January 15, 2008
The start of the 032c effect?
Here, courtesy of Search & Destroy, is the upcoming cover of Pop, featuring Stephanie Seymour. That typography has two possible influences. Either the designers have been looking through their late eighties copies of Interview and The Face (perhaps discovered at the back of the cupboards in their new office, where The Face was once based). Or is it born of our favourite magazine 032c? Might not be quite ugly enough for the latter. 032c-lite anyone?
The issue itself will reveal more. Watch this space.
13 Comments
Comment on January 16, 2008 by marcus says:
There is the theory that fashion is based on what was cool 20 years ago. Instant visions of The Face for me.
Comment on January 16, 2008 by suprmrkrt says:
friends. there’s no such thing as “the 032c effect”.
there’s a trend, thats set by british design-journalists, featuring michael bierut. that “trend” is emberassing.
people always had the freedom to use typeface the way they wanted (within technical boundaries).
now, stretching and compressing had become a trend and it is recognized that way.
people stretched and compressed type all the time.
think the shoestore on the corner. (even in london.soho or berlin.mitte).
or more within the designers-design-context: think nl-design.
i know. germanies visual leader (why do germans always look for leaders) also used compressed fonts in his redesign of the formerly known as an agencies fanzine – hekmag magazine. a project where he couldnt lose anything. but also join the visual bandwagon of beeing academic and punk the same time.
so at least in germany, we’re about to see a lot of compression against depression. wonder if that helps.
Comment on January 16, 2008 by suprmrkrt says:
and. by the way.
the composition of the shown pop-magazine-cover is really bad. what did they want to say with that model opposed by the evil aggressive “goddess”
Comment on January 16, 2008 by richard says:
FYI the people who design Pop used to design The Face in its latter day golden patch (the early to mid 90s), Spalding and Swillingham (http://www.suburbia-media.com), so maybe you cant really blame them for ripping off themselves. and ipping off fabian baron is par-the course now though for your everyday noughties art director isnt it? (i assume your referring to his tenure at Interview in the late eighties), though I think Pop is the only mag mining this bit of his career.
i think the type is just various weights of itc franklin gothic used together rather than the streched type of 032c, but im no type expert so may be wrong. it does mimic 032c though in feel (and ugliness) which is really dissapointing, they were always bit-part heroes of mine..
Comment on January 16, 2008 by horst says:
yeah it’s really “difficult”
i ask myself why not!
rules should be broken
but the bad thing is: it doesn’t work, it’s not convincing,
it’s a pity
Comment on January 16, 2008 by John Innes says:
The other 80s magazine that used that sort of typography was SKY. Was it around before The Face or was it just a watered down mid-market teenage version?
Comment on January 16, 2008 by LondonLee says:
Sky was more like an older kids Smash Hits. It came along after The Face as they all did, except I.D.
Anyone remember Blitz magazine?
Comment on January 16, 2008 by LondonLee says:
And… Stephanie Seymour??? Did they pick an 80s supermodel to go with the typography?
Comment on January 16, 2008 by suprmrkrt says:
i dont say its shit.
i say: dont institutionalize that as a trend to be followed. it will be followed. but referring every stretched or compressed headline to 032c-style or even “the new ugly” is just wrong.
so its not the work itself what annoys me, its the process of trying to form a trend.
Comment on January 16, 2008 by richard says:
i think a certain j leslie used to be responsible for blitz…
Comment on January 16, 2008 by jeremy says:
Yep I was there, working at Blitz and faxing spec’ed type to the typesetter with instructions for stretching the type. 72pt tall, 20pt wide as i recall
Comment on January 17, 2008 by LondonLee says:
Ahh, those were the days. The thrill of getting the type back from the setters (like ATP) and it actually fitting! I couldn’t mark-up type now if my life depended on it.
Comment on February 11, 2008 by richard says:
just seen Pop in the flesh. contary to my previous posts, i can confirm they have stretched the type a-la-032c. their spin is crossing it with an mid 80s brody feeling face design inside, but still.. such a shame.
