Type in context - BLACKPOOL (Idea 2)

The following images are taken from the seaside resort Blackpool. Blackpool is on the Irish Sea coast of England and it is where I was born and grew up. The town is highly popular for tourists due to it being filled with many tourists attractions such as Blackpool Pleasure Beach (built in 1894) holding several rollercoasters, white knuckle rides and family friendly rides. Blackpool also has a famous attraction called The Blackpool Tower. This landmark consists of many different attractions for tourists and locals such as a Circus, Tower ballroom, the Tower Eye which consists of a 4D cinema and a glass floor to explore the views of Blackpool and the Blackpool Tower Dungeons. In addition, Blackpool is also greatly known for its annual illuminations along the traditional promenade. It is most definitely a frill-seeking town! 

As the following images imply Blackpool is well know for it’s heritage and is highly family orientated and holds something for everyone and has done for decades! It is a town for those who like to let their hair down, have a laugh and grab a pint at the many local boozers or a bag of hot donuts from the local kiosks whilst catching the seaside breeze. However, during the 18th century it was a town for the upper class to visit during their summer holidays. Many people believed that bathing in seawater cured diseases which also increased visitors which is highly the opposite now and often people complain the sea water is dirty! However, Blackpool only really grew slowly in the early 19th century. This was due to 'Henry Banks' who developed Blackpool by erecting new buildings. Unfortunately, this still was not enough to increase the population of Blackpool, therefore, a railway was built connecting it to industrial Northern towns. During 1856-1870 a Promenade was built along the seafront. This was then followed by North Pier 1863 and Central Pier 1868. In 1879, electric lights were switched on in Blackpool which at the time was a rarity so was highly fun and exciting for the public. The illuminations still remain well known/ popular and are a famous attraction even today!  At the end of the 19th century the expansion of Blackpool was amazing. This ranged from 14,000 during 1881 to 147,000 by 1951. Ever since Blackpool has remained a tourist, seaside town although many argue it has became highly run down, dirty and tacky. People also associate Blackpool with hen and stag parties that often fill its clubs and streets. Although Blackpool still holds some greatness and remains one of the greatest seaside towns in Britain with its famous fish and chips, rides, traditional piers, Blackpool Tower, Sandcastle, Pleasure Beach and not forgetting the donkey rides on the beach!

When taking the following images of typography around Blackpool a mixture of serif and sans serif typographical elements and decorative typefaces were discovered. This to me portrayed Blackpool's random, friendly, playful style and exaggerated the fun to be had there! A lot of circus style typefaces were also used to emphasise Blackpool's famous traditional circus that first opened in 1894 inside the Blackpool Tower and still remains there today. 

Type in context - High-end beauty labels (summer task idea 1)

There's is the forever on going question as to if high end beauty brands are worth the expense or not? Arguably the reason we pay more for high end beauty products is due to the brand name relating to the status it holds, fragrance, better applicators, packaging and increased pigmentation. High end brands aims to make the consumer feel more special when wearing/ purchasing the product. As shown above the patterning with type for high end beauty brands tends to be clean and black and white. Black tends to be visually heavy, therefore, it has a very high impact message. It also creates the feeling of power, authority and strength. Interestingly, other associations with black include intelligence, professionalism and mystery. The opposite to black is white which represents clean and represents openness.

There are many similarities between the following logotypes such as the repetition of Gotham and the high contrast sans Optima. Surprisingly, very few high end beauty brands create their own custom made font even though the brands are set out to be different, unique and like no other. In relation to sans serif and serif the following signage are clearly divided into brands wanting to reach for a heritage feel and brands with bolder/ heavy/ modern designs using geometric and grotesque fonts.

CHANEL - Bold, strong geometric sans serif is set in all capital letters. The purpose of this is to embody elegance and class. The masculine and feminine sections are only separated by colour and imagery.

ghd -  ghd hold a strict policy that their logotype should always be orange on black, orange on white, white on orange, black on white.  The standard font for ghd is the serif typeface Sabon. ghd is also always written in lower case even at the beginning of sentences. 

GIVENCHY  - Is a luxury French brand know for creating chic and creative design styles. Sackers Gothic Light is used for this brand along with Apercu. 

CLARINS - Uses Baskerville which is perfect for giving off an elegant feel. 

PRADA - Is one of the leading Italian luxury fashion houses