Re: Typeface for wayfinding

Michael Piotrowski <[email protected]>
Newsgroups gmane.comp.infodesign.general
Organization dynalabs Network Research Unit
Message-ID <[email protected]>
On 2008-08-23, Deborah Taylor-Pearce <[email protected]> wrote:

>> 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.

And it sure is ugly :-)

> 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).

Yes, from the technical point of view, the drop-down menus do indeed
work quite well, but the submenus are still hard to navigate.

>>> (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?

Perhaps.  Or perhaps because people have come to expect it.  Or perhaps
designers think they do.

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

I don't think discounters in Germany think much about this.  Competition
is extreme and the only thing that counts are low prices.  Thus, the
supermarkets' flyers all look the same.

Greetings

-- 
Michael Piotrowski, M.A.                               <[email protected]>
Public key at <http://www.dynalabs.de/mxp/pubkey.txt> (ID 0x1614A044)

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