London Underground and New York Subway maps

New York Subway Guide


London Underground//Harry C. Beck//1931-1933

Both subway maps deal with information design. Subway maps are generally confusing to understand. Although these maps do not show the exact route of the subway train, the maps have simplified the information, making it easier to understand. In the map by Harry Beck, there are different colors to help distinguish between the different lines of the subway. The typeface Beck used is also easy to read.



Circuit Board photo//Rosa Menkman//2007

The first thing that came to mind when viewing the subway maps was circuit boards. I think circuit boards are beautiful and they look like the subway maps. The circuit boards lack the colors of the subway maps, but has the same intertwining lines.


The Legend of Zelda//Overworld Map

Thinking of circuit boards had me thinking of video games and more specifically Zelda. The layout of the old Zelda world looks like a simplified map. This image is actually the Overworld Map from the Legend of Zelda. I can imagine it as a subway map that Zelda would use to travel throughout his world.

Ripley's Believe It or Not!

Ripley's Believe It or Not

Ripley started out drawing comics. He would travel the world searching for oddities then record them through drawings with crayons. Ripley's Believe It or Not became a cultural icon. "Believe It or Not! became such a common household phrase that its potential as an advertising tool was well exploited. The tremendous amassed backlog of cartoons was licensed for virtually any promotional use...Ripley's unmistakably recognizable graphics were frequently used to represent everything from auto parts manufacturers to coffee shops." Something that started out as a comic turned into a cultural phenomenon.



Ripley's Believe It or Not museum//Gatlinburg, Tennessee

This is the first thing I thought of when I was reading the article. I went here on a family vacation many years ago. It was kind of cheesy but at the same time it was fun to look at all the odd things that they fit into one building. Ripley's is based on oddities. It is what made him famous and what made these museums so popular.



"Tori Spelling Stars in Attack of the TORPION!"//Artist: 14 // March 2, 2009

There is nothing more odd than what 14 produces on her site Gallery of the Absurd. She creates her own bizarre objects using celebrity mishaps as her inspiration. 14 has portrayed other artists such as Britney Spears, Gary Busey, Tom Cruise, Brangelina, and so on. It's an amusing portrayal of celebrity mayhem.

getting connected...

Modern Hieroglyphs

Modern Hieroglyphs

We see modern hieroglyphs everyday. The most common ones are the symbols seen on bathroom doors. There is a symbol that's the basic shape of a man and a symbol that is the basic shape of a women. We are exposed to these symbols throughout our whole lives and that is what gives us the ability to discern what they mean.



Symbol Signs

This pictures has many different signs that use modern hieroglyphs. The symbol used for a man is often used for other instructions. Like in the "Out" sign. The symbol for a man doesn't mean that only a man is allowed to exit. Because we have been exposed to these symbols for such a long time, we already know that the symbol for 'man' can have different meanings depending on what it is trying to represent.





Safe Baby Handling Tips//David and Kelly Sopp//2005

Modern symbols can be used to give instructions without words. Like in this example, instead of writing out that you shouldn't bury your baby with the groceries, it shows a picture of a baby buried in groceries with the word "don't" above it. Modern hieroglyphs/symbols allow us to express words, meanings, instructions, etc. with only pictures.

Contemporary

Understanding Comics

Understanding Comics//Scott Mccloud//1994

Scott Mccloud has created a comic book about comics. He has completely broken down comics and explained every part of them. He talks about iconography, words, and styles of comics. Some comics can consist of simple forms and deliver a power message while some that are fantastically drawn can bring a simple message with beautiful artwork.




Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Wolves at the Gate//Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon (authors)//Georges Jeanty and Jo Chen (Illustrators)//2008

First of all, I LOVE comics. And this is one that I'm fascinated by. I watched the T.V. show and am happy to see the show extended into a comic book series. The story continues! In the Buffy comics, everything is detailed, the drawings and backgrounds are simply beautiful. One part of comics is looking at the expression on the characters faces to feel the vibe of the comic. The majority, if not all, of the comic is photo realistic.




Explosm Comics: "Excuses"//Rob//11-23-2009

The Explosm Comics are a good example of taking a simple form to send a message. Although the character's face is a circle with some dots and a line or two in it our brain fills everything else in, making these characters just as real as a photograph.

Typography for Children

Michael Bartalos//Shadowville/1995

Many librarians were concerned that children would be distracted by playful typefaces, so they placed some restrictions on what they would bring into their libraries. More often than not, the fanciful children books became mere collectibles in the 1920s and onward. But soon artists began taking on the challenge of children books and were able to come out with something fun and educational at the same time. According to the reading, it the late 1980s 'type design became more integral to the entire children book as the author/illustrator became more of an active participant in the design process and the computer forced the widespread reevaluation of typographic principles in all print media."




Richard Scarry//The Best Word Book Ever//1991 revised edition

I couldn't help but think of the books I read as a child. I never really remembered any strange typefaces but more so strange illustrations accompanying the text. Richard Scarry is a wonderful example of this. His illustrations are often very strange and his story almost disturbing. In this story you have a piglet who wants to work in the meat section of the supermarket...odd. But Richard Scarry provided a book that was both entertaining and educational.




Simms Taback//This is the House that Jack Built//as retold and illustrated by Simms Taback in 2004

"This is the House that Jack Built" was one of my favorite Mother Goose nursery rhymes as a child. I stumbled across this book that has taken the nursery rhyme and illustrated it in a fantastic way. The text in this book by Simms Taback looks like it was cut from contruction paper and some of the letters have designs. Each element in the book looks like a cutout which is really pleasing to the eye.