LGBT - Type Exploration

When considering the typefaces that could be possibly used within the brief, I began to experiment led from research and taking elements of the brief which would allow finding something fitting for both the brief, but also retain a level of visual coherency to the industry that the event is contained within. 
Originally when considering the typefaces that are involved within the media industry the mind instantly goes towards printed media. Printed media being one of the first methods of getting news out on a mass scale. Therefore taking my initial research into the visual identity type to the typefaces that are used in printed media.

Newspapers: Newspapers use both serif and sans serif typefaces, the most important factor when presenting visuals within a news environment is clarity; ensuring that information gets out to the audience quickly and clearly. This is where clearly evenly kerned type comes into play when selling newspapers and creating headlines they are presented on new boards, in order to bring in an audience newspaper publishers uses hard-hitting large shocking headlines; drawing in the audiences attention. Therefore the type must reflect of such, giving off the feel of importance and demanding the visual attention of the page in which it is printed, examples of such can be found before in figure 1. Although when it comes to the branding of newspapers themselves, more decorative typefaces are used, to create a more memorable lasting visual experience for the audience, allowing them to visually link the type of news they will be receiving to the type of visuals they are viewing. This is something that a mix of the two could be explored within my experimentation of type selections as the event branding is something that must both stand alone but have a great visual influence of being its own body when used alone. 

Figure 1

TV Journalism: The next direction of visual research into typography that is used within media took me to TV journalism, most news platforms now consist of audiovisual content, and therefore are branded with idents that link to their channel they're being presented on. Therefore I decided to look into the type of typography that is most commonly used and consider the way in which it could influence the branding of the event.

ITV News

BBC News

Channel 5 News

Even though the news show logos are from 3 different channels that have a different perspective, and approach to the way in which they present the news, and to a varied target audience, each of the branding idents show similar qualities. all of them retain the channels main branding and then contains the word 'news' in the same typeface, in black all caps format. Again relating back to the way in which clarity is the most important feature to the branding of the media industry, and can be something that will influence the design of the branding for the event. 

Type Experiments:

Figure 2

In order to keep with the common visual theme found in research, within the media industry that is, to always keep clarity as the main feature of the branding the is evident across the designs, I decided to use Helvetica. Known as the clearest of typefaces, due to its even x-height, even kerning, and even midpoints, Helvetica gives the option to give the branding a feel of being part of the media industry without becoming over complicated. Yet due to its massive overuse in many different industries, I believe that the use of this typeface within the branding will not allow for the brand to have a strong enough identity for the logotype to stand alone. 

Figure 3

To experiment with other visual languages that are kept in the media industry I attempted to experiment with a more classic/traditional serif font, which replicates newspaper headlines. Yet I wanted to title to still have some decorate quality, to be able to stand as strong and impactful as the sans serif experimentations, due to the nature of the brief itself. To be able to do this I decided to use Big Caslon, whilst retaining some of the same visual aesthetics as the serifed typefaces the high contrast between the different limbs of the glyph allow for enough of an interesting draw to demand the attention of the eyes of the audience, and therefore will be able to strongly carry the brand.

Figure 4

In figure 4 I decided to revert to a sans serif typeface to carry on with my experimentation, as I felt that it had more of an even impact than the serifed fonts, which would grasp the audience's attention on a more impactful level, in order to allow the brand to stick in their minds. Although as already discussed it was important to move away from the Helvetica due to its massive overuse I wanted to create something that was unique to the event and didn’t resemble most simplistic of type, still retained the core concept of clarity that is required by the brief. To be able to do so I used a typeface that resembles some fo the physical characteristics of Helvetica, but through being slightly more condensed allows for a slight alteration in the way the letters are stretched. Therefore keeping it clear and concise, while offering a larger overall height to each letter which in turn offers a more similar visual to headline titles that gives a visual reference link back industry itself.

Figure 5

In figure 5 in contrast to figure 4 I decided to experiment with a wider typeface, retaining the visual clarity is the key theme towards the typeface,  I believed this may have enabled me to create a brand identity which focused on the other side of media which I had investigated into in my research rather than just solely print. Although I felt this exploration was strong and clear and allowed the concept of courage through most strongly out of any of the explorations I felt as if the shorter x-height and wider lettering made for a typeface which looked more appropriate for a body type rather than display type. Therefore not making it appropriate to be able to be used for the branding identity, focused around type.

Figure 6

After the previous explorations, I decided figure 6 to go the new direction, being influenced from the two previous explorations which I feel worked best. The last two explorations allowed for the strongest link to the media industry itself in terms of visuals although I do not believe there were fitting as they were too focused towards print, the second one I believed look too much like a body type rather than the display font. to combat this, I decided to alter the exciting to the extreme, selecting a typeface which allows for a shorter width and a taller height plays on the concept of headlines, was having a refreshing modern look. The typeface creates an interesting aethstetic, and therefore becomes more memorable in comparison to the last experiment. Thus creating a stronger brand identity for the event itself, as memorability was a consideration that needed to be taken into account. This typeface incorporates the visual identity of the industry in which the event sets in, as seen within the research, a san serif font which demands the attention of the audience due to its different style.