Typography

Typography, both good and bad can be seen all around us in our every day lives. Below are some examples I have found of each:

First let's start with the bad.....

Illume is a storefront here in New York City that sells lamps and lamp shades of all kinds. It can be found downtown in a district known for lighting options when it comes to home decorating. Needing to differentiate itself from other stores in the neighborhood, I believe the owners decided to go with more of artistic type of font. However, their choice is not easily read. As you pass the storefront, the typeface does not cause you to stop and want to learn more. The colors used do not stand out. In fact, the gold almost makes it harder to read the font they have chosen. Even worse is the smaller font used underneath the main header which further describes the stores contents. While this font is clear and easier to read, it is too small to catch the eye of anyone passing by. I think it should also be noted that (i'm guessing here) because of a design issue, the font was made to fit within the arch of the header, which again has faults. It's almost too little, too late in the design aspect of the storefront.





Another storefront that I believes fails in their use of typography is Mackenzie-Childs. This store can be found in various locations throughout NYC. Positioned as an exclusive, designer knick knack, home design, locally made type of store (think Martha Stewart); I understand the need to both stand out yet remain exclusive to their current customers. However I find the use of both lower and upper case letters in their storefront almost confusing. I also find that the typeface/ font used is too structurally similar to the lines and design of the storefront. This causes the font to blend into the storefront and not stand out. The fact that the color choice is monotone throughout the entire front does nothing to help the typeface become more readable. I would have expected a store of this caliber to have had a more clean and simple use of typeface for its customers to follow.

Module R art studio is another storefront I placed in the 'bad' category. This storefront located in downtown brooklyn, is surrounded by local and community based art studios. The culture surrounding the store is that of artist and young upwardly mobile community forward residents. The neighborhood thrives on new and unique one of a kind places and things. The use of typography in this particular storefront however, does not bring those ideas forward. While the typeface used is clean and unobtrusive, I believe the size and surrounding art/color takes away from the clean lines of the font itself. It is an art studio but no where does the average passerby get that from the smaller 'A.R.T.' used below the images and colors. While I will admit to this not being as bad as other storefronts listed in this category, I believe the use of the typeface here could be put to better use. Instead it comes off as encumbered and crowded, taking away from the sans-serif font they decided to use.


Quattro Gatti is this amazing italian restaurant that sits amongst many other eateries in the neighborhood. The typeface used in its storefront, (a serif font) is too busy and hard to read when walking buy. Coupled with the random design logo, it makes the image overall one to easily pass by. My guess is the design idea was to make the eatery stand out as an upscale option amongst the other quick eateries in the neighborhood. However, instead of standing out, they have caused customers to ignore them and move on to other local fare. If they had chosen a cleaner font, or even if they had not chosen a typeface that was both serif and italicized, they may have ended up with a better product that would actually have served their needs. When you see this storefront you do not think they may have good pizza or amazing gelato (which they do). Instead you think its not what your looking for and keep looking for something else.

If you live in New York City it's almost impossible to not know about Papaya King. A hotdog and 'powdered' drink are almost a New York City right of passage. However, when looking at the storefront and analyzing it strictly for the typeface used, I find it lacking. The reason it made my 'bad' list? Because there are multiple sizes of variations of the same font. This causes it to become cluttered and confusing to the customer. Looking at this photo you can easily point out at least a handful of various fonts. Papaya King is popular because of word of mouth and New Yorkers insatiable need to claim hotdogs as a staple, but on face value, this typeface does not help the business it supports. In fact, I would go so far as to say that if it were not for the word of mouth popularity of the store, they would not get many customers. I think scaling back on the variations and sizes of the font used would greatly impact this business for the better (food quality not withstanding).

Now on to the good........

Alex McQueen has been a name synonymous with upper echelon fashion for decades. His clientele know his work and go looking for him. His storefront could be much like Apple with no typeface at all and it would still be frequented. However, he has chosen to stick with what he is popular for. His classic lines, simplicity and attention to detail are his calling cards. We can see that in his choice of font for his storefront. Who can be a simple Times Roman font? Not too bold, no need for variations or alterations. The font stands by itself with clean lines and can be read anywhere. It is interesting to note that he has chosen a serif font to give an additional look of refined value, but, that that font is so classic and well known that it carries an almost everyday feel about it. It drips class but approachable at the same time.

We mentioned in class how New York City has become famous in design circles for its clean and simple use of typography in all of its signage. This classic caution sign is a good example of that. Clear and concise in its design, this sign does exactly what it is meant to do within seconds. If the floor was in fact wet, we would be able to read the sign and plan accordingly. The font is a sans-serif and contains no embellishments to take away from the message being conveyed. Even those who to not speak the language can easily see the image and understand because said image is cleverly placed within the text used. If they had decided to go with a serif font then the message, I believe, would have been lost to the person walking by. By the time the message was read and understood, there may have in fact been an accident.






When thinking of Typography in your day to day life, I wanted to make sure to include an image of food packaging. We see packaging so many times throughout the day that its important to note how its use of typography affects our daily lives. In the case of this Celestial Seasonings tea box, cleaver use of fonts helps to not only enforce the item and its potential benefits, but it also gives you a feeling of trust in the brand itself. Sans-serif fonts used throughout the entire packaging helps it to remain clear and readable. The fact that one font is used throughout with only one variation helps with consistency and facilitation of the message conveyed. The font used for the brand itself is a bit harder to read but because of the overall design, the brand name comes off like a clean and easily read logo more than separate typeface.


Another storefront on my 'good' list is Sugarush in NJ. While they are currently looking for a new design, I think this one works for them. The store is a local shop known in the neighborhood for its various sweets, cakes and pies. The font is clean but fun, which is perfect for the feel of the business. Their cakes, pies and desserts are all fun and whimsical. They have a cupcake bar with fixings to make your own on the spot. I think the font used, while different, stands out in a good way. It is clean and easy to read while still conveying the perfect feel of the bakery. The fact that it is the only 'busy' thing in the entire storefronts design helps to make the font stand out on the block.

Motto is the last storefront on this list. The store itself caters to design and artistic customers. Its a bookstore by trade. Found in SoHo where the neighborhood is built around clean, quaint boutiques, this storefront fits right in. The typography is a serif font that is used as a stand out element in the design of the storefront overall. As such, it works as a unique design element that is both easy to read and pleasurable to look at. I stopped to look because the typeface causes you to do just that. While many storefronts may use the building or what they are selling as items to draw the customer in, this storefront uses the typeface and does a great job with it. The color and offset placement of the font only enhances the ability to be easily read. This storefront is a winner as it was one of the few that left me wanting more.