Contextual Studies – Exercise in Collecting Information

A short exercise of Research Principles was given to students kick off thoughts on how to approach research into the Contextual Studies essay. We combed through two articles on the typeface Helvetica Now.

I was presented with two printouts of online articles; this one from The Guardian, and another from the website Dezeen.

Helvetica Now symbols from Dezeen’s article.

The point of the articles being printed out was to highlight them much as one would a personal textbook, newspaper, or magazine, etc.

A good tip was to read through the source material twice; highlighting text only the second time though. There’s no need to rush if you plan your time.

The trick is not to go overboard with highlighting.

I think it’s important for students to note, not to go bananas with highlighting information. If you end up highlighting almost the entirety of a paragraph, you’re only going to have to scout through it again to find the most relevant of information.

The most important of information to seek out in a reference material are:

• The source’s credibility
• The subject’s historical context
• Relevant technology
• Individual designers & agencies
• Visuals (photos, diagrams, illustrations)

Looking at the two sources handed out, students were asked, “How can you be sure of the validity of a source material?” There are a number of answers! Credibility is dependant on the writer (potential bias), the type of publication (eg. broadsheet vs. tabloid newspaper), the date published (as design is constantly changing), just to name a few.

These two sources would be considered trustworthy; one being a broadsheet-quality newspaper and the other a respected online magazine, specifically covering architecture, interiors and design. But you can also say these sources are both opinionated.

Image above from Deezen’s article, showing “…three sizes in the font family to suit different uses”.

The Dezeen article was peppered with imagery that would be suited for use as visual support in a contextual study paper. Just as long as all imagery is rightly credited in the paper.

I think, while I already knew most of what was delivered, it’s doesn’t hurt to be reminded of basic principles of academic study, and I did take away some new knowledge.

I’m not sure of the topic I’m going to pursue yet. Students were handed a list of 8 questions that hit the target outcomes. The 8th question, regarding predictions of “the death of print media” was the only one that stood out to me as a topic I could get into. I can submit my own essay topic, and it will be be signed off by a lecturer if only it hits the criteria of the module’s target outcomes. The topic must involve a prediction of future design trends!

Bauhaus – Typeface

100 years on, and the teachings of the Bauhaus school of art are still examples of a solid design process. That is to say, that today’s graphic designers owe a lot to the teachings and theories of Bauhaus; it was the most important influence on graphic design in the twentieth century, with its presence felt throughout contemporary typography, architecture, website layout, furniture design, and art theory.

The Bauhaus school was founded in the year 1919 in Weimar, Germany, by architect Walter Gropius. Bauhaus essentially means “house of building”. The school existed in three German cities; in weimar from 1919-1025, in Dessau from 1925-1932 and in Berlin from 1932-1933, with a combination of tree different directors; Walter Gropius, Hannes Mayer and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe.

It was a school that strived to combine beauty with usefulness through architecture, sculpture, painting, crafts, and engineering. Under Bauhaus’ teachings, weavers, painters, architects, and so on were all understood to be of equal importance.

Much like the Arts and Crafts movement of Britain, Bauhaus’ teachings were in part, a reaction to soulless mass-production. Though unlike the Arts and Crafts movement, Bauhaus supported the idea that both mass-production and the individual artistic spirit were compatible. Another key difference is Bauhaus’ focus on practicality; for art to survive in a turbulent society, art had to show its functionality and purpose.

In future posts, I’d like to examine specific artists from the school of Bauhaus, and how their works still influences design to this day. As Bauhaus is such a broad topic, this entry focusses only on the Bauhaus typeface and some popular usage that it sees.

Bauhaus typefaces

Student of Bauhaus and later teacher, Herbert Bayer, built the experimental Universal typeface in 1925, and while never truly finished, it lay the groundwork for the Bauhaus typeface Blippo, designed in 1969 by Joe Taylor.

For the Bauhaus typefaces, serifs (often seen as, or used as reading aids) have been left out in favour of a more definite, crisp finish; meanings it’s a sans-serif font. The font Blippo and the variant, Bauhaus 93 (first used in Microsoft Office in 1993) see ever-popular usage on brands looking to be easy-going and friendly.

The logo for Nintendo’s range of collectable, interactive figures.

Nintendo has used Bauhaus 93 for their amiibo logo. They also used Blippo back in 1985 in the title screen of the Nintendo Entertainment System’s Super Mario Bros. and its sequel. Nintendo generally pushes their accessibility, their wholesome content, and the fun and excitement of learning and exploring, so appropriating the font to communicate “playfulness” is no surprise.

The Playmobil logo from 1980-1990. Playmobil continues to use a modified Bauhaus font logo.

Playmobil uses the Bauhaus font to look both approachable and fun, yet the typeface also holds a sturdy and durable quality to it, mirroring the endurance of a product that is designed for everyday play and wear.

In media, the 1981 British stop-motion television program Postman Pat uses Blippo in the logo and end credits, while Bauhaus 93 is used extensively in the American, flash-animated surreal comedy web series Homestar Runner.

There are other well-known uses of the Bauhaus fonts, though they’re either used for children’s entertainment, or family-oriented products or services. I think there is much opportunity for Blippo and Bauhaus 93 to be applied to services and products aimed at other target markets, especially when paired with complimentary fonts. The bauhaus typeface family is most suitable (that is, highly legible) for use on print media such as posters and book covers.