER Chapter 4
49
Gothic
Altenate Gothic no.2 GROTESQUE
Helvetica NEO-GROTESQUE
G g R r
Futura GEOMETRIC
Optima HUMANISTIC
GG g g RR r r
}
Prefered to be used as ‘masculine’ typefaces because they have a heavy weight with a bold and condensed character body.
Altenate Gothic no.2 GROTESQUE
Prefered to be used as ‘feminine’ [`WLMHJLZ ILJH\ZL [OL` HYL ÅHYL Mostly known as the mask of the cosmetic industry.
Prefered to be used as ‘masculine’ typefaces because they are heavy and condensed with a rigid, geometric shape.
Neutral typefaces.They could be ‘feminine’ when they are light and ‘masculine’ when they are bold.
Futura GEOMETRIC
}
}
}
M MM m mm
Helvetica NEO-GROTESQUE Optima HUMANISTIC Chapter 4
51
Eurostile SQUARE
Arial STANDARD / BOLD
G g Q q
G g Q q
Arial ROUNDED MT BOLD
G g Q q
} Prefered to be used as ‘masculine’ typefaces because of their squared and rigid forms, as well for their bold rounded stroke ends.
Script
Script SNELL ROUNDHAND BOLD
EFMQ f emq Script MISTRAL
E F M Q e f m q
} Scipt are prefered to be used as ‘feminine’ typefaces when they are loose and with a curly ends, and ‘masculine’ when they are bold, condensed and with a sharp stroke ends.
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Mapping results for masculine:
- Block: Bold Block
- Serif: Slab Serif
- Sans Serif: - Grotesque
- Bold Neo - Grotesque
- Geometric
- Square
- Bold rounded
- Script: Bold script
E f
Mapping results for feminine:
- Block: Light Block
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55
- Serif: - Old style
- Transitioal - Modern
- Clardon
- Typewriter
- Sans Serif: - Light Neo- Grotesque
- Humanistic
- Script: Light script
E f
Changing logos After outlining the characteristics of masculine and feminine typefaces, I will attempt to alter some logos that I believe are currently produced in incorrect lettering. I shall provide alternatives for how each could look following the new guidelines. With regards Chanel, even though their font is acknowledged as one of the most sucJLZZM\S 0 [OPUR P[ ^V\SK ILULÄ[ PM it was a ‘regular’ sans serif type and not a bold one. A regular sans serif would better signify a strong woman. Bold typefaces generally suit male brands
original
s a n d.homme ro s a n d.HOMME ro sandro
.HOMME
CHANEL
CHANEL
original
CHANEL
CHANEL
CHANEL
original
MCM MCM
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57
MCM
MCM
original
ST.JOHN
ST.JOHN original
ST.JOHN ST.JOHN
PAUL SMITH
Conclusion
The aim of this book was to explore how a typeface could be masculine and another feminine, in relation to the fashion industry. Through an analysis of the fashion logotypes, one could realize that the parallelism between typography and fashion is interrelated. )HZLK VU [OL ÄUKPUNZ VM HU expert in typography who used to spend months creating a logotype for brands and based on the proofs we saw in the 60s ads, we conclude that a long time ago there used to be a guide line to create a logo. But now the new computer softwares and inexperienced or unprofessional graphic designers sullied the typography system and the fashion markets with their aesthetic selections for type, which represent their mood and personality more than identifying the brand itself. Since then, type, like fashion, has sobered up. Just as Lanvin and Rochas are making contemporary clothes seem as precious and lovingly made as vintage pieces by combining modern TH[LYPHSZ HUK ÄUPZOLZ ^P[O VSK techniques, so top type designers are using their computers to modernize classic typefaces.
As a solution to the confusion, I decided to create an essential critical guide for designers who would like to create effective logos for fashion brands. It is well noted to assist them to produce and choose the right typeface selection without any mistakes. “Before using a beautiful word, one has to give it the right context.” Joseph Joubert (1754 – 1824); Moralist, France. ;OL YPNO[ [`WLMHJL ZOV\SK Ä[ [OL product while at the same time ]PZ\HSPaPUN [OL JVYYLJ[ ZWLJPÄJ message it seeks to transmit, presenting the advertiser’s image, and communicating directly to the target audience. As a conclusion, I agree with the French poet and statesman, Paul Claudel when he said that: “The secret of type is that it speaks” The world is changing, so will brand managers alter their archaic practices & adjust their logos according to the guidelines I presented on the characteristics of masculine and feminine typefaces?
Conclusion
61
Bibliography
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Williamson, Judith Deconding Advertisements: ideology and meaning in advertising London : Marion Boyars, 1978
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websites: Looking for Vogue | Typophile (www.typophile.com/node/730) M/M Paris for vogue Italy (www.frieze.com/issue/ article/ new_faces/) M/M paris: (http://www.independent.co.uk/ life-style/fashion/features/ master-minds-from-albumcovers-to-calvin-klein-ads-theartists-have-revolutionised-theway-we-see-fashion-772067. html) Embroidery: (http://www.embroideryarts.com/ inprint/archieves/monograms_ more.php) Victor& Rolf (http://www.style.com/fashionshows/review/F2008RTWVIKROLF/)
3PZ[ VM ÄN\YLZ - Fig.1-3: Emrbroidery 2002., p.67 - 73) - Fig.4-5 : http://www.style. com/fashionshows/complete/ F2008RTW-VIKROLF - Fig.6-8: Angeletti, In Vogue, 2006, p.99. - Fig.9: Angeletti, In Vogue, 2006, p.99. - Fig.10: British Vogue, June 2008, cover. - Fig.11: Eye magazine, issue 65/2007, P.16) - Fig.12-14(http://magculture. com/blog/?p=39) - Fig.15: Ludot, assouline, La petite robe noire 2006, p.32 - Fig.16: www.johngalliano.com, September 08. - Fig.17: Berge 1997, Yves Saint Laurent (Fashion Memoir) - Fig.20 -21:Ford 2008, (www. tomford.com) - Fig.22: Toshev 2006, Sisley, (http://nik.blue-edge.bg/?p=14)
- Fig.23 :Dolce Gabbana 2007, (http://www.catwalkqueen. tv/2007/12/at_a_glance_the.html) Fig.29 - 32: Ancient Greek Roman Sculpture.(www.utexas. edu/.../ hercules1/AA-Herc-Farnese.jpg) -Fig.33: Male fashion sketch. (greywolf.critter.net/.../ 2002-04-13-fashion.jpg) Fig.34: Female fashion sketch. (http://cawamelcwizzle.multiply. com/journal) - Fig.36-40: Boyreau, Le Male Mystic 2004, p.2 - 3 -18 - 35. -Fig 42-46: Male cosmetics, Men’s Health magazine, October 2008.
Bibiography
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T he End