International Society of Typographic Designers

DAVID BUSHAY

OverviewThe International Society of Typographic Designers (ISTD) was founded in July 1928 as the British Typographers’ Guild. Seven like-minded typographers met to create a society aiming ‘to place a bona fide typographer in every printing office and advertising agency that is worthy of the name’ and ‘to raise the standard of British typography both by precept and by practice’. In the early 1950s the name was changed to the Society of Typographic Designers, STD. Nearly 50 years later, to recognise growing influence in other countries and at the behest of then President Colin Banks, STD became ISTD, the International Society of Typographic Designers. From that time, when the de facto medium of communication – and the typographer – was print, we continue to transform our practice to address existing and emerging media.

The BriefISTD is setting a challenge to students aspiring to be members – refresh the visual identity of the society.

This could incorporate the adoption of a new logo but such a fundamental change of identity would demand a strong supporting strategy articulating the benefits as well as the visual material to illustrate that. Alternatively, there is wide scope for revision using the existing logo – the choice is yours. While we are not actively seeking to change our identity this is a good opportunity to influence us.You may wish to consider how your proposals will apply to some of the range of print matter that we publish – the ISTD journal ‘Typographic’, the members’ newsletter ‘Condensed’, catalogues and promotional material.

The web also offers huge opportunities for creating connections amongst ISTD’s international membership. Pushing beyond the everyday and expected, and considering the web in all its forms, evaluate the creative opportunities that the web can offer as part of your rebrand. How might social media – Twitter, Facebook and other services, for example – be used creatively as part of a wider ISTD web strategy? What other opportunities exist through the creative use and combination of web technologies – maybe an ISTD app? Use print, screen, combined media – the choice is yours – as long as it expresses a solid idea, informs us and shows your typographic skills. Remember that words and language are our collateral and that your submission should be essentially typographic.

Putting on a fresh face

research

The International Society of Typographic Designers (ISTD) is a professional body run by and for typographers, graphic designers, and educators. The society has an international membership and its aims are to establish and maintain standards of typography and to provide a forum for debate.

Recognised as the authoritative body for typography in the UK, and with growing influence internationally, the Society also keeps sight of its original purpose as described by its founder, Vincent Steer: ‘ ... to bring together in friendship and mutual help, all those with a love of the printed word’. What Steer could not foresee more than eighty years ago was the development of desktop publishing and the importance of the typeset word ‘on-screen’ – both significant challenges to the quality of typography that informs us all. But his ethos is still intact today, as the Society works closely with education and industry to deliver major projects and events that promote and sustain typographic standards.

The ISTD was originally formed as the British Typographers’ Guild (BTG) in 1928 when Vincent Steer and friends met in a Sicilian restaurant in Holborn, to found the society. Steer recognized the need and the potential for the creative typographer’s skills in a world where most ‘design’ was carried out through compositors’ layouts. From his own background in printing, and the opportunity to observe the trade in America, he determined to develop the profession of typography in the UK, and to that end started the British Typographers Guild with six other like-minded founding members. In 1953 the guild became the Society of Typographic Designers (STD), and in 2008, recognizing its influence in other countries, and at the behest of then President Colin Banks, it became the International Society of Typographic Designers (ISTD).

This section will cover research gathered relating from the existing ISTD brand to other relevant brands. This helped me gain a better understanding of the field, provide inspiration and generate ideas.

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Branding is...is more than the visual identity and goes beyond the logo. It is an experience linked to enviroments, sounds, smells...It communicates via different media the values and attitudes of the enterprise.

A Brand that works well changes your relationship to the product...you identify yourself with it.

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Apple has a branding strategy that focuses on the emotions. The Apple brand personality is about lifestyle; imagination; liberty regained; innovation; passion; hopes; dreams and aspirations; and power-to-the-people through technology. The Apple brand personality is also about simplicity and the removal of complexity from people’s lives; people-driven product design; and about being a really humanistic company with a heartfelt connection with its customers.

Apple brand personality

The Value/Vision of the brand:

- A new day, new possibilities; change.

- Enthusiasm and hope; infinate possibilities.

Visual: Sun on the horizon - a rising star across the American landscape. Red, white, blue, stars and stripes (innovation and tradition).

Obama brand personality

I personally like Pentagrams branding for the London Design Festival. The warped bold white typography on a red background is very striking and recognisable while still allowing variety in the way it is warped, plus perspective typography makes sense with the warped typography. The ‘design from all angles’ tagline is also a great accompaniment to the visual style.

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logo development

Following on from my research, I began to work on the ISTD’s existing visual identity, trying to find areas to improve on, update and refresh. Based on research gathered I found out that there are three main international areas which ISTD have expanded to: Australasia, South Africa and the Middle East. Also in 2008, due to recognised growing influence in other countires ISTD became “international” and set an aim: “To raise the standard of typography both precept and practise...”. Based on this knowledge I have forged a concept idea to direct this project with.

The concept idea is to:

- Extend the connection between international members.

- Transform practise of print to address existing and emerging media.

- To bring ISTD members together in freindship and mutal help, all those with a love of the printed word.

This concept idea I aimed to apply to the development of all my ideas.

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Centred on the three main international areas which ISTD have expanded to I will try to incorporate elements of this in the new logo. I will do this by using the three main countries of expansion as a representation of ISTD becoming international and expanding, while taking inspiration from ISTD’s website colour palette.

ISTD Australasia

ISTD South Africa ISTD Middle East

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ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 1234567890Abadi MT Condensed Light

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz 1234567890Abadi MT Condensed Extra Bold

Abadi, introduced in 1988 offers a versatile sans serif design whose style lies somewhere between the humanist Gill Sans and the more rigidly lineal Helvetica. Subtle humanistic characteristics give Abadi a friendly appeal and contribute as much to the typeface's legibility as does its generous x-height. This legibility keeps the typeface usable in smaller point sizes. Available weights, from light to extra bold, give Abadi a wide range of graphic applications, from magazines, newspapers, packaging, advertising, to use even with television.

Abadi MT Condensed

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internationality

Critiquing my last logo design idea, I felt that it didn’t speak “internationality” and didn’t represent every member as an international society. Developing on from that idea I decided to explore the word “internationality” to gain a better understanding of its meaning and to translate its meaning visually.

Internationality means:

- A company, language or organisation that invloves more than one country.

- Involvement of interaction between or encompassing more than one nation.

- A nation - inter connected.

- International recognises the differences between places.

- The brigning together of nations.

Centered around these definitions, I will begin to develop an idea incorporating a global perspective into ISTD’s new visual identity.

Due to the multitude of languages spoken and cultures represented internationally, using colour as univeral language and representation of internationality is a more suitable and concise way to illustarte the same message.

Our reaction to color is instantaneous and has a profound impact on the choices we make. The diagram across illustrates the general responses to colours based on research, historical significance of colour, and word association studies. Different cultures react to colours differently, and this brief overview focuses on colour and there meanings.

Colour

In color-related fields, a color chart is a flat, physical object coloured with an arrangement of standardized color samples, used for color comparisons and measurements such as checking the color reproduction of an imaging system. Color charts are used to calibrate and/or profile digital input devices such as digital cameras, and scanners and output display systems like printers, monitors and projectors. They are also used by traditional photographers and cinematographers to calibrate cameras that use film and to check the color temperature of the lighting.

Using colour swatches as a means to represent and symbolise internationality based on its various colours is an interesting development turn in this project and one I will pursue.

swatches

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International Society of Typographic Designers

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International Society of Typographic Designers

ISTD

International Society of Typographic Designers

ISTD

International Society of Typographic Designers

International Society of Typographic Designers

istd

International Society of Typographic Designers

International Society of Typographic Designers

International Society of Typographic Designers

Logo

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Typography is a key element to communicate a unified personality for ISTD. I selected AW Conqueror as the chosen font for the refreshed logo as it ensures clarity and legibility.

The AW Conqueror Sans typeface draws inspiration from those in vogue in Europe between World Wars I and II. With its geometric lines it evokes the spirits of both Bauhaus and the Art Déco period. AW Conqueror Sans, a contemporary Sanserif, is the cornerstone of the family and the jumping off point for the rest of the typefaces. Any text may be swapped around without changing the layout.

AW Conqueror Slab

Here is the final refreshed ISTD logo design that encapsulates internationality. The coloured square swatches represent each country in an abstract and creative way. As a symbol it’s simple, effective and aesthetically pleasing. The symbol graphically represents internationality and encapsulates the organization’s core purpose, values and unique characteristics.

fINAL Istd logo

International Society of Typographic Designers

International Society of Typographic Designers

International Society of Typographic Designers

Web Strategy

Maintaining with the concept idea to:

- Extend the connection between international members.

- Transform practise of print to address existing and emerging media.

- To bring ISTD members together in freindship and mutal help, all those with a love of the printed word.

I will seek to apply this concept to ISTD’s web strategy. To forge a social platform for ISTD via the web, resulting in communication of international members and also exposure of the society.

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Online exposure

ISTD’s only online source of information is their website, and their website is limited in its content and sections of the site are only permitted to members. This identified a problem. What ISTD as a society lacked was international communication via the web, and I aimed to solved that problem. I needed to create a central hub for members to share their recent work on typgraphy and also gain exposure to the public.

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I LOVE TYPOGRAPHY

iLT is designed to inspire its readers, to make people more aware of the typography that’s around them. We really cannot escape type; it’s everywhere: on road signs, shampoo bottles, toothpaste, and even on billboard posters, in books and magazines, online. The list is endless, and the possibilities equally so.

TYPOGRAPHY SERVED

Powered by the world’s leading online platform for the creative professional community, Behance Network, Typography Served showcases quality creative work in the field of Typography. Like other Served sites of Behance Network, this site aims to deliver only the best typography works taken from projects and portfolios of the most talented creative people and teams around the world.

A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video.

Although not a must, but most good quality blogs are interactive, allowing visitors to leave comments and even message each other via widgets on the blogs and it is this interactivity that distinguishes them from other static websites.

The format of an ISTD blog for the society just fitted the bill when it came to interacting with members internationally. The blog will provide a central hub for ISTD members to submit their recent work for all to view. As of 16 February 2011, there were over 156 million public blogs in existence, so this proves blogs as a viable platform of exposure.

Istd ONLINE BLOG

The ISTD blog will not only features ISTD work, but also allow members and the public to interact with each other. The blog will include social sharing facilities which will allows the viewer to comment, like and share content and extend the range of exposure to Facebook and Twitter. Work posted will be categorized by its design discipline to make it easier for the user to navigate. Also the blog will be linked to the current ISTD website. In the case were a viewer likes a certain piece of work and would like to get into contact with them, the blog directly links you to specific memebers profiles on the ISTD current website to gather more information.

features

istd blog

ISTD’s online blog allows members to share work and connect with other ISTD members internationally via the web. It links with the main website and their Facebook page also. The online blog strategy allows members to log in and post their work to a public feed while viewers are able to comment and share certain posts.

istd facebook

The ISTD Facebook page is an opportunity to connect international members. Likewise with the online blog and website, the Facebook page is another avenue for exposure and connection.

istd website

ISTD’s web strategy continues to use the standard ISTD logo as part of the corporate image. Elements from the ISTD symbol has been applied to forms of communcation to maintain a synchronized feel throughout all their online mediums as illustrated.