OUGD601 - Practical: The Big Mac Poster Series
Project Rationale The aim of this project was to discuss and explore the place Typography has in Advertising, past and present. The development in typographical design has grown exponentially since the creation of the computer, and this has greatly altered the use of type and the written word in all forms of information output, and particularly in Advertising.
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Emily Lodge
The use of type in Advertising has always been important in putting the message across directly and immediately to the audience. The way in which typography is presented affects the entire tone of voice for the Advertisement and for the brand itself.
To see if typography does affect a consumers view of a product and brand, I created a series of promotional posters for one product - The Big Mac. The posters are identical in design, but each has its own typeface, following the general classifications discussed in the essay.
In the more recent years brands have been moving to use hand drawn/rendered type design to create a personal and more human connection with the consumers.
An in-depth questionnaire was created and given to a focus group of eight individuals alongside the seven posters. The findings are documented in this booklet.
OUGD601 - Practical: The Big Mac Poster Series
Typography Classifications
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Due to the large amount of variations now available in type design, classification systems are a lot more general. This is the system discussed in the essay.
Transitional A more defined style than Old Style. Serifs are clearer and straighter. The letters were all centred and straight, with the hairlines more defined with weight.
Blackletter The original font created for the Gutenberg Press in 1454 was an imitation of hand writing at the time.
Modern Large and abrupt contrast between thick and think strokes in letters. Serifs were either flat or balled.
Old Style The first serif typefaces were Old Style. These serifs were often bracketed or slanted. Hairlines were thick meaning no clear definition between the anatomy of each letter. Letters were slightly angular.
Slab Serif A style of font created for advertising. Serifs are blocked and bolder. All letters are consistent in weight with no large contrast in strokes.
Emily Lodge
Sans Serif A style of font with no serifs. Designed in the Modernist era, sans serif fonts are clinical and created for function before form. Graphic A classification of all other fonts which are more recent and are decorative, illustrative, image-based etc.
OUGD601 - Practical: The Big Mac Poster Series
Hand Drawn Typography Within the past few years there has been a move by large brands to experiment with hand drawn/rendered typography in their advertisements to create a more personalised appearance.
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These are brands that have been around for quite a while and have and established brand and audience, however with new competition continually appearing with fresh ideas and appeals, these larger brands are working to make themselves seem more friendly and personal, despite the large scale of them.
Emily Lodge
OUGD601 - Practical: The Big Mac Poster Series
McDonald’s The basis of the case study of McDonald’s was to look into the development of their advertisements over the past fifty years and how the typography has changed. The images above show the progression from 1964 (Top Left) to 2014 (Top Right).
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Emily Lodge
OUGD601 - Practical: The Big Mac Poster Series
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Emily Lodge
Poster 1 - Blackletter
Poster 2 - Old Style
Poster 3 - Transitional
The typeface used on this poster is a replica of the typeface designed for the Gutenberg Bible in 1454.
The typeface used on this poster is Garamond (1530) by Claude Garamond, a pivotal typeface of the time.
The typeface used on this poster is Baskerville (1757) by John Baskerville. It was created with the idea of improving ‘Caslon’, an important Old Style typeface.
OUGD601 - Practical: The Big Mac Poster Series
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Emily Lodge
Poster 4 - Modern
Poster 5 - Slab Serif
Poster 6 - Sans Serif
The typeface used on this poster is Didot, based on type designed from the Didot Family in 1784–1811. The typeface takes inspiration from Baskerville’s experimentation with increasing stroke contrast and a more condensed armature
The typeface on this poster is Museo Slab, a more recently developed slab serif based on the original slab serif typefaces.
The typeface on this poster is Gotham, created by Tobias FrereJones in 2000.
OUGD601 - Practical: The Big Mac Poster Series
Poster 7 - Graphic The typography on this poster was developed by hand and digitally altered to create a more authentic and hand-rendered feel to it. Inspired by block letters, the work of Dan Cassaro, to create the playfulness that McDonald’s is currently working with.
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Emily Lodge
OUGD601 - Practical: The Big Mac Poster Series
Response Booklet The response booklet created contained the key research and reasons behind the practical project, as well as the summarised feedback for each of the posters and the final conclusion drawn from the practical outcome.
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Emily Lodge