Type Journal BY LIBBY SCHINNOW
What: Wild Iris Books Place: University Avenue, Gainesville, Florida Date: January 1, 2012 Time: 11am Influence: The large, sans serif, lettering on this sign mimics and compliments the form of
the person in the logo. The smaller script used below both mimics the curves present in the logo. Overall, the sign is very readable and the colors are well chosen (not overwhelming, yet still bright and distinct).
What: Wing Zone Place: University Avenue, Gainesville, Florida Date: January 1, 2012 Time: 11am Influence: This sign uses two colorful sans serif typefaces. The main typeface, used for the larger text is red, underlined, angular, and slightly tilted to the left. An orange swirl separates "Wing" from "Zone" and makes an association with spicy food. The text below, is smaller and the same orange as the swirl. It is more simple, all capital letters, not titling, no embellishments. This sign is successful because in that it draws inspiration from the kind of food it offers.
Signage Downtown 2
What: Kabak House Place: University Avenue, Gainesville, Florida Date: January 1, 2012 Time: 11am Influence: "Kabab" is written in a typeface mimicking middle eastern writing (referencing the food served). The typeface "House" is written references its location and customer base while creating a more inviting atmosphere. Both are distinct enough that their differences compliment each other. This sign successfully visualizes the qualities of the restaurant while luring in potential customers.
What: The Independent Florida Alligator Place: University Avenue, Gainesville, Florida Date: January 1, 2012 Time: 11am Influence: This sign uses a basic serif typeface in a cobalt
blue. The letters of typeface the typeface are a bit round and the "a" is not capitalized making the sign seem friendly and less erudite (as many newspapers like the New York Times seem). Simple, but inviting. It does its job successfully.
What: Karma Cream Place: University Avenue, Gainesville, Florida Date: January 1, 2012 Time: 11am Influence: The main text is done in a large (and all capital) letters but using a very thin sans serif
typeface. "Karma" and "Cream" are separated by a scoop of ice-cream lying in a "bowl" made of three leaves. The leaves are a reference to the organic nature of the ice-cream (stated below the main text in a similar but smaller and all lowercase
typeface). All elements are a dark green. Light and airy, this sign successfully visualized the lightness of the impact this food has on the environment.
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What: Derek Ballard’s Cartoon Show Place: Board inside FAC, Gainesville, Florida Date: December 31, 2011 Time: 6pm Influence: I found this poster interesting because the simple layout balances the detailed typeface (made of small dots, very pixel-like). The main information takes up the top half and more information and a picture take up the bottom half. The colorful pictures draws the viewer into what otherwise would be a fairly boring poster.
What: Just Add Water Place: Board inside FAC, Gainesville, Florida Date: December 31, 2011 Time: 6pm Influence: This poster successfully organizes a large amount of information in a clean design. The variation of serif and sans serif along with variation on color (either blue or grey) adds interest to the poster. The artists names are all clearly visible and displayed in 4
a such a way to make the viewer pay more attention to the long list. The plus sign turning into a faucet cleverly visualizes the name of the exhibit.
Po
What: Got 4Most? Place: University Avenue, Gainesville, Florida Place: Board inside FAC, Gainesville, Florida Date: December 31, 2011 Time: 6pm Influence: The milk carton effectively display the information and is a reference to the "Got Milk" campaigns"Got" is written in the same typeface. The physical combination of 4 and Most is also interesting.
What: James Mobberly Place: Board inside FAC, Gainesville, Florida Date: December 31, 2011 Time: 6pm Influence: While this poster is visually appealing, there does not appear to be much reasoning behind the round sans serif typeface. Color is used to create a hierarchy of information. The visuals are very simple but more than enough the get the point across. The aesthetic of the poster successfully mimics the type of music being played at the event.
osters
What: Pressed and Reptar Praything Jazz Prison Ghost Fields Place: Pole outside KKG sorority house, Gainesville, Florida Date: December 31, 2011 Time: 6pm Influence: The larges writing (taking up almost half of the poster) on this poster seems to be an odd mishmash of words strung together with no real meaning- possible the name of the event though extremely long. All of the text on the poster is in the same typeface (the in different sizes) which appears to be disintegrating. The poster is made with black ink on greenish yellow paper. This poster is unsuccessful in that it not only is visually unappealing, but does not clearly deliver the information.
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What:The Knot Place: University Avenue Publix, Gainesville, Florida Date: January 5, 2012 Time: 5pm Influence: "the knot" is written in white with all lowercase in an attempt to make a stressful event less intimidating. The typeface is dreamlike and reminiscent of the flowing letters on wedding invitations (though a bit more structured making the magazine seem informative).
Magazine
Covers 6
What: Scientific American Place: University Avenue Publix, Gainesville, Florida Date: January 5, 2012 Time: 5pm Influence: "Scientific American" is written in a no frills serif typeface with thick stems. The magazine looks trustworthy and informative, not at all outdated. Simple, but effective.
What: Esquire Place: University Avenue Publix, Gainesville, Florida Date: January 5, 2012 Time: 5pm cover Influence: "Esquire" is written in a red script outlined in white. The head of man on the cover covers a portion of the "q" and u". The typeface is elegant yet masculine, successfully emulating the material covered by the magazine. Men would not want to pick up a feminine looking magazine, not would women a masculine one. What: Nylon Place: University Avenue Publix, Gainesville, Florida Date: January 5, 2012 Time: 5pm Influence: Nylon utilizes an extremely round, bold, typeface. "Nylon" is written in pink (targeting the magazine toward a younger female audience) with the "L" being obstructed by the face of the woman on the cover. The magazine looks youthful, fashionable and up to date without looking childish What: Wired Place: University Avenue Publix, Gainesville, Florida Date: January 5, 2012 Time: 5pm Influence: "Wired" is written with serif typeface in all capitals. The letters alternate between white on silver and silver on white (though from experience the two colors differ from issue to issue). The typeface looks strong and trustworthy, with a hint of the digital feel. Some of the words intersect the title but not in a way that is distracting. 7
What: Skyy Vodka Place: Courtyards Apartments, Gainesville, Florida Date: January 1, 2012 Time: 8pm Influence: "Skyy" is written in a bold sanserif typeface. It looks sturdy, no decorative flares. "Vodka" is written in a much thinner sans serif typeface creating a hierarchy between the two words. The minimally decorative, no-flare label, intentionally mimics the qualities of the product itself.
Alcohol
What: Cupcake Place: Courtyards Apartments, Gainesville, Florida Date: January 1, 2012 Time: 8pm Influence: "Cupcake" is written in a typeface resembling handwriting done with an ink pen. Combined with the elaborate border, this vodka appears friendly and dessertlike (most likely intentional judging by the brand name).
Bottles 8
What: Mississippi Mud Place: Courtyards Apartments, Gainesville, Florida Date: January 1, 2012 Time: 8pm Influence: The main text of this label is a basic black sans serif manipulated into a two level arch. Between the text, the faded colors of the background, and the imagery of the Gator, this beer appears old and homemade. Interestingly, it isn't actually made in Mississippi.
What: Grey Goose Vodka Place: Courtyards Apartments, Gainesville, Florida Date: January 1, 2012 Time: 8pm Influence: For being a top-shelf brand, I was surprised by the bottle which does not give off elegance or luxury. A simple serif typeface is used for all of the elements. The imagery itself could be effective if paired with a different typeface. Additionally, the brand name akwardly uns off the sides making it a bit difficult to read.
What: Old Savannah Place: Courtyards Apartments, Gainesville, Florida Date: January 1, 2012 Time: Approximately 8pm Influence: Within each letter of the ornamented serif typeface making up the words "Olde
Savannah" are two arrows pointing toward a small dot. They are almost invisible unless you are paying close attention and their meaning remains mysterious but adds a touch of uniqueness. The serifs themselves are wavy lines. The reasoning behind the labels elements is unclear but the overall aesthetic is pleasing and inviting.
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What: Catch-22 Place: Rawlings Hall, Gainesville, Florida Date: February 10, 2012 Time: 3pm Influence: I really like the simplicity of this cover. I've only read about a quarter of the book so it's hard to tell, but it seems like every aspect of the cover was well thought out and meaningful to the plot of the book. The sans serif typeface is in all caps and it is very narrow, giving it a look of fragility It has a thin drop shadow behind it. The illustration is simple but clear and does not overwhelm the text. The 50th anniversary medal is visible but does not overshadow any of the rest of the cover.
What: Thinking with Type Place: Rawlings Hall, Gainesville, Florida Date: February 10, 2012 Time: 3pm Influence: Once again, a book on typography must have a nice looking cover. No one would want advice from a book on typography that could not even use its own advice to create a nice cover for this book. This cover is yellow
with a newspaper looking border. "type" is written as an illustration of the different parts of a typeface. "thinking with" is written above it slightly smaller. The lack of capitals make it feel friendly, accessible, and easy to learn. The visual weight of the cover is to the right but a black square on the lower left hand corner help to balance it a little bit. The asymmetry adds to the visual interest.
Book Covers 10
What: The Elements of Typographic Style Place: Rawlings Hall, Gainesville, Florida Date: February 10, 2012 Time: 3pm Influence: A book on typography must have a nice looking cover. No one would want advice from a book on typography that could not even use its own advice to create a nice cover for this book. The black cover is very simple: the name of the book (written in a white serif typeface), the author (written in an orange serif typeface), and a small typographic illustration in the bottom right corner. Clean and simple, with all the important information easily accessible. The serif typefaces give the cover a reliable and timeless feeling.
What: Holy Bible Place: Rawlings Hall, Gainesville, Florida Date: February 10, 2012 Time: 3pm Influence: This book is interesting because it is a very cheaply made bible, however the publisher tried to make it look expensive. The bible is a basic hardcover but the brown jacket cover is distressed in a way to resemble more expensive leather bibles. Similarly, the text and the embellished pattern bordering the cover are printed in a gold color- not real but emulating the style of nicer bibles. The book cover uses limited text and no illustration. Written on the cover is "The Holy Bible" above the version of the bible (1611 Kin James Version) written a bit smaller. Below both on the very bottom reads the "400th Anniversary Edition". The typeface is a consistent calligraphic script, once again mimicking the style of "nicer" bibles.
What: Anna Karenina Place: Rawlings Hall, Gainesville, Florida Date: February 10, 2012 Time: 3pm Influence: This book is a part of a series of classics done by Barnes and Noble. It is interesting because the same basic text/layout is used for each one. They are not the most interesting, but considering the number of books in the collection, this is what must be done to give them a consistent look that works with each regardless of the plot. The all caps serif typeface used on the title is almost as large as the author's name, both of which are above the picture. The main color of the picture (a deep purple) is used behind the white text. Below this picture are the names of the editor and translator, both much smaller than the title and author's name. A bit boring, but successful in unification.
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What: Wacom Place: Architecture Lab, Gainesville, Florida Date: January 17, 2012 Time: 8pm Influence: This is a logo on a computer monitors. It uses a sanserif typeface, white on the grey background of the computer monitor. The typeface has rounded edges and a padded squarish feel. The o is more square than circle though the edges are rounded. The a is interesting because the shape does not completely connect. The logo looks simple and modern making its product feel easy and accessible.
What: Light-Switch Place: Norman Hall, Gainesville, Florida Date: January 11, 2012 Time: 3pm Influence: This light switch cover is effective because its design draws the attention of passerby whom then read the message. Once the message is read the person can't help but to remember to turn off the lights. Beyond being effective in its purpose, the light switch is also visually effective. In particular, the n in energy has been modified to resemble an electrical plug and the o in on has been modified to resemble the symbol used a power button. The alligator, mouth open wide surrounding the switch itself and orange and blue color scheme further the motif of school pride in being environmentally friendly. 12
What: VAIO Place: Rawlings Hall, Gainesville, Florida Date: January 30, 2012 Time: 8pm Influence: This is from the cover of my laptop. According to Wikipedia the VAIO logo also represents the integration of analog and digital technology with the 'VA' representing an analog wave and the 'IO' representing a digital binary code. The sans serif typeface has been greatly modified to make this connection but the letters are still clear. The logo is smooth, distinct, and conceptually strong.
What: U-Haul Place: University Avenue, Gainesville, Florida Date: January 24, 2012 Time: 7pm Influence: I found this interesting because I hadn't noticed the meaning behind the text before this project. The “U” is towing the “Haul”, visually representing how “U”
can can “Haul” your belongs to your destination by renting the company's trucks/trailers. The blocky sans serif typeface looks sturdy (which is suited for the work the company does). “Makes Moving Easier”- written in white on an orange stripe below U-Haul- is a bit cliche, but to the point.
Sans
What: Neebo Place: University Avenue, Gainesville, Florida Date: January 24, 2012 Time: 7pm Influence: This logo is for a textbook rental service used by the store. The sans serif logo features a lime green swoosh about the two e's indicating an open book. The serif on the b is interesting, though I am not sure if it adds or detracts from the logo since the shape is not replicated anywhere else unless you count the book shape.
Serif 13
What: Expo Place: Rawlings Hall, Gainesville, Florida Date: February 29, 2012 Time: 11pm Influence: I am interested in how the typeface on most writing implements attempts to replicate the mark made by the tool itself. The Expo marker for example, has a chisel tip which makes thick, unvarying, strokes: the same used in the typeface. The Expo typeface looks just like it was made with an Expo marker. The strokes are thick and unvaried with gaps showing where the stoke left off. The x extends further than it should perhaps representing the impermanent nature of the marker (it is a dry erase marker, and the mistake can be easily fixed). Expo is written in white surrounded by the color of the marker (in this case, blue).
What: Sharpie Place: Rawlings Hall, Gainesville, Florida Date: February 29, 2012 Time: 11pm Influence: I am interested in how the typeface on most writing implements attempts to replicate the mark made by the tool itself. Sharpies write with a varying thickness of stroke and
are often used to decoration. The flowing though informal typeface exemplifies this well. There are obvious (intentional) imperfections like on the h which make the typeface look even more like handwriting.
Writing In
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What: Micron Place: Rawlings Hall, Gainesville, Florida Date: February 29, 2012 Time: 11pm Influence: I am interested in how the typeface on most writing implements attempts to replicate the mark made by the tool itself. Microns are known for their exactness and small size tips. The round, thin typeface used represents these qualities well. The r is not completely enclosed showing the imperfections found in handwriting. The exactness of the logo leads buyers to trust the pen for the exactness of their art.
What: Pilot Precise Place: Rawlings Hall, Gainesville, Florida Date: February 29, 2012 Time: 11pm Influence: I am interested in how the typeface on most writing implements attempts to replicate the mark made by the tool itself. For example, this Pilot Precise pen is advertised for its thin, clean, lines that do not smudge. The round, thin, simple typeface shows this well. The e's are titled, probably an attempt at showing the uniqueness and subtle imperfections of handwriting. All the type is in white which is easily readable against the black of the pen.
What: Crayola Place: Rawlings Hall, Gainesville, Florida Date: February 29, 2012 Time: 11pm Influence: I am interested in how the typeface on most writing implements attempts to replicate the mark made by the tool itself. The Crayola marker for example, has a fat tip, creating the thick smooth letters used to represent the brand. The name is written in the color of the marker, outlined in white and then encircled with more of the same color to easily tell what color the marker is. The Crayola typeface is simple and childlike, appropriate for what the company is known for.
nstruments 15
Technology Logos What: Sony Place: Rawlings Hall, Gainesville, Florida Date: March 14, 2012 Time: 11am The sony logo is simple and timeless. The white on black serif typeface is done in all caps. No part stands out more than another and there are no hidden images. The brand is what it is. People know and trust it and they do not need fancy text to assure people that their product is of good quality. What: LG Place: Rawlings Hall, Gainesville, Florida Date: March 14, 2012 Time: 11am This LG logo was found on the side of my phone. The text is bold and readable.The cartoon uses the L and the G to create a smiling face. LG is not easily distinguishable nearly without the smiling face next to it. It is the picture, definitely not the text, that makes this combination successful.
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What: Scan Disk Place: Rawlings Hall, Gainesville, Florida Date: March 14, 2012 Time: 11am The scan disk logo is simple but the concept is strong. The simple serif typeface is white on black and the D combines with the n to create the shape of a disk entering a computer. This hidden image is a nice touch and is subtle enough that it does not overwhelm the name of the brand itself.
What: Energy Star Place: Rawlings Hall, Gainesville, Florida Date: March 14, 2012 Time: 11am Influence: The energy star logo is aeathetically pleasing but the design concept is unclear. The typeface chosen is a handwritten script which intersects a starboth of which are under and arch. The horion line seems cliche and the typeface choice is confusing. Energy star is then written again in all caps below. The design is pleasing to look at, the words repetitive, and the concept is extremely confusing.
What: Canon Place: Rawlings Hall, Gainesville, Florida Date: March 14, 2012 Time: 11am Much like the Sony logo, the Canon logo is simple and
timeless. Canon is a trusted brand and unlike newer brands does not need fancy branding to get attention. People know and trust the brand. The simple black on white is enough. The letters are oddly slanted. It
is hard to tell whether this is simply the typeface or it if was intentionally distored. Perhaps it refrences the calligraphy is its Japanese origins.
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What: Tostitos Place: Rawlings Hall, Gainesville, Florida Date: March 19, 2012 Time: 8pm At first glance, there is nothing special about the Tostitos logo. Looking closer, the two t’s and
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the i form small people eating chips and salsa. It is bold yet hard to find at the same time. The colors are loud but reminiscent of a Mexican fiesta (as they should be) and easily attract the consumer’s eye.
Labels
(Food)
What: Bigelow Peppermint Herb Tea Place: Rawlings Hall, Gainesville, Florida Date: March 19, 2012 Time: 8pm I find this packaging to be somewhat unsuccessful. Though the brand name is boring, what is really bothersome is that it does not match any of the rest of the design. The logo looks old fashioned (probably good when it comes to teas) but the rest is bright blue and new looking. The Papyrus-like typeface is also unsettling and the way the straw intersects it is not very visually appealing.
What: Olive Medley Place: Rawlings Hall, Gainesville, Florida Date: March 19, 2012 Time: 8pm This packaging is for olives. It attempts to replicate the small restaurant chalkboard style. This is a good concept, however it was carried out terribly. There is a ridiculous amount of text all crammed onto the front of the jar and the consumer hardly knows where to look. Not only does the text use way to many typefaces, but the number of colors is also overwhelming. Add to that the grape illustrations and you have a decent (if a bit overused) idea gone terribly wrong.
What: Planters Place: Rawlings Hall, Gainesville, Florida Date: March 19, 2012 Time: 8pm The Planters logo is not anything special, the bold yellow letters attract attention well but it is really the peanut-man that everyone associates with the brand. It was a smart choice to make both the company name and the drawing very large. The rest of the packaging is nice and simple. The typeface used to spell crunchy is a bit tacky but somehow it manages to work for this situation.
What: Swiss Miss Place: Rawlings Hall, Gainesville, Florida Date: March 19, 2012 Time: 8pm The typeface on this packaging is unique yet simple. It is appropriate for what it is selling (hot chocolate) and makes the consumer think that this hot chocolate is of really good quality. The bordering illustration is well done. The “classics� seems a bit unnecessary but it is small enough to be overlooked. The colors are well-chosen: soothing and cool. 19
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What: Puma Elite Place: Rawlings Hall, Gainesville, Florida Date: April 9, 2012 Time: 10pm Puma makes athletic shoes that are known to be light-weight and good for running (hence the brand name and the puma in the logo) Puma Elite is the
name of one series of shoes in particular. The hierarchy is successful. First you see the bolded “Puma”, then the puma outline and finally the slightly narrower “Elite”. The brand is more distinguishable by the puma than by the text or typeface but nonetheless it is distinguishable as a brand.
What: Kate Spade Place: Rawlings Hall, Gainesville, Florida Date: April 9, 2012 Time: 10pm Kate Spade is a clothing brand best known for its purses. However, they also make shirts, shoes, etc. This logo comes from a pair of closed-toed shoes. In my opinion, the friendly looking logo works better for the high
end clothing and purses than the shoes. However, it makes sense the woud not change it for just one thing. The friendliness of the logo tries to soothe the price of the items. New York seems to be added to make the brand look extra fashionable. The logo is very simple and clean cut just like the items it sells, but the price is hidden by its seeming friendliness.
What: New Balance Place: Rawlings Hall, Gainesville, Florida Date: April 9, 2012 Time: 10pm New Balance makes mostly tennies shoes. It is good quality but still within the average person’s price range. The simple, all lowercase typeface used by its logo displays these qualities well. It is round and friendly but balanced and sturdy looking, leading people to believe that so are the shoes (which for the most part, they are). The logo makes the shoes look comfortable and affordable, both good ways to get people to buy them.
SH
What: Rainbow Place: Rawlings Hall, Gainesville, Florida Date: April 9, 2012 Time: 10pm Rainbow prides itself in selling sandels that are confortable, environmentally-friendly, and last a very long time. The rainbow in the logo helps show the environmenal side and makes the shoes seem friendly and confortable. The text itself is all caps, basic but sturdy, just like the shoes it sells. The logo is gender neutral and targeted toward a college age group.
What: Rocket Dog Place: Rawlings Hall, Gainesville, Florida Date: April 9, 2012 Time: 10pm Rocket Dog is a diverse brand. They sell closed-toed shoes, sandles, and even somewhat formal shoes. They are targeted
HOES
at teens and twenty-somethings. The logo is a bit flashy but I appreciate its uniqueness. It is a different color on each type of shoe (to match the shoe) but the design remains largely consistant. The bold, all capital letters lean slightly to the right signaling speed. The hairlike hatch marks protrude along the left sides of each letter further emphasising speed. This is interesting because the brand does not sell athletic shoes. My best guess it that is has something to do with the history of the brand, however even google does not seem to know the answer. The design is unique and interesting but until I know otherwise, the concept needs serious work. 21
What: Lucky Place: Rawlings Hall, Gainesville, Florida Date: April 9, 2012 Time: 10pm Lucky is a fairly expensive but casual brand. It sells both men and womens clothing but the tags seems to vary from piece to piece. This one comes from a women’s shirt tag. The brand name is writen in a casual typeface above the peace sign that shows up on many of the brands items. The tag is okay, but for clothes that are not exactly cheap, it really should be a lot better. Right now, the brand appears as a lot cheaper and more casual than it really is. While this may be a ploy to tricj consumers into thinking it costs less, it really just makes the product look poorly-made. 22
What: New York & Company Place: Rawlings Hall, Gainesville, Florida Date: April 9, 2012 Time: 10pm New York & Company is a moderately expensive clothing brand that sells both men and women’s goods. The brand is simple and professional. It appeals to a fairly large age group. The all caps, sans serif typeface is clean and simple. Personally, I think that it could use a bit more personality but considering the simple nature of the clothing, perhaps it is appropriate after all. It is indistinict but nothing about it is really bothersome. Average is not memorable.
What: Banana Republic Place: Rawlings Hall, Gainesville, Florida Date: April 9, 2012 Time: 10pm Banana Republic is a moderately expensive clothing brand that sells both men and women’s goods. The brand is simple and professional. Because of this it appeals to a wide age group. The tag reflects this well. The all capital serif typeface is simple and timeless. It is easy to read, and timeless (instead of following the trend of the week/month/year/ etc.) This logo is successful in appealing to professional men and women of many ages.
Shirt
What: Lilly Pulitzer Place: Rawlings Hall, Gainesville, Florida Date: February 29, 2012 Time: 11pm Lilly Pulitzer is a high end women’s brand. It is known for its extremely feminine pastel colored dresses but also sells other clothing items (this one came from a shirt) with a similar look. The Lilly Pulitzer logo is an extremely feminine script always written in a pastel pink. The logo perfectly reflects the look of the clothing. Women buying this brand are looking for high end, feminine clothing with a personal touch (hence the hand-written look).
What: Coldwater Creek Place: Rawlings Hall, Gainesville, Florida Date: April 9, 2012 Time: 10pm Coldwater Creek is a moderately expensive clothing brand that sells both men and women’s goods. It is casual but professional. The thin, slanted, serif typeface chosen for the logo reflects the type of clothing
Tags
well: streamlined, simple, and light. The logo is not masculine or feminine and as such works well for both. My only complaint is that the logo is a bit indistinct. This would be okay if the brand was extremely well known (i.e. Sony) but it is not well known enough to pull it off. Something more unique might help it stand out. Nothing about the logo is especially terrible, but nothing is great either. It needs something to help it stand out from the crowd (too many other brands sell exactly the same thing, and many for less money too).
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What: Ushuaia Place: Rawlings Hall, Gainesville, Florida Date: April 14, 2012 Time: 9pm Simple text, beautiful imagery, this postcard is a success. It may not be innnovative but a postcard need not be. It is aesthetically pleasing and fullfills its purpose of highlighting the beauty of the location. The way the white text sits within the picture in the edge of the white background has been done before but works well in this design. What: La Guyana Place: Rawlings Hall, Gainesville, Florida Date: April 14, 2012 Time: 9pm This postcard is a disaster from start to finish. The typeface is too small, hard to read, and blending in with the background. The photograph itself is blurry and has an odd composition. This is all printed on a distressd scroll shape reminiscent of a treasure map. On top of that is a small red seal with a white ribbon. There are way too many elements competing for attention and even on their own, none of them are of especially good quality. Instead of making me want to vacation to this location I am bombarded with pirate references. Even if this is the intent (say it has somerthing to do with the history of the location), it could be done in a much more appealing way. There is really nothing right about this postcard and the printing cost because of the odd shape must be ridiculous. 24
Postcards
What: Amsterdam Place: Rawlings Hall, Gainesville, Florida Date: April 14, 2012 Time: 9pm This postcard is simply but pretty. The design is nothing that has not been done before but postcards are usually less about innovation and more about the location. This postcard successfully highlights the location in a visually pleasing way. The typeface is a good choice but could perhaps be a bit bolder since it seems to get lost at first glance.
What: Meteor Crater Place: Rawlings Hall, Gainesville, Florida Date: April 14, 2012 Time: 9pm The text on this postcard could be worse, but it could also be a lot better. The text placement
within the shapes is interesting. The typefaces however are oddly stretched and spaced out (an attempt to use all of the blank space perhaps?) In addition, the colors in the background do not match the images. Needless to say, the clip art meteor image pasted onto the corner is tacky and unnecessary.
What: Life in the Countryside Cambodia Place: Rawlings Hall, Gainesville, Florida Date: April 14, 2012 Time: 9pm The text on this postcard is especially horrid. The top text is in a typeface that has been made to small for its intended use and the color blends into the background, the combination of which makes it unreadable. The bottom text is a bit better because it is in all capitals but is also way too small. Postcards are supposed to be bold and readable at first glance, something this one does not accomplish. The picture is nice, but without readable text the effectiveness is diminished. 25
The End