Thursday, March 5, 2009

Form and Content 4: http://handtypes.com/modern7.html


This image comes from the website http://handtypes.com/modern7.html and was designed for the Boheme Publishing company whose goal is to teach graphic design. This piece is really strong because of the depth created by layering, line, and perspective. There are three main line elements that create a grid for the space. They aren't given much importance in the hierarchy but are definitely elements that gives the piece structure and depth. The first line element is a basic grid overlay that is placed behind "color theory." The next line element is the radiating lines that meet at "For Teaching Graphic Design Subjects." These draw your eye backward toward a vanishing point giving focus to the text there and again creating depth. The last line element is the set of dashed lines that are given more weight and placed more randomly throughout. This element is treated more like the text and is used to break the text up and also emphasize the different angles in the piece. The text itself is the main emphasis in the piece and creates the most depth. The text has a lot of variations in scale, typeface, and color. The scale variations create a hierarchy in the text, pulling your eye more to some words before others. Some of the scale choice is due to some words receding towards the vanishing point. I think the main reason for the typeface variations is that graphic designers use different typefaces and by showing different fonts in use it gives it more of a designer feel. It also makes overlapping areas easier to discern what word is what. Color contrast helps with this point a lot too. The color scheme is limited to just three hues of warm colors- pink, orange, and yellow, a white and black. This creates unity within and simplifies the potentially busy design. The only real design problem I see is the treatment of the actual content (the series name or title). These elements lack a clear hierarchy and place within the grid and seemed to be an afterthought. This information should be clear-cut and flowing since it is the information that is pertinent.