RESPONSE #2

In class, we watched a film about Helvetica typeface. I was absolutely in awe because I never realized just how often it is actually used. Throughout the movie, there seemed to be an argument unfolding. On the one side there were those who seemed to be in complete disgust at the prevalence of the typeface- especially its overuse in corporate America. On the other hand, there were those who believed its overuse was a direct result of its universal beauty. I must admit, the more I saw of it the more impressed I became at how beautiful it could be. It was especially interesting to see how, yes, there are literally hundreds of corporations who use the typeface in their logos, yet each logo somehow takes on a separate identity. Although I agree that it may be overused, I don't think that takes away from its beauty. After seeing the movie, I spent the rest of the day on the lookout for Helvetica, and it just continued to amaze me. That said, I was especially amused by the following post on the blog that I'm keeping track of for class. The photos of the Crate&Barrell logo above are from the panopticist blog to illustrate what he is talking about. You can also find the info here: http://www.panopticist.com/archives/2006/01/
(again, this whole link issue will be taken care of by next week. It's probably super easy, but I've not had time to ask for help just yet. I will! I promise.)

January 15, 2006
When Logos Get Sick
Even the most conservative, unimaginative logotype can be very effective at putting forth a brand identity. Take the Crate & Barrel logo—it’s basically Helvetica Bold (or a minor tweak of it) with a very round, un-Helvetica-like C:

When it comes to corporate graphics, nothing is hoarier than good old Helvetica Bold. But the Crate & Barrel logo is memorable enough, and it pops nicely when stamped in big black type on the white bags and boxes that customers carry out of the store.

In Crate & Barrel’s early days, company executives probably paid tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of dollars to the design firm that created the logo, and the company likely considered dozens or hundreds of variations on the current logo before choosing one. The creation of a logo is often a painstaking process, and the end result is supposed to be an unalterable design whose elements are always rendered in exactly the same way.

So I was amused last fall when I noticed that some things had gone terribly wrong with the sign above the Crate & Barrel store on the northwest corner of Broadway and Houston. Below is what the sign looked like in late September. The r in “Crate” and the e in “Barrel” have rotated counter-clockwise, as if drunk, and the second r in “Barrel” is hovering above the baseline, as if it’s trying to float away: