Floodlights and Goalposts

Euro 2020 Journal- Entry 3: Memphis matters and Frankie de Jong, NBA point guard.

Netherlands v Ukraine from Johan Cruijff Arena, Amsterdam. The lineups are in.

Floodlights shine down on the Johan Cruijff arena. The Dutch king and queen look on. The classic orange kits glimmer. With the Netherlands kicking off at last, Euro 2020 feels real.

Frank de Boer arrives after being lambasted all week for unleashing his team in a 3-5-2 formation. Planes with tactical instructions took to the sky.

Frankie de Jong, an NBA point guard wearing Nike boots, continually picks up the ball between Ukraine’s forwards. His head swivels as he dribbles past them into midfield.

Wout Weghorst (for the Netherlands) and Roman Yaremchuk (for Ukraine) score. Both add evidence to my “Euro 2020 is a striker’s tournament” theory.

Still this match, even with the incredible Ukraine comeback, is a about one player.

Memphis Depay.

He didn’t score or provide an assist. Not even a hockey assist. But Depay is a rare species in modern football. A genuine maverick, a #10. Sure, he lines up as a striker for the Netherlands, and scored 20 league goals for Lyon. But his style of play reveals the truth. He’s a #10.

With the ball he mesmerizes. The constant controls with the sole of his foot. The through balls between the centerback and the fullback no one else spots. The stoicism to physical defending. Using the defender’s momentum against himself, and then executing his signature drag back spin move. Football Akido.

Without the ball he mesmerizes. He struts across the pitch, socks sagged around his shins as we await magic to swish from his Under Armour boots.

He’ll start on the left and drift into #10 spaces. Collecting the ball a foot or two near the d. His back to goal, he’ll turn. Maybe play a one-two, try a nutmeg, or a clever chip over the top.

Today nothing came off for Depay. But whenever he receives the ball he’s a thriller novel, a page tuner. He always leaves you feeling something special will happen.

Don’t look away.

Euro 2020 Journal- Entry 2: Strikers, Strikers, Strikers

Sad day. Christian Eriksen collapsing shocked the world. Thankfully reports are coming out that he’s stabilized and even speaking with team mates. Our prayers continue for a full a recovery.

Wales v Switzerland from Baku. The lineups are in.

In the past I’d have skipped this match. But I no longer take international tournaments for granted. I no longer take supporters in the stadium for granted. I don’t even take hearing Seven Nation Army over and over again for granted. I’m determined to cherish every minute of this Euros.

So what’s to cherish here?

Strikers scoring goals.

Wales’ Keiffer Moore and Switzerland’s Breel Embolo bagged one each.

My theory is proving correct, this is a strikers tournament. Besides Moore and Embolo, Ciro Immobile scored. Union Berlin’s #9, Joel Pohjanpalo snagged one. Lukaku plundered a pair.

Nearly all were poachers takes too. Opportunistic finishes around the penalty spot.

Only Lukaku’s late goal running onto a Meunier thread could be considered a build-up goal.

Let’s hope this trend continues.

Euro 2020 Journal- Entry 1: The Legend of Domenico Berardi

We’ve all missed tournament football. I’ve missed it. You’ve missed it.

Italy v Turkey from Rome. The lineups are in.

Match commentators: Jon Champion and Taylor Twellman.

One Turkish player perks my interest, Okay Yokuslu. Along with The West Brom midfielder’s extraordinary first name, I’m also a sucker for defensive midfielders. I don’t have an inkling how he plays. Is he cultured steering wheel of a holding mid? Or is he an ankle biting Mako Shark of a holding mid?

(Post match conclusion: Okay was neither a steering wheel or a Mako Shark. While his passing was tidy in spells, he was taken off at minute 65.)

A cool Domenico Berardi origin story from Taylor Twellman. Legend is, scouts discovered Berardi playing in a 5v5 tournament. He hadn’t played academy football to that point.

Ciro Immobile scores in the 66th minute. It’s a true strikers goal too. Immobile loiters around the penalty spot until a rebound drops in front of him after Cakir’s initial save. Immobile side foots it in with his right foot. Clean.

Hopefully this an omen for a high scoring tournament. It’s satisfying when your strikers score. The tournament feels proper that way. Think Totò Schillaci in Italia 90 or Ronaldo in Korea/Japan 2002. Is the first of a clutch of Immobile goals on way to the golden boot?

The possibilities!

Graphic Design In the Wild – Day 27: EatZi’s

Founded by Phil Romano in 1996, Eatzi’s is not your typical grocer. Eatzi’s are only located in the DFW area. They’re designed to bring a European market atmosphere to the grocery experience. The hanging cured meats, the fresh selection of cheeses and wines, and yes, the graphic design all contribute to theme.

The color palette of red and white is simple, but eye-catching. The original logo incorporated yellow and green to capture Phil Romano’s Italian heritage.

So with two shapes and two colors, how does the designer grab our attention?

Contrast.

First, note the combination of serif and sans-serif fonts. Then the blend of capital and lower case letters. Interesting design choice here, the lower case serif-font dominates, while the all caps san-serif font supports the main text above.

Alright, one more bit of contrast that I noticed late, the kerning. The main text’s kerning is tight, but balanced, as it spreads across the oval. The support text kerning is wider, giving an elegant feel to the sans-serif font. This is my interpretation of course. A graphic design uber-expert may disagree.

With limited resources a graphic designer must pull from all their tools – form, typography, content and concept. Whoever designed the Eatzi’s logo, mission accomplished.

Graphic Design In the Wild – Day 26: Stripe Press

Stripe Press publishes books about economic and technological advancement.

They also have a dope logo.

The Stripe Press logo is what I call a “take two”. It takes two looks to catch the meaning. But once your eyes catch it, you can’t un-see it.

At first glance you ask, is that an 8? Is that a slot car race track?

But then the retro soccer jersey font reveals its self. The “S” overlays the “P”. The combination of the two elicits a feeling of technological progress that remains reverent to the past.

Graphic Design In the Wild – Day 25: Topo Chico Mineral Water

Topo Chico is a staple of scorched Texas summers. The carbonated mineral water is a cool respite from July’s heat.

Topo Chico’s graphic design set and color palette reflects this. The red cursive lettering and the yellow background indicate the heat. While the white strip laid across the top of the cursive lettering gently cools the tone. Earlier iterations of the white strip was snow capped. This white strip also adds depth and contrast to the font, similar to Fiesta.

The mascot, a beautiful Aztec princess (the daughter of Moctezuma I Ilhuicamina) drinking the healing waters of Cerro de la Silla is not only a beautiful illustration, but a tribute to Monterrey.

There’s not many pieces of graphic design that displays richness and beauty. Topo Chico is the exception.

Post Script:

The credited designer is one Guicho Romero.

#topolife

Graphic Design In the Wild – Day 24: Fiesta Mart

Fiesta Mart began in Houston in 1972. The founders, Donald Bonham and O.C. Mendenhall felt the Mexican American community in Houston was under served.

BOOM! Today there are over 60 Fiesta Marts throughout Texas.

With her parrot mascot and bold font, Fiesta is one of Texas’ most recognizable brands.

The font is what I would call an “in-betweener” (that’s the technical term). It’s not a full serif font. The F and the T have the little feet. But the remaining letters are sans-serif.

Contrast plays an important role here as well. The thick white stroke beneath the red font, pushes the typography forward. Adds depth, and makes the Fiesta logo one of the most unique pieces of graphic design in Texas.

Post Script:

According to Brands of The World.com, the Fiesta Mart logo was designed by an R.Ruiz? But I couldn’t locate a website for him.

Either way, well done R. Ruiz.

Graphic Design In the Wild – Day 23: Bialetti’s Little Man with the Moustache

I admire old companies.

They’ve thrived.

They’ve suffered.

They’ve survived.

Alfonso Bialetti opened his workshop for aluminum products in 1919. But in 1933 Bialetti released the Moka Express. A first of it’s kind, at home coffee maker. Within a few years, his Moka pot would establish Bialetti as a global company. It remains the most famous home coffee maker in the world (yeah I’m claiming it. Forget you Keurig!).

Part of the Moka Express’ fame is owed to its timeless art-deco design. But the other is owned in part to graphic design. Bialetti’s iconic symbol, the Little Man with the Moustache, first appeared in 1958. The artist, Paolo “Paul” Campani designed the logo as a caricature of Alfonso Bialetti’s son Renato Bialetti. While Paul’s career led him into comics, his foray into graphic design left a historic mark.

Is the l’omino con i baffi a symbol? Is he a mascot? Is he a logo? I’d say a little of all three. The combination of shapes, ovals, triangles, ellipses, rectangles all combine into an instantly recognizable brand.

Graphic Design In the Wild – Day 22: Comic Book Lettering, DC Edition

Alright. This is the DC comics edition. As I was looking these over, I thought what’s the purpose of comics lettering?

My theory is comic book cover lettering needs to “anchor” the cover. It will be the one piece of comic book graphic design that remains the same issue after issue.

The cover art will change, but the title lettering (typically) stays consistent. Comic covers are displayed cover out on spinner racks (R.I.P.) and comic book stores. Good title lettering should immediately reveal who the hero(s) are and what type of adventure you’re in for.

Let’s take a closer look.

Before they were a hit cartoon, The Teen Titans were a superhero group with an ongoing series. Think the mini version of the Justice League.

DC kept their wordmark recognizable for this special Tales of the Teen Titans series by keeping the same font from their 80’s title The New Teen Titans. They did switch the color from red to blue. But it remains a font that coveys strength of the team as a group.

The whack Justice League deserves it’s due. It follows a common trend of comic book title lettering, using red and 3D block letters. But it works in three pieces of contrast as well.

ALL is flat and lifted forward with the a white star behind it.
STAR is the largest of the font sizes and has the thickest stroke around the letters.
SQUADRON is slightly smaller and has a star inside the A. Also, the stroke thins out.

There’s hundreds of variations of Batman covering lettering. The lettering for the one-off, 10 cent adventure has tall, blood red, san-serif font. The design foreshadows the story of Bruce Wayne being framed for murder.

One of the cheesiest superheros of all time. Has the name your friend’s little brother would think up on the playground. The lettering follows a similar trend. Red, 3D block letters. Tight kearning. And replacing a letter with a shape. In this case, a star for the A.

Graphic Design In the Wild – Day 21: Comic Book Lettering, Marvel Edition

This post was inspired by web designer Regan Ray‘s Marvel Superhero Lettering blog post (h/t Austin Kleon). It had me wondering, what awesome lettering was in my long box?

These are well executed examples of lettering. But it’s the feelings they evoke about the characters that makes them special.

Let’s take a closer look.

For Ed Piskor’s Grand Design, you can see the 90s influence of the X-Men cartoon show. Even though it’s paper, you can almost see the volt of electricity flowing through the letters.

With Hawkeye’s lettering you get the feeling that this is a hero who’s all about one thing: hitting the target.

The British X-men? Probably too many swords on this one. But it does express a royal, knights of the round table feel.

Slapstick. Zany. Funny. Heroic.

The Fantastic Four lettering captures all the energy of what makes the Fantastic Four adventures so well, fantastic!