Monday 25 October 2010

Legibility, and the 'Tone of Voice'

In illustration and design, it is important to make your message as legible as possible, whether it is through text or image. First, an example:






Although this anti-smoking advert is not in English, the message can still be easily understood by those who don't speak Czech - when a nursing mother smokes, the dangerous toxins will be passed onto the child. The image is hard-hitting and controversial, but it is a very good example of a legible advert through image.The text itself is bold, and although it is small, the heading in the yellow banner draws one's attention.


This is another anti-smoking advertisement from the Department of Health, one that drew a lot of controversy in the UK over its disturbing image. The image itself, if the text was removed, would not be very legible on its own. The supporting text and the slogan 'Get unhooked' is what makes this advert so effective. The text itself is white on a dark background, which is easy to read, and is limited to a few words (which is easier for any viewers to remember and take in). In comparison, the Czech advert is quite 'wordy'.

Secondly, do text and fonts have a tone of voice?

Here, a simple phrase "Hey, you!" is reproduced in a number of different fonts. Each font lends a 'voice' to the phrase, and affects how we read it in our head. The big, bold, capitalised statements are read in a loud, commanding shout, while the lowercase and more cursive fonts are seen as friendlier and soft-spoken. The voice provided by fonts and texts are very important to the illustrator or graphic designer, as it can lend itself to the feel of the entire piece as well as appeal to a certain audience.


For example, this piece shows vibrance, the choice of colours making it a very legible image (especially the use of red text in 'live' of Alive). The words are all portrayed with boldness and energy to match the design and colour palette, and is a good example of showcasing tone of voice in fonts and legibility.


This screengrab of the Times website also has a tone of voice in its text, although a very different one. Leaning away from energy and dynamic fonts, The Times's choice in text presentation and layout portray a very simple, no-nonsense business-like approach with good legibility to match its audience (mainly adults, easier to read for those on the go and browsing using their phone, or only having five minutes in a lunch break - those in more of a rush will not want to take time out to navigate around a difficult-to-read site). In contrast, the CBBC site for Newsround is designed specifically to appeal to kids - bright colours, more interesting fonts to hold their attention.




Images used:
http://lh5.ggpht.com/ash88leigh/RwvEYsJTj9I/AAAAAAAAAFE/pU1LXCupHLw/untitled5%5B1%5D.png
http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Media/Pix/pictures/2007/05/15/smokead128.jpg
http://www.kumailht.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/typography.png
http://image.guardian.co.uk/sys-images/Arts/Arts_/Pictures/2008/04/30/fishhook460.jpg

Articles used:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2007/may/16/advertising.uknews
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-455106/Anti-smoking-advert-frightening.html
http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/ <i>[screencap taken 25/10/2010]</i>

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