Bad

This is a container used to store photographic chemicals which I found in the university’s darkroom. I think that this is an example of decently bad typography. I do not really think that good typography was a big necessity for this bottle considering it is just meant to store chemicals, but some things on it definitely could be better. The contrast between the text and the background is fine. There is more than enough contrast there to ensure everything is legible. My big problem comes in with the different typefaces all present on the bottle. It has three different typefaces all present at the top of the bottle. There is not much space separating them either, which makes the whole thing feel somewhat disjointed. I also really dislike the font choice of the word “DATATAINER.” The word has fairly normal tracking, but the height of the letters is where the big problem occurs. The letters are way too tall, which makes the letters feel extremely tight despite them not being very tight in reality. Other than the fonts not being very good in general, none of them really complement each other either. All of the fonts are sans-serif so there is no diversity in the design. Maybe if one of the fonts was a bit more decorative or had some serifs then the design might feel more cohesive, but these three different fonts all kind of compete with each other instead of complimenting each other. The overall design is also pretty bland, but that is not quite as important because this is just a storage container.

This is just a package of soft tortilla shells that caught my eye while walking around my house looking for good typography. One of the biggest reasons that it caught my eye was largely because of the bright and warm colors that the packaging uses. The reds, oranges, and yellows are bright and grab attention well. While they may be bright, I do not think they are so bright to where it might hurt to look at them for too long. The white text over top of the colors also stands out fairly well. The text is large enough so that even on the yellow background where the contrast is minimal, the text is still legible. I also think that the contrast between the different colors helps to create a sense of hierarchy in the packaging. The white text against the red stands out the most so it helps to draw your eyes to that first. The text in the red area is also the largest and on the top, except for the “super soft” text. Then the orange has the second most contrast, is below the red, and has the second largest font. Yellow has the least contrast, is on the bottom, and has the smallest font. All of those factors work extremely well together to give the entire packaging a great sense of hierarchy and really show the viewer the important information in order. I also like how the “super soft” text in the bubble is very rounded and in lowercase. The more bubbly text helps to add the soft feeling that it is trying to communicate.

A couple of months ago I ordered a camera from eBay from a shop that happened to be in Japan. They had sent this little card along with the camera in the box to help promote their business. I can look past the mistakes in grammar and the overall awkward wording because the business is in Japan, so it is understandable that the English might be a little off. However, the overall design and typography on this card were just pretty bad. There is just so much going on in this design that it is hard to keep your eye on one place long enough to really absorb the information they are trying to communicate. The orange and blue gradients on the text and the white stroke around it also do not help with making a more cohesive and pleasing design. The orange text at the top, specifically where it says “ THANK YOU,” is pretty hard to read since its is orange text with a white stroke placed over an image of their sign which is red and white. It just blends in too much which makes it easy to lose in the design. The orange text with the yellow and orange background also feels like a bit too much. The good example had a lot of warm colors, but they were used tastefully, whereas this design feels like the colors were just thrown on there without much thought. The blue text looks fine and is easy to read, but it feels out of place. It is just random blue text put in the middle of a mostly orange background.