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.

The Grand Floridian Resort & Spa

Welcome back to a long-overdue Designerland Typography Case Study. This week we will look at the wonderful typefaces seen throughout the Grand Floridian Resort. Before we start, I'd like to give a BIG shout out to Cristy Greene for helping me with this post. Her photos helped me out in more ways than one. Thanks so much!

When looking at the typefaces used throughout the Grand Floridian, one thing can be certain: there are no frills or wacky display fonts. The font palette used for most of the signage and way-finding graphics use classic fonts to evoke a sense of tradition and elegance. When looking at type, the branding is very consistent with one main typeface used on most of the graphics. There are a few elegant yet classy display fonts, usually in the form of scripts used as well.

One font in particular was somewhat tough to track down since type foundries come and go. About a month ago, I stumbled across a fellow font aficionado whose mission is to track down typefaces from one particular foundry that was big in the 60s and 70s but is no longer. As I went through the collection, I noticed many fonts that Disney used in the early days of the park. In fact, one font that I had believed to be custom was included in the collection! Since this font appears on a graphic from a current project, I suspect Disney has the entire collection of this gone-but-not-forgotten foundry and are still using it today. Perhaps Disney acquired the rights to use these fonts when they were still developing Walt Disney World. 

While I have an appreciation for the fonts used within the Grand Floridian, they're not my favorite used within the parks. But my favorites will have to wait for another post, so tune in after Christmas when we head over to Epcot and begin our journey looking into the fonts and faces used to brand the 21st century. In the meantime, if there's an attraction or graphic that hasn't been covered within the Magic Kingdom thus far, let me know. I'd love to cover it between now and the holidays.

Well that does it for this week’s post. Tune in next week as I have a plethora of new Retro '71 and '55 shirt concepts just waiting to be released. Thanks for stopping by and have a swell week.

The Contemporary Resort

Welcome back to another edition of Designerland's Typography Case Studies. This week, we'll be looking at some of the various fonts and typefaces used at the Contemporary Resort Hotel.

When it comes to typography and the Contemporary, not too much can be said that I haven't already mentioned here at Designerland. When I view the resorts at a glance, I liken it to looking at a "simplified" version of the Magic Kingdom itself. The Polynesian mirrors Adventureland, the Contemporary mirrors Tomorrowland and the Grand Floridian mirrors Main Street. So it comes as no surprise that most of the fonts used at the Contemporary are sleek, modern sans serif typefaces, some of which are actually seen in use over in Tomorrowland. This is what I like to call the three C's of design: Concise, Coordinated, and Cohesive.  

Over the years, the Contemporary Resort has seen a handful of changes in its graphic design and typography. If we look at the resort’s logo alone, we can see just how many changes the resort has gone through over the years. Disney designers have kept true to the original feel for the most part with a few liberties taken here and there in the typography, mainly in the form of fanciful display fonts used for various dining and shopping features.

Next time you're staying at the Contemporary, take notice of those classic typefaces used throughout the resort, then see if you can find those same faces used on the Monorail and throughout Tomorrowland. I bet you can! Okay folks, that does it for this week’s post. Tune in next week for a new Retro 71 shirt concept and have a swell week!

Disney's Monorail System

Welcome back to another Designerland Attraction Case Study. This week, we'll be leaving the Magic Kingdom behind as we jump aboard our highway in the sky. For those of you standing, please hold on to the hand rails throughout our journey and stay clear of the doors. And for the comfort of others, no smoking, please.

When it comes to the Disney Parks’ Monorail Systems, there's so much history we could talk about, from the Monorail’s great beginnings at the Disneyland Resort to the majestic fleet at Walt Disney World. But here at Designerland, we talk type, so let's delve into those finicky and at times hard-to-find fonts that have appeared in, on or around the Monorail.

When thinking of the Monorail, the terms futuristic, modern and streamlined come to mind. What better typefaces to use than sans-serif fonts which often share this same description. Looking back at the first Monorail at Disneyland, most of the type used were actually hand-generated display fonts that looked like something out of a sci-fi comic. Over the years we see a transition to more classic typefaces such as Futura and Helvetica. The Walt Disney World Resorts’ Monorail signage and graphics pretty much align to those standards with a few exceptions, depending on which resort you're staying in.

A few years back when Imagineers decided to give Disneyland's Monorail a facelift, they decided to brand the attraction with a decorative display font alongside a very popular Epcot Center display font for most of their signage, merchandise and literature. When comparing the two resorts from a typographical viewpoint, Disneyland's Monorail is more fantastical in a Buck Rogers sort of way, whereas the Disney World Resort’s Monorail is more mod.

Well that does it for this week’s post. Thanks for stopping by and be sure to tune in next week for a new Disneyland Retro '55 shirt concept. Until next time!

Main Street USA Part 3

Welcome back to Designerland's Typography Case Study. This weeks study is our conclusion of Main Street USA as I've had to break up the post into a three part series. So sit back and enjoy more of those fantastic fonts used by Disney designers.

As stated in the first Main Street Case Study, most of the fonts used on the thoroughfare are display fonts ranging in classifications such as Victorian, Script, Tuscan, Latin, Slab Serifs, Serifs, Edwardian, Ornamental, and so on, used for the various fictitious storefront shops.

Well that does it for the final installment. . .or does it? Main Street is ever evolving with the plussing of new signage and graphics. New fonts will be added yearly and I can't wait to track more down. In my research for this three part case study I was able to locate 68 fonts and just today I found a new one making it 69. I have over 100 reference photos of fonts I have yet to track down and will always be on the hunt. Look for updates. Well that about does it. Tune in next week as I spent the last three days working on some overdue offerings for Designerland. Until next time, have a great week. Thanks for stopping by.

Main Street USA Part 2

Welcome back to Designerland's Typography Case Study. This weeks study is a continuation of Main Street USA as I've had to break up the post into a three part series. So sit back and enjoy more of those fantastic fonts used by Disney designers.

As stated in the first Main Street Case Study, most of the fonts used on the thoroughfare are display fonts ranging in classifications such as Victorian, Script, Tuscan, Latin, Slab Serifs, Serifs, Edwardian, Ornamental, and so on, used for the various fictitional storefront shops.

Well that does it for the second instalment. Tune in soon for part 3 as well as other fun Designerland offerings. With that said I've started a new project for Designerland that I'm so excited to be working on and I believe is long overdue. I hope you guys will enjoy it. Hold tight and tune in real soon. Until next time, have a great week. Thanks for stopping by.

Main Street USA Part 1

Welcome back to a long-awaited Designerland Typography Case Study. As promised, this week we're looking at the amazing typography used on Main Street U.S.A. Main Street is a typographer’s paradise full of amazing vintage display fonts. In fact, Main Street is the one place within the Kingdom that is most saturated with typography—you could spend hours if not days trying to document all the fonts within this land. This is too much content for just one case study, so we’ll look at the typography through a three part series.

Most of the fonts used on Main Street are display fonts, which are decorative in nature and used for logo design. In this case, most appear in logos for the various storefront businesses that call Main Street U.S.A. home. These display fonts include Victorian, Script, Tuscan, Latin, Slab Serifs, Serifs, Edwardian, Ornamental, and so on, but you won't find any sans serif fonts in this section of the Magic Kingdom. Through the process of locating these fonts, I found that the display fonts, while vintage in nature, actually come from type foundries from the 1950s, and some even come from foundries from today. 

 

This large variety in typography is another layer that helps the thematic atmosphere, and Disney Designers do it well. As of late, designers have taken a keen interest in one particular type foundry, and this brand of ornate, vintage type not only appears on Main Street, but also in the new Fantasyland expansion. So the next time you stroll down the street on your way to the hub stop, this typography is sure to catch your eye. Well that about does it for this week’s post—tune in next week for a new Retro '71 shirt concept. Have a greet week and see you all soon.

Retro '71

 

Welcome back to another fun filled Retro '71 apparel concept. This weeks post ushers in a new series/set of shirts based on the vintage park ticket books. Instead of rolling the concepts out one at a time (since showcasing a new design each week is somewhat pointless because we ALL know what these look like) I decided to just give you the entire set. Begin drooling now!!!! I know I am.

When I started to see the new merch rolling out for the 40th, I hoped a series ticket art shirts would be released...I waited and waited and sadly nothing. I took maters into my own hands. I recreated the lovely display fonts from various images of the tickets I found online...shout out to The Disney Experience site and their nice large size wallpapers! 

I imagine that the parks would never go for an entire series and that most fans would just want the E ticket shirt, but if cleverly packaged in a collectors box and sold as a limited edition set, the fans would willing (I know I would) drop the cash for these shirts. Could you imagine sporting a new ticket shirt each day of the week...talk about a Disney wardrobe dream!?!?!?

I placed the design in the lower left of each shirt, mimicking the placement found on each ticket. Since the design is somewhat abstract to non Disney folk I created a back tag that calls out the WHERE and the WHAT. Finishing the design off is our favorite wear and tear texture giving the shirts that vintage touch.

So what do you guys think? Okay well that does it for this weeks post. I have tons more shirt waiting in the wings (enough to take us into November) and those lovely Main Street Typography Case studies which I hope to get out soon. Once again thanks stopping by and have a swell week!

The Hall of Presidents

 

The Hall of Presidents is a multi-media audio animatronic spectacular that has been entertaining guests since the Walt Disney World Resort opened its gates back in 1971. The show itself was derived from Disneyland's Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln.  Located in Liberty Square within the Magic Kingdom and resembling Independence Hall in Philadelphia, guests witness all 43 presidents together on one stage in a show that reflects the red, white and blue in all its patriotic glory.

 

When looking at the typography Disney designers used throughout the attraction on everything from signage and posters to even merchandise, one thing is constant: most all of the typefaces used are known as Classic or Historical typefaces. These fonts have a significance not only in the world of design, but also in the time period in which they were created. One noted typeface used throughout the area is Caslon. If you'd like to know more about William Caslon (the typographer who designed this classic typeface) then click here.  Other noted classifications used for The Hall of Presidents are Serif, Script, Formal, Classic and Historic.

Well that does it for this week's case study. Be sure to check back next Monday for our next Retro '71 World Showcase shirt. Thanks for stopping by and have a swell week.

Disney Decor

Welcome back to the first post of the New Year. I hope you all had a terrific holiday season! I'm happy to report that Designerland will be back in full force with new case studies, new Retro '71 apparel design and some other fun surprises.

To kick off the New Year I'd like to present a series of prints bases on Disney and his parks.

The larger print entitled "One Man's Journey" is based on some of the key places Walt lived, visited and worked. The next two prints celebrate the opening of both stateside Disney Theme Parks. Each print shows various maps from their respective park.

 

 

 

So what do you think? Would you buy these to adorn your interior walls? Well that does it for this weeks Designerland post. Tune in next Sunday as we continue our tour around the World Showcase with the latest Retro '71 World Showcase Tee. Have a great week and see you soon!