Sudtipos

This has to be one of the coolest type foundries out there. Based out of Argentina, it is run by 4 unique and pretty interesting guys from different corners of design. Mostly creating type for branding, Sudtipos has become world renown for its creation of script type as well as digitizing older script fonts from earlier in the century. I learned about this foundry from Alejandro Paul, one of the founders of the company. His work has truly influenced me into using more script-based fonts for my material that I'm working on. As as font girl, I go through phases and have never really gotten into script fonts before ... until now. Thanks to another teacher, I've been given some of Paul's fonts and since then, have been using them non-stop in a variety of different mediums. Paul is very interactive with his fans and has also been in contact with me about gaining more information about his typefaces.

Check out www.sudtipos.com for more information!

Another Obession

Other than type, I have a *big* thing for sexy business cards. Especially in today's competitive world, you need to have some form of advantage that allows you to stand out from others ... how do you do that? I say ... sexy business cards. Offering a first impression that's bound to last, the business card is a great means to get all your information across as well as create some intrigue with possible employers and clients. For years, I've been collecting well-designed business cards as well as books that highlight interesting and unique cards from across the world. Even for a simple design idea, skimming through those books gives you that look or feel you were searching for.

I love the cards above. They are playful and add a little bit of *something* to the card in order to make it stand out from the rest. I designed a card about 5-6 years ago that left an opening in the card so that people could look through it with a tag line of "it's how you look at it." It's a really interesting concept and I think gives the card more of an interactive feel to it. The card above works well due to the popularity of the mustache that seems to have swept over popular culture. It's sexy and boy, does it work.

Adding to the list ...

Filling outlines with text has come to be one of my top "learn how to do" items lately. Even in classes, I'm finding that making objects out of text has become a theme, which makes me very happy as it's something that I really, really want to learn how to do. Even the example above from Smarties, manipulates text to create a funky-looking cat while emphasizing the pink Smartie for the nose. I know text manipulation will work best in illustrator ... it's just finding out "how". I know in some images, the text isn't tweaked but rather the shapes of the letters are used to create an image by stacking. I've found that I've become comfortable stacking, it's just moving onto the next step of manipulation. I'm assuming it's fitting text to outline but again, just gotta figure out how and finding the time to actually do it. This is will be on my list this coming summer when I have a little more time to play with the programs.

Branding Power

I took some business in university and really came to love marketing. I eventually switched out of business because I felt my creativity wouldn't really fit in and I wouldn't be able to really push myself in that particular area. However, having taken some classes, I am now able to see the branding power and influence that companies (and designs) can have over audiences. Logos have become the visual essence of the company and as such, must match the philosophy laid out by the company itself. It has to match perfectly or else confusion and/or brand confusion can arise.

I came across this website that really goes into the power and significance of logo design and the importance of matching brand and image:

http://www.graphicdesignblog.org/brand-more-than-logo/

I went there ...

Katrina and I did a project for another class where we had to examine and re-pitch an award-winning ad campaign. We work very well together and decided to pick Viagra and play off of its already established humour. I remember when these commercials came out over a year ago and were piggy-backed against one another as a means to stay in the minds of the consumer. Toronto's Taxi created four different spots outlining stereotypical leisure activities older couples use as a means for sex substitution. The ads resulted in a hilarious spot featuring men complaining about their strolling, reading, home decorating, and antiquing addictions. The more research Katrina and I did on the commercials, the more we began to appreciate the humour that the videos were trying to instill. Previously, Viagra had targeted men alone with a tag line of "Talk to your doctor," but with these new ads, the topic of ED didn't have to be such a taboo subject in society. The ad was appealing to both men AND women ... the duality of the commercial is what separated it from its competitors such as Cialis and Levitra. We presented the "Confessions Campaign" with great success and allowed both of us to have a little fun at poking fun at the guys in the class.

What Should a Logo Cost?

I'm usually really good about keeping up with design news, especially when it comes to logo design and I came across this interesting article regarding the cost of redesigning company logos. I was *appalled* by the costs for some of them ranging up to $136 million dollars. I understand the significance of branding, etc but for a logo redesign to cost that much?! Ridiculous! Some of the designs after all the rebranding were simplified and to be honest, didn't look as good. I still couldn't get over how much companies spent on changing their looks.

Check out this website for further pricing as well as the other company logos that got changed around ...

http://www.logodesign.com/?p=549

More Kinetic Type

I could NOT NOT put this video up. It's bright colours mixed with kinetic typography ... plus, a pretty cool song = one pretty cool video. A friend showed me this video and since then, I have to play it at least once a week. The sans serif type and playing with the hierarchy allows this video to have a pretty interesting appeal. Visualizing the words themselves gave greater meaning to the song too. It's just an overall fun and playful video :)

Kinetic Type

Feel like I'm going to go on a bit of a type-roll with my next few posts. In class one day when I should have been paying attention, I came across this video on YouTube. First of all, American Beauty is one of my favourite movies and mixing that with type, it was like a dream come true. Working with the final speech of the film with Kevin Spacey, the type moves and flows giving greater meaning to the words. Visually showing gave me greater appreciation for both the film and type. It's just one of those things that I'd really like to learn how to do. Creating my own kinetic type ... I'm adding it to my never-ending list of things I'd love to learn.

This makes me happy

I was asked to research a type designer who I admired and through this process was introduced to Alejandro Paul, a designer working out of Argentina. His work focuses primarily on digitizing script fonts and as such, has become world renown due to his typefaces. His intricate work with ligatures and swashes allow his faces to be very useful for packaging design. Forming a Argentina's only type foundry with four other members, Sudtipos has become the go-to place for amazing script fonts.

I'm a big fan of typography in motion. Through this means, we're able to fully understand the playfulness of the type as well as its connotations. Researching Paul on YouTube, I came across this interesting video featuring Sudtipos' new face: Brownstone. With the accompanying music, the font stands alone to show its features and the uniqueness as a font. It really put a smile on my face :)

Wow.

Some times advertisers get it just right. I was introduced to this commercial through a friend and since then, I can't get over how clever and playful this commercial is. Being a little bit of a Star Wars fan (just the originals - not the overly done pre-quels), it was great to see the interaction between the two. You're looking at a film that transcends generations and as such, this commercial plays off of that. It's cute and simple, to the point.