Type on Film A Brief Exploration on Typography in Film Poster Design
Madeleine Salomons
Type on Film
Madeleine Salomons
Publication Š 2020 ECUAD All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission of the publisher. Editing: Madeleine Salomons Design: Madeleine Salomons Image credits: Fig. Fig. Fig. Fig. Fig. Fig.
1. Still from Gerwig, Lady Bird. 2. Still from Jenkins, Moonlight. 3. Still from Aster, Midsommar. 4. Still from Abrahamson, Room. 5. Still from Mills, 20th Century Women. 6. Still from Wang, The Farewell.
Printed in Canada _______________________________ Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication Madeleine Salomons, editor Type on Film / Madeleine Salomons ; COMD204-Project1 Type Safari. ISBN 975-1-696359-81-7 (pbk.) 1. Student project. 2. Illustration and Communication Design--Classroom. Emily Carr University of Art + Design, host institution V. Title. N8236.P35B83 2015 704.9’4933827282 C2013903923-6
Typeface — Amador Designer — Jim Parkinson
Lady Bird Blackletter
The choice of a Blackletter typeface for this film is particularly poignant. Lady Bird, the nickname for the main character, struggles deeply with her transformation from child to adult, amplified by her Catholic schooling and family, as well as her longing for independence outside of her bland hometown of Sacramento. Blackletter is a script style that typically is recognizable by its high contrast and pointed or angular forms. Amador is a typeface that contains a tall x-height along with particularly narrow letters and a vertical axis. This typeface speaks not only to the career of a professional writer the main character pursues, but the elegant singularity of how she chooses to express herself..
Don’t you think maybe they are the same thing? Love and attention?
You’re my only. I’m your only.
The clean, effortless forms of this typeface are a direct link to the utter simplicity of this film and the story it portrays. Over several years, a boy ages and comes to terms with his relationships with those around him, as well as within himself. While the plot is not overly dramatic, its dialogue and visuals are incredibly memorable. Gotham is a Geometric typeface that, within the Vox-ATypl classification, falls under the Linear category (in other words, it is a sans-serif typeface). It has a substantial x-height, a vertical axis, and wide counters. Though it is not a particularly decorative typeface, the sharpness of the lines and near-perfect circles allow the text to make a clear, compelling statement.
Gotham — Typeface Tobias Frere-Jones — Designer
MOONLIGHT Lineal (Geometric)
Transitional The use of a Transitional typeface for the poster of this film is particularly fitting. These fonts are often associated with the Enlightenment, and while this film is not necessarily a period piece, the characters travel to a midsummer event in Sweden, where, arguably, they undergo a sort of Enlightenment themselves. This typeface, Lapidary 333, contains a significant contrast between its thin and thick strokes, a medium x-height, a vertical axis, a deep descender line, and bracketed serifs.
Lapidary 333 — Typeface Eric Gill — Designer
Does he feel like home to you?
Typeface — Rockwell Designer — Frank Pierpont
ROOM
Mechanistic
If ever there was to be a typeface classified as “child-like”, it would be a mechanistic typeface (often referred to as a slab-serif ). The lack of contrast between strokes, and the oftentimes heavy weight is reminiscent of alphabet blocks and primary colours. Room, a story about a mother and her son who she has raised in captivity, (and told from the point of view of the son) is surrounded with child-like qualities. Rockwell, a very well-known typeface within this classification, contains no stroke modulation, unbracketed serifs (Egyptian), a medium x-height, and a vertical axis.
You’re gonna love it. What? The world.
Do you think you’re happy? In a movie that focuses so heavily on the late 20th century, and the rapid transformation of technology, the use of a Grotesque typeface ephasizes the influence of Modernism. However, it also is utilized in the same way Moonlight’s design is; the simple lines of a san-serif font allude directly to the simplicity of the story. Where this typeface diverts lies in the forms — the shapes are much more organic than a Geometric typeface, and the bowls mimic shapes a hand might make, rather than a perfect circle. News Gothic may have been designed in 2008, but it follows the makeup of many typefaces designed in the early 20th century. It has a medium-high x-height, relatively shallow descenders, a condensed width, and a small amount of stroke modulation.
News Gothic — Typeface Morris Fuller — Designer
20TH CENTURY WOMEN
Lineal (Grotesque)
THE
FAREWELL Didone What is interesting in regards to this typeface is the contrast between the style and the content of the film. The connection lies in the main plot of the film — the family creates an elaborate lie centered around their grandmother, refusing to tell her that she is dying. This typeface is elegant and modern, and though it is less decorative than other serif typefaces, it makes it easy for the message to be disguised behind a heavy stroke modulation and delicate, unbracketed serifs. Bauer Bodoni also contains ball terminals, a medium-high x-height, a shallow descender line, and a vertical axis.
Bauer Bodoni — Typeface Heinrich Jost — Designer
Why would I lie to you?