CDinD: Futura

Futura is a geometric sans-serif typeface designed in 1927 by Paul Renner. It was designed as a contribution on the New Frankfurt-project. It is based on geometric shapes that became representative of visual elements of the Bauhaus design style of 1919–33. Commissioned by the Bauer Type Foundry, in reaction to Ludwig & Mayer's seminal Erbar of 1922, Futura was commercially released in 1936.

The family was originally cast in Light, Medium, Bold, and Bold Oblique fonts in 1928. Light Oblique, Medium Oblique, Demibold, and Demibold Oblique fonts were later released in 1930. Book font was released in 1932. Book Oblique font was released in 1939. Extra Bold font was designed by Edwin W. Shaar in 1952. Extra Bold Italic font was designed in 1955 by Edwin W. Shaar and Tommy Thompson. Matrices for machine composition were made by Intertype.

Although Renner was not associated with the Bauhaus, he shared many of its idioms and believed that a modern typeface should express modern models. Renner's initial design included several geometrically constructed alternative characters and ranging (old-style) figures, which can be found in the typeface Architype Renner.

The typeface is derived from simple geometric forms (near-perfect circles, triangles and squares) and is based on strokes of near-even weight, which are low in contrast. This is most visible in the almost perfectly round stroke of the o, which is nonetheless slightly ovoid. In designing Futura, Renner avoided the decorative, eliminating nonessential elements. The lowercase has tall ascenders, which rise above the cap line. The uppercase characters present proportions similar to those of classical Roman capitals.

Futura is an exceptionally versatile typeface. Its bold and condensed variants are especially powerful display designs. Futura is also a good choice for space-sensitive environments. Its simple letterforms allow it to be set at surprisingly small sizes with little drop in legibility levels. Futura also works well for short blocks of text copy, captions and pull-quotes.

Though Erbar was the first of the new geometric sans-serif faces, the enormous success of Futura fostered the creation of many new geometric sans-serif faces by competing foundries including Kabel, Metro, Vogue, Spartan, Twentieth Century, and Century Gothic among others. Some were near identical copies as in Spartan and Vogue, but others, were uniquely different including Nobel and Kabel.

Typeface designer Adrian Frutiger acknowledges Futura as one of his inspirations for his 1988 typeface Avenir. More recently Futura has been the basis of Ikea Sans and Opel Sans, fonts designed (for Ikea and Opel, respectively)

The subway system of the city of Toronto has their own Toronto Subway Font based on Futura.

Tasse is a revival of Steile Futura.

Beteckna is inspired by Futura.

Braggadocio is based on Futura Black.

Fujiyama is a clone of Futura.

The 2000 typeface Gotham is similarly geometric and based on 1920s signage.

Passata is a modernised version of Futura specifically designed to replace Futura as the corporate branding font of Aarhus University.

Futura's success spawned a range of new geometric sans-serif typefaces from competing foundries, and remains one of the most used sans-serif types into the twenty-first century. Particularly during the 1950s it was used extensively by the publishing industry as a general purpose font. Futura remains an important typeface family and is used on a daily basis for print and digital purposes as both a headline and body font. The font is also used extensively in advertisements and logos, notably by IKEA (until 2010), Volkswagen, Royal Dutch Shell, Crayola and HP in their print ads.

For example, the font is used for the title logo of the 1999 film American Beauty. It was also used in various TV shows including Doug, Lost, Warehouse 13, the American version of Sesame Street, etc. Futura is also featured ubiquitously throughout the film adaptation of V for Vendetta, used for everything from the title logo and ending credits, to signs, newspapers, computer screens and other props. Wes Anderson is also fond of the font and has used it in all of his films. Futura was also Stanley Kubrick's favorite typeface. In 1997, the Pittsburgh Steelers (an American Football team) switched to rounded numbers on the jersey to match the number font (Futura Condensed) on their helmets. In 2012 the newly formed Western Sydney Wanderers Football Club use Futura on their logo and club documentation.

It is also used on the Bell Canada and the current TV5 (Philippines) logo. Futura is also Animax Asia's main typeface. All three of Vampire Weekend's albums use Futura on the covers, with the first two being exclusively Futura. The Boston Celtics' championship banners are also in Futura Condensed. 2008 science fiction-fantasy film City of Ember features Futura Medium in many prints through the story. The condensed version is the main font in the 2011 role-playing video game The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, as well as being used extensively throughout the Watchmen graphic novel as well as the movie based on it. In season 2 of Stargate: Universe, Episode "Common Decent – Part 1" the ancestors of the crew state that one of the two continents was named "Futura". There are several references to the name being a font in the episode. RAI, the Italian public service broadcaster, also uses this font from 2000.

Video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhAL8HI1MAY

CDinD: Century Gothic

A spacious, modern version of a classic mid-century font, the Century Gothic® design embodies the digital age with its sleek sans serif style, but still retains the graceful geometric look common to early 20th-century typefaces. It is supported by all major browsers on the web and is therefore considered a “safe” font to use for web design as it will translate well across multiple platforms.

Century Gothic is a design based on 20th Century, which was drawn by Sol Hess between 1936 and 1947. Century Gothic sustains the basic design of 20th Century, but has an enlarged ‘x’ height and has been modified to ensure suitable output from modern digital systems. Its design is influenced by the geometric style sans serif faces which were popular during the 1920s and 30s, and by the desire to give it widths compatible with ITC Avant Garde Gothic. Century Gothic has many notable features. One significant characteristic it holds, is its single story lowercase “a” and “g”. The overall character of the typeface is very geometric and generalized. It does not contain many true variations in its weight. Its x-height is quite large, with ascenders that are very subtle and minute. The lowercase “i” and “j” have thick and rounded dots or tittles. 

Century Gothic is found frequently in movie posters. It is also the main typeface for a few television stations, like The Ellen Degeneres Show and House. Because of its clear clean design, the Century Gothic design can often be found in at use in schools and when teaching languages. Because this is a font that is often a part of the standard Microsoft font packages, it is often used as a substitute for the similar Futura typeface.

According to the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, Century Gothic uses much less ink, saving money on printer ink. They reportedly switched their default e-mail and printing font from Arial to Century Gothic because it uses about 30% less ink.However, the font is also reported to use more paper (since its letters are wider), meaning that the savings on ink are offset by an increase in paper costs.

Famous examples use of font:

• Heavily used in the standing sets of Star Trek: Enterprise as part of the Starfleet standards for that television series' stated time period of the 2150s.
• The logo of the Canadian music duo Crystal Castles.
• The main font of The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
• The main font of EA's third-person shooter, Battlefield Heroes.
• The logo of GMA Network.
• Weezer's "weezer" logo.
• The main font for the video game Bioshock.
• Used briefly throughout the Jak and Daxter video game series.
• The beginning and end credits in the US television series House.
• Century Gothic with all caps is the font used in the logo of the Australian Association Football club Western Sydney Wanderers FC.
• The opening titles and the credits of The Hunger Games.
• The default font on the 2012 Summer Olympic Games medallions.
• The band Franz Ferdinand's logo.
• One of the lower thirds graphics for Fox News Channel.
• The main font of the video game Civilization V.
• The interface font of the computer game SimCity 5.

Overall it is open, with very friendly style front and it have clear clean design.

CDinD: Wayfinding system in NewYork.

This city is the largest city in the United States and one of the biggest urban agglomerations in the world. Smart people have calculated that New York is home to about 150 different nations. In 2010, it was visited by 48.7 million tourists, including 39 million Americans and 9.7 million - from other countries. New York is the most attractive city for tourists coming to America from abroad. 
As a result, question about simple and easy wayfinding system in the city, is one of the most important. Being a tourist in New York in 2012 years, I can say that the city did not have enough boards, signs and maps, understandable for all.

1. What is Wayfinding? 

The goal of a wayfinding system is to enhance an environment by guiding users to and from their destination of choice via an easy-to-understand, attractive guide or wayfinding system. 

A wayfinding system, however, includes more than signage. It may also include:

Landscape architecture, foliage, site topography 
Interior design and lighting, colour and textures
Developing a careful understanding of all human, operational and administrative needs

When properly developed, the core elements of a wayfinding program work together to assist users in:

Knowing where they are
Identifying their destination and following the best route
Recognizing their destination upon arrival; and
Safely returning back to their point origin.

To solve this problem the New York Department of Transportation launched its WalkNYC program in the summer of 2013 to "provide a clear visual language and graphic standards that can be universally understood, encourage walking and transit usage by offering quality multi-modal information, and provide consistent information across a broad range of environments in the city." Lauded design firm Pentagram's PentaCityGroup developed the identity. 

2. What is WalkNYC?

WalkNYC is New York City's standard for pedestrian wayfinding. WalkNYC provides a clear visual language and graphic standards that can be universally understood, encourages walking and transit usage by providing quality multi-modal information, and provides consistent information across a broad range of environments in the city. The first WalkNYC signs are being installed during the Summer of 2013 in four areas of the City.
New York City is well-known as a walking city, but pedestrian-oriented information is difficult to find and inconsistent where available. The City's streets are a mix of named and numbered streets, with a variety of building numbering conventions, with street grids merging at confusing angles. Even Manhattan's simple street grid is difficult to navigate when emerging from a subway station or transit hub. While the City has many signs directing drivers, these provide very little benefit to pedestrians. The goal of WalkNYC is to remedy this information and navigation gap.

3. How does it work?

In each of the four initial areas, DOT worked with community partners to identify, research, and observe the popular destinations, primary pedestrian routes, and key decision-making points of each neighborhood. Through careful research, DOT also located the difficult-to-navigate parts of each neighborhood, focusing on the routes between transit services, landmarks and public spaces.
This research created a detailed picture of each area, which DOT used to tailor a placement strategy. The research also forms the basis of the site location and network planning standard that will be applied citywide. DOT has developed a variety of sign sizes to accommodate different environments.

WalkNYC maps are also installed at Citi Bike station kiosks, to expand the wayfinding network and provide valuable information for pedestrians, in addition to Citi Bike users.

The four initial areas and community partners for WalkNYC are:

Chinatown with the Chinatown Partnership and the Chinatown BID
Long Island City with the LIC Partnership
Herald Square with the 34th Street Partnership and the Garment District with the Fashion Center BID
Prospect Heights and Crown Heights with the Heart of Brooklyn and the Brooklyn Children’s Museum
Sign Features

WalkNYC signs provide valuable information, from basic cardinal directions and street names to mapped details like subway entrances and Wi-Fi hotspots. The maps are rotated “heads-up” or forward-facing to show the street network as it appears in front of you. Research and user testing demonstrate that this method is more accessible for people who are unfamiliar with their surroundings or have trouble reading maps. The MTA operates the subway system, issues MetroCards, and operates the Metro-North and Long Island Railroads.

Pentagram helped create the graphic language of the maps, working on the project as part of PentaCityGroup, a special consortium of designers that also includes wayfinding specialists CityID, industrial designers Billings Jackson Design, engineers and urban planners RBA Group, and cartographers and geographic information specialists T-Kartor. The team worked closely with DOT and the city’s local Business Improvement Districts (BID) and other institutions and agencies to develop the program.

The maps are designed to encourage people to walk, bike and use public transit, and feature all local streets and major landmarks and destinations, as well as bike lanes. The kiosks will be located near subway stations, business districts and other high-traffic pedestrian areas, and the DOT is working with the Metropolitan Transit Authority to install the new maps in subway stations and at Select Bus Service stops.

Each side of the 8 ½ foot tall kiosks displays a large map of the streets within a 5-minute walking distance and another map showing the area in relation to a larger section of the city. The orientation of the WalkNYC maps uses “heads-up mapping,” in which north, south, east or west is rotated to correspond with the direction the user is facing. (If you’re facing south in Manhattan, the top of the map is downtown, and the bottom is uptown; on the other side of the map, the information is reversed.) The design was extensively tested with pedestrians, who found it easy to use; in the city, it is often hard to know which direction one is facing. (One study by the DOT found a third of New Yorkers didn’t know how to find north.)

Pentagram designed a unique system of icons for the maps, including the drawings of the landmark buildings. The graphics use a custom version of Helvetica created by Monotype for the program. Helvetica was chosen to complement the iconic graphic language of the New York City subway system, originally developed by Massimo Vignelli and Robert Noorda at Unimark. WalkNYC’s customized version, Helvetica DOT, makes all of the font’s square dots round, giving the program its own unique look.

A range of kiosk and signage types have been designed for the various urban environments and locations around the city (at intersections, mid-block, in plazas, etc.) The maps are printed on clear vinyl, which is applied to the second surface of the glass. The vinyl is easily removed and the glass reused for any updates to the map.

In general, it is quite strong and thoughtful design. Many cities of the world have to have the same system of navigation. The only weakness of this project, in my opinion, that could be done branded wayfinding systems and integrate maps of familiar names such brands as McDonald's restaurant, Starbucks Store.

Video:

http://vimeo.com/69090632#embed

Project A. Critical reflection.

Each student spends a lot of time and money for stuff for their room. 

SharingCaring is a system that helps students to exchange or give away stuff for room.  Something that they don't use anymore. However, somebody else need it  in their life during study.

This system is composed of:

A special site, where people can registrate, to find what they need and contact in personal message/page.

Sharing Caring desk in hall of university, where students can write information on special papers.

SahringCaring events in one university or in working together with others. Events are in format like a fairs, where people can walk to find something what they need or to meet their neighbors. This point have and social influence. Very often student live in halls or very far from university, because of that, they don't have chances to meet with others.

This idea based on my personal experiance. When I came in UK first time, I thinking about how I will buy all what I need, how many time it will take? How many money?

I used website of the store of IKEA, to understood how much money I will spend if I have standart shopping list. The total amount was:  £229.90

After a short calculation, I realized that this amount as the same as, like I will eat three times a day, during 12 days in the café ( cost of one meal 6) without spending time on cooking.

But I was lucky because friend of mine graduated university in the same time while I arrived. I called her and she gave away some stuff. I saved money and she saved nerves. Everybody were happy, this was the first time when I started think about such system for students.

This system works together with universities through students unions to inform people about this opportunity.

Presentation 20/20

I'm truly believe  that the story develops in a spiral . Likewise, our life made of similar moments , every time we pass them, but each time at a higher level .

In my presentation I tried to reflect this idea. Starting my life as a child in dancing in school and dreaming of become a Disney princess for the 22 years I was at the same point . With dancing in best halls and  with tiara on my head, like a princess.

It is this idea of ​​what I wanted to show. Presentation is very personal, but that is what I want to talk about. How I grew up and what was between these two important paragraphs of my life.

Presentation is available here:

http://www.slil.ru/upload/34927044