A chilling update.

So hello again internets.

I found this image today and was literally stopped mid stride in the mall.

Its a public safety poster warning about the hazards of cold water this time of year. As I walked past I figured "cold water, yeah, yeah whatever." I then took a double take noticing how this went from a safety poster to a horror movie poster with the cold grip of hypothermia rising out of the bubbles and cold depths to pull our hapless victim into the deep.

I find this an interesting way to present the message implying a "Jaws" movie poster feel to the whole image. Subtle and well executed. Unfortunately I wonder how many people will walk by without giving this a second glance.

Hunting high and low.

Hello blogosphere.

This week we are back to finding examples of what we consider to be exemplary design in the real world.

Out at Country Club Mall in Nanaimo we have a small jewellery store named Impeccable Jewellery. Here be a photograph of what they have on the wall outside of their shop.

I find this little bit of work to be very tasteful and a perfect fit for the business.

We have a delicate and subdued type used for the name of the business. "Jewellery" has been reduced to a secondary point in the heirarchy of information. Blantly advertising as a jewellery store might be a little garish and brash so I find that doing this adds to the more refined feel the business is trying to imply.

Secondly the abstracted form of the ring used in the logo suggests what you might find inside the store without being overbearing or trying to make a cliched statement showcasing the shiny objects to be found within.

Lastly the muted brown tones add to the calm and quiet motif put forward by the letterforms used.
All in all I think this is a wonderful piece. What do you think?

Like arguing religion and politics...

This weeks assignment was for us to take a sampling of text from a copy of Beatrice Wards "Crystal Goblet" essay that was given to the society of typographic designers in 1932. If we believe in the essays contents, we should produce a piece that reflects our views, and likewise if we disagree.

In her essay she argues that proper typography should appear as a crystal goblet that carries its contents easily for the readier to see what the contents of what is being read. This is contrary to some peoples beliefs that typography should have its own personality and feel alongside what the message of the text is.

I'm aligned slightly with the second camp. I believe that when used properly typography can be effectively expressive alongside the message it carries. I would never intentionally produce something as ghastly as I am posting here, but I go into this to make a point. So lets see how our class is divided this week....