Typography 2208
READING RESPONSES CLAIRE RICE
FALL 2012
READING RESPONSES
CONTENTS DOYALD YOUNG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 ARTIST SERIES WITH HILMAN CURTIS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 HELVETICA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 MARIAN BANTJES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 MARGO CHASE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 ART & COPY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 3 KIT HINRICHS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 4
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Doyald Young Studying Doyald Young's career, as a logotype designer, typeface designer, and teacher, would benefit every designer. He carried genuine passions for elegance, words, reading, and the art of typography. Young was known for his exquisite mastery of script lettering. His passion and experience earned himself a highly esteemed position as a mentor and instructor at the Art Center College of Design, California. A few of Young’s very successful typefaces include the elegant Young Baroque and Young Gallant typefaces, along with the popular Home Run typeface. Young treasured his experiences, producing the book Fonts and Logos ( includes 470 fonts and took five and a half years to produce), and the book Dangerous Curves: Mastering Logotype Design. Doyald Young greatly enjoyed drawing for most of his life. He held the medium as a foundation for his work. Young embraced the structures of letters and words with his fine pencil work. Just his sketch work proved extremely meticulous and reflected his loves for elegant detail and practicing versatility. In his teachings, Doyald Young encouraged designers to thoroughly explore challenges, while welcoming various possibilities and changes to designs. He describes the process as involving several small sketches, then basic drawings, followed by a precise pencil drawing, and finally the digital reproduction. Young also taught that the basic rules of design involved clear legibility and appealing appearances that agree with the client and cater to the audience. Doyald Young emphasized that variations in designs are key and that weaks and changes are contribute in defining the uniqueness of a design. Doyald Young valued graphic design for the diversity of opportunities it provides, in terms of building upon creative innovations. Young’s work reflects his will to enhance and improve essential techniques in typographic design. He embraced the tsearch for infinite possibilities when it came to developing new design solutions. People generally accept that they have limits of which they can not surpass. Instead, Young treasured the experience of working so much harder to reach past anyone’s limits or expectations. Doyald Young lead a very great life and was very much loved for his excellent work, various efforts , positive mindset and work ethic, and his charming character. He wil forever be remembered as a master in art and design. 3
ARTIST SERIES
with
HILLMAN CURTIS
Featuring a series of internationaly recognized designers that share a passion for communication and artistic expression through graphic design. Through this interview series, designers discuss their personal values and drives.
DAVID CARSON When approaching a design project, Carson emphasizes the importance of taking a subjective approach and interpreting the source material. A question designers should consider is “what makes sense?” When a designers takes note of requirements and yet embraces freedoms while incorporating personal touches, they have set the foundation for a successful starting point.
MILTON GLASER
Graphic design has a great role in society. Glaser believes that the life of a designer revolves around being both a business person and an artist. It is the responsibility of designers to spread ideas and unite them. Art becomes a gift from designers to public audiences, of commonalities to share. This is an encouraging mindset and role with which every designer should challenge themselves.
PENTAGRAM Designers in Pentagram offices all around the world are known for “producing new meaning through design.” The artists under this firm leave behind legacies. They constantly take on great challenges and problems, and focus on finding creative solutions. It should be an amazing experience to conceive a solution,z but the process, of making it come to life, is what requires continuous improvements and also growth in the designer.
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HELVETICA A Documentary Film By
GARY HUSTWIT
Typography is such a significant aspect of industrial culture in general. It’s found on almost every thing that people come into contact with. We see typographical design in advertising, electronics, books, various software, labels for average every day products and tools, etc. When I am asked about why I want to become a graphic designer and why I have an interest in studying typography, I think about how the most successful designers of the past and present contribute(d) to our world. I want to contribute to the betterment of this world and to our culture in both big and small ways also. Summer was coming to a close and I had been with my family, driving down town to the beach. I am asked about my fall courses and why I am looking forward to typography. “What is typography?” When asked this question I reflected on the documentary Helvetica. The film opened my eyes to a new way to describe graphic design while bringing others (and myself) to appreciate how it is reflected throughout various indurstries. “Hmmmm... How to explain typography... Well! Look outside at all the signage that surrounds us. The street signs, the restaurants, department stores, even the sketchy plaza store front signs...graphic designers worked with companies and businesses to develeop all of those images. A lot of fonts are unique to their clients despite the fact that the specific fonts are used a lot in general.” After explaining, my family came to understand the wonder of graphic design a lot more. They favored script-like signage and PF Cheng’s logotype and also compared classy department store signatures to gaudy but likeable signage for small business. The documentary, Helvetica, really encouraged me to study design found in almost everything. I am grateful to this documentary for helping me understand graphic design as a field and its roles in our every day lives. I now understand what it takes for designers to develop logotypes and signatures while selecting or creating fitting fonts. The typeface helvetica itself is so simple and yet so unique. Despite its simplicity, various designers all over the world have been inspired by Helvetica and have found ways to push the typeface into a diversity of creative directions ever since it was developed (1957). I wonder when and how I will approach the use of helvetica as a designer in the future.
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Marian Bantjes Marian Bantjes is a graphic designer well known for her uniqueness in style. Her personal passions were what brought her greater success and recognition throughout her later career. She shares that her start in the art world was not ideal. Her time spent in art school was short-lived but not unfruitful because it lead to other opportunities. Bantjes found work through a publishing company in her early days where she became a typesetter. Her experience with layouts and typography also eased her into the field of graphic design. The depths of her story prove that smaller hiccups can always lead to greater successes.
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Later in her career as a graphic designer, Marian Bantjes explains that her experience, working with Digitopolis, meant working by a "strategic model." Bantjes expresses that she appreciated her work as a graphic designer for decades, but later felt restricted by the business format of her workplace. With Digitopolis there was no particular style of design. The firm primarily adapted to the needs of their clients. The jobs of designers were to determine the right strategies to develop a client's identity and represent them successfully, while appealing to their needs. Bantjes left the company after several years, satisfied with her time spent in the field. She began to focus on herself as both an artist and designer. This move is interesting because its is hardly heard of. Bantjes was able to survive without the support of the firm, while so many others would chose to stick to the comfort of securing their positions in any firm. Still Bantjes had several years of experience, contrasted with young aspiring designers. Still her risk should remind any designer that they should balance their own personally motivated works with that of their work's and trust that experience over time will grow into greater successes of their own.
Later work by Marian Bantjes highly contrasted from that of her previous life chapter with Digitopolis. Her work sprung from personal projects powered by passion. She and her work had not been motivated by potential financial success. Bantjes created work with the intention of having powerful impact upon those she would gift it all to. Her work began to reflect how much effort she wanted to put into making a living from doing something she loves. In her case now as both an illustrator and graphic designer, clients commission Bantjes for her uniqueness. The strategic business decision of a client is to call for Marian Bantjes, with an understanding that her work is based on her personal interpretations rather than general standards of design. Work by Bantjes is recognized by so many because of the clear extreme levels of effort and passion she puts into it all. It is almost impossible to ignore how much care she incorporates into the details of her work. Bantjes sets general goals for each piece. She aims for a level of impact on her audience. She wants people to double-take upon noticing her works. In that way viewers can spend time of their own with her work, while interpreting her messages. Her works leave a unique mark on viewers. Her works are intricate and almost puzzling to the eye in design. These characteristics draw viewers into the experiences behind the messages portrayed. Marian Bantjes explores the various possibilities behind design, beyond the standards of the past and today. She has done what many innovators of the past have done, which is creating her own distinctive niche between art and design. This is a dream that almost every designer aims for. Marian Bantjes has and continues to inspire budding innovators through her work.
Design Ignites Marian Bantjes Poster (2006)
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Hand-Lettered Poster for AIGA,Santa Barbara Chapter Margo Chase (2008)
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Margo Chase Every aspiring graphic designer should research Margo Chase's work. Every aspect of her work, from the environment to her studio's processes, is worth recognizing and commending. The series Creative Inspirations covers Margo Chase through inspiring interviews. She welcomes viewers into her workspace, tells stories of her life in the field of graphic design, expresses her passions that drive her creativity, and shares intellect on some of her company's approaches to projects. With clients like Nickelodeon, Disney, Target, Samsung, Starbucks Coffee, Madonna and several other grand clients, Chase Design Group is highly recognized and successful because of how the group approaches design as a hardworking team while relating to its clients and audiences. Chase Design Group is an open studio, meaning that there are not any cubicles that separate the working designers. Margo Chase explains that this setting eases communication between the team members. People are able to relate feedback and ideas to one another across projects. The setting is filled with creative minds, so of course the studio itself would reflect the work of creative minds. A lively cartoony mural painting, a fun project that the designers worked on themselves, fills the walls of the studio, capturing a hint of quirky uniqueness. The studio is loft style, so Margo Chase has her desk set at the upper level of the loft. The upper level also includes a library, so expansive with inspiring and educational books, that it has an electronic catalogue. Chase Design Group has developed an environment that can only result in creative bursts and great production of work. Viewing the organization of their studio could encourage anyone to reflect on how very significant the studio environment is in contributing to a creative flow of thoughts. Margo Chase shares her story of how she got into design. I personally found this inspiring, because she initially aimed to go into the field of medicine (vet), just as I had, before going into the field of graphic design. She founder herself following her true passion and doing what she loved in the world of design. She was introduced through a calligraphy course later in her college career. I also found calligraphy to be one of my sources of inspiration, when turning to graphic design.
She fortunately found her niche in graphic design in designing the album covers of obscure musicians and music groups, for quite a few years. Taking on greater challenges got her better work under companies such as Warner Bros Records, Virgin Records, Sony, etc. Though she felt that album covers got to be limiting design projects, designing for them helped her explore and develop her voice for design in general. As an aspiring designer, I am constantly looking to develop my personal design aesthetic, concepts, and values. So to hear Chase's journey encouraged me to fight on and consider the various possibilities in the field of graphic design. It is very important to consider that a lot of Chase's earlier work was done solely by hand, because of the lack of reliable aid from computers. This made design more personal, relatable, and successful in a way. A lot of Chase's most widely recognizable works, such as the design for the logos of Francis Ford Coppola's Dracula and the series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, were done or inspired by her hand lettering work with ink. Through the interview, she described all the different media she has used for her work and kept with throughout the decades. Her work proves that designers do not have to limit themselves to digital media in order to produce successful works. Her interview also had me appreciate the great speed at which current design software of today works on computers. Chase had to struggle in the early 90's with slow computers, making for a tedious process. Her early work also inspired me to search for my own textures and develop my own library. Several of the textures that she used for her early work were pieces she found, making the work even more personal and yet appealing to her clients. What is truly admirable about Chase Design Groups approach to various client cases is the detailed process. It is truly important to step in the shoes of the consumer when designing. Creating a character to please, for the successful design of a product, results in a path to success. Considering the success of Margo Chase, it is recommended that any designer interpret her methods and learn. This will aid in the development of personal methods.
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ART & COPY A Documentary Film Directed By
DOUG PRAY
Director Doug Pray's documentary film, Art & Copy, reflects on the impact of the advertising industry throughout American culture. Advertising proves to be a very influential tool because consumers interact with it every single day. Whether the advertisement is a flash banner on a website or some guerrilla marketing strategy, everyone has recognized the power of advertising at some level. Art & Copy reveals the story of how Tommy Hilfiger's first ad campaign was so so daringly noticeable that it pushed him to work hard for his place next to legendary designers such as Ralph Lauren and Perry Ellis. The film also describes how advertisement campaigns for Mac computers, when first released, proved revolutionary. The genius aspect of advertising explains why the phrases "got milk?" and "I Love New York" stick in American mainstream culture despite the passage of time. Corporations, organizations, and businesses of all sizes depend on advertising to be recognized. Through advertising they earn clients, support, and success. This documentary describes how creativity meets business and constantly influences our economy. Various forms of advertising are meant to grab the attention of consumer audiences and connect with them in creative unique ways. It should be the ultimate goal, of any type of designer, to leave a positively influential impact through their work. The audience must come to understand what message the designer intends to share. The intent behind that presentation of that message must be determined enough to mark its own legacy. The world of the advertising industry is so diverse. Advertising can be marked as spam in an internet mailbox. Advertising can mean the saving of several lives of all sorts across the planet. Art & Copy reminds viewers of its great influence and presents the industry as a highly respectable and significant aspect of American culture. Can unknowing viewers ever look at commercials casually again after viewing this documentary? Probably not, because the efforts are too difficult to ignore. Inspired creative thinkers can push on to contribute to the positive impact of advertising if they work hard enough with a positive intent towards their goals.
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Kit Hinrichs There are many people who hold on to the misconception that graphic design involves the decoration of business products. The world of graphic design is so much more than that. It is a world of powerful storytelling through design, with messages intended for various audiences to recognize. Storytelling is a skill that Kit Hinrichs is world renowned for mastering. The Creative Inspirations series of Lynda.com recognizes Kit Hinrichs as "one of the most accomplished and respected graphic designers and illustrators of the last fifty years," and gifts viewers with coverage of a few of his invaluable messages. Hinrichs experiences throughout life are reflected through his work process and all of his successes. From a young age he explored his capabilities as an artist at every extent possible. He attended Art Center College of Design at an early age and graduated in 1963. From that point he traveled to do charity work and serve for his country. Varying experiences throughout the world gave him an open mind and heightened sense of awareness of the perspectives of others. It is crucial for a designer to understand how different people might react to and interpret any specific concept. Also recognizing that it is important to respect and learn from others for having different design mindsets from oneself is a key to success that Kit Hinrichs carries. That key led to thriving partnerships, a solid position with pentagram, and the successful business and design magazine @issue.
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Hinrichs allows designers to reflect on the importance of storytelling when communicating ideas so that those messages will resonate. The client first has to understand the role of graphic designers. Design is not just an "add-on." It has a great impact on the success of a company because it helps connect it with its own audiences. Design helps promote companies by effective and functional means. Hinrich's @issue magazine served as a solution to the gray areas gapping between the worlds of design and business. "How can we make visual language real and understandable to the business world?" It is intriguing to learn of the ways the two worlds impact and influence each other. They do depend on each other, and Hinrich recognized this and issued the magazine that would reflect that. Design is about solving various problems and communicating the solutions in an influential way,of which also reflects the passions that drive messages and stories.
Pentagram 2010 Calendar Kit Hinrichs
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CLAIRE RICE GRA2208 FALL 2012