I like this.

Peter von Arx, Sidney und Harriet Janis Collection / Kunsthalle Basel (1970)

Original Post

Good design is obvious. Great design is transparent.

~ Joe Sparano

I wonder if this will really have any impact on sales. Or will it simply make it harder for cigarette consumers to find their favorite brand? I mean, are people smoking and buying cigarettes because of the packaging? I think this is more to punish and control the makers of cigarettes than it is to stem the tide of smoking.

Hmmmm. Is this the future of cigarette branding?

Viewing her work, it is sometimes hard to see the difference from her floral and body shots. They share similar texture, form, and lighting. I want to highlight this as museums tend to be about form, shape, lines and comparing/contrasting works of art. I think the target audience will appreciate this unique look and juxtaposition of similar, yet different images side-by-side.

The typefaces I chose were Bickham Script, Mrs Eaves OT and Mr Eaves San. I feel these three help provide the softness and humanity that is evident in Cunningham’s work. I felt they were a perfect compliment to the photographer who was both masterful and a bit quirky.

You can view the full size Imogen Cunningham: Masters of the Camera PDF (recommended).  Or take a gander at the below images.

Then, using the exact same materials and content (no more, no less) we were to hand-design a new sign using form, balance, hierarchy, space and other graphic design skills. But we could not introduce anything new to the sign…only what existed. The main goal was to design it well and emphasize the intended message. So I got my 6×12 piece of cardboard and a thin black pen and set off to redesign this bland, but humorous sign.

My first thought was this sign’s primary message was about not disturbing Christie. I mean, she was serious about this. Even if a 3-alarm fire breaks out, leave me be; I am not to be disturbed. I set out with various sketches and ideas, laying out grids, experimenting with type. I new I had to get this right in the preliminary rounds because when inking cardboard, there is no command-z. Once a design, grid, typeface, and hierarchy was decided the tedious task of hand designing a sign commenced. After many hours with ruler, pencil and pen in hand, here is the final redesign and final replacement:

Ahhhh, marriage can be a beautiful thing. After saying “I do” something happens. Over the years the couple begins to act and think alike. Sure, they have their distinctions and uniqueness, but they also pick up each others mannerisms and quirky habits. If you spend any amount of time with a couple who have been married for many years you will witness this strange occurrence.

Well in typography, the Eaves couple is no exception.

Mrs Eaves is a serif typeface Designed by Zuzana Licko in 1996. It is inspired by John Baskerville’s work and “is named after Sarah Eaves, the woman who became John Baskerville’s wife. As Baskerville was setting up his printing and type business, Mrs. Eaves moved in with him as a live-in housekeeper, eventually becoming his wife after the death of her first husband, Mr. Eaves.”

But Mr. Eaves didn’t stay dead for too long. In 2009 he was reincarnated as a sans-serif typeface to compliment his serif counterpart. Talk about a match made in heaven. And he comes in two different styles: Sans and Modern. Mr. Eaves Sans is the closest in relation to the popular Mrs. Eaves. sharing common shapes and subtleties. Mr. Eaves Modern is just that, a stripped down, straighter version of Sans that sets very well with Mrs. Eaves. Here are the three of them dancing together:

If you are looking for a quirky and elegant serif and sans-serif font combination, look no further. I plan on spending a lot of time with this typeface couple, dancing and getting to know them more intimately. Personally, I find them to be fantastic fonts that add that little extra something.

One word of caution: Their X-heights are a little short in stature, so set them accordingly.

(Update: as of today, 1/26, they just released Mr Eaves XL which has a larger x-height for body text and matches Mrs. Eaves XL. Now the family is complete).

Just in case you are not quite sick of seeing Helvetica, now you can eat it. That’s right, Helvetica cookie cutters.

Now don’t get me wrong, I think the idea of Typography cookie cutters is pretty cool. “Mom, can you pass me the milk? I need to eat my capital T.”

But Helvetica? I guess it’s like Dr Pepper: you either love it or hate it.

It could be worse, I suppose. They could have made Comic Sans cookie cutters.

(ht Makeesha)

Want or need a crash course on everything design from typography to color theory to layouts and grid? Here is a great starting place: 50 Free Lessons in Graphic Design Theory.

Excerpts:

10. Master Web Typography: 8 Detailed Typography Tips for the Web: “One of the most under–rated elements of beautiful Web design is the subtle art of typography. Part of this, I know, is a lack of a solid font support for Web sites. But never fear! Today I’ll show you some quick things you can do to appear to be a type master.” [read more]

27. How Colors Impact Moods, Feelings, and Behaviors: “While perceptions of color are somewhat subjective, there are some color effects that have universal meaning.” [read more]

Typophile Film Festival 5 Opening Titles from Brent Barson on Vimeo.

Handcrafted with love by BYU design students and faculty, for the 5th Typophile Film Festival. A visual typographic feast about the five senses, and how they contribute to and enhance our creativity. Everything in the film is real—no CG effects!

• Creative Director & Faculty Mentor: Brent Barson
• Writing & Storyboarding: Brent Barson, Jessica Blackham, Analisa Estrada, Meg Gallagher, John Jensen, Regan Fred Johnson, Colin “The Pin” Pinegar
• Construction, Paint & Glue: Brent Barson, Wynn Burton, Analisa Estrada, Meg Gallagher, Olivia Juarez Knudsen, Casey Lewis, Reeding Roberts, Deven Stephens, Brian Christensen (Brain Sculpture)
• Animators: Brent Barson, Wynn Burton, Analisa Estrada, Meg Gallagher, Olivia Juarez Knudsen, Reeding Roberts, Deven Stephens
• Cinematographer: Wynn Burton
• Editing: Brent Barson, Wynn Burton, Analisa Estrada, Meg Gallagher, Reeding Roberts
• Hand Models: Analisa Estrada, Meg Gallagher, Olivia Juarez Knudsen, Deven Stephens, Michelle Stephens
• Original Music: micah dahl anderson – www.micahdahl.com
• Special thanks to Joe, Jared, Zara, and the Punchut/Typophile crew for enabling this!
• Shot with a RED One, a Canon EOS 5D Mark II, a Canon EOS 40D, and a Nikon D80. Stop motion created with Dragon Stop Motion.