Remember, Remember the Fifth of November...

This 2011 Greater Lehigh Valley Ad Club Gold ADDY Award winning video demonstrates an advanced technique in the realm of typography.  Namely, kinetic typography, also called type in motion.  The audio is from the amazing movie "V for Vendetta."  While the above film is cool to watch, it also does something to the dialogue that perhaps gets lost in the spectacle of the motion picture it is taken from.  While you watch the type unfold, you see the words connecting and weaving in and out of one another.  You see the brilliance of the alliteration and you see one word seamlessly flow into the next.  That RIGHT THERE, ladies and gentlemen, is what typography should do.  It should take words and make them images.  Typography exposes the truth and brilliance of a message and gives it to the reader in a way that flows seamlessly and fluidly.  Great typography enhances words.

A Pirate's Life for Me!

 As any long time blog followers might know, one of the first blogs I did was on the 826 Valencia Pirate Supply Store.  Well, since today is Talk Like a Pirate Day, I figured it was well worth a revisit.  The award winning packaging design for this, and other pirate products, was designed by Office, a San Francisco based design firm.   All of the designs done for the Pirate Supply Store have a wonderful sense of humor to them and I love the concept of all of the products.  The best part?  Online shopping is available and all proceeds go to fund 826 Valencia's writing programs.  So, me hearties, FILL YOUR HOLDS WITH BOOTY! It's for a good cause, after all.

Blending In vs. Standing Out

This poster was created by English graphic designer Craig Ward and raises a particularly good point.  The good typography is the typography you don't notice.  In any design that incorporates type, it is the responsibility of the type to work alongside the design to better convey the message.  Type that falls out of step with it's design partner is not only noticeable, but it detracts from the message that you are trying to deliver.  This poster conveys this message wonderfully.  It's a lesson for us all to learn.

How Dry I Am

This book cover for a memoir of Augusten Burroughs was designed by Chip Kidd, and was actually explained a little during a recent talk of his given at the international TED conference.  Kidd explained that, in the book, Burroughs recounts his time as a raging alcoholic, yet one in denial, and his journey out of that.  Kidd went on to say how, to him, "this was always going to be a typographic solution, what [he called] the opposite of Type 101."  He said that, unlike standard typographic practices, where the type matches the meaning or intent of the word, he wanted to do the complete opposite.  As he put it, "I want this book to look like it's lying to you, desperately and hopelessly, the way an alcoholic would."  His solution?  Set up the type, print it off on an Epson printer with water-soluble ink, and throw a bucket of water at it.  The resulting effect is very powerful and extremely effective.  I say bravo, Mr. Kidd.  Bravo.

"Something is rotten in the state of Denmark..."

"Therefore, since brevity is the soul of wit,

And tediousness the limbs and outward flourishes,

I will be brief." -Hamlet Act 2, scene 2,

I am a huge Shakespeare fan, having acted in many of his plays, including Hamlet.  In fact, I delivered the above line (the irony of which is that, after saying this, the character goes on for a few more pages).  This poster for a production put on by the Saratoga Shakespeare Company was designed by Palio, a design firm out of Saratoga Springs, NY.  It is utterly brilliant.  For those who aren't familiar with the play, the main character, Hamlet, slowly descends into madness as the play progresses.  This poster conveys that quite well.  The man is covering his face, yet one eye stares out.  Hiding, yet seeking.  Looking at this, you know nothing happy is going to come of this.  I love it.

The poster comes courtesy of the Graphis website.

"There can be only one..."

ITC Highlander

ITC Highlander was designed by David Farey and released in 1993. Highlander is a tribute to the Cooper typeface, designed by early 20^th century American typeface designer and lettering artist Oswald Cooper. Farey, a long time fan of Cooper, modeled this sans-serif typeface in the handlettering style of the Cooper typeface. While Oswald Cooper never released a sans-serif typeface, there were sans-serif letterforms used in a number of lettering exercises that he produced, which Farey also drew upon in his designing of ITC Highlander.   

Oh, Canada...

I seriously love this logo because it has almost no right to be as brilliant as it is.  The logo was made by the MacLaren McCann firm, which is based out of Calgary, a providence of Alberta, Canada.  The logo was created for Murray Piano Services.  It has no right to be this brilliant because it is so simple.  It's not flashy or innovative or groundbreaking.  It is, quite simply, five piano keys from a point of view that you rarely see them, and they resemble an M.  I love this logo because it has no right to be this brilliant.  Gotta love Canadian ingenuity. 

The photo is courtesy of the Graphis website.