DVB201 | Week 8
Choosing & Combining Type
Task 1: Design Critique
Much can be said about the design of the products we use every day. Often taken for granted, we tend to forget that there was a designer behind the creation of that product, its packaging or label. This week we will analyse the use of type in one of these mundane products: choose a cleaning product around your house, observe their label, and answer the questions below.
Dettol Multipurpose Cleaning Wipes with Biodegradable Fibres
Image 1 (left): Front of packaging
Image 2 (middle): Back of packaging + left tab shown
Image 3 (right): Back of packaging + right tab shown
1. How many typefaces were used?
Approximately 8 typefaces were found on both front and back labels (excluding numbers on barcode).
2. What kind of typefaces are used and how do they relate to each other?
Many typefaces were used throughout the label design, but the most distinct ones are:
• ‘Dettol’ brand logo – Cern Bold – Sans-serif, Grotesque style
• ‘Biodegradable Fibres’ – most similar to Brushtones Regular – Brush display style font
The contrast between these typefaces creates a sense of visual appeal.
It is difficult to determine if the subheadings from Image 1 derived from the same font family (this is due to various sizes, weights, kerning, tracking and capitalisation of letters). However, a small detail that confirms the difference is the beak on the letter ‘S’ from the ‘Kills 99% of germs’ and ‘Disinfectant Wipe’.
Even so, all typefaces used on this packaging belong to the sans-serif font family. It is easy to read, provides aesthetic visual consistency and cohesiveness between all texts on the front and back of the label.
3. How did the designer use space and alignment to organise the text?
An abundance of white negative space was used to create an airy and clean look. It also emphasises text and help to distinguish different blocks of information.
The alignment of texts in Image 1 is inconsistent. The main headers (text at the top, logo word mark and text highlighted with a white banner) are all justified centre to appear more eye-catching and distinguished from the other texts.
The rest of the texts in Images 1, 2 and 3 are aligned to the graphics and physical packaging. For instance, the sentences ‘Kills 99.9% of germs’ and ‘Multipurpose Wipes’ in Image 1 are right-justified and left-justified respectfully, following the tip of the sword logo. In Image 3, the block of text is left-aligned, which lines up perfectly with the edge of the flap. This method helps to provide visual guidance to consumers as to how they should read the information, as well as creating visual appeal.
4. What were the treatments used to differentiate text and organise information — size, scale, treatment (colour, effects)?
Various treatments were used to establish an organisation of informational hierarchy:
• When compared to Images 2 and 3, the front label uses a less repeated and larger font to emphasise important information (i.e., ‘Biodegradable Fibres’). This sentence is paired with a solid white banner/background, which highlights its importance.
• Claims use all-caps to signify seriousness
• All the texts (except ‘Lemon’ on the front of the label) are the same colour as the brand logo to maintain a cohesive look.
5. What are the other elements on the label (logos, images, graphics, rules, background colours)?
The label comprises of a simple colour palette. White and a soft-lime green are the main colours used for the background. The label also features a yellow accent colour to represent fresh flowers and the scent of the wipes, lemons. The darker green texts cohesively match the colour on the main logo. Overall, the colour combinations help to create a clean and refreshing image.
6. 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?
The label is simple and aesthetically pleasing. The choice of colours and typefaces help promote the ‘plant- based’ and natural theme very well. However, I do not think that using 6 different fonts/typefaces of various sizes is necessary. A more effective way to create hierarchy would be to use weight and sizing.
7. How does the use of type and its organisation on the label influence the aesthetic quality and efficiency of this label?
• The consistent use of sans-serif fonts and negative space helps maintain a modern and appealing look
• The text alignment to the physical packaging in Images 2 and 3 has a positive influence on efficiency as consumers can quickly understand where information and/or sentences start and stop.
Task 2: Label Design
You will apply your newly gained type setting knowledge to create a type-based label for the product described below. You will create three versions (iterations) for this label:
• Using 1 typeface + 1 colour only (think scale, spacing and contrast)
• Using 2 typefaces + 1 colour only
• Using 1 typeface only + up to 2 colours (yes, black counts as a colour)
The label measures 250mm X 100mm and wraps around a round white bottle (200mm height, 80mm diameter). There is a gap of approximately 10 mm between the two edges of the label after it is applied to the bottle.
For each one, please describe your work and how you used spacing, scale, alignment, and other type treatment to create an effective solution for this brief.
Label 1: 1 Typeface + 1 Colour
Typeface: Montserrat
Colour: #7594c7 Cornflower Blue
Iteration 1 is a modern and calming label design. This soothing powder-blue reminds me of plush blankets and perfectly aligns with keywords like comfort, cleanliness, and soft-to-touch. Negative space between the groups of texts is to distinguish different blocks of information, as well as to provide an overall airy feeling.
All texts are in an off-white, sans-serif font for maximum readability and contrast. Although only typeface is allowed for this iteration, I was able to use different sizing and variations (Montserrat Extra Bold, SemiBold Italic, Book, Italic) to create visual hierarchy whilst maintaining coherence across the label. Most laundry liquid bottles are round with no clear front or back, so texts are left-aligned to provide visual guidance to customers as to how they should read information.
Label 2: 2 Typefaces + 1 Colour
Typefaces: Homemade Apple + Raleway
Colour: Transparent background + # ffffff White text
The second label design is soft and elegant. A charming handwritten font is used for the headline/brand name to draw people in. The rest of the label is balanced out with an easy-to-read and straightforward sans-serif font so that it is not visually overwhelming and hard to read. Longer texts are left-aligned to provide visual guidance. Centre justification is only used for important texts like brand name and commitments, so that it reads differently and appears more eye-catching.
As only one colour is allowed for this iteration, I opted for a transparent background to let the original colour of the bottle shine. This adds to the natural and organic feel. Symbolically, this also shows brand transparency; it feels open, honest, and genuine.
Label 3: 1 Typeface + 2 Colours
Typeface: Libre Baskerville
Colours: #548037 Forest Green + #f8f2dc Cream
Label 3 is cheerful yet clean and elegant. It's reliable and trustworthy outlook would attract customers with families as they are the most likely to search for clean and safe products to use around children.
I chose this font as it is a classic serif that is easy to read and has style variants to create nuance without overcomplicating the design. The italics, in particular, softens the design while appearing cohesive with the rest of the label. The wide spacings between texts boosts readability and spaciousness.
The pale colours used (yellow and green) are often found in flowers, therefore emphasising the natural aspect of the brand. It is further supported by a leaf imagery to highlight the positive contribution to the environment.
References
Bottle PSD Mockup. (n.d.). Mr.Mockup. https://mrmockup.com/bottle-psd-mockup/
Dispenser Bottle PSD Mockup. (n.d.). Mr.Mockup. https://mrmockup.com/dispenser-bottle-psd-mockup/
Free Liquid Soap Mockup. (2018). Unblast. https://unblast.com/liquid-soap-mockup/
pch.vector. (n.d.). Barcode and qr codes s set Free Vector [Illustration]. Freepik.
https://www.freepik.com/free-vector/barcode-qr-code-s-
set_5585197.htm#query=barcode&position=5&from_view=search
