Week Three-Schwartz

This image is a demonstration of the concept of hierarchy in Lupton's "Text." It shows the way that visual hierarchy exists in graphic design simply by the ways and things the eye is drawn to. The beginning lines are much more apparent and clear than the rest, and as your eye goes down the page more emphasis is drawn toward them.

TYPE CHALLENGE 1

Here's your first type challenge task:

1) Take a walk down to Marshall Street.
2) Stop at Augies.
3) Take a good look at their name board and tell us what the font is.
4)Email your answers directly to Professor Taylor.

The first correct answer will receive a Starbucks gift card. Well this should be fun...

Week Three-Stanislaus

In Lupton's chapter "Text", she discusses the use of hierarchy as a tool to "express an organizational system for content, emphasizing some data and diminishing others." She continues to say that hierarchy enables a reader to look over text easier and gives them a sense of direction as to where look and go next. In this example to the left, hierarchy is used. With the use of lines and pictures, the reader clearly sees the direction their eyes are being guided to. Also the use of pictures gives a better visual. This is just one of many uses of hierarchy.

Week Three- Mikaelian

When reading Lupton's "Text," I was really interested in the word exercise portion of the chapter. I think it's interesting how manipulating a text so little can make it so much more interesting. A perfect example of a word exercise is the Dell computer logo, which has a disrupted "e." The slanting of the "e" makes this simple logo a little more interesting than it would be if the text was just in one straight line. The slanted "e" is said to represent the buildings where the computer company was founded, or just to make the simple word stand out and grab people's attention. Simple quirks in the way a headline, logotype or any other kind of text such as this automatically help create a meaning for the word, as is said by Lupton, and is extremely helpful with creating a brand for the product.

Week Three - Igbeare

In Lupton’s chapter about Text, he states, “roman letters are designed to sit side by side, not on top of one another.” I understand the concept of this ad and I commend the message it is trying to convey. The ad displays big to small uppercase and lowercase in a stacked position going downward. The font is a little distracting which makes the text a little hard to read. I like the black backdrop against the white lettering. However, the thick strokes are too blunt. As the readers follow the text it becomes more difficult to read since “curiosity” is in such a small font. It doesn’t make it better that the question mark is a bigger size than “our” and “curiosity.”

Declaration of Independence

Arguably the most important document to the American people, the Declaration of Independence conveys the the intentions, morals, and goals that have made us the country we are today. If we take a step back, though, and take it for what it truly is, the Declaration of Independence is really just a bunch of letters combined together, separated by spaces of fading hemp. But imagine this document without those yellowed spaces. It would be a series of meaningless, jumbled letters. As Lupton describes, "The French philosopher Jacques Derrida, who devised the theory of deconstruction in the 1960s, wrote that although the alphabet represents sound, it cannot function without silent marks and spaces." Lupton also explains that writing occupies space as well as time, and in the case of the Declaration of Independence, this space has been occupied for centuries, conveying the same powerful message now as its writer once intended. "Tapping that spatial dimension--and thus liberating readers from the bonds of linearity--is among typography's most urgent tasks" (Lupton).

Week Three: Onushco

I think that, in general, the justified alignment of newspaper text makes for an easier read. The blocky form of the justified text gives the impression of sophistication and respectability, which are characteristics that a newspaper strives for. The one downside of a justified alignment is the gaps that can appear in between words. Having spent my high school years on the school newspaper, I can tell you that the gaps make for a very unclean look. But, on the whole, the justified alignment serves well for the newspaper and magazine format.