Gabriel Morales

Date: 10/02/13 Time: 1:10 PM Location: MFAH

Found in the Museum district, this Geometric Sans-serif font caught my attention. The unique style of the font stands out from the norm that is Helvetica. The word Express seems to be captured in the style of the text. It is as if each letter was specifically placed through-out the word to collaborate with its meaning. The hand drawn feel of the letters, the implied texture of the edges and the different shapes that make the word all play a part in what is being expressed. I found it interesting that although the font is unique and nothing is aligned, the word is still very much legible. The rubbing shows how the edges, although not smooth, still easily form the shapes of the letters.

Date: 10/04/13 Time: 7:30 PM Location: The Mad Potter

The Mad Potter, a paint your own pottery studio, uses the Robs font in all its signs and logos. Part of the Geometric Sans-Ser-if classification, this font has a playful feel to it. The mixture of uppercase and lowercase letters in the one word, the multiple angles that are used in each letter and the sense of misalignment create this feeling. The Robs font gives the idea of handwritten movement and fits perfectly with the creative enviroment repre-sented by studio.

Date: 09/26/13 Time: 1:50 PM Location: MFAH

The Museum of Fine Arts Houston proudly displays its name in a massive and loud Fat Face font that falls into the Geometric Sans-Serif classification with its consistency in simplistic shapes. Each letter, with its sharp edges and defined lines create a block like shape that continues even to the shape of the sign itself. I found this to be intesresting because although the tracking be-tween each letter is so light everything is still legible.

Date: 10/01/13 Time: 11:15 PM Location: UHD

This sign, found in a UHD classroom, has a humanist style to it. Strokes are clearly vis-ible and there is a mix in serif and sans-serif in the letters which caught my attention. With different forms of font and style, I be-lieve the the sign was purposely designed to embody the three words used to describe what is being pre-sented: Unplugged, Unpretentious and

Unbelievable. The color, the hierarchy, and the different sizes make it interesting.

Date: 04/13/13 Time: 2:00 PM Location: West Clay

Found in a Typo-graphic Museum, this collage presents mul-tiple fonts, each word a representation of Houston. AstroWorld, becase of its diverse bright colors, stands out. The straight serifs and great contrast in strokes put this font in the Modern classifica-tion. The bright tran-sition in color creates movement throughout the word and ties it to-gether.

Date: 10/10/13 Time: 12:00 PM Location: Main St. Downtown

Walking in Downtown Houston, one is immediately surrounded by tall buildings. These buildings have to portray a certain eti-quette that mean business. In this case, an address is presented in a Transitional sans-serif font. The use of uppercase letters in small caps avoids any curves in the word and we end up with each letter having sharp edges and precise angles. This gives a clean and professional look to the word.

Date: 09/25/13 Time: 11:00 AM Location: UHD 1st FloorOn the first floor of UHD I spot the word simple on the door of an old boiler. This Old Style font falls into the Humanist Classifica-tion. The rubbing of the word displays the thick shapes of the let-ters and the pointed serifs which relates to caligraphy. I took the word out of context but I feel that the style of the font suits the word. It is old, it easy, it is simple.

Date: 10/10/13 Time: 11:50 PM Location: Downtown Houston

The font above was found in a cafe in downtown Houston. With its abstract letterforms and great contrast in strokes, this font falls into the Modern classification. The shape and size of the lig-atures give this font a funky, laid back vibe. The use of uppercase letters avoid the need for any curves in the word thus easily relat-ing them together.

Date: 10/10/13 Time: 11:19 AM Location: Downtown Houston Main St.

Kirby lofts, found on Main St. in downtown, is an upper class establish-ment. The font used on their sign uses very thin but elongated stems that can be related to the tall building. This and the use of small caps depics an overall grown up and classy look. The font can be classified as Humanist Sans-Serif. It caught my attention as the font portrays exactly what it’s supposed to. The thin ligaments in the K, the L, the F and the T are what really push the sign to read as it does.

Date: 10/10/13 Time: 1:00PM Location: Downtown Houston

This Exxon Mobil sign, found in downtown Houston, caught my atten-tion as the symbol made of two repeated letters is used within the word Exxon. It is a simple way for the company to use a Helvetica font that is easy to read but still stands out from everything else. This can be clas-sified under Transitional Sans-Serif. The preciseness of every letter, in angle and size truly make this a clean and professional style.

Date: 10/10/13 Time: 12:40 PM Location: Downtown Houston

Fearless was found outside a bookstore in downtown Houston. The word is very simple and strays away from any serifs. Every-thing is lowercase and has a curve giving a sense of movement. The shape of the L, because it is always just one long stem, stands out as it curves. This font can be classified under Humanist Sans-Serif. There is a relation between the word and its meaning as the letters are made out to be depicted as a glowing light and the sense of fear is usually diminished as one steps into the light. It is a simple yet clever way to connect the two together.

Date: 10/10/13 Time: 1:50 PM Location: Mc Gowen

Camden can be found on McGowen in Midtown Houston. It uses a Transitional Sans-Serif font in its title. I was drawn towards it because of its sharp alignment throughout the word and its use of small caps. There is an intentional balance between the hum-mingbird and the uppercase C.

Date: 10/08/13 Time: 11:20 AM Location: UHD

This beautiful sign using Transitional font can be found engraved along a wall right outside of UHD along the bayou. I found the S to be the most inter-esting as it is made up of two reflected curves. It is easy to see with the rub-bing that the S changes in weight as it leaves the spine. Overall, this old style font is magnificent in tech-nique and style.

Date: 10/10/13 Time: 11:40 PM Location: House of Blues

A neon sign behind glass is found in The House of Blues which is venue to many talents that comes through Houston. Al-though taken out of con-text, the sign reads what it represents, BLUE. The use of high contrast in strokes and sharper ser-ifs classify this font as Transitional.

Date: 10/10/13 Time: 11:00 PM Location: Downtown Houston

The many serifs that I’ve stumbled upon have either been sharp or flat and because the serifs above are neither, I was drawn to-wards it. There is a soft, bubble feel that comes off of a rounded serif. There is no contrast in strokes but instead there is a con-tinuous weight throughout the letters and serifs. I would classify the above font as Egyptian or slab-serif. This font was found on a parking garage in downtown Houston.

Date: 10/08/13 Time: 11:20 PM Location: UHD

Houston contains letters that show off, curves, sharp edges and balance. Found in UHD, this Transitional font gives off an old school look. The thin engraving of the word Houston caught my attention as it is interesting how that the serifs in the U and T differ. The constant uppercase letters emits Houston as a title.

Date: 10/08/13 Time: 11:30 AM Location: Downtown Houston

The use of fancy looking font is not commonly used in businesses as it can be difficult to read but Commerce Towers took this Tran-sitional font to create its sign. The uppercase C and T can be eas-ily misread but the overall classy element that comes from using exquisite curves outweighs the need for simplistic font. This cur-sive-like letters that don’t actually connect fit the style of business that is Commerce Towers and I feel it to be very appropriate.

Date: 10/10/13 Time: 11:50 PM Location: Downtown Houston

Found on an ATM machine, the word Express is made up from font that can be classified as Transitional Sans-Serif. The use of lowercase letters steers away from the use of sharp edges with the exception of the x, which still has a soft look to it. The mean-ing of the word express, in this case, is quick and easy which I feel was captured perfectly by the thin strokes in each letter. The bright blue contrasted by the white aids in giving the word an overall simplistic meaning.

Date: 10/10/13 Time: 11:24 PM Location: Downtown Houston

Found in a cafe in downtown Houston was the word gelato. A lowercase G has always been one of my favorite letters. The serif, the interesting shape of the descender, the creative form of the letter is interesting. This Transitional font was blown up to fit a window and this made all the details of the letters stand out. One example of this is the top of the letter T, see how the left and right sides of the stem don’t match. Instead the left side looks as if it was filled in.

Date: 10/10/13 Time: 1:30 PM Location: Downtown Houston

Carved into a sign outside a building in Downtown Houston was this letter N. Unlike any other examples, this Old Style font seems to be extravagant. The serifs at the top and bottom are longated, the thin lines that

connect the three stems are interesting and the letter just feels decorated. It’s a font that is visibly striking but for the use of signs and legibility, it may be too busy. Overall, because it was used for what seemed like an important office, it works and I be-lieve it was used appropriately.

Date: 10/10/13 Time: 1:25 PM Location: Midtown Houston

I came across this kid-like font which was plastered on the side of a truck that sells cupcakes. The use of Geometric Sans-Serif font is appropriate for the business of desserts. There are no edges in these letters and this emits a safe feeling. Cupcakes are anything but dangerous, they are friendly, comforting and happy. I believe the fat font used in the word cupcake successfully embodies the meaning of what is being expressed.

Date: 10/10/13 Time: 1:15 PM Location: Midtown Houston

Found outside an art bar in Midtown Houston was the above font. The crossbars in the letters connect the letters in unusual ways, and although they look interesting, make the font difficult to read. Because of the bold letters and radical shapes, I’d classify this font as Slab-Serif.

Date: 10/10/13 Time: 12:00 PM Location: Dowtown Houston

I was extatic to find a sin-gle letter of such a bold Old Style font in awindown in Downtown Houston. I managed to get a rubbing of the piece and really admire the pointy serifs, the interesting bowls and the overall shape and design of the letter. I don’t think this type of font would be successful in signs as it may not be the most legible but as a decorative piece, its fantastic.

Date: 10/10/13 Time: 12:40 PM Location: Downtown Houston Main St.

I’ve passed by this sign many times in Downtown Houston and its design has always caught my attention. The columns that are home to both letters and numbers are spaced apart but so perfectly aligned that everything is balanced. The Transitional sans-serif font looks great throughout the whole word and each individual letter. The curves of the M and N give a simplistic vibe and the overall look is very Helvetica.

Date: 10/10/13 Time: 2:00 PM Location: Midtown Houston

Found on McGowen in Midtown Houston was the word FIRE. I found it interesting how there are subtle curves throughout the letters. The serifs, for example, aren’t flat but instead mimic the movement of a flame and create a flowing effect. The use of the color red also plays with the meaning of the word. My classifica-tion for the above font would be Transitional because of its high contrast in strokes.

Date: 10/10/13 Time: 12:30 PM Location: HPD Museum

Found on the glass wall of the HPD Museum in downtown Houston was this interesting letter H. The serifs on the letter seem to be randomly placed. There are three serifs that point in one direction while the last one is full. The font is

used as positive space in a frosted window. This makes it difficult to see and with the awkward serifs even more difficult to read. Because of the constant weight throughout the letter and the thick serifs, I’d classify the above font as Humanist.

Date: 10/10/13 Time: 1:50 PM Location: Midtown Proof Bar

Found at a bar in midtown Houston was this custom font. The letters are blocky but have pointed corners. The colors, the added shadow to the letters and the overall design look great and I feel are successful in advertising a bar. I’d classify the above font as Geometric Sans-Serif.

Date: 10/10/13 Time: 1:28 PM Location: Midtown

Crave Sushi can be found in Midtown Houston. Their signs have this beautiful, thin font that portrays hand movement. The curvy shapes of the letters give the sign a soft welcoming feeling which I think works great for a restaraunt. An interesting part of the above font is the radical ascender in the letter H. This alone cap-tures the point of serenity and peace. I would classify the above font as Humanist Sans-Serif.

Date: 10/10/13 Time: 1:15 PM Location: Midtown Houston Parking Lot

Found on the window of a parked van was the word Gallery. The letters G & Y seem to have been cut off. The intentional use of lowercase letters to fill in counters is an interesting move. Al-though the letters are much different than any other, there is still a consistency in x-height and baseline. I’d classify the below font as Humanist Sans-Serif.

Date: 10/10/13 Time: 1:00 PM Location: Midtown Houston, Art Supply on Main

Found along the outside wall of Art Supply on Main is Art Square Studio, a large bold font that is hard to miss. This Transitional Sans-Serif font has uniform letters that carry the same weight throughout the words even as the size of the letters increase. The massive font and sharp edges caught my attention and I find the use of the word Studio as part of the background to be creative.