found
journal by hassan shaheed
found
journal
introduction
One of the most important graphic design elements is
type, or Typography. Typeography is the art and technique of arranging type in order to make language visible. Typography conveys hierarchy as well. Type itself can also convey a message, or feelings for invididuals. When you look at type for a certain establishment, you ask yourself “why did they choose this specific type?” You’ll also be asking yourself “how do I feel about this type?” That is what this book is about: my findings of various type and typography and asking those particular questions regarding the type that I’ve found. How did I come across these particular types? Why do I like thiem? What was it about the type that caught my attention?
“syfy” type Date Taken: September 27th, 2013 Location: Contemporary Art Museum of Houston (Houston, TX)
O
n this day I spent aabout an hour browsing many artworks from various graphic designers. Although there were many originals there were many that we are all familiar with. Take the “sci-fi” logo for instance; for those that remember the original “Sci-Fi” logo it had the words “Sci-Fi” behind a violet planet. What makes the current logo work so well is how simple the type is. I admire how balanced it is; the weight of the type is evenly distributed. But the number one reason why I included this type was its simplicity. In this generation, it’s all about simplicity. Nowadays when it comes to graphic design, most designers use type that’s easy on the eyes and lets our brains do less work. When you see the words “Sci-fi” you know what it is but at the same time it seems a bit too serious for the viewer; a bit to informal. But when you look at the words “syfy” you not only know what it means but it’s easier and more fun to look at.
“the jung center” type Date Taken: September 27th, 2013 Location: Museum District (Houston, TX)
I
found this banner when I was walking in the Museum District of Houston, Texas, the same day that I visited the Contemporary Art Museum of Houston. I was actually heading back to my truck when I noticed this banner that said “The Jung Center”. I didn’t exactly know what the Jung center was but what I found out was that it’s a store that has literature based on Asian philosophies. What captured my attention about this typeface was the word “jung”. Why was that? It is the way the typeface looked; simple, yet elegant. Doesn’t quite seem to match the other words; the “The” and “Center” look as if they could be a slimmer version of helvetica. The “The” and the “Center” are san serifs while the “Jung” has serifs; you can look at the letter “u” in the word and as well as the letter “n”. So I captured this because it immediately captured my attention. I fell in love with the elegance of this typeface. It tells much about the organization itself; they’re professional and as Asian culture would have it, they pride themselves on how well they present themselves.
“unit” type Date Taken: September 27th, 2013 Location: Contemporary Art Museum of Houston (Houston, TX)
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ithin that one hour I found many examples of what I thought was good typefaces (more of which I will show in later pages). I saw this on a wall that featured many times from the last decade. This is called “Unity”. One of the many things that I love about this is how it looks; it makes me think of the turn of the 21st century. It takes me back to the years 1999 and 2000; those were the years that gave us movies like “The Matrix”. This type has many characteristics roled into one; it’s a san serif for starters. It could pass for futura as well. Looking at the shape of the letters you can tell that the creator, Yomar Augusto, was slightly if not completely influenced by Bauhaus; the letters are rounded and give more of a curved shape. To me it just speaks “new age”; I’m someone that dwells in the computer age and I believe that that’s the type of audience this type is playing to.
“visible changes” type Date Taken: October 4th, 2013 Location: First Colony Mall (Sugar Land, TX)
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ne of my goals for this journal was to go to a large place where there was more opportunity to find different types. That’s why I went to First Colony Mall; many stores, restaurants, kiosks, etc, have so much potential for amazing types. This type that I found was closer to Macy’s. Visible Changes is a salon in First Colony Mall and has been there for many years. The reason why I captured this type is because I how it is a mixture of hand-written type and humanist type. I don’t just like this because the letters are green; the way the letters are shaped is what drew me to this. This is a hair salon so it is supposed to convey a more liberal message and meaning. The letters aren’t completely aligned but I think what makes this work so well is because of the color.
“stellaz” type
Date Taken: October 4th, 2013 Location: First Colony Mall (Sugar Land, TX)
T
his happened to be three stores away “Visible Changes”. I captured this because I wanted to be able to identify families of type. This is type in particular is futura. It’s clean, organized, balanced, and simple. I like how the “z” in “stellaz” is bold and how it compliments the star on the left. I honestly thought that this was a great example of futura which is why I captured it. I also believe that it has a great example of x-height; there’s this invisible line of axis that, to me, is perfect with this type. This shop sells items such as jewelry and other accessories and I believe that this type fits well with what it’s selling. It’s friendly, easy to look at, engaging, and quite attractive.
“banana republic” type Date Taken: October 4th, 2013 Location: First Colony Mall (Sugar Land, TX)
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his is one of the reasons why I ventured into the mall for this project. There are so many examples of type in the mall it’s just insane. And for someone who is learning more about typography,, it’s a great investment. This is an example of early serif types; part of the letter is narrow while the other parts of it is thick. I captured this because I like how elegant and simple it looks. No crazy designs, no unnecessary colors or images. Just the text itself. This is a very famous clothing store which specializes in men’s suits. With a store like this, the type has to look its best. The type does exactly what it’s supposed to do; it gives the customers a sense of professionalism, which is what this store is about. Selling professional suits to professional men.
“yankee candle” type Date Taken: October 4th, 2013 Location: First Colony Mall (Sugar Land, TX)
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cross from “Visible Chages”, “Stellaz” and “Banana Republic” lies Yankee Candle. Although this may sound a bit minor, the reason why I captured this was because I thought that it was a great example of the use of serifs in type. Somewhere in this text there are feet and stems and the way that this title uses feet and stems is amazing to me. Yankee Candle is a shop that sells nothing but candles; part of the concept for the type could be traced back to the days where candle makers were really popular. They needed a type that was similar to that of old time while maintaining a professional look. I also believe that it is inviting as well; it isn’t complext, isn’t too small or too large, and doesn’t carry complex colors.
“coach” type Date Taken: October 4th, 2013 Location: First Colony Mall (Sugar Land, TX)
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his was the one of the last pictures that I took while I was in the mall. At first I thought that this was a bit too plain to put into a book, but then I realized that it’s not just the typeface or font used, it’s every characteristic in the type. The type mixes into the wall to where it is almost non-existent. This could be characterized as helvetica or another type of san serif type. Coach is a store that specializes in purses and handbags. The name itself is the reason why women go into the store and shop; sometimes just the name itself is all you really need. To some this might be boring, but to others it’s a symbol. Sometimes a type doesn’t have to have a significant typeface or color, but it has to be able to just be a symbol, or brand.
“shiekh” type Date Taken: October 4th, 2013 Location: First Colony Mall (Sugar Land, TX)
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his was the last picture I took on the way out of the mall. I saw it coming in and had to think about including it. I added this picture because this was unlike any type I had seen. How do you categorize this? I thought that it was unique for starters; the shape of the letters is what gives it its uniqueness. But what I think really captures people’s attention is the “s” in Shiekh. The top of the “s” becomes a line about the x-height of the word and is also used to convey the illusion of a dot for the “i”. This is a clothing store that’s located near the food court of the mall.
“foundations” type Date Taken: October 4th, 2013 Location: Foundations at Rivercrest Apartments (Sugar Land, TX)
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his is the name of the apartment complex where I live. When I first started this project I had the idea originally to include the name of my apartment complex but changed my mind because I thought it was a bit cheap. But the only reason why I decided to keep it was because of the type itself. It’s another serif type that’s supposed to resemble the more classical type. I like how the letters are all perfectly aligned with each other. That, to me, shows that the management at least cares about the impression that they give people (to some extent). It’s elegant, simple, symmetrical, and well placed.
“visionworks” type Date Taken: October 4th, 2013 Location: First Colony Mall (Sugar Land, TX)
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took this picture after I captured most of the pictures of the shops that surrounded the Macy’s side of the mall. It is another example of what I think is a perfect use of serifs. Though the words “vision” and “works” are tightly closed in, it does manage to work. Apparently this is all one word. This, to me, looks like “times new roman”, but conveyed to look more attractive. Again, I love how this type is perfectly aligned; the x-height is perfect. Red happens to be my favorite color and ironically the color red coincides with vision. I love it when shops take the time to research for their graphic design projects when working on a title or a logo.. This is easy to look at, simple, and it does draw attention.
“the body” type Date Taken: September 27th, 2013 Location: Contemporary Art Museum of Houston (Houston, TX)
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t wasn’t until I actually got home and reviewed my pictures that I noticed something very interesting about this artwork: there are two different fonts. One part of the artwork is displayed in serifs, possibly minion pro, gill sans, or times new roman. The other part of the artwork looks to be helvetica, or another type of san serif. I included this picture because I honestly believed that this was a great example of using two different types the right way, and I believe that that’s why this particular piece was in the exhibit to begin with. When you think about it, the text in the artwork could be a play on words; perhaps switching from one kind of type to another makes the text looks as if its lost weight.
“dreams/awake” type Date Taken: September 27th, 2013 Location: Museum District (Houston, TX)
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nother great example of what happens when two different types are used perfectly. Like the picutre before with one part being a type of serif and the other part being helvetica or a type of san serif, this picture conveys more of a rhythm than symmetry. The two words that are emphasized with this type are “dreams” and “awakes”. I think that this is well thought out by whomever created this design. I believe hat it’s well orgainized and shows a sense of hierarchy.
“trilogy” type Date Taken: September 27th, 2013 Location: Contemporary Art Museum of Houston (Houston, TX)
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he description for this particular type is within the picture; however my opinion of why I chose this picture differs from its description. This, to me, looks like cursive handwriting along with the combination of serifs and fat face. The look of the letters is what attracted me the most and prompted me to capture this type. I also love the uniqueness of the serifs within the letters; it’s not your typical serif and it seems to give the type more personality.
“tcby” type Date Taken: September 27th, 2013 Location: Contemporary Art Museum of Houston (Houston, TX)
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hough I’ve never heard of this yogurt, I did like the typeface. It does resemble futura mostly but it’s also quite unique. I think that the most attractive thing about this typeface is the shape of the letters. I love the shape of the letters; this definitely makes the title look more fun and engaging. If the company is trying to promote yogurt, they’re going to want to incorperate fun into their design and I believe that that’s what they did with this. It’s quite attractive, elegant, complex but in a great way, and it’s quite difficult to stop staring at it.
“helvetica” type Date Taken: September 27th, 2013 Location: Contemporary Art Museum of Houston (Houston, TX)
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his caught my attention immediately when I saw it. I know that this is just an artwork with helvetica on it but it’s what the artist did with the word itself that captivated me. To me it looks like the word “helvetica” is a crack in the wall. Could this mean that helvetica broke some sort of ground when it was first introduced? What I love about this is how the word “helvetica” is written out. Each letter in the word is arranged in a different way; the “e” is either broken or longer. The “t” is barely visible. I just love how unique this is.
“buffalo” type Date Taken: September 27th, 2013 Location: Contemporary Art Museum of Houston (Houston, TX)
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t was a nostalgic reason for me choosing this artwork. My high school’s mascot was a buffalo and amazingly enough, this was the type that was used for the logo. That’s not the only reason why I like this; I like it because it reminds me of those old western “wanted” posters. Though this time is fairly new; it was created in 2011. To some, it can be a nostalgic feeling when looking at it because of old westerns with this similar type. I
“chipotle” type Date Taken: October 10th, 2013 Location: Small Shopping Center (Missouri City, TX)
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his shot was taken for two reasons: one, I was actually looking for something to eat. Two, I’ve always been keen about the Chipotle title. It’s helvetica, but I like the word “Chipotle” is in a defined shape. It still shows balance and symmetry but I believe that th curved rectangul outside the word gives it its shape. There’s much depth to the word; the letters just jump right out.
“marco’s pizza” type Date Taken: October 10th, 2013 Location: Small Shopping Center (Missouri City, TX)
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his was a few doors down from Chipotle. What made me decide to add this picture was because my goal was to find as many different types as I possibly could. I like this typeface because it looks to be a mixture of Bauhaus and futura. The letters look fun and great to look at. I like how a slice of pizza takes the place of an apostrophe. The words are well balanced, symmetrical and so simple. This typeface is quite easy on the eyes which is a good thing. With restaurants, I’ve noticed that they try to use typefaces that are fun but at the same time simple.
“cafe adobe” type Date Taken: October 10th, 2013 Location: Cafe Adobe (Sugar Land, TX)
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was still in my search of finding food when I noticed this. I chose this picture because it looks like handwriting; obviously it’s a san serif but it’s quite difficult to put it into a certain family. This is a mexican restaurant not that far from my house. What makes this typeface so successful is how the shadows give it more depth. It’s not your average typeface, which is good. The first thing you notice when you see this typeface is how the letters are shaped. I think that that’s what so attractive about this typeface to me. Another thing I noticed about it is that both words seemed to be left justified, as if in a word document.
“chili’s” type Date Taken: October 10th,, 2013 Location: Chili’s Parking Lot (Sugar Land, TX)
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ll personal feelings aside about theri food, I can’t ignore its typeface. I chose this because Chili’s typeface is used in such a unique way. The “H” and the “I” are connected, along with a chili pepper taking the place of the apostrophe. The typeface looks to be lowercase helvetica, or another type of san serif. What really gets my attention when I look at Chili’s typeface is two things: one, the “H” and the “I”. Two, the chili pepper apostrophe. The letters are close together but the good thing is that they show balance. The Chili’s typeface is fun to look at, easy on the eyes, and avoids too much complexity.
“wallpapers to go” type Date Taken: October 10th, 2013 Location: First Colony Commons (Sugar Land, TX)
I
was on the way home from finally finding food when I took a shortcut through he First Colony Commons; this is a shopping center with plenty of stores and restaurants. Normally an area like this has the usual helvetica typefaces everywhere, but this typeface was different. I saw a another mixture of futura and Bauhaus typeface. Though it looks quite plain, I just loved the typeface; yes it is simple, but it’s pleasant. Many of the lowercase letters are quite different from one another in terms of their shape; their unlike other typefaces that keep a definite shape.
“freebirds” type Date Taken: October 10th, 2013 Location: First Colony Commons (Sugar Land, TX)
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his is another picture that I took on the way home in the same shopping center. I love this place, though I did not get food there. The reason why I took this picture was because though it is obviously helvetica, I love the arrangements of each word. “Freebirds” is all-caps with an exclamation point replacing the “I”, and both the words “World” and “Burrto” have reverse “R’s”. I also like the hierarchy as well; though every word is in all-caps, the word “Freebirds”
“red lobster” type Date Taken: October 10th, 2013 Location: Red Lobster Parking Lot (Sugar Land, TX)
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his is where I actually got my food from on this day. I took this picture as I was leaving the parking lot. I took this picture for a number of reasons; the Red Lobster typeface is has pretty nice serifs. I love the shapes of the serifs on the “T” and the “L”. It’s quite attractive in my opinion. Another reason why I decided to take this picture is the casing of the letters; I though that this was the perfect example of large caps and small caps in a title. The “R” and the “L” are the original uppercase letters while the rest of the letters are still uppercase but smaller. caps. This was the first time that I noticed this with the Red Lobster title. This is using small caps and large caps the right way.
“blu” type Date Taken: October 12th, 2013 Location: Town Center (Sugar Land, TX)
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y soul purpose for traveling this day was searching for more pictures of typefaces. This is one that I discovered after a few minutes of searching. This is from a restaurant, obviously called “Blu”. I’ve never seen this before and I believe what really caught my attention was the shaping of the letters. I’m not quite sure if you can classify this as helvetica or a certain seri; It could be that one letter, the “L”, is helvetica, but the rest of the letters could possibly be of another typeface. Regardless, I felt that this was quite an attractive sign.
“gamestop” type Date Taken: October 12th, 2013 Location: Town Center (Sugar Land, TX)
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didn’t know whether or not this was in bad taste or not but personally I felt that I had to add this. The reason why I added this was because I respect the GameStop typeface. It’s quite different from other typefaces that I’ve found; the other typefaces were either really narrow or really tall. The GameStop typeface, in my opinion, is perfect. Not because I love GameStop but because I love how symmetrical it is. It’s perfectly aligned, balanced, simple, easy to read, etc. In reality, the word “Stop” is red, which coincides with stop signs. If the word “Stop” was red, you could see that the title is saying “Stop, because there are games.”
“benihana” type Date Taken: October 12th, 2013 Location: Town Center (Sugar Land, TX)
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looked closely at the typeface for Benihana and I had to add it. At first I thought it was a form of Bauhaus but then I thought that maybe it could be a mixture of things. My attraction was the shape of the letters; to me, there was this sense of an oriental typeface. This is, after all, a japanese grill. The letters are symmetrial, well balanced, and well organized. As minor as this may seem, the “N’s” are what drew me to adding this picture. The “N’s” are slightly curved on almost all sides except for the stem.
“la madeleine� type Date Taken: October 12th, 2013 Location: Town Center (Sugar Land, TX)
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his is another example of two typefaces working together. At the top you have what appears to be a handwritten typeface. On the bottom the typeface appears to be helvetica. I find it that using cursive type, while can be a bit cheap, benefits the company depending on how you use it. I believe La Madeleine, a french restaurant, uses it well. It’s a cursive typeface that uses serifs and I believe that it uses the cursive type quite well. But overall, my reasons for choosing this was because I love the cursive type and how they incorperated it with the helvetica typeface.
“ideal image” type Date Taken: October 12th, 2013 Location: Town Center (Sugar Land, TX)
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fell in love with this typeface for many reasons; it’s another example of small caps mixed with large caps for starters. Though it does look to be helvetica, the shape of some of the letters tend to prove otherwise. For example, the “E” isn’t that of helvetica but has certain characteristics of helvetica. Same goes for the “G”; it tends to curve at the tip. The words are well balanced in my opinion and they’re quite symmetrical.
“rush fitness” type Date Taken: October 12th, 2013 Location: Town Center (Sugar Land, TX)
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ast but not least, this is one of the last pictures I took this day. This isn’t a gym but they sell fitness equipment. The reason why I chose this to be in my journal was because I love the feeling I got from looking at it. You see this so much with sports and performance places, gyms, and other places that specialize in fitness. It seems to be a unique version of helvetica; the shaping of the letters are different than that of traditional helvetica. I can see why they chose this typeface; the first word, “Rush”, along with the typeface gives you this feeling of wanting or needing to work out/exercise.
Found
journal
About this book... Included in this book a a slew of pictures, showing titles, banners, artworks, plaques, all showing vari-
ous typefaces and types. This is all a part of typography. Typography is very important in the graphic design world. It is what creates hierarchy in graphic design art; it is what gives the viewer a feeling, be it good or bad. Type is important; it dates back centuries and has evolved multiple times since. Today, typography is important because in a world that we live it, getting the point across is the most important thing, and as a graphic designer, you’ve got to be able to have the right typeface to do it. So in this book, it’ll show you what I consider to be great examples of types, uniqueness of typefaces, and how/ why it is important.
About the author.... Hassan Shaheed is a student at the University of Houston - Downtown. He is a senior graduating
with a BAFA degree this December. This book is a journal that is supposed to help his understanding of typography; it has shown him that typefaces are far more important than he ever thought. With his newfound knowledge of typography, he can go to the mall, stores, restaurants, etc, and have a newfound respect for those that use typography restectively.