Post 2000 Dutch Posters 1997-2017 A Selection by Anthon Beeke, 2001

I chose this poster because of the simplicity - the dark silhouette of the woman really stands out against the light pink, feminine background. The upside-down image of the woman also draws your eyes directly towards the woman's groin area - the image mirroring the content of 'The Vagina Monologues'. Typographically, the word 'vagina' also captures your attention as it is the largest word on the page, as well as being coloured red - I also like the fact that it is encompassed in a speech bubble, again linking to the content, making it seem like the vagina is speaking. 

1950 - 2000 X-rated Adult Movie Posters of the 60s and 70s by Tony Nourmand, Graham Marsh and Peter Doggett, c. 1970s 

I was drawn to this poster initially because of the cheeky tagline 'he gave them some samples they couldn't resist!' - the phrase alone isn't that outlandish but within the given context of an adult movie poster, it takes on a whole new meaning! The font used for 'Super Salesman' then captures my attention as the bright pink colour is particularly striking and the style is almost as if it is hand-drawn - the poster definitely screams that it is from the 70s. The illustration of the man seems quite simple upon first glance by with closer inspection, you can see his hair is actually made up of three more images of women, again alluding to the racy nature of the poster. This is also furthered by using an 'X' for his eye. Compositionally, the triangle formed by the text and the image gives the poster a dynamic feel; the simple palette also helps to achieve this effect. The complimentary colours of blue and magenta clash, creating optical movement - the poster is in your face without being overcrowded and overcomplex, something I hope to achieve with my own work. 

Pre 1950 Ornamental Posters of the Vienna Secession by Horst-Herbert Kossatz, c. 1904

The contrast between the bold primary colours and white areas attracted me to this poster at first. I really like the ornamental line-drawing style used - it almost seems as if the image rises from the surface of the poster, giving it a stained glass window effect. The long, tall format of the design also echoes this. The poster is fairly abstract as well, drawing me in and leaves me wanting to know more about what it is advertising. I feel like the figure locks eyes with you, again encapturing your attention. 

Talk: Sarah Hyndman demonstrates how type design affects the way we read, the way we respond to commands and even our mood.

https://www.itsnicethat.com/watch/nicer-tuesdays-2016/sarah-hyndman

Although I was already aware of some of the effects of typography upon the reader, Hyndman's presentation furthered my knowledge on the subject. I particularly found it very interesting to see the extent of some of the effects on the audience - seeing the choices made in real-time really brought it home to me. The way Hyndman got her message across in a lighthearted, fun way, interacting with the young people, genuinely made you identify with her arguments. I especially like the quote "typography is what our voices look like" as it emphasises intonation in the visual medium of typography and suggests how subtle verbal clues can, to some extent, be depicted typographically. I am thinking particularly of how Hyndman uses fonts to display nuances  - Comic Sans could portray a belly laugh, whereas Footlight Italic seems more like a sarcastic laugh. This is useful to know and I intend to make use of it in future projects. 

Sarah’s final point of the talk relates to the distinct personalities of typefaces. She asked the crowd which typeface they would date out of these three:



This struck a chord with me, maybe because of the dating scenario is so relevant for this generation. Personally, I would have chosen C and I found the description fascinating - 'designers (& often women) would date Lubalin Graph Book, describing it as cool, contemporary and stylish, an arty type. Non-designers (& often men) saw it as too straight-laced, harsh and abrasive.' I thought I would try this exercise out on some of my own friends and family and the results echoed the findings; 7 of them chose A, 3 chose C (all women, including my Mum who is an artist) while only 2 chose B. I found the reasoning behind one girl's choice of B particularly interesting though as she said it reminded her of a font on a dating app, but probably says more about her choice in men to be honest!

Overall, Hyndman makes you think about the importance of font and the role it plays in the way we read, respond and feel.  I admired her presentation skills - her talk is short and simple yet very impressive.  The interactions with the audience demonstrate her message directly and effectively; something I will take forward, hopefully, for my own presentations.  

Talk: [in Spanish but with subtitles] Martina Flor discusses the secret language of lettering

https://www.ted.com/talks/martina_flor_the_secret_language_of_letter_design?language=en

I like how Flor starts her TED Talk off by imagining how 'TED' would be written in different eras and for different audiences:

• Roman Empire - chiseled into stone
• Middle Ages - intricately transcribed in ink onto parchment 
• The 80s - in electric, strange colours
• For children - like building blocks in vivid colours
• For superheroes - comic book style

It immediately demonstrates to the audience/viewer that letters can tell us things beyond what they represent, communicating different periods in time, values and stories, something which could be very important to think about using in my own work. I found Flor's approach to a commission enlightening as well because it almost shows a step by step guide of how a professional letterer works, providing a basis of where to start and how to develop projects of my own. It shocked me to learn how carefully considered every element is in a design, from the size and style of font to colours used as well as text placement, as all these can greatly affect the tone of the book cover. Typography and letter shapes work a bit like gestures and tone of voice and can be just as important as the message.  One particular standout quote for me from the talk is "by giving shape to letters, I can decide more precisely what I mean to say and how, beyond the literal text'. It again emphasises how lettering can be so intricately thought out beforehand, giving extra meaning to a message, changing the way a word is read, and even evoking a reaction in the reader - you can express yourself in ways other than language.  

Don't Forget to Have Fun (https://mr.bingo/dont-forget-to-have-fun/)

Mr Bingo is one of my all-time favourite artists - his work is often rude or a bit weird but ultimately I find it hilarious! I particularly enjoy his piece 'Don't Forget to Have Fun' as the jolly text engraved into a gravestone creates a stark juxtaposition - it is just so unexpected as you wouldn't normally associate fun and death. I also really like the handwritten style of the text; stone engravings are usually very uniform and neat so again this piece surprises the viewer by going against the norm. When thinking about how to subvert my own found text during the 'Making Meaning' workshop, this was the immediate example that sprung to mind and also inspired me to create a 3D outcome. Mr Bingo has created prints of this design (which are still really visually effective!) but there is something very satisfactory about seeing the unlikely text formed in the actual material (concrete in this case, and icing in my project). 

Hate Mail (https://mr.bingo/hate-mail/)

'Hate Mail' is another of Mr Bingo's projects that appeals to me - people can pay for him to send abusive postcards to them or their family and friends. Above are a few examples that I particularly like because of the various styles of lettering - from swirly and decorative to blocky and bold. Combined with illustrative elements, being told 'fuck you' has never been so amusing!

Theory of Time, 2019 (https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2019/01/theory-of-time-by-daku/)

This piece by Daku is very clever. The installation is formed of shadows cast across a street Panjim, Goa and I think it's interesting that he chose to create a piece about time in a medium itself that is temporary and fleeting - when the sunlight disappears, so does his work. 

Instagram: @daku156 (https://www.instagram.com/p/BDtVPPer5Fz/)

Instagram: @theunlikelypainter (https://www.instagram.com/p/Btb0eIQnXfJ/)

The colour red is immediate and attention grabbing, making this a standout piece. The central placing of the message also draws the eye but differing text size clearly indicates which part of the text is more important: the larger, bolder 'I like you'. 

Instagram: @theunlikelypainter (https://www.instagram.com/p/Bp7gTgJDFPI/)

Instagram: @theunlikelypainter (https://www.instagram.com/p/B1rfTQyFLNc/) 

Banana Wall (http://sagmeister.com/work/deitch-projects-banana-wall/)

http://sagmeister.com/work/standard-chartered-commercial/

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/oct/12/brexit-the-horror-film-billboards-mock-governments-get-ready-campaign-led-by-donkeys

https://twitter.com/ByDonkeys/status/1183716400961150978/photo/1

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/oct/19/led-by-donkeys-interview-there-is-as-political-power-in-laughing

https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/boris-johnson-brutally-trolled-huge-17013382

http://www.arthistoryarchive.com/arthistory/feminist/Barbara-Kruger.html

https://www.seblester.com/category/lettering/wow

https://www.seblester.com/category/lettering/apple

https://www.seblester.com/category/lettering/beautiful-malice

https://www.seblester.com/category/lettering/liberty

https://www.seblester.com/category/lettering/new-york-times

https://www.seblester.com/category/art/home-sweet-home---gold-foil-on-white

https://www.seblester.com/category/art/three-words

https://www.seblester.com/category/art/indelicate

https://www.seblester.com/category/art/mmm-%E2%80%94-limited-edition-print

https://www.seblester.com/category/art/tits---limited-edition-print

Royal Mail Stamps (http://www.mariondeuchars.com/#/royalmailstamps/)

Inspiring Words Postcard (http://www.mariondeuchars.com/#/handlettering/)

http://www.mariondeuchars.com/#/handlettering/

Palau de La Musica Barcelona poster - Dave Eggers book cover (http://www.mariondeuchars.com/#/handlettering/)

Posters for Plan UK (http://www.mariondeuchars.com/#/handlettering/)

D&AD Annual Report - Do The Well Thing poster (http://www.mariondeuchars.com/#/handlettering/)

Learn Something Everyday (http://www.mariondeuchars.com/#/handlettering/)

From book What's Cooking? Famous designers on food. Baseline (http://www.mariondeuchars.com/#/handlettering/)

The Juciest Tomato of Them All, 1964 (https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2018/apr/22/corita-kent-the-pop-art-nun)

For Eleanor, 1964 (https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2018/apr/22/corita-kent-the-pop-art-nun)

Daisy, 1966 (http://corita.org/piece/66-14)

Handle with Care, 1967 (http://corita.org/piece/67-18)

e eye love, 1968 (http://corita.org/piece/68-35)

American Sampler, 1969 (http://corita.org/piece/69-65)