Typography from the 1950s

For this brief I thought it'd be a good idea to look into old typography from the 1950s as my client wants a retro feel for her band this era is heavily associated with rockabilly style music. I've picked out some significant pieces of design that feature good examples of how type was used in the 50s.

There's heavy use of handwritten script style typefaces which often make the tone of voice more friendly and lighthearted. They also use this type of lettering for names, logos or any words they want to highlight whilst setting the rest in a more plain legible typeface, often san serif.

I'm particularly interested in the chunky handwritten style of type (e.g. - 'delicious hamburgers') and also the more vintage looking type ('seattle brewing'). I think just setting the name 'Miss V and the Blue Jays' in either style, without making it overtly complicated, might make for nice looking logo with a clear nod to past styles but hopefully retaining a contemporary feel.

I've noticed that many contemporary artists use this sort of vintage style type for their logos, for example Lana Del Rey's albums:

For example 

Hair

Rockabilly hair is quite an iconic part of their subculture and style. I thought about focusing on this and doing something with the large flowers the women wear in their hair. This could be a good opportunity to bring in ideas about floral imagery which would be a nice mix of the brash rockabilly style and the delicate organic feel of soul music.

This is the kind of thing that sprang to mind. I looked into floral designs and found several images that could work with my idea. They were created using custom Photoshop brushes. I found a useful guide that teaches how to create such brushes in Illustrator.

http://www.bittbox.com/illustrator/illustrator-how-to-make-custom-swooshes-swirls-and-curls

Blue Jays

The name of my client's band is "Ms V and the Blue Jays". I thought I could maybe incorporate the idea of the blue jay into the design for some of the ideas as it is quite a tangible concept and relates directly to the band. Birds also symbolize peace, calm and nature which are all things associated with soul music as my research has shown so far.

I found some imagery of the Blue Jay. I may choose to focus on the pattern of the Blue Jay's feathers or illustrate a side on photo for example. Or feature a full shot of the bird flying or with its wings spread out.

Rockabilly Posters

Whilst looking for inspiration I found some posters for rockabilly music which have a really destinct and interesting style that is reminiscent of 1950s advertising. I think would definately like to emulate this style when designing my album cover. My client did say she wanted a retro style so this would be a good way of achieving that effect I think.

Joss Stone

Joss Stone is an English singer-songwriter who's music styles include soul, R&B and blues. Her music is reminiscent of r&b and funk music and some songs have a more rock influenced sound to them I think.

The branding of Joss Stone shows influences from 60s and 70s funk and jazz music as shown through the swirly colourful designs and the typeface styles used. One cover depicts Joss Stone covered in hippy-like paintings and lines, e.g.- the piece symbol and a love heart. However the album covers definately have a more contemporary feel about them. This swirly floral style is similar to the floral imagery used in Corinne Bailey Rae's album covers. Joss Stone's album covers are bright and colourful with lots of reds, purples and greens and yellows.

Bright colourful designs seem to be a common visual theme running through all the artists I've looked at so far and I can see now what my client meant by 'bright imagery with a retro feel'.

Corinne Bailey Rae and Soul Music

Corinne Bailey Rae is a singer-songwriter and guitarist who focuses on a soul/jazz style of music. Her music is quite different from the rockabilly style I looked at earlier. Her music sounds more chilled and relaxed. It also sounds more contemporary. However she does have upbeat songs and you can hear the jazz influences in her songs.

Her branding features floral imagery and (often) hand-drawn type and illustration. This suggests her music is personal, relaxed and cheery. The floral imagery adds an organic feel to her album covers. Often they are drawn over a photograph of Corinne Bailey Rae. I'm particularly fond of the design without her picture in, I like the simplicity. The style of the album covers reflects the style of her music well I think. I also noticed use of bright imagery which adds to the upbeat feel of her branding. This is something my client also said she would like to see on her cover.

There's quite a noticeable difference between Corinne's relaxed soul style and Imelda May's bold rockabilly style. I will have to consider ways of incorporating both these styles into a functional design.

Imelda May and Rockabilly Music

Imelda May is an Irish vocalist and musician who is famous for her Rockabilly style music (one of the styles my client is influenced from). I've been listening to her music in order to get a feel for the style. I also did some research into Rockabilly music.

"Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music, dating to the early 1950s.

The term rockabilly is a portmanteau of rock (from rock 'n' roll) and hillbilly, the latter a reference to the country music (often called hillbilly music in the 1940s and 1950s) that contributed strongly to the style's development. Other important influences on rockabilly include western swing, boogie woogie, and rhythm and blues. While there are notable exceptions, its origins lie primarily in the Southern United States.

The influence and popularity of the style waned in the 1960s, but during the late 1970s and early 1980s, rockabilly enjoyed a major revival of popularity that has endured to the present, often within a rockabilly subculture." -Wikipedia

The branding of Imelda May clearly shows influences from this style. Her album covers feature stylized 1950s style illustrations and light-hearted script style type reminiscent of that era. The designs reflect the upbeat, energetic and loud style of rockabilly music as they feature bold bright colours (particularly red and yellow) sharp lines and, in terms of compostion, are quite busy. I really like this sort of retro-pastiche style and am interested in incorporating it into my ideas.

Client information

The client I'll be working with for this project is Veronica Slade, a member of a 4 piece band "with the hope in creating Soul/Pop/Rockabilly vibes."

After speaking with my client I found out some information about their band's influences and style:

•  Key influences’ include; Imelda May, Corinne Bailey Rae & Joss Stone.
• "If you get a chance, have a look at ‘The Jessie Rose Trip’ too."
• Looking for a retro style combining upbeat & bright imagery but treat this merely an outline/guide.
• Still debating on a band name but it will be along the lines of: ‘Miss V and The Blue Jay’s’ – will probably just change the ‘Miss V’ but it’ll be something similar.

I thought it'd be a good starting point to research the bands my client mentioned as her influences to see what they're going for as she did say she can't show me any of the band's music just yet. This should give me some inspiration for creating the identity.

The Brief

University of Kent at West Kent College
HND Graphic Design
Year 2, Term 1
Project: Live Music Brief
Module: Graphic Design and Typography 2 – project 4

Context
Working with a client is one of the most important skills a designer can develop. In this project you will work with a music artist or band to create an identity and CD cover. You will work to your client’s requirements and will take responsibility for researching what the client wants and whether or not your designs meet their needs.

You should make sure that you have some contact details and are able to set up developmental meetings with your client.

Please note that you will be assessed on the typographic module so what ever else you do with your design, you must pay close attention to your type choices and applications. Remember that your client may have opinions about this too.


The Brief
You are to design a “brand” identity for your allocated music client, which must include a logo. This should be applied in the first instance to a business card. The rest of the information for this must come from your client,

You are also to design a CD cover ad CD label for your client (artist or band). There may be an insert as well. The styling and format of this must be created in negotiation with your client.

You will be assessed on these items only. However, if you wish to continue this project with your client you may build up further portfolio pieces.

Specific Learning Outcomes
Please refer to the Module Guide on Moodle for specific learning outcomes against which you will be assessed. You will receive feedback on the project but it will be graded when the entire Type Portfolio is submitted.

Research
There will be an initial meeting with your client on 18th October and further meetings with them will be needed.
You should make sure that you have sufficient research material and that you understand the style, genre and ethos of your client’s music persona. You are advised to obtain audio research as well as visual and verbal.
Make sure you take notes and have some form of contact details – you may set this up through staff if you prefer.


Set Date: 18th October 2010
Submission Date: Crit :Weds 16th November 14.00-16.00). Late work will be capped.