Looking Legibility At Work

Road Sign
Taken From: www.proshieldsafetysigns.co.uk

I am now going to look at how different designers use the legibility of the type in their work.
In some cases it is important that the text is easily legible. The best example of this is road signs. Drivers need to be able to read signs quickly and easily, usually from a distance so that they will be able to make a decision in time. If the designer didn't make signs easily legible it could cause a serious accident.

NHS Advertisment for stopping smoking during
pregnecy. Taken From: www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/

However the designers doesn't always have to use text that is legible. Sometime the image used can be strong enough to convey the message and the text is used to strength this or to add extra information.
This advertisement for stopping smoking during pregnancy. Almost all the text is very small and would be difficult to read at a quick glance. However the image itself tell the viewer everything. If you smoke during pregnancy your baby smokes as well. The text is used to add information on how it harms yours child and how to get help.

David Carson is a graphic designer who uses text that is not always legible. I have chosen to look at him because he is known for his graphic designs for magazines, which is what I am doing for my current brief.

David Carson's legibility often relies upon the reader having good attention span, the reader has to want to read what was there on the page. Here is an example of David Carson's cover for Ray Gun magazine. Here he uses large amounts of texts, they are placed all over the page, in different sizes and font styles. The text is layered over an image, with another appearing to cut up the text. To the viewers eye line they are drawn to the magazine title, Ray Gun, the rest of the page tho appears chaotic and distracting, the reader has to be willing to spend the time reading this cover. This lack of legibility works for Carson because not only is this his intention but his audience is willing and want to spend the time reading what is on the page.