From the course: Expressive Typography
Display type: Big, bigger, biggest
From the course: Expressive Typography
Display type: Big, bigger, biggest
- [Instructor] "Big, Bigger, Biggest". Large typography can have an oversized effect. Type that is bursting off the page or screen is shouting for attention, literally "To The Max", created by the design firm Trevett McCandliss You can really see the power of "Bigness". Yes, bigness is a real word. Another example from Trevett McCandliss is "High Fiber", where the type expresses the shape of the shoe by being high, huge, and super bold. Tina Touli's big 3D typographic animations are simply mesmerizing. This one repeats and convolutes the pink, puffy words, "Big Bang". And this one, equally hypnotic, is a sharp and fractured revolving image of the words "Here, There, Everywhere". Eric Brechbuhl's poster for "Macbeth" is a perfectly expressive and enormous typographic image of Shakespeare's most famous dark and bloody tragedy. The type is distressed and damaged. The dark red-on-black color scheme builds foreboding. The massive capitals jammed up against the edges of the image create anxiety. I have seen many, many posters for performances of "Macbeth," and this is possibly the most expressive. The type itself becomes the image of unfolding horror. And for a complete change of mood, Brechbuhl serves up "The Happy Show" by creating balloon-like letter forms that are apparently so big that they're squished up against the poster edges. The puffy, inflated letter shapes express happiness, and the bright overall yellow is happy. Everybody's happy. Here, again, the type becomes the image. Outdoor signage has to be large to attract attention on a crowded streetscape or shopping venue. Another expression of happiness and fun is the "Dunkin' logo". I love this logo. When you spot the chubby rounded orange letter forms, you anticipate a fun experience when you step into a Dunkin'. This signage from the design firm Pentagram for the 42nd Street Theater really stands out. The double neon lettering and the entire neon facade expressed theatricality. The super large typography inside the theater defines the functions of each space. The signage stretching over the facade of Cooper Union's newest building reflects the design of the building itself. Its angular lettering wraps around the angular architecture. It looks technical and digital. And indeed, much of the digital and engineering studies inside are just that. So be bold, think about going "big", "bigger", or "biggest" for a "Big Bang" in your own expressive projects.
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