MONOGRAM DOROTHY PARKER KATIE EHRLICH
Visual Inspirations I began by looking at type styles evocative of the 1920s, when Dorothy Parker’s writing career began. I was inspired by all the clean, thin linework and also the more contrasting Bodoni-esc faces.
Visual Inspirations I then looked at the typography of companies Parker worked at as well as movies she screenwrote. Vogue in particular inspired me. She began her career and made a name for herself while at Vogue, and was fired for the sharp tongue she became famous for, so it’s an integral part of who she is.
First Thumbnails I started my process by tracing letterforms from design magazines and seeing how “d”s and “p”s relate to each other visually. I then applied some of those ideas in Illustrator, editing letterforms and making new ones from scratch.
Sketches I began sketching rough ideas based on the 1920s faces I had researched. I decided to stick with the uppercase “D” and “P” since Parker was such a strong, confident, and progressive woman. It better demonstrated her boldness.
Typeface Exploration I then began finding specific fonts that I could work with. I had three categories I looked for. 1: Vogue inspired faces that showed boldness but also femininity, 2: 1920s and 30s period-appropriate faces, and 3: Script fonts that emphasized her career in poetry and a bit of femininity as well.
Type Combinations After finding fonts in those three categories, I combined letterforms from different cateogies. I focused on finding a combination that expressed her career, her femininity, and her boldness all in one image.
First Illustrations Based on the type explorations, I altered the most successful typeface combinations to create more cohesive monograms. In all four, I used the typeface Lust for the “D.” Lust is very similar to Bodoni, but has cleaner, sharper serifs and fuller stems and curves. It emphasizes her confidence and womanhood better. For the “P” I tried several different directions. The first iteration, which I ended up going forward with, uses the “P” from Metropolis, a very recognizably 20s face. The linework within Meotrpolis
actually inspired the interwoven nature of this design. The second image uses the font “Capitol.” I removed the serifs on the “D” to create a simplier overall form. But with these changes the monogram lost some of its femininity and its vintage look. The bottom two use a typeface called Brim Narrow. I liked the boldness of the “P” and the contrast with the “d,” however it didn’t represent Parker very well. I slanted the letterforms to emphasize her sharp tongue more. In the end, the first monogram showed off Parker’s qualities far better than the other three.
Color References I drew from the muted color palettes of the early 1900s. The roses and beiges, often used in vintage dresses, were especially inspiring.
Exploring Color Before settling on the first monogram, I explored color across all of them. I was drawn to the more eye-catching colors like the reds, pinks, and yellows, especially in combination with one another.
Color Refinement I first used color separately on the “D” and “P”, but it interupted the interwoven and continuous quality of the letterform. I then tried to use shadow to give it depth. I ended up sticking with one simple, flat color that let the linework speak for itself.
Refining the Letterform After talking to Kiel, I realized that it would be more effective to show some depth with the linework itself rather than by adding unnecessary shadows. I ended up going with the design and color choice below. The line breaks create a sense of layering without ruining the continuity.
Dorothy Parke
Poet, screenwrit 732 Ocean ave long branch, nj
C: 201 967 1893 H: 201 731 1275 E: dparker@gmai W: www.dorothy
poet, author, sat 732 Ocean ave long branch, nj
dorothy parker
C: 201 967 1893 H: 201 731 1275 E: dparker@gmai W: www.dorothy
dorothy parker
poet, author, satiri 732 Ocean Ave Long Branch, NJ
C: 201 967 1893 H: 201 731 1275 E: dparker@gmail.co W: www.dorothypark
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il.com yparker.com
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Business Cards I wanted a fairly simple and clean card design. I experimented with various typefaces and weights that seemed period-appropriate but still clean. I tried cropping the monogram in various ways and placing it in a circle. Ultimately, cropping removed the serifs, taking away from the Vogue/1920s look of the logo. I played with the orientation as well. Vertical orientations suggest more strength than horizontal ones, which I evoked Dorothy Parker far better. The monogram also worked better compositionally on a vertical business card. As for the contact info, I experimented with different font sizes and weights. Bold was more legible than Roman on a pink background. Because of how simple the typeface and layout is, I spent a lot of time kerning. The numbers for this typeface (Technic) in particular were strangely spaced compared to the rest of the text.
dor dorothy parker dorothy parker
poet, author, satirist 732 Ocean Ave Long Branch, NJ
C: 201 967 1893 H: 201 731 1275 E: dparker@gmail.com W: www.dorothyparker.com
poet, author, satirist 732 Ocean ave long branch, nj
C: 201 967 1893 H: 201 731 1275 E: dparrker@gmail.com W: www.dorothyparker.com
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C H E: dp W: www
rothy parker
DOROTHY PARKER poet, author, satirist
ocean ave long branch nj
C: 201 967 1893 H: 201 731 1275 parker@gmail.com w.dorothyparker.com
732
732 Ocean Ave ong Branch, NJ
201 967 1893 c 201 731 1275 t dparker@gmail.com dorothyparker.com
poet & author
dorothy parker
dorothy parker dorothy parker
201 731 1275 t dparker@gmail.com dorothyparker.com
DOROTHY PARKER poet, author, satirist ocean ave long branch nj 732
201 967 1893 c 201 731 1275 t dparker@gmail.com dorothyparker.com
DOROTHY PARKER poet, author, satirist ocean ave long branch nj 732
201 967 1893 c 201 731 1275 t
dparker@gmail.com dorothyparker.com
DOROTHY PARKER
DOROTHY PARKER
POET - AUTHOR - SATIRIST 732 OCEAN AVE LONG BRANCH NJ
201 967 1893 C 201 731 1275 T DPARKER@GMAIL.COM DOROTHYPARKER.COM
DOROTHY PARKER poet, author, satirist
c
ocean ave long branch nj 732
201 967 1893
Final Card
Later Revisions After talking with one of the members of Good Fucking Design Advice, I went back and made some small revisions. For the monogram, I made the junctions in the “P� better match the curve of the bowl. Then I added some margin space to the top and bottom of the front side of the busines card.
Actual Size