Designer Cardon Webb (previously written about here) recently had a really fun exhibit up at the Type Directors Club. Cardon Copy is an experiment in redesigning self-distributed fliers found around his neighborhood. Definitely a huge improvement if you ask me — maybe this will start a movement with other designers in their own neighborhoods.
Unfortunately the show closed yesterday, but you can still see the individual pieces online right here.
Cardon Design
The Friendship Show
Danger Brain: A Mediocre Time Show
The Bazaarium
4 Comments
Ok, these are crazy rad!
I looked at the site and some stuff is great. The idea is really cool but some of them are hard to read… they dont really do anyone any favours.
I understand the idea..good intentions. But two things. Sometimes cheap design works, because it conveys “low ocst” as well. High design can be associated with high cost and therefore this guy could have hurt these people’s chances of success. Also, in many case,s the typography is too hard to read. Function over form, dude, espeically when a sale is involved.
I have to say I whole heartedly agree with jay dubbe. Other than the insecurity the original person posting must feel, it’s elitist to tell someone that something they’ve published — no matter how haphazardly — is just not good.
While I’m immediately drawn to the beautiful type — props, where props are due — I can’t help but feel that these somewhat fail their originally intended purpose. The apartment wanted ads particularly seem problematic. For one, the brilliance of the tear tab has been completely eliminated. The other issue I have with it is that it seems the intended audience has now been alienated. By giving these a makeover it almost seems like you’re selling a commodity that is no longer accessible to those disenfranchised from the New York City housing market. I’m not advocating to cater to the lowest common denominator, but by making these glossy, you’ve made it easily dismissive to those who would normally pay attention to these ads. The fact that typos and grammatical errors were kept creates a huge disconnect for me personally. Now its an object that’s aware it’s beautiful, but okay with being slightly naïve if not dumb. All this being said, I am not comfortable calling this good design, but I do emphatically think this is mind-blowing art.