Graphic design and typography

These two jars of salt were hiding in plain sight in the kitchen of my house. The combination of typefaces in the first example is a choice I don’t fully understand.

Arnold Boecklin, the typeface used for the word Kilauea, is reminiscent of the lettering found in Paris, particularly the Metro, during the Art Nouveau period which emerged in Europe around 1890. And whenever I see that typeface, it’s Paris from that era that I think of. Damn those art history class.

And then there are the letterspaced capitals in the second line.

Frederick Goudy said, “Any man who would letterspace blackletter would shag sheep,” by which I think he meant it’s something he doesn’t regard too highly. And letterspacing the second line of type looks very unbalanced. I don’t know what Goudy would say about this example … you can make up your own mind.

The second jar is most enjoyable and I find the combination of typefaces more pleasing. I don’t know the typeface used for Chardonnay—the other type is Baskerville—but I wish the letter y had not clashed with the T from salt.