New Banana Illustrations and Layout

hmmm... still not banana-y enough!

Typographic Studies

This "anatomy of a typeface" is both comical on some levels and interesting on
others. It would be interesting to see a title created in this manner.












































This type-experiment is very provocative, with just the right amount or playfulness and readability. It is also very clever.



Judging by photos of his process, this designer apparently tailored his typeface specifically to his logo. This is very interesting to me, as it shows the ability to perfectly balance illustration and type- and isn't that what all designers strive for?




























These two red and white type posters by Kilment Kalchev show what type can become when in its simplest form. Sure, they lose a little bit of readability, but as long as an explanation is present, they both form a typographical puzzle and evolve into graphic elements.
(copyright Kliment Kalchev 2008)



And finally...













































This is a poster by Aron Jancso (copyright 2009). I have no idea what the main part of it says, but I know that I *love* it. It says that it's based on graffiti tag from "the streets," but the linear perfection of it all reminds me of the masterworks in Arabic typography by Abd el Malik Nounouhi (who created the works seen below). I have always wanted to see something even remotely close to Nounouhi's work done in English, and I knew it was possible. I probably should have guessed, but never did, that the solution would stem from graffiti. I would very much like to try something like this.

Banana Layouts

Here are some banana layouts that need a LOT of work... Looks like another busy weekend- which isn't very a-peel-ing hahahahaha

Some facts about Bananas

In the spirit of the new project (the evolution of _______ ), I thought it apt to supply some of the strange history of bananas. I was originally inspired by this article on "The Unfortunate Sex life of the Banana."

Since then, through painful and sometimes conflicting research, I have been able to piece together this brief timeline:

EVOLUTION OF THE BANANA TRADE

Wild
-growing free and wild for (?) years
-inedible
-2 inedible strains cross-produce and form edible banana
-this edible banana is discovered (these early bananas must be cooked to eat)

Early Cultivation
-this banana is infertile (the banana fruits do not have seeds that can be planted to produce a new banana plant) and must have corm (stocks of roots) cut and replanted to regenerate a "new" banana plant.
-because of this, many experts believe the banana to be the first fruit farmed by men. (2000 BCE)
-organized plantations in china (200 CE)

Travel
-Islamic conquerors spread bananas to Africa, where many genetic mutations occurred.
-From here, Portuguese traders then spread bananas to the Canary Islands (650 CE), then Caribbean and the Americas (1502 CE)
-Guinean native word for banana- "banema" switched to "banana" in english. This word was first found in print (1700 CE)

The Yellow Banana
-yellow banana is first found in Jamaica (1836 CE)
-it is a mutant strain of the red and green cooking bananas
-the banana was first noticed for its yellow color by Jean Francois Poujot and noted for its sweetness and ability to be eaten raw- previous bananas had lacked these traits
-the yellow banana was officially introduced to American families at the Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition as an "exotic dessert" (1876 CE)
-bananas were wrapped in foil and sold for 10¢

Modern
-to 1950s- "Gros Michael" strain bananas #1 import to America
-1950s- Panama disease attacked Gros Michael bananas and they became extinct
-Cavendish, a strain of banana from Vietnam, was less sweet but immune to the disease
-post 1950s- Cavendish became the #1 US import
-plantations switched primarily to South America and Asia
-bananas become the fourth largest crop worldwide
-only 10-15% of bananas grown are exported (the majority of these being yellow "dessert bananas")
-most bananas grown are plantains used for cooking, forming a staple crop for many third- world diets (this is where the term "banana republic" stems from)
-with bananas being such a large source of wealth, exploitative corporations (such as the former United Fruit Company) battle with South American governments for power

Now
-Panama disease is beginning to attack formerly-resistant Cavendish crops
-scientists are attempting to genetically modify strains to be immune, but the future of the banana remains uncertain

Final 2

No sleep again for these...

It's okay, though. I'm fairly happy with the results, and excited for a decent night's sleep and the next project!

Verdict: the pinkish one seems to have won.

Process

the rest of 90%

This is what a week of no sleep can complete...

These took me so long to do I came to class with bloodshot eyes- I hope nobody thought I went out and did a bunch of crack to get through them!



Verdict: the big "P" and "?" ones were perceived to be senseless and left in the proverbial dust.

90%

Almost done! Now I just need some finishing touches...

50%

Here are some of the early computer versions of project 1- will post some preliminary sketches soon!

Question Week 1

Question: What is a good example of what we are trying to do in project 1? Why?

Answer: See above. It is a good example of what we are doing because it uses typography to arrange and convey information.

Link: http://danielrw.tumblr.com/post/427952140/italy-typographic-infographic

ANNOUNCEMENT

Announcement: The blog heretofore referred to as "John's Sign & Symbol Blog" shall henceforth be known as "John's Advanced Typography Blog." This is in accordance with the commencement of the summer session. Hopefully this blog will soon be filled with awesome typographical goodness!

That is all.

-MGMT