DVB201 - W8 Choosing & Combining Type

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DVB201 - Week 8 Choosing & Combining Type

Task 1 - Design Critique

How many typefaces were used?

The cleaning product that I have chosen is Dettol washing machine cleaner, as seen above. There are different typefaces used in the packaging and labeling, and I could identify that 5 different typefaces were used and some of them were used more than once in Italics.

What kind of typefaces are used and how do they relate to each other?

Sans-serif typefaces were used and they are relate to each other as their similarity. Since they are all in sans-serif fonts, no caps are found on the ends of the characters. They are all fairly similar, only minor changes throughout such as a rounder shape or sharper ends.

How did the designer use space and alignment to organise the text?

The designer used normal tracking between letters; regardless of the typefaces used, the space between letters is the same throughout. On the front of the bottle, where the logo and the promotional text are found, the designer applied different alignment to the text. For the short sentence "Removes 99.9% of germs* removes bad odours", the designer used centred alignment, which I believe is to bring up attention. The designer also used shuffled left for the bulleted list, shuffle right for "Removes 99.9% of germs" and justified alignment for "washing machine cleaner". The reason why the designer used all types of alignment is to bring all the text to the centre, so that they can get the audience's attention. On the back of the bottle, where instructions are found, the designer used shuffled left for the direction for use paragraph, which is the basic type of alignment.

What were the treatments used to differentiate text and organise information — size, scale, treatment (colour, effects)?

The designer used size, colour, effects, italics and boldness to differentiate text and organise information. To bring audience's attention, the designer used outlines and italics for the heading. Gradient colour is used in "5 in 1", and instead of using navy colour as the rest, light blue is used to indicate that information, emphasising the features of this cleaning product. On the back of the bottle, important information is shown in bold and bigger in size to emphasise the importance of the information in case people missed it.

What are the other elements on the label (logos, images, graphics, rules, background colours)

There are other elements used on the label; it has logos, images and background colours. The logo of the company, Dettol, there is a blurred white outline and a green circle behind, making it pop from the rest of the information. There are images used on the back of the bottle to show instructions and the benefits of using this product. The background colours are yellow and blue, which is an excellent way to show contrast; the colour yellow also makes this product eye-catching.

What is your opinion about the quality of the label? Does it work? Is it aesthetically pleasing? Is it effective? Why do you think that is?

In my opinion, the quality of the label is fair, and there is room for improvement. For example, I think the layout on the front of the bottle could be more well-organised, and there is a repeated sentence "removes 99.9% of germs", which I don't think is necessary as it is mentioned in the heading. I think the logo could be put in the centre of the packaging, making it symmetrical and more organised. However, I think the label does an excellent job in providing information effectivity, using colour, size and boldness to emphasise important information. It also used an eye-catching yellow colour as the background colour to attract people to purchase it. It deliveries information in a fun and effective way, including images to grab people's attention and make it more interesting.

How does the use of type and its organisation on the label influence the aesthetic quality and efficiency of this label?

The type and organisation on the label influence the aesthetic quality and efficiency of this label The type and organisation on the label influence this label's aesthetic quality and efficiency because the chosen typefaces, sans-serif, make the information be delivered easier for the audience to read. The combination of type could affect how people read this label, and I think the amount of typefaces used in this label is a bit excess, making it aesthetically less pleasing. However, I think this label still manage to provide information effectively by applying treatments and other elements.

Task 2 - Label Design

2 typefaces and 1 colour | Iteration #1

Typefaces used:

Etna (Serif)

Degular (Sans Serif)

Etna was used for the branding because of its classic and elegant look. This typeface was designed by Mark (2020), which is inspired by the Aetna style from the 1880s. He designed this typeface for contemporary use, which I think is suitable for use on the branding, to bring out the modern aesthetic of the brand. I paired this typeface against a sans serif font, Degular, which has a clean and modern look. I paired these two typefaces because of the contrast of sans serif and serif. According to Hoefler (2021), the most engaging combinations can be two very different typefaces. Furthermore, this combination brings out a clean and modern aesthetic.

Colour:

Black

C: 100%

M: 100%

Y: 100%

K: 100%

I used black because of contrast of black and white, which makes it easier for people to read the product.

Scale:

The name of the company "Glow Naturals" has the largest scale to bring people's attention to it. Then "Ultra concentrate" and "Laundry liquid" has the second largest scale as it is important for people know the kind of product they are purchasing. "suitable for front and top loader" has a relatively smaller scale comparing to the previous two, but it is still bigger than other information because it is the kind of information that people tend to look for when purchasing laundry liquid. The features of the product are shown in smaller scale, but bigger than the remaining information, as it shows the company's aspect of being an eco friendly product.

Alignment:

All the information on the front of the label are all centred, making them easier to read and allowing people to focus on the important information of the product. Except "Family company", "Made in Queensland" and "Eco friendly product" are aligned left and right respectively to make it more well-organised and structured.

Other type treatment:

The weight used for Etna was bold and regular, italics, semi-bold and bold are used for Degular for different purposes. Italics is used for the features of the product, semi-bold is used for the small heading on the back of the label and bold is used for "Ultra concentrate" and "Laundry liquid". They are all used to bring attention to and make it easier for people to read.

One typeface and one colour | Iteration #2

Typeface used:

Condor (Sans serif)

I picked Condor as this is a high-contrast typeface of thin and thick, it has very strong curves and open forms, making it has high legibility so people can distinguish the words better especially it is displayed on a small bottle. This typeface was designed for display, which makes it a perfect choice for use on this product. According to Taboada (2021), using a font that is developed in or for the media would be easier.

Colour:

Green

C:52

M: 0

Y: 46

K: 9

I used green for this label to respond to the persona of this product and reflect on the fact that this is an eco friendly product.

Scale:

I applied the same principle from the first label to this one, however words look bigger on this label due to the typeface that I used for this label.

One typeface and two colour | Iteration #3

Typeface used:

Condor (Sans serif)

Colour:

Green 1:

C:52

M: 0

Y: 46

K: 9

Green 2:

C: 76

M: 48

Y: 98

K: 56

For this label, the first colour that I used is the same green as variation 2, and the second colour is a darker green. The dark green harmony very well with the light green, and it also shows information on the label clearly.

Note: style used in iteration #2 and #3 are very similar, if it is not mentioned, please assume they have been discussed in iteration #1.

Mock up: