The Living Seas

Welcome back to Designerland and our first case study of 2013. This year we'll be looking at the amazing fonts found throughout Epcot Center, with our first stop in Future World. Unlike the Magic Kingdom, when my family arrives at Epcot, we always begin our journey counter clockwise, so it only feels natural to dive in to the fonts of The Living Seas. I'll only cover the typography from the pre-Nemo era since this is the Living Seas we all remember and love.

One thing I appreciate about Epcot and especially Future World is the symbiotic branding of each pavilion, so we’ll see many of the same display fonts and classic typefaces over and over again. That's called hierarchy of design, but over time, we see that hierarchy broken as wackier, overly-themed display fonts sneak their way in.

In particular, when looking at the Living Seas, sans serifs fonts are the most prominent, which is fitting because sans serifs are generally used to convey a modern, futuristic feel. There are a few extremely futuristic display fonts scattered throughout Sea Base Alpha, but not too many. As I mentioned before, Disney fans weren't all too keen on photographing signage back in the heyday of the Living Seas, so tracking down fonts was somewhat difficult. Over time a few serif fonts such as that classic but overused Times New Roman made an appearance within the pavilion. In my research I found only one place this typeface was used—while I suspect this was just a quick fix type of situation, it still makes me cringe. 

The Living Seas was my all-time favorite pavilion within Future World, partly because of the powerful preshow with its amazing narration and partly because I have a fondness for water. This week, in addition to the type case study, I'm also showcasing a t-shirt concept honoring my favorite pavilion. 

The design is based on the vintage graphic illustration used on an early letterhead that promoted this new pavilion. The design is a simple three color gradient in shades of blue taken from the front facade of the building. This is set in front of a simple back print medallion with the Seas icon, typeset name and original Epcot Center logo.

Well that does it for this week’s case study. I hope you all have a great week and see you back here real soon. Thanks for stopping by.

Main Street Train Station

Welcome back to another fun-filled typography case study here at Designerland. This post will conclude my research into the fantastic fonts of the Magic Kingdom. We will soon move on to the resorts and then we will take a look at Epcot at the beginning of next year.

There are a few attractions within the Magic Kingdom I didn't cover simply because they didn't have enough fonts and typefaces for me to conduct a proper investigation. However, if you can think of any attractions that you feel I overlooked, let me know. I may open a special reader case study just for you! My only stipulation is that the case presented MUST come from the Magic Kingdom—other parks such as Epcot, DCA, DHS, AK and so on have their own case study files which are currently open and in the works.

With that said, let’s end our grand circle tour of font finding properly at the Main Street Train Station. As mentioned in the Main Street Case Study, the train station continues using serif fonts, but instead of over-designed, period-appropriate display fonts, the station contains 90% classic serif typefaces with a few display fonts thrown in. Some of the same typefaces found here can also be found over in Liberty Square. However, Disney Designers decided to break one rule, especially when dealing with typography and era-specific looks. Wanna know what it is? It’s the main Disneyland and Walt Disney World sign, which faces the entrances to the parks. Look closely—do you see a futuristic sans serif typeface yelling out the population of the park? I sure do. I would love to know the reason for this odd man out. Maybe they needed a semi-condensed typeface that would allow for all those zeros. Who knows?

Well that does it for this case study. I’m going to be taking a small summer break and return in the near future with more Designerland offerings, so I hope to see you back real soon. Thanks for stopping by and have a swell week.

Autopia, Grand Prix Raceway, Tomorrowland Indy Raceway, etc.

Welcome back to another Designerland typography case study. This week we will look at the fonts and typefaces used to brand Autopia, aka Grand Prix Raceway, aka Tomorrowland (Indy) Speedway, aka Grand Circuit Raceway. As you can see, this one attraction has gone through a series of names and rebranding, depending on which park you're visiting.

The original attraction, Autopia, was designed for Disneyland for opening day in 1955. The attraction allows guests to drive through an enclosed track in specially designed cars from   legendary Imagineer, Bob Gurr. Each incarnation across the globe is stationed in Tomorrowland . . . except for Disneyland Paris, which features its version in Discoveryland. Over the years, the sponsors changed hands, and therefore so did the look, mostly in the signage and place-finding graphics.

When looking back at the signage and posters, Disney's designers stayed true to the branding for Tomorrowland with the classic modern sans serif typefaces. However, when the Walt Disney World Resort opened in the 70's, the designers also snuck in a few 70's futuristic and groovy display fonts. The classic typefaces and fonts stood the test of time until the early 90's when both Disneyland and Walt Disney Worlds' attractions received an update. Designers now used heavily-modified display fonts that incorporated both a futuristic feel as well as fonts that conveyed the feeling of high speed.  The branding of this attraction seems to be all over the place, from retro to classic, display to modern. This one attraction has seen almost every kind of font. 

 

Well that does it for this week’s case study. Tune in next week for another Retro ’71 shirt, which is the final installment of our Epcot World Showcase series. I look forward to seeing you soon and have a great week.

Peter Pan's Flight

 

In this week’s case study we'll be looking at the simplistic font palette of one of the most popular rides within the Magic Kingdom, Peter Pan's Flight. Peter Pan's Flight is one of the original attractions designed by WED for opening day at Disneyland and quickly became one of the staples of Fantasyland, so it comes as no surprise that most every Fantasyland from here on out would have its own version of the attraction.

When the attraction first opened, Imagineers were giving guests too much creditability by casting them as Peter Pan. Guests couldn't quite grasp the concept of this first-person point-of-view, and they often asked where Peter Pan was within the ride, as was the case with the original Snow White and her Adventures. When Imagineers began re-imagineering the attraction for the Walt Disney World Resort, they quickly added Peter Pan into the attraction’s storyline. Peter Pan wouldn’t make his grand appearance at the Disneyland attraction until 1983 when Disneyland's Fantasyland underwent a major face-lift.

This attraction only uses a few different fonts, which is the case with most of the attractions within Fantasyland as these generally feature simpler thematic detailing. Peter Pan's Flight uses some of the same classic fonts used to brand other attractions within Fantasyland, with the two main classifications being Serif and Blackletter. These two classifications are the perfect mix of British and Medieval typography which reflect the story of Peter Pan by author J.M Barrie (born Scottish but lived and worked in London) and Fantasyland’s overall theme of a Medieval fair.

Well that concludes this week’s short but sweet post. Tune in on Monday for another Retro '71 concept and thanks for visiting. Have a great weekend!

If You Had Wings

I'd like to welcome you all back to the Designerland attraction typography case studies. In this week’s installation, we will look the typefaces of the gone-but-not-forgotten attraction, If You Had Wings.

If You Had Wings was one of the original attractions at the Walt Disney World Resort. Modeled after Disneyland's Journey through Inner Space, the attraction focused on flight, and appropriately, the attraction was sponsored by Eastern Airlines. The attraction took guests through various exotic ports of call, all set to a catchy 70's theme tune written by Buddy Baker and X Atencio. Over time the attraction saw various name changes due to changes in sponsorship: If You Could Fly, Delta Dreamflight and Disney's Take Flight were the different incarnations of the attraction until Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin finally settled in.

As we've seen in previous posts about Tomorrowland, If You Had Wings used the same sans serif font palette as most attractions in Tomorrowland. The most noted typeface used in the attraction is the classic font, Helvetica. A few display fonts that mimicked the Eastern Airlines logo were also used throughout the attraction. Over time, with new sponsors came new branding, and with new branding came new logos and signage, and new logos and signage meant new fonts! When Delta Dreamflight moved in, more serif fonts were introduced into the attraction. The main serif font used in branding Dreamflight does convey a sense of dreamy flight, especially when set in italic. However, when juxtaposed against other Tomorrowland attraction typography, this attraction seems a tad out of place because both the typography and the attraction itself were more contemporary than futuristic.

Well that does it for this week’s case study. Tune in on Monday for a new Retro '71 shirt concept and thanks for stopping in.

Storybook Circus

In this week’s case study we'll be looking at a wall. What's so special about a wall you ask? Well a wall at Disney Theme Parks is usually hiding something truly amazing behind it: a new attraction, a refurbishment or even a whole new extension of Fantasyland. WDI has realized as of late that they're wasting valuable market space with just blank construction walls when they could be promoting, enticing and even teasing guests with what's about to come to the theme parks. Their solution to this problem was to theme these walls with various graphics and signage to really get the guests excited about what's to come. In this case study we'll look at one wall in particular, the Storybook Circus wall that's currently up between Fantasyland and the old walk way to Mickey's Toontown Fair.

Before we talk type, let's talk about inspiration. It seems I may have tracked down WDI's reference photo for the Storybook Circus wall. In comparing the photo with the Storybook Circus wall, I can find 13 similarities between the two, which leads me to suspect that the wall’s designer looked to this very photo for inspiration. Do you see the similarities?

We all know that I enjoy a good Slab Serif font, so when I saw this wall's teaser "billing" art I got excited. The overall graphic has a disjointed look: predominately type-oriented sections are broken up by large illustrated concept art. It’s my theory that the illustrated portions were done in Glendale and the typography portions were done by WDI in Orlando. Why do I think this? When studying type, there's a BIG difference between Glendale's campus and Orlando's WDI campus. As of late, it appears WDI Glendale has been using free fonts from such sites as dafont.com and abstractfonts.com, whereas WDI Orlando tends to use professional, commercial fonts for their signage. The sections of the wall that are mainly type-heavy use a variety of classifications: Slab Serifs, Western, Tuscan, and Woodblock. These same classifications can be seen in Frontierland, which is fitting because they all have a Wild West look to them. Traveling circuses were extremely popular in the late 1800's and early 1900's—the same time period from which many of these “Western” typefaces originated. As for supporting my theory, it just so happens that all of the fonts featured on the Storybook Circus wall can be found in the Western section of the type foundry from which WDI purchased most of their commercial fonts.

In comparing the type with other vintage circus posters from the time period as well as the reference photo, the designer(s) paid a great deal of attention to detail. I hope that WDI continues the theme of a late-1800s-to-early-1900s traveling circus with the signage in this extension of Fantasyland. I'm excited to see what typographical wonders show up when this new section finally opens. Well that about does it for this week's case study. Tune in on Monday for an all new Retro 71 concept. As always, thanks for visiting and I hope to see you back real soon!

Retro 71

This week’s Retro 71 concept is based on the Magic Kingdom logo from the 80's. 

This logo is my personal favorite ever used to brand the Happiest Place on Earth. The logo uses the classic font Bookman Swash, which we all know by now Disney loved in the early years. Designers have manipulated it to create a unique, one-of-a-kind logo. 

When it comes to logo design, you can't just pick a simple font and typeset it—you really need to change the font and make it your own. The goal is to make it almost unrecognizable, especially to other designers. Case in point: the apparel company Juicy Couture recently filed a lawsuit against another apparel company for stealing their logo. However, the Juicy Couture logo isn’t even a one-of-a-kind logo—it's a simple text typeset in a standard variation of a classic, free font. Juicy Couture can't copyright a classic font. If they could, that would mean no one could ever use said typeface without suffering legal consequences. Juicy Couture should have either hired a professional typographer to design a font just for them, or paid a graphic designer to plus the existing font. With no modification to the font whatsoever, it really comes as no surprise that another company would design a similar logo. Disney would never stand for such complacency. 

As for this week’s design, the color palette is a simple, one-color print in yellow placed on a red shirt. The shirt itself would probably be more of an eco heather red made by Alternative Apparel instead of a solid red. I felt the color combination was accurate to how Disney used the logo on their theme park brochures and signage. Again, texture and vintage distressing implies the retro theme that runs throughout the entire Retro 71 apparel line.

Well that does it for this week’s Retro 71 installment. See you on Friday for another thrilling journey into the wonderful world of park typography. See you then!

Matterhorn Bobsleds

Guten Tag, y'all! This week we’ll take a brisk look at the typography used throughout Disneyland's Matterhorn Bobsleds. Walt Disney came up with the concept for the attraction while visiting the Swiss Alps on vacation with his family. Once back home in the states, Walt tasked his Imagineers with creating a Matterhorn of his own. Stepping up technology, as Imagineers do, the Matterhorn was the first roller coaster to implement a tubular steel continuous track system. This innovation ushered in a whole new era of thrill ride capabilities.

Many of the typefaces and fonts used throughout the attraction are derived from English, German and Irish lineage . . . while the actual Matterhorn is located in Switzerland. Regardless of whether or not it is completely accurate, the typography does give an air of authenticity to the overall theme.

 

Most of the typefaces used on the signage are display fonts. The signs feature a few classic Serifs and italicized Sans Serifs to convey the speed of the bobsleds barreling through the icy slopes of the mountain. However, the two most prominent classifications are Blackletter and Calligraphic.

Blackletter typefaces are heavy, bold, angular fonts derived from medieval script writing, and are Disney’s fonts of choice for most anything and everything in Fantasyland. Blackletter typefaces can break down even further into five subcategories: Bastarda, Fraktur, Quadrata, Rotunda, and Textura.

Calligraphic fonts are hand-drawn fonts. Typically gentle and light in weight, these are designed to mimic the traditional quill-and-ink flowing script found in early monastic manuscripts. Two main variations appear throughout the Matterhorn Bobsleds: Uncial and Jackboot. Uncial fonts are more consistent with what you’d expect from calligraphy. While most are Irish-based, some can be traced as far back as the late Roman Empire.  Jackboot fonts are bolder, heavier variations that are crisp, sharp and usually italicized. These make for a perfect transition between the themes of Fantasyland and Tomorrowland. 

 

While the typography used may not be historically accurate in terms of origin and locale, Disney designers knew what they where doing. These interesting and unique typefaces blend together into a font palette that truly evokes the Swiss Alps.

Well that does if for this week - thanks for dropping by and I look forward to seeing you back on Monday for a new Retro 71 concept. Auf Wiedersehen!

Retro 71

This week’s Retro 71 shirt is completely era-driven. I wanted to incorporate some unique designs into the apparel line that didn't necessarily rely on an attraction. Instead, I wanted to play around with the general feel of 1970's apparel design. I've seen a few shirts on the market that pull off this same look—most of which are sports-related—and every time I see these shirts, I instantly think of Walt Disney World. It might have to do with the typography of the shirts.

Nothing says ‘70s to me more than the classic typeface Avant Garde Gothic. Avant Garde Gothic is one of my favorite typefaces because it was designed by my favorite typographer, Herb Lubalin. He based the typeface on a logo he had created for the magazine, Avant Garde. The demand for a font based on the logo was in such high demand that he and a fellow typographer, Tom Carnase, designed the full-fledged typeface in 1970. My second favorite typographer, Ed Benguiat, later created a condensed version of the font in 1974.

I extended the font by creating the diagonals, and I added the Walt Disney World logo to the design. Also, no Retro 71 shirt concept could be complete without some aged distressing to the design. I personally feel this shirt sums up the attitude of an era, and it reminds me of both Tomorrowland and the Contemporary Resort because Avant Garde Gothic is prevalent in both places. Well that about does it for this week. Tune in on Friday for another typography case study and thanks for stopping by.

Space Mountain

In this week’s case study we take a look at the typography of Tomorrowland's Space Mountain. Space Mountain is the brainchild of WDI legend, John Hench, who began designing the attraction in the early 60's for a revamp of Disneyland's Tomorrowland. With the desire to appeal to an older demographic, Walt Disney World management felt the Resort needed a high-speed "thrill" ride similar to Disneyland's Matterhorn Bobsleds, and Space Mountain was their answer.  After many revisions, the attraction officially opened at the Walt Disney Resort in 1975. Many of Hench's early concept sketches differ dramatically from what was finally built — here is just one example of what could have been: WYW Model.

Space Mountain became an instant classic, and Disneyland soon followed suit with the construction of its own version. Today, Space Mountain appears in every Disney theme park across the globe with a few subtle theme variations.

The typography of Space Mountain, which has evolved over the years due to various refurbishments, falls into three main classifications: Sans Serifs, Art Deco and Retro. We could even go as far as describing the themes, such as techno, LCD, comic, etc.

As discussed in my earlier case study on the Wedway Peoplemover, Sans Serif fonts are the fonts of the future: they’re progressive, sleek, and in some cases, futuristic. Various weights and treatments are present within the font palette of Space Mountain.  In the 90's, designers began to incorporate Art Deco fonts with their elongated x-heights, sharp serifs and terminals which convey both the old (one foot in the past) and the new (one foot in the present). More recently, designers have begun to add retro-themed fonts to help support the comic book/Buck Rogers feel of Tomorrowland. Most of the retro fonts are script-based fonts derived from the Atomic Age of the 1950s and 60s.

The fonts and type used for Space Mountain provides viewers with a glimpse into the unknown that speaks of classic science fiction; a sort of H.G. Wells meets Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom. The steel structure looms in the distance, beckoning guests to Tomorrowland where Mission Control prepares their voyage into the true final frontier.

Well that about does it for this week. Tune in next week for a new Retro 71 shirt concept and case study. Thanks for coming by.

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

In this week’s case study we look at the typography from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Not too much reference material exists when looking at the now-retired Walt Disney World attraction, so thank goodness for the alive-and-well Tokyo DisneySea. 

From a typography standpoint, 20,000 Leagues is the missing link in the transition from the more medieval-era fonts of Fantasyland to the ultramodern fonts of Tomorrowland. 20,000 Leagues uses a combination of Slab Serifs, Egyptian/Egyptienne, and some of the other classifications of type seen in the previous lands, mainly Adventureland and Frontierland. One font in this week’s case study isn't present within the parks, but it should be. Typographer and designer David Occhino designed an amazing display font titled Nautilus. Inspired by the novel and Harper Goff, the typeface is completely accurate in theme and time period. Be sure to check it out, especially the Barbed and Barbed Submerged versions. No Disney font collection would be complete without this typeface.  

20,000 Leagues features classic serif fonts accurate to the time period of this Jules Verne classic. Tokyo DisneySea accomplishes this same effect while incorporating more of a steampunk feel, mixing elegant Victorian-style fonts with hard-edged, bold slab serif fonts. Both attractions utilize steampunk fonts to some degree, but it is definitely more prevalent at Tokyo DisneySea. Disney Designers also added a few typefaces that aren't really related to the time period such as art nouveau style fonts. While these fonts may not be accurate to the era nor to the genre, they do have a nautical, underwater look to them.

20,000 Leagues was/is the perfect attraction for a typeractive person like myself. As always, thanks for stopping by and remember to tune in Sunday for a new Retro 71 shirt concept. See ya soon!

The Enchanted Tiki Room

In this week’s case study we look at Disney's own tropical oasis, The Enchanted Tiki Room. The original Tiki Room opened in the early sixties, when Polynesian pop was at its peak. This Americanized take on Polynesian culture quickly evolved into heightened kitsch, and as countless tiki-themed bars and hotels popped up all over the states, it was only fitting that Walt would want to design an attraction based on this craze. Originally conceptualized as a dining experience, Walt and his Imagineers felt the new-fangled Audio-Animatronic birds could carry their own weight as a floor show attraction.

 The typography used to help establish The Enchanted Tiki Room comes from the early to mid-sixties. Most of the display fonts are heavily themed to reflect the Oceanic cultures represented within the attraction. A few of our classic Disney fonts make their appearances in the signage, such as the popular typeface Bookman Swash, which appears in two other attractions within the parks. A few classic serif fonts are used here and there, most likely to ease the viewer’s eye. The Enchanted Tiki Room also includes a few hand-carved and hand-painted fonts. Out of love for this classic Disney attraction, a few typographers such as David Occhino and Brian Bonislawsky have taken the time to recreate these one-of-a-kind fonts.

Over time, designers have added more tropical tiki-themed fonts through various refurbishments and enhancements. Unfortunately (or thankfully, depending on how you see it), you will not see any of the WDW “Under New Management” fonts in today's case study poster.  Well that about wraps it up for this week. I raise my tiki mug of Otto's Octane to you, Mahalo.  See you next week for another exciting look into the wonderful world of Disney typography, and be sure to stop by Sunday evening for another Retro 71 shirt concept.

Big Thunder Mountain

In this week’s case study, we look at one of the wildest rides in the wilderness, Big Thunder Mountain.

A Disney park wouldn’t be a Disney park without Big Thunder Mountain. Big Thunder was designed by an Imagineer I truly admire, Tony Baxter. I've had the pleasure of meeting him twice and have even dined with him on one occasion. It was a dream come true to spend a good hour plus with someone I felt I could truly relate to. After dinner, as we parted ways, he said he looked forward to hopefully working with me one day. I almost died. It's still one of my dreams to work under him, like a humble apprentice shadowing a great sorcerer.

What's great about Big Thunder Mountain in type take is the use of some amazing fonts and typefaces, which happen to be some of my all-time favorites. The typography used in this land pays homage to a time when the bold was big and the wide was wild! Throughout this land, you can find variations of such classic type specimens as Slab Serif, Antique, Clarendon, Latin/Antique Tuscan, Tuscan and Egyptian typefaces.  These fonts were all popular during the 1800’s when gold was discovered in Southwest America, turning Big Thunder Mountain and the small community of Tumbleweed into a thriving mining town. These typefaces are known for their distinct weight and serif treatments.

In typography, a slab serif is a kind of serif typeface characterized by thick, block-like serifs. Serif terminals may be either blunt or angular. Because of their bold appearance, they are most commonly used in large headlines and advertisements and are seldom used in body text.

You’ve probably seen these types of fonts used in other places around the parks. Adventureland has a few scattered here and there, mainly within the Jungle Cruise queue. Using these same styles of typefaces for a tour down the Nile River was actually quite accurate, because slabs aren't just for the Wild West. Slab serifs, which are also known as Egyptian/Egyptienne, were so named not because they look like something inscribed in the halls of the great Egyptian pyramids—they where called so because when King Tutankhamun was discovered, the newspapers, handbills, and posters of the day used these big, bold typefaces to draw reader attention to Howard Carter’s discovery. Slab serifs also have their place in the steampunk genre as they evoke an Industrial Revolution-era feel. With that said, you could probably think of a few other lands where this classification of type would fit nicely.

Well that's it for this week. Tune in next week for more adventures in terrific type and thanks for stopping by!

It's a Small World

This week we look at a Disney theme parks time-honored classic: It's a Small World! So climb aboard and let’s sail with the happiest set of typefaces that ever sailed!

When it comes to Small World, people tend to love it or hate it.... personally, I love it. I love it even more now as an adult, especially as a designer. As a child I tended to focus on the children from around the world, the fun yet repetitive theme song by the Sherman Brothers, and the copious amounts of glitter (be honest, who doesn't love glitter?). But now as an adult, I'm more intrigued by how this one attraction is a perfect example of the elements and principles of design.

One of the primary designers of It's a Small World was artist, designer and Imagineer Mary Blair. I believe Mary's success was due to her understanding of classic design elements and principles, along with her stylistic approach and background in fine art. Her style was somewhat avant-garde for the time and if she were at WDI today, her style would still be considered innovative. To be honest, I don't think anything would get green lit if the storyboards looked like some of Mary's concept treatments . . . my how the times have changed!

Over the years, from the original Small World designed for the 1964 World's Fair to Hong Kong Disneyland's version, It's a Small World has used a variety of fonts and typefaces to brand itself. From posters to merchandise, the stylistic approach in terms of type has changed over the years. Italics, bolds, curls, serifs, sans serifs and display fonts have all been used in conjunction with this attraction. Currently, a whimsical childlike display font sets the tone for the main signage. I believe this is a custom typeface designed in-house by Disney's design team. Sometimes designers will design just the characters needed to spell out the attraction name for the logo or signage—they usually never create the entire alphabet, punctuation marks, numerals or glyphs (there are exceptions and we'll discuss that later on when we look at the Indiana Jones case study).

Lucky for us, we have typographers who are Disney dorks!!! These typographers, paying homage, have created entire fonts (including some amazing glyphs) based on their appreciation and love for Disney attractions. Their designs come close in matching what you see in the parks—they are usually about 95% accurate and could fool most any viewer. Disney has even gone so far as to purchase some of these re-imagined fonts to go back and use in the parks.  As a designer and Disney dork, I could only imagine the thrill of walking into the parks and seeing a font of my creation in use.

Aside from the main signage of It's a Small World, the only other type treatments seen on or near the attraction are closure signs that pop-up from time to time, and the final show scene of the attraction itself. The last show scene consists of various languages bidding riders farewell. What better way to use typography than to match the good-byes in a font found from that native country?

Well that about does it for this week. Tune in next week and thanks for stopping by!

Walt Disney Imagineering

I've decided to give you all a taste of things to come. Here's my first "test run" of my typeface case study poster designs. 

Starting on the first of January I'll begin with actual attractions found within the parks but for now I give you my dream: Walt Disney Imagineering.

I, like most Disney dorks, have dreamed of being an Imagineer since I was young. I've tried extremely hard to become one and I will continue to keep that dream alive but in the mean time let's talk type.

For this case study I began by looking at mostly logos and signage. My main focus was on the classic WED Enterprises Logo. Who doesn't love that mod retro design, right? Sadly it's not a real font. It was hand generated by one of the designers at the time...but who????

Well according to Mr. Roland Crump the designer of the original WED logo was none other than Paul Hartley. You see, being so obsessed with this logo I got together with another designer who specializes in custom made typefaces and they designed a font based on it for me at a said price. I even contacted Rolly and asked him is he created the WED Enterprises logo. I thought he'd shed some light on the topic seeing how the Tower of the Four Winds model that resides in the Contemporary Resort has that same D character from the WED logo.

Rolly actually enjoyed the typeface and provided some great feedback. As for now, the designer of this reimagined font has not went public with it yet, but if and when they do I'll let you know.

Other than the custom WED typeface, the poster displays fonts found in the current WDI logo, the WDI ImagiNations logo and website, The Blue Sky Cellar, and a few WDI Construction signs that have popped up in the parks.