TheRISEand fallOF

PUBLIC TYPOGRAPHY

1416 Marilee Dr

Parking Lot

A&D Building

TheRISEand fallOF

PUBLIC TYPOGRAPHY

Krista Perkins

TYPE THAT GIVES

S T A M PTHE IMPRESSION of a

As I start my journey with the push of a button, my dog on the leash, and my camera in the other hand

the sound of the garage opening leads us to take our

first steps. One foot in front of the other, looking all

around trying to find something to inspire me. The first

object I see with type on it, I snap a picture. I decide to

erase it, knowing that a trash can cannot be the thesis

of my book. Walking around the subdivision, I notice

the most type was on water appliances that are either

embossed or debossed. Little did I know that the place

that I call home during my college career is an

alternate world of typography.

The legibility of debossed type is questionable.

Many times when glimpsing at the type, it is hard to

read, especially if it’s on a very light color. One thing

about debossed type is the outline of the type tends be

lighter than the impressed letterform.

Embossed and debossed type tends to be descriptive and simple,

usually containing three or few words. The type I found

most interesting around my subdivision was debossed

type, which seemed to give the impression of a stamp.

This type seems to live in the environment that it exists

in. I like how you can run one finger over the letters,

forming an entire word when you are through.

Tim Herndon is my neighbor, friend, and the designer of the architectural structuring of the pipelines in my subdivision.

When talking to twin sisters Brittany and Alyssa Potter (who are also my roommates), they were intrigued to know that these photos were taken in our own back yard. The beauty of embossing and debossing is right under your nose, every-where you look.

As my dog leads me back to our house,

I take one last look around, sniff in the fresh

air and walk in the garage. The click of the

leash, the push of the garage door button,

and the slam of the door, ends our journey at

1416 Marilee Dr.

TYPE THAT exists in

environmentour

Five days a week, 7 months out of the year, I walk to the Art and Design building.

I step on the break, put my car in park, pull the emergency break, and take the

keys out of the ignition. I step out of the car, gather

my things, close the door, and begin my walk on a

windy, rainy day.

I continue my walk, staring at the water hitting the pavement.

As I walk over a manhole, I notice a sewer be-

tween the cracks of two cars. The sewer and the

manhole have a few things in common. First, they

both have embossed type, and second they both

have dirty rainy water running down their paths.

As I run my black and white plaid rain

boot over the embossed type, I notice

the sheen the water adds to the type.

DEBOSSED AND EMBOSSED

types exist in our environment, but in a three dimensional

way. Embossed type comes off more legible. When look-

ing at the various type on water appliances, one can see

the outlines of the text is darker than the letterform itself.

One aspect that could be problematic for embossed type

is when people walk over these various letters forms they

tend to ware down over a period of time.

I end this journey of my walk with the shiny reflec-tion of me in the double doors of the art and design building. I look up into the rainy sky through my

clear umbrella, clicking the silvers clasps. My left plaid

boot and my slightly wet right hand reach for the handle

on the door. I continue my journey into the various shops,

studios and classrooms which most people just call the

“A & D building.”

WHY is itsans serif?ALL

I Think about all the places I’ve been to discov-

er embossed and debossed,

typography: my subdivision,

the parking lot, and around

the art and design building.

One question I have is, why is

all embossed and debossed

type sans serif?

Is it because this type tends to be descriptive

and small? Or is it because it can be used for detail and or-

namentation? One conclusion we can make from sans serif

typefaces is that it is clear and concise.

Characteristics that make a sans serif successful:classic

recognizable

bold

stands out without decoration

shows importance

modern

present

simplified

direct and straight forward

catches your eye

easy to read

The crisp, clean, uncluttered lines of sans serif fonts are the favorites of many designers.

The things that I noticed during this project made me look at things in a different way.

Embossing is the process of producing various materials, designs, or patterns in relief by mechanical means. The material is pressed between a pair of dies especially adapted to its hardness and the depth of the design needed.

Now I can finally say “ I have an eye for type.” When starting this assignment,

I had no clue what I was going to photograph, but not knowing made it an

interesting journey. Finally noticing the items that I pass everyday, would be-

come very useful to me. Now on my everyday walk to class, or to the parking

lot, or even the walk from Marilee drive to my front door, I notice the items that

I never use to notice before. One never knows what will become useful to you.

CREDITSThe contents in this book are from an interview with my

neighbor Tim Herndon, and my roommates/twin sisters

Brittany and Alyssa Potter.

Web sites

http://desktoppub.about.com/classicfonts/Classic-Sans-

Serif-Fonts.htm

http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Embossing

All photos in the book were taken off a Cannon

PowerShot A530