Beverage line or Rainforest line?
This is a question I found myself pondering in the middle of the California Academy of Sciences “NightLife” this past Fall. The recent trend in late night museum events has San Francisco buzzing. The puzzled faces of young, hip 30 somethings slowly making their way round and round, floor to floor, ask one main question: Should I be looking at the exhibits or the people?
If the butterflies or echo tubes haven’t pulled you in yet, get ready for a treat. The Exploratorium’s “Afterdark” cocktail night provides adult beverages but I found it hard to leave without feeling a good 15 years underage. The Cubatron, a 3-d light sculpture made from 8 x 8 foot modular cubes was lined with horizontal bodies staring in amazement as thousands of LED lights danced above our heads. Other exhibits included typographic games where you pick which letter stands out among the rest, perception tests, and games with color.
Like graphic design, science mixes with art to provide deep connections between proportions, patterns, hierarchy & color. When we choose a typeface for a business it is our job to recognize the meaning of each stroke, the placement of our text and the proportions of the page in relation to each typographic element. Once we introduce color, imagery and creativity into a simple document of text, the page has meaning and the perception of that business becomes more than just words on a page.
Interested in more San Francisco fun? Check back on our blog for future events.