CT&D #43. Visual Tone Through Type

Finding an image that is the most dramatic use of type, what makes it dramatic? How is it successful? What would make it better? What is there about this artist that is fairly consistent?

An image I found that makes excellent use of dramatic type is one that advertises an end of a season sale, presumably for Halloween, given the look of the font and word play exhibited by the image. A few key details contribute to the dramatic presentation of text: most notably is the typeface, which gives the letters a bloated, rough or jagged letter outline (like the carvings on a jack-o-lantern); the font size and bold type, which emphasizes the striking prominence of which the words matter to onlookers of the image; and the single color use of black for the type to evoke the grim mood of darkness often associated with the holiday.

In addition to these factors, what make this image successful in portraying its intended dramatic message is its signature use of word play (“savage cuts” meaning price drops) where also literally, it refers to the cuts made onto the letters to achieve that grotesque look. There definitely is consistency with this image as 3/4ths of the text is of similar size, common nouns are capitalized, and the same typeface is used throughout. Overall, I feel that the image through its text and its properties collectively ties into the theme of Halloween successfully but still is missing something extra for enhancement purposes: a visual, preferably a black-and-white one to compliment the black text and white background for added communication. Or maybe just a light orange background would suffice.

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