Typefaces in Use

Optima and Futura are "just my type". These names are those of the two different typefaces that I have chosen for my compositions of project one. For a little bit of background, the first project of typography is centered around text within a famous novel that was assigned to each group. Earthly Powers by Anthony Burgess is my novel to work with. I must incorporate the title, author, date of publication, chapter number and first paragraph into each composition. To add more information about the type I chose, both had to be invented within the time period of our novel, which in my case was 1980. First, I will show you ways Optima is used in the real world and next will be Futura.

Men's T-Shirt: the creator of this shirt was pretty clever using Optima type to form the face of Optimus Prime from Transformers. 

Design Book: this accordion style layout you are seeing is actually about the inventor of Optima, Hermann Zapf, and uses Optima to show his famous work. 

Handcrafted Ornament: this creation is using the the letter K from Optima typeface to personalize the tree ornament whether it's the beginning of a last name of whatever the case. 

Restaurant Window: the design team of this building used Optima to represent their "take out" option to the public for their food menu. 

Election Website: even though I dislike the subject of this web page, it strongly represents Optima, as well as my other font Futura and a couple others. McCain actually used Optima for all signage such as yard signs during the race period.

 Home Improvement Store: the well known IKEA uses Futura type in outside signage of their stores world wide like this out of the country location.

 Performance Watch: the packaging and the front portion of this watch uses Futura to represent the name of to its consumers.

 School Building: even the buildings from 1980's used this legendary typeface, Futura, to highlight names of public schools all around the world.

Wine Bottles: alcoholic beverage companies even take advantage of Futura within their branding of wine from Milan to emphasize the specific names.
 

 Computer Building: the very successful HP company uses Futura type on their signage outside of their locations where consumers can not only see it outside, but then cleverly buy the font inside.

The World of Book Covers

Similar to my post about Optima and Futura typefaces, this time I am exploring online book covers that stand out to me that use one or the other of my two fonts. Since both fonts were made before the year of 1980, there is literally a little world that has been created around both Optima and Futura. Below are 5 book covers of each typeface that I found to be successful in their design for a variety of reasons.

Optima: even thought the text is centered, the color scheme is flattering, there is strong legibility and the title is easily recognized.

 

Optima: even with the distracting circle illusion bright and big, the designer has still made the title clear and has an asymmetric movement as well.
 

Optima: even though the colors are a bit bland, I love the "t" style marks made to isolate some of the text from the title.

Optima: even with no true asymmetry, the way the designer created such movement with the title is successful along with placing the bird on the type so that it may draw your eye more towards the title. 

Optima: the title of this book creates that side to side motion that moves the eyes around the page and the fact that the authors name is at the right bottom corner helps the viewer see the table then the name. 

Futura: the background might be vivid and a little abstract but the designer still made sure to make everything legible and there is a feel of movement through the use of asymmetry as well. 

Futura: the use of negative space works well in this design and even if the text is tightly together, there is still a bit of asymmetry between the title and other elements. 

Futura: the title being in the middle of this abstract art pulls your eyes right into the text and the use of a little red is smart so that it's not a huge circle of just black and white.

Futura: again, like the one above, the designer uses the center of a focused on element of the cover to draw the reader's eye towards the title and the ripped up paper is a nice touch as well.

Futura: the colors work greatly together and the 3D effect draws your eye towards the bottom right corner even though that text is small and 2D making the layout successful.

Bookstore Scavenger Hunt

Successful Barnes and Noble and cheap Half Priced Books are the two bookstores that you will find me in the most. Therefore, on my hunt for interesting and cleverly designed covers, those two places were my destinations. Within the two stores I found an abundant amount of covers that intrigued me. So, below you can take a look at a few that inspire me typographically and creatively. They range from neat and tight layouts to layouts that are "out there". 

  Photo of Barnes and Noble at Oak Park Mall in Overland Park, KS

Photo of Half Price Books in Olathe, KS 

The picture frame in this case needed to span out to see the colors working together. I really like the warm and cold colors mixing. To point out a specific book cover I enjoy, look near the bottom right where you see green. Friends and Boys has a dynamic cover that uses illustrations to make the eyes draw towards the frontal text.

Considering that this books have old fashion style, I still get drawn to them. I like how so much detail is put into every cover. Simplicity can be successful but details don't always hurt. It is smart to add the image into the middle so that the readers eyes see the art and the title.

I do love the Buddha statuses on the tops of the shelves just as much as the covers to be honest. However, why I love them is because of the bright colors which you can especially see on the 2nd shelf on the right. The reds, blues, and greens work great together. Even standing alone, the iconic symbol in the center of the cover pops out to any viewer.

This one is being shown mainly to show asymmetry. It is simple but the pop of color adds something extra to the title so you don't just see the bird. The title screams asymmetry with the words differing back and forth in length so that it is not a boring cover with the little elements that are being presented.

Of course, I had to show a design book itself. Asymmetry is clear as ever in this design. Again, color is used so that the simple layout is intriguing. Orange really stands out with the text being all white.

"Asymmetry is the rhythm in which we live our lives."

Until the first day of class, I never put much thought into the concept of asymmetry. Before, I mainly saw real world or computer generated objects as going in the same direction or in all different directions. Now however, asymmetry has taught me the up and down, side to side movement I see whether I am driving home, taking a walk, or in my apartment, is known as asymmetry. To give the proper definition of the word that this post is encompassed around, asymmetry is the lack of balance and symmetry between two or more things. Diagonals are what asymmetry avoids at all costs. Below are five photographs that represent asymmetry in all different forms. So, let's take a look!

 Kansas City Skyline: within this photo the skyscrapers themselves create the asymmetric movement being shorter and taller than one another. 

 Apartment Fire Escape: within this photo the stairs create diagonals that get blocked out by going in a side to side motion which represents asymmetry. 

 Colorful Flowers: within this photo, from left to right each flower goes in an up and down motion creating the perfect asymmetry through nature. 

 Tree Line: within this photo each tree, similar to the buildings above, is forming asymmetric movement by being a different height of another.

End Table Lamp: within this photo the rocks that form the middle structure of the lamp go side to side without ever really lining up creating asymmetry.