Helvetica

Developed in 1957 by Swiss typeface designer Max Miedinger with Eduard Hoffmann, Helvetica is a widely used sans-serif typeface. Originally called Neue Haas Grotesk, it was designed to be a neutral typeface which could be widely used, had great clarity and no intrinsic meaning. The name of the typeface was changed to Helvetica in 1960 by Haas' German parent company Stempel. Its original name would have been Helvetia, the original Latin name for Switzerland. It was decided that it would not be appropriate to name a type face after a country. The final name, Helvetica means Swiss, instead of Switzerland. There have been a few modifications to the Helvetica typeface since it was created. These included Helvetica Lite, Helvetica Compressed, a narrower and tighter version of Helvetica, Helvetica Textbook, Helvetica Inserat, a squarer version of the text, Helvetica Rounded, with rounded stroke terminators, Helvetica Narrow, with more optically consistent width, Neue Helvetica, with more structurally unified height and width, Neue Helvetica W1G, and Helvetica World. Helvetica is widely used today. It is set as the default typeface on many computers. It appears on billboards, posters, magazines, signs and just about any other text. It has become so common that it can just blend in without being noticed for its style. Because the letters are so neutral, they can appear anywhere and be able to fit in. Every letter bears the same weight as the next. There is no style of the letters so it is the word itself that bears a meaning, not the style of the letters. 

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Rococo Lolita

Rococo, a style developed by baroque artists during the 18^th century. The style was elegant and ornate. A style of clothing, called Lolita arose from this period. It has developed into a subculture in Japan. Knee length dresses or skirts, knee high socks or stockings, blouse, petticoat, headdress and high heel or platform shoes are a common look for the Lolita style. The look is aimed at being cute, like a porcelain doll, not sexy. There are many styles of Lolita, including Gothic Lolita, Sweet Lolita, Classic Lolita, Punk Lolita and other ones as well. Gothic Lolita or GothLoli is a combination of Gothic and Lolita fashion. Dark clothing, and makeup, black eyeliner and red lipstick are common signs of Gothic Lolita. Sweet Lolita or Ama-loli is the style most influenced by the Rococo style. Pink, peach, pearl, and red are common colors used in Sweet Lolita. Bows, candy cane striping, purses and stuffed animals are often seen in this style. Classic Lolia focuses on Baroque, Rococo and Regency styles. It lies in between the Gothic and the Sweet Lolita. It is not as dark or as sweet as the other two. The colors are more muted and the make up puts an emphasis on more natural shading. Punk Lolita adds elements of Punk fashion. Tattered fabric, chains, plaids, short, androgynous hairstyles, ties and safety pins are common in the Punk Lolita look. Whatever the style, Lolita has become very popular. It has even become available in departments stores in Japan.

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Advertising

Advertisement is all around us. It is on signs, buses, and even in the media. Advertising is trying to get you to act a certain way, buy certain things or think in a certain manner. It serves as guidance for people. Teens in particular are prone to following advertising. With spare time, money and a drive to be cool, teens look for ways to follow the trend of what is cool. They buy clothes that are in fashion, buy cars that they think are cool and do anything they can to be cool. Often this leads to stereotyping. The teen become as they are portrayed in the media. The teens view the media as cool and strive to become like they are portrayed. It becomes a cycle as teens look to media for guidance and the media looks back on the teens to figure out what will sell. What is often portrayed in the media is not what it should be. It is what will sell the best. In the media, sex sells. Sex becomes a cool factor. With sex being cool, teens will strive to become cool by having it. It is an unhealthy relationship. As teens become more like they are portrayed in the media, they set themselves up for problems. Females become viewed as sexual objects, as they are often portrayed in media. With the media being so prevalent, it is inevitable that teens will absorb a great deal of the information that they are seeing and strive to become what the media classifies as cool.

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Modern vs. Functunal

Sometimes there is a difference between what is modern and what is functional. These two things do not always go hand and hand. When items are massed produced, the items sometimes suffer a lack of modern touch. Mass production focuses on what is functional rather than what is modern. This is usually because mass production tends to try to maximize their efficiency by using the minimal amount of materials as possible to get the desired results. By doing so, you maximize the number of items produces and minimize the cost of production. But this results in massed produced items that can be used in generic places. Mass production does not have room for customization. Every item is the same as the next. However, because of this, the items can be used in many places, such as schools or cafeterias because they are so generic. More modern items take more time to make and each item may be different from the next and might not fit into everyday places.For instance, a chair made out of metal cans, formed into the shape of a seashell probably would not be practical for use in a school class room. Although modern items may cost more and take more time to produce, the works can be very beautiful. In the right place, modern items can brighten up a room and add a uniqueness that mass produced items fail to capture. There are advantages and disadvantages to both modernism and functionalism. Which one is preferred depends on the use of the item and the location for it.

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