I originally read this article within CR. I found the full version online. Craig Ward talks about some contemporary points within typo-graphic design. Referencing legibility of typography and its role of image.
Just a great piece to read. Brilliant.
Over the last 7 years working as a designer and typographer in a variety of agencies above, below and through the line (whatever that is anymore), I’ve heard it said that good typography is invisible. That if a good typographer has done their job, you won’t know they’ve done anything at all. It’s perfectly true in many cases of course – and something I’ve riffed on myself in the past – but it’s no longer a maxim that I’m particularly comfortable in subscribing too.
Typography has always been perceived as something of a quiet art – a dark art even. Practiced by bespectacled men in darkened rooms, squinting at bezier curves on out of date monitors and using out of date software (miss you Fontographer). Fastidious men like Jan Tshichold and Eric Gill who wore suits to work and sported immaculate side partings – no bad thing. The craftsmanship and dedication that designers like this brought to the party can’t be under-estimated, but, in my opinion, neither is it something that can be rested on.
At the risk of generalising (as it was a time of much experimentation) the designers of that particular generation (or at least the ones I mentioned above) were champions of clarity and legibility. It was something they strived for – partially because to achieve it with the printing equipment they had at the time was quite something. Neatness of line, crispness of form and the immediate recognition of each letter and the context it has been placed in were their goals. It is something that has been taught in all (good) design schools for decades now and remains singularly the most important string in the designer’s bow. If you can’t work with type, you can’t call yourself a designer, it’s as simple as that. It sorts the wheat from the chaff; the dedicated few from the weekend Mac-jockeys, downloading free Photoshop brushes and bad freeware fonts by the bucket load.
‘Legibility’ is also a word that clients like and enjoy using. All the time, in my experience. “I can’t read it. Make it bigger. It’s not legible enough”. It’s one of those little power displays that lets you know that they know some stuff about what you do – so don’t you dare try and blind them with science. Unfortunately, it’s a term they too often confuse with readability – which is something else entirely – and also something they place far too much emphasis on. A dozen or more times I’ve had ideas rejected for their lack of legibility, regardless of how interesting and intriguing they might be.
A lot of things move more than they used to. Even posters move now; AdShells and billboards replaced by huge screens, full TV ads being shown on cross-track projections on the underground. Everywhere you look, something is bouncing around trying to grab your attention. TV’s have always moved but now the little ads on the side of your browser window jump about and invade your screen space with full motion video and the like. Everything moves. Because of this, straight typography has had a lot of competition in recent years and to a certain extent a lot of the established rules have been cast aside, particularly in new media: it’s a fact universally acknowledged that most type on the web is shit – although it is getting better. Carson may have been a little premature in his proclamation that print was dead all those years ago – and with it, all the rules we have come to acknowledge and obey – but it has certainly taken to it’s bed with a mug of Lemsip. It’s time, therefore, for typography to step up and to move on if it’s to avoid being forgotten and becoming a trampled wallflower.
In advertising there are still rules, visually speaking. Most of them regarding the immediacy of communication, particularly above the line (if there is still a line – the road becomes less clearly defined round these parts but that’s another essay entirely). Apparently you have less than 5 seconds to get your message across – hence your average D&AD annual will consist of dozens of variations on the ‘Witty juxtaposition of images (visual one-liners like brains made out of popcorn, two Weetabix making a heart shape, that kind of thing) + logo and strapline in the bottom right hand corner’ formula.
This is something else most clients are all-too-happy to tell you they know all about. They’ve had workshops to the effect. A man in a roll neck told them that it worked. It is, unfortunately, an industry-destructive way of working. Students look at the annuals. Students see what wins the awards. Students think this is what advertising is all about and forget how to write for advertising. Typography plays less and less of a role. I lose my job. Or become a re-toucher.
It’s become a kind of visual shorthand – read ‘lazy’ – for advertising or adverts and, in my opinion, has become all too easy to ignore. I can’t be bothered to ‘get it’ anymore and these days, those kinds of ads tend to wash over me in the same way as SALE signs, neon letter X’s in Soho and most things with skulls do. The problem, it seems, is that at some point, we have become ashamed to ask people to read what we’re saying. I had some work for a major book retailer rejected recently for being too wordy. A bookshop. Too wordy. Doesn’t quite marry up does it? Apparently, they’re having to dumb down in the face of increased competition from online retailers and need to get people through the door and clever posters in the windows scare people. When was being clever ever considered scary? I’ve received far too many briefs from creatives asking me to set the end line ‘as small as we can get away with’. It’s a tried and tested template for sure but, from a design point of view, it’s also tired and testing – and has made viewers and consumers visually lazy. There will always be the few champions of the long-copy ad – a breed previously thought to be extinct but which enjoyed a brief revival recently, something the recession has quickly snuffed out – but for the most part there is a tendency to take the easier way out in terms of concept and art direction. And that’s exactly what it is. Pictures are easier to comprehend than words. It’s why books for young children are full of pictures. You’d think we’d grow out of it but apparently not.
I’d like to propose, in these interesting times, that we stop taking the easy way out. That we don’t ’set it as small as we can get away with’. That creatives aren’t ashamed of being wordy or verbose and that, rather than assume people will only look at your ad for 5 seconds, give them something that they want to spend 5 minutes looking at and reading and understanding. What’s better? A perfectly legible and communicative poster that everyone can read but no one is interested by, or a convoluted, well put together and interesting piece of typography that demands you stop and look at it and which a handful of people will?
We’re all in the same boat here and only ideas will save you, so why not try something different? Some wordplay. A poem. A story. A statement. Say something about the brand you’re advertising. What have you got to lose? If no one’s buying anything, no clever juxtaposition of images is going to change their minds. People might actually appreciate being spoken to in a normal tone of voice. While everyone else is shouting, speak quietly and calmly. If they listen they listen, if they don’t it’s clearly not for them.
I genuinely believe words can be as visually engaging as any image – if used and treated correctly – and a piece of typography that might not be immediately ‘legible’, may still turn out to be more effective at getting the right kind of people to stop and stare. Surely it’s better to connect with 1 consumer effectively than to have 20 consumers see your ad, get it and walk on? A picture may paint a thousand words, but conversely, with a thousand words, who needs pictures?
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Craig Ward /
Words are Pictures
Craig Ward is a designer and typographer at CHI & Partners and is also represented by Debut Art.
Sarah Habershon | Interview | The Guardian
I was eager to understand more about The Guardian re-design to Berliner. The decisions towards the reader and designer. Big thanks to Sarah Habershon for getting back to me when she is constantly busy. Cheers.
Re-Design to Berliner
Was there anything that prompted the re-design to Berliner? Was this a decision made early on in the design process?
Mark Porter was, and still, is Creative Director of the Guardian and was in charge of the re-design. He spent some months working on a tabloid re-design. It was felt this didnt retain the authoritative feel of the Guardian. the berliner was a size that Alan Rusbridger really liked and had seen in Europe (examples of ??? ie it wasnt a newspaper called the berliner it was something else). A great solution as smaller than the broadsheet yet retined the 'seriousness' of a broadsheet. Allowed for a better grid (see how narrow the columns are in the tabloid size papers) and good use of photos.
What were the main considerations made during the design process, towards the reader?
EAsy navigation through the paper especially through things like labelling (see panels - a selection were invented like "backstory", FAQ etc so reader would come to recognise these points of information. Newspaper design is all about putting the information out there in a way which makes thingsa s easy as possible for the reader. Mark Leeds, one of Mark's right hand designers invented what we called a gizmo...based on something similar in one of the eurpoean papers its the small one-column quote/caption with a tiny photo next to it, or large number, you see within news stories. Helps break up copy and also gives information . and, like pullquotes is a point of access when flicking through pages.
Comment pages have 3 access points - the headline - the short standfrts and the pullquote. I was at one of marks talks once and an old guy said to him - I've read those 3 things - why would i bother to read the piece - mark replied - well weve saved you some time then! The point being you can choose to read that piece but if you don't have time right then you'll get a gist of what's going on
Were there any similar considerations towards the designer? For example, to aid the design process?
Yes, the design has to be easy to use by evreryone. Not just designers. Most of pages are laid out by layout subs some of who are good at layout, some who just think they are! You need a good style guide and rules that everyone can follow. eg how much space falls under a headline,under a standfirst etc every page is templated and you call up the relevent one. Each section has its own library items to pull on page... pull quotes, sidebars, standfirsts.
What would you consider as the main design features that help define the character of The Guardian?
the unique font (designed my Paul (ahh his name escapes me!!!) and Christian Schwartz) - called Guardian Egyptian. Spacing under hedalines and stanfirsts i think is very distinctive. Overall elegance and feels less cluttered than many papers. Use of photography.
In the degree studio environment, The Guardian is popular. Did the re-design aim to reach a wider market?
Of course - you aim for the widest audience you can. It appeals to designers but its not a case of form over function so should appeal to anyone. there is nothing weird or arty about it - just good clear presentation of information
Associated with editorial design within the newspaper environment.
I understand the role of the editorial designer is to be sympathetic and supportive of the copy, but how much of the design process is compromised within a newspaper environment?
Quite a bit in reality. daily battles with certain individuals who think they know better! Though many people are supportive of designers. Some editors don't seem to understand why an art director is a valuable asset. but thank fully many do. And at teh end of the day your editor is the boss, all you can do is presenst your case clearly.Most people, as i'm sure you know, have an opinion...its easy to comment on design. And ofetn we have to really battle for a picture/illo we think would be right. You're always up against time, but that can be quite a postive challenge I find.
How does this change across publications?
VAries according to editors- its down to individuals and how they see/view design and role designer
Online media is ever increasing. How do you foresee the printed newspaper, will it become threatened by the move to online?
Yes - this is what everyone is talking about all the time everywhere. Everyone making redundancies, slashing budgets. remember teh main thing is to get the news out there - print is just the medium. I'm a print person so i do worry about losing what i like to do. Newspapers will change over the coming years for sure. But the problem is howe to make money to support your news organisation and journalism .I do think newspapers will be around a while longer but propably in a different format perhaps more magazine like . BWe may cut print costs down but theres still distribution costs and good investigative journalism costs money. Anyway - theres loads of debate about all this everywhere you'll find. No-one really knows what will happen. I can't see how all the papers can keep going without eventually agreeing to charge for content
Re-Design to Berliner
Was there anything that prompted the re-design to Berliner? Was this a decision made early on in the design process?
Mark Porter was, and still, is Creative Director of the Guardian and was in charge of the re-design. He spent some months working on a tabloid re-design. It was felt this didnt retain the authoritative feel of the Guardian. the berliner was a size that Alan Rusbridger really liked and had seen in Europe (examples of ??? ie it wasnt a newspaper called the berliner it was something else). A great solution as smaller than the broadsheet yet retined the 'seriousness' of a broadsheet. Allowed for a better grid (see how narrow the columns are in the tabloid size papers) and good use of photos.
What were the main considerations made during the design process, towards the reader?
EAsy navigation through the paper especially through things like labelling (see panels - a selection were invented like "backstory", FAQ etc so reader would come to recognise these points of information. Newspaper design is all about putting the information out there in a way which makes thingsa s easy as possible for the reader. Mark Leeds, one of Mark's right hand designers invented what we called a gizmo...based on something similar in one of the eurpoean papers its the small one-column quote/caption with a tiny photo next to it, or large number, you see within news stories. Helps break up copy and also gives information . and, like pullquotes is a point of access when flicking through pages.
Comment pages have 3 access points - the headline - the short standfrts and the pullquote. I was at one of marks talks once and an old guy said to him - I've read those 3 things - why would i bother to read the piece - mark replied - well weve saved you some time then! The point being you can choose to read that piece but if you don't have time right then you'll get a gist of what's going on
Were there any similar considerations towards the designer? For example, to aid the design process?
Yes, the design has to be easy to use by evreryone. Not just designers. Most of pages are laid out by layout subs some of who are good at layout, some who just think they are! You need a good style guide and rules that everyone can follow. eg how much space falls under a headline,under a standfirst etc every page is templated and you call up the relevent one. Each section has its own library items to pull on page... pull quotes, sidebars, standfirsts.
What would you consider as the main design features that help define the character of The Guardian?
the unique font (designed my Paul (ahh his name escapes me!!!) and Christian Schwartz) - called Guardian Egyptian. Spacing under hedalines and stanfirsts i think is very distinctive. Overall elegance and feels less cluttered than many papers. Use of photography.
In the degree studio environment, The Guardian is popular. Did the re-design aim to reach a wider market?
Of course - you aim for the widest audience you can. It appeals to designers but its not a case of form over function so should appeal to anyone. there is nothing weird or arty about it - just good clear presentation of information
Associated with editorial design within the newspaper environment.
I understand the role of the editorial designer is to be sympathetic and supportive of the copy, but how much of the design process is compromised within a newspaper environment?
Quite a bit in reality. daily battles with certain individuals who think they know better! Though many people are supportive of designers. Some editors don't seem to understand why an art director is a valuable asset. but thank fully many do. And at teh end of the day your editor is the boss, all you can do is presenst your case clearly.Most people, as i'm sure you know, have an opinion...its easy to comment on design. And ofetn we have to really battle for a picture/illo we think would be right. You're always up against time, but that can be quite a postive challenge I find.
How does this change across publications?
VAries according to editors- its down to individuals and how they see/view design and role designer
Online media is ever increasing. How do you foresee the printed newspaper, will it become threatened by the move to online?
Yes - this is what everyone is talking about all the time everywhere. Everyone making redundancies, slashing budgets. remember teh main thing is to get the news out there - print is just the medium. I'm a print person so i do worry about losing what i like to do. Newspapers will change over the coming years for sure. But the problem is howe to make money to support your news organisation and journalism .I do think newspapers will be around a while longer but propably in a different format perhaps more magazine like . BWe may cut print costs down but theres still distribution costs and good investigative journalism costs money. Anyway - theres loads of debate about all this everywhere you'll find. No-one really knows what will happen. I can't see how all the papers can keep going without eventually agreeing to charge for content
Mark Porters Blog | Guardian Egyption
I have been looking through Mark Porters blog (creative director, The Guardian) and came across this. Thought it was funny, but also useful to understand about typeface licensing.
It’s always difficult when your children grow up and go out to make their own way in the world. There are many years to go before my real-life children are ready for that, but another of my babies has struck out on its own - Guardian Egyptian is now available for licensing.
Our exclusivity deal with the font designers has come to an end and I found out this week that our wonderful typeface is now being used in a Norweigian news magazine; I haven’t seen a copy yet, but you can see a little on the website. It may seem odd that I should feel such an emotional attachment when the font was designed by Paul Barnes and Christian Schwartz. But it evolved over a period of intense collaboration between the three of us, and there’s definitely a lot of me in there too; I swear that any DNA test would prove it!
I was there at the conception and the birth, and I’ve lived closely with the typeface for nearly three years, getting to know all its habits and eccentricities. It has such an intimate connection to the Guardian for me that I just can’t imagine it being used anywhere else. I’m a little afraid that any other publication that uses it will end up looking like a Guardian clone; on the other hand I’m really excited, and looking forward to seeing other designers do something completely different with it.
So I’ll be following its progress with a mixture of pride and trepidation. And to anyone who buys it… Please be careful with my baby!
Spin Shorts
I have followed Spin design's work for a while. There simple style is backed up by substance. This is something that i aim to reflect in my work.
wanna try sum drugs mate
Here is an interactive flash driven micro-site that informs the viewer about the effects of drugs. The sensitivity of the cursor changes depending on the drug you use. In-between using the drugs it informs you that the police a watching and tracking your emails (strange). I think it is a far cry from experiencing the actual drug, but the interactivity makes something possibly mundane into something engaging.
Go do some drugs
Go do some drugs
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