Jessica Helfand in her book Screen (2001):
“We need to look at screen based typography as a new language, with its own grammar, its own syntax, and its own rules. What we need are new and better models, models that go beyond language or typography per se, and that reinforce rather than restrict our understanding of what it is to design with electronic media.”
“Of what value are typographic choices—bold and italics when words can now dance across the screen, dissolve and disappear.”
I can’t agree more with Kenya Hara on this: ‘a situation in which we awake one day to find that what is active is not our senses but only software, is not some kind of science fiction tale; it’s already here, and it is prevalant’. Thus to agree that google is making us stupid as well as digital technology, so let’s hope that there is no end to print despite the pulping problem it causes. Why is there such a thing as freesheets (Stylist, Shortlist)? They only pollute our environment, they can easily exist as digital. I guess that’s same with free newspapers.
Last year the French supermarket ‘Monoprix’ had a makeover of their own brand grocery products (over 2,000). They treated each pack almost as a billboard, employing blocks of solid colour typography. There are no images, you can’t see the product within and there are no serving suggestions an the products.
They applied ‘all in words’ concept that is to be perceived as an image. Each individual package contains a unique play on words, a joke to amuse the consumer. This seems as an unusual approach, doesn’t it? They also came up with a unique message on different sized packages of the same product. So, for example the text on 250 gram pack of butter is different to the one on a 125 gram pack. All this created by Havas City, a Paris based advertising agency. This was also supported by outdoor advertising and a slogan saying ‘Just say no to junk design’.
I found this article in the Creative Review (Feb 2011) and thought it was interesting. What do you think?
QR codes (quick response codes) have been a familiar feature for magazine readers. Nevertheless, some newspapers such as The Washington Post are now also experimenting with these codes in order to engage with their readers. QR codes are only dedicated for smart-phone users who download the application to scan the code with their integrated camera.
This is surely great for advertisers, QR codes in printed advertising can be a way to drive traffic to the home page, to download vouchers that can be used online or in store or to launch a video of the product being used.
However, this is also supposed to be a way of directing the reader to an interactive content available online. The Washington Post published a QR code in the food section that directed readers to many recipes online.
A bit of a tiresome process? What do you think?
I agree that Internet makes our lives easier and that information is available to us anywhere and at any time but into what extent is the information reliable though? Anybody can publish anything. John-Paul Flintoff (2007) in his article ‘Thinking is so over’ pointed out that “Wikipedia has millions of amateur editors and unreliable content” and that it “is the 17th most trafficked site on the net”.
Vera Fab
LCC MAGD GROUP V 