TYPE 2: Journal 8

After reading the article by Jessica Helfand I think that she has a good point when it comes to the typeface Futura. It is used often and, at times, too much. It was also interesting how she discussed with a student why the student decided on using Futura as the typeface for a book jacket project over Sigmund Freud's "Interpretation of Dreams". Apparently, it comes natural to people to choose Futura without even thinking of using another font. The student did not know the date that the book she was designing or that Futura was created in 1928.

Overall I think that there are quite a few fonts that work well in place of Futura. They are: Syntax, Gill Sans, Akzidenz Grotesk and Franklin Gothic. All of these fonts are fairly geometric as Futura is and could take its place. Syntax is the only one that is more unique and has irregular shaped termials, but it still has the basic geometric shapes that Futura has. Franklin Gothic is slightly wider than Futura and Akzidenz Grotesk is more narrow and its x-height is larger. Gill Sans is the best font to replace Futura. It is very geometric and can be used in bodies of text, titles, subtitles and all throughout a book with mo problem at all. I favor this font and use it all the time in all of my projects.

10 Graphic Design Paradoxes by Adrian Shaughnessy

I found this article to be really interesting. I thought that it was great how he made it a point to say that he had created another 'good ol' graphic design book' and then went in to saying that in this book he talked about the 'soft stuff'. At first, when he said that he designed a graphic design book I was not really surprised or very interested in him describing the book, but after he went into further detail about how "mostly it’s a book about the soft stuff — the stuff that we deal with every day and tend to take for granted." It makes the reader want to continue on and find out what we actually take for granted. The paradoxes that I found the most intriguing were:

05: For designers, verbal skills are as important as visual skills. Since graphic design should be self-explanatory, designers might be forgiven for thinking that the need to provide a verbal rationale for their work is unimportant. Surely the work should succeed on its own merits without requiring a designer’s advocacy? True. Except there never was a client who didn’t want an explanation for every aspect of every piece of creative work they commissioned. If we can’t talk about our work in a clear, rational and objective way — free from all jargon — then we can’t be surprised when we meet with rejection.

06: Ideas usually fail not because they're bad ideas, but because they're badly presented. The ability to present an idea is as important as the idea itself. The single most important thing we need to remember when presenting work to clients is that they are terrified at the prospect of what we are going to show them. For clients, commissioning design is like going into a furniture showroom to buy a sofa and being told by the salesperson, “Sure, I can sell you a sofa. But I can’t show it to you.” Who ever spent money on something they couldn’t see? Yet this is precisely what we ask our clients to do when they commission us.

These both go together and are vital to a graphic designer. I can relate to this because my ideas for my posters have been solid but the way in which I present them is what hurts me. Every graphic designer should be able to speak confidently and clearly to their client or whoever it is they are speaking to. A graphic designer also needs to know how to make a solid presentation that shows dedication, determination and understanding of the design.