Week One | PICINI

Rocket Dog is my favorite brand of shoes, so I decided to analyze it's logo typeface. According to my research, the brand name was based on an actual dog named Max, who belonged to Stephen Hoyt (a cofounder of the shoe brand) and was unusually fast, as the brand name suggests. The typeface used was clearly intended to imitate motion. For this reason, the left side of the letters are sliced into separate horizontal lines. This not only gives the impression of movement but also separates the typeface from more traditional ones, making it stand out as unique and youthful. I also think it's important to note that the letters are moving in the same direction as the dog pictured above. The unconventional letters could be confusing, but I personally don't think it makes the font hard to read. Still, it's harder to tell what type of font it is without the solid stroke outlining each letter. From the rough outline of the letters though, the font looks like a bold sans serif type. The all caps makes it stand out more the thick letters give the impression of stability and durability. This translates into the shoe sales because it makes the brand seem more trustworthy. The font would probably be considered decorative, because the letters are complex and "floriated", but it's in a strong, solid way. Also the close kerning moves your eyes quickly along the word, which is important because it keeps consumers interested when scanning shoe brands.

I also happen to love Harry Potter so I chose the Title Typeface for a second one. The Harry Potter title is incredibly decorative font which I think serves its purpose very well. The first thing that is noticed is the lightening bolt that is a part of the P which is Harry's defining physical quality. Without even reading the words, the lightening bolt triggers a connection in readers' minds to Harry Potter. Also in making complicated serifs, and and unique letter shapes for every letter, J.K. Rowling ensured that the font would not be duplicated. If you look closely, even the repeating letters are very different from each other, which is smart because three r's in a title could get repetitive otherwise. The title has no base line which gives the letters the impression of floating. This is a major theme of the Rowling's wizarding world because flying is such an important part of the books/Hogwarts. Other Harry Potter fans might know also that Wingardium Leviosa, the levitation spell was the first spell the main characters of the book were taught. Intentional or not, I think the lack of baseline ties the typeface nicely into the story line of the book series. The fact also that the H and P are subtly connected to the second letter of each word draws the words together and helps your eyes flow smoother between the capital and lower case letters. Finally, the color of the type makes it more mysterious, and the subtle etchings in the letters give the impression that everything is not as it seems. At least for me looking at the letters intrigues me and makes me want to zoom in to figure out the patterns on the letters.

Then again, I'm a dork.