As my ideas are based around looking into hand-rendered and old-style type I began looking into these ideas for part of my research. I wanted to look at this type however on alcohol bottles, as in my critique it was suggested to see the kinds of type used. I am not wanting to focus on the beer side of the hop plant, but will be interesting to think about the type that surrounds this area.
This typography I find really interesting as it is clearly representing an old traditional theme by the use of the drop shadow and serfs. The flow of the type links back to hand-painted signs, which is also shown in the way it is quite heavy and blocked. It has a flamboyant and decorative crossbar on the 'A', which you would think would make this bottle look rather feminine - as it also has a ornamental background. However this is not the case as in my opinion it looks quite masculine due to how structured the actual type is. I think the use of the drop shadow is really effective and something I will bear in mind when developing my typography.
As some of my initial thoughts are based on the ideas the plant will represent my type, I was slightly worried it may look too feminine for a uni-sex product. However, below shows a prime example of how decorative type can still look masculine. I like how each letter form is constructed in a way in which it flows on from one another without been over-decorative. One thing I have been struggling with in my developments has been successfully applying a secondary type that will suite the nature of my hand-rendered type. On this it has a structured sans serif which suites the decorative style quite well. This is something I will bear in mind when choosing a suitable font for my final. I also think the composition is done quite well on this bottle, the flow of the 'Dull Knife' leads the viewers eye all the way down the bottle using its over-exaggerated nature. When the eye lands on 'route beer' it is then lead towards the smaller type at the side and the bottom, which is all aligned and justified centrally - this shows there is a clear type hierarchy on this product.
The Jack Daniels logo is a prime example of old-style type. The mix of fonts really draws your eye to the product. I can't help but think however, there may be slightly too many different ones in my opinion, as it does seem to get slightly chaotic when viewing. The mix of sans-serif with serif and script shouldn't really work, but in this case you can see there is a link with one another. Again like the previous example, there is a clear type hierarchy. This is achieved by scaling, the viewers eye is instantly attracted to words such as 'Jack Daniels' and 'Whiskey' as this is the initial words they want there viewer to recognise first. This is also furthered by the font choice, the larger type is in a decorative, structured serif type were as smaller scaled words such as 'old time' are a less flamboyant sans-serif.
I really love this hand-rendered type as it has such a liquid and fluid nature. To say it is hand done, it is so concise and structured in a way that looks digital. I feel as it has been hand-rendered, it creates far more character than something done digitally. This is something I am definitely going to keep in mind in future. The flow of the letters are represented by how the type is organised on a curve. This is a recurrent theme I keep seeing in hand/traditional type is the use of curves and angles to position the letterforms. This is something I may experiment with in my ideas.
I have also looked into branding in cosmetics and home/bath products to get an idea of the average sort of things that are already out there.
I have found this male skincare range that uses informal typography on there packaging. I can't help but think this looks rather childlike and un-masculine for a male product and so in that respect does this makes it un-successful? I feel the type is slightly un-legible as the kerning is so close together, making the smaller type hard to read. It is also on a slant which seems to show a hand-written element, however instead of looking professional it looks in my opinion, rather untidy.
In comparison to the previous male product range, I feel this suites its target audience far more successfully. I feel the strong, bold colour scheme it well suited, which is represented further by the type used. The mix of fonts link well with one another without being overwhelming and chaotic. The sticking colour of the orange draws your attention as it is so visual impacting.
I had found a home/bath product that has undergone a rebrand. Similar to my theme, they have used a script like font for the main typography. This is seconded with another different script font that seems to look slightly childlike which I do not think is effective. What I find interesting is most home products tend to have a very similar colour scheme of creams and brown - obvious perhaps but I guess it still makes it work for its target audience. From afar I think these products work well in conjunction with one another but up-close there are some layout issues- some of the type is too close together creating un-structure to the packaging and making it look slightly untidy.
This uni-sex cosmetic range I find appealing. I like the overall aesthetic they have achieved as I do feel it would appeal to both men and women. I think this is due to the colour scheme as black and white do not connote much to one specific gender. This is also shown in the type used. Although I am not a big fan of the type, as I don't necessarily like the 'faded' look it has, I think it will work well for its target audience - again not siding with gender. The different patterns on the products work well with one another, as they still create variety in the different products while still coming across as a whole brand.
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