Re: Typeface for wayfinding

 From Michael:

>> Does anybody recall what
>> Netto-the-store's logo
>> and signage actually looks
>> like?)
>
> Their colors are black and
> yellow, the logo consists
> of a terrier carrying a
> shopping basket and
> "NETTO" in a bold,
> Futura-like font;
> cf. <http://www.netto-supermarkt.de/>.

Wow. That's one well-branded page!

I did notice, however, that their logo doesn't make the best favicon
-- and I probably noticed this because it's a design problem I've been
wrestling with myself of late.

One would think black-and-yellow would be a stand-out combination for
adding crispness and clean contrasts to a 16px-wide icon, but in my
experience, it never does....

While I would expect the logo's shopping basket to lose its detail and
be blurry at 16px across, I was surprised to see that the terrier's
outline degraded also (perhaps because the favicon cuts the dog's
figure off, giving a "bust" view only, which is an insufficient
differentiator at such a small size?).

I actually think a better favicon -- even though it would lack the
most recognizable aspects of the NETTO brand (a terrier uniquely
modified by the yellow background color and the shopping basket in its
mouth) -- would be the plain little black terrier icon used elsewhere
on the home page.

But I suppose something like this would break basic marketing rules:
what I think of as a strategic adaptation of the logo for the peculiar
new genre of browser bookmarks and tabs would probably be dismissed by
professionals as "diluting the brand."

> Note that in Germany there
> is another, unrelated,
> supermarket chain also
> called NETTO, cf.
> <http://www.netto-discount.de/>.

I must admit that I have never liked these kinds of logos, but it sure
makes a better favicon.

I assume this means that the NETTO Discount store logotype scales
nicely all the way from billboard-sized signage down to the minimalist
favicon ... which is pretty impressive when you think about it!

One other thing I *really* liked about what I think is a well-designed
Web page: the navbar at top. It manages to neatly incorporate 3
distinct information groups ... plus the drop-downs work well (too
often, I find, these don't work so well -- don't fold up properly, or
fold down strategically, and what should be ephemeral navigational
content ends up dominating the page -- obliterating text in similar
drop-downs on either side and/or key text on the main page).

>> (I don't suppose
>> Netto-the-typeface was
>> originally designed as
>> part of a corporate
>> branding project?
>
> Unlikely. Discounters
> prefer bold type.

Because it's a reliable attention-grabber?

In which case, how do you protect against over-saturation: too much
bold chunky text screaming at us everywhere for our attention?

I suppose the answer has something to do with effective space
management. I know that the best retailers are master architects of
retail spaces.

E.g., David Weinberger writes about how the office supplies store,
Staples, does extensive research in this area, redesigning stores as
needed to boost sales.

Fascinating stuff.

(FWIW, I recommend Weinberger's _Everything Is Miscellaneous: The
Power of the New Digital Disorder_ ... which he lovingly dedicates "To
the librarians.")


Deborah
_____

Deborah Taylor-Pearce
[email protected]











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