finding typeface that doesn't work the best for the product

Badtype1: Radox Muscle Soak - Herbal Bath.
When I buy radox products it is for relaxation of body and hopefully then the mind. Therefore, to advertise this to a new consumer I would use fonts that were rounded and more fluid - no sharp edges or straight linear fonts. And then I would have used a circle as the background in the logo which is know in philosophy doctrine to promote a sense of wellbeing and calm?

Badtype2: Night Queen Incense.
To emphasise the 'queen' aspect of this type of incense I would have used a more regal script font or even an 'old english' style. Then there is the colour???? - night would be more appropriately represented by black - background or typeface - and definitely NO yellow - that is sunny or just plain cheap! (That's probably why it smells so bad and I binned it).

Badtype3: Born to die Live to suffer.
Now I totally believe this is the reason essence of human existence, therefore, the typeface I would have chosen would not have been rounded and loose - denoting humour. I would have used one of those gory ones with jagged edges that have red running from the top down into the black base? (can't find it my new programmes - but it does exist in my old ones).

Badtyye4: dm4 business card.
I know the person this card was designed for - printed and purchased online without personal contact. This typeface is so not representational of this person! the 'dm4' font is bitty/untidy/scattered/messy/disorganised and a very childish scribble denoting incompetence in all areas! This is definitely not what this person is or what her business is about - very bad typeface!!!

Badtype5: 'Signal to Noise" a book title.
The book is about everything that is not straight or linear! Therefore I would have used a more abstract type - definitely not straight and plain and pure boring. The placement of the type should have also been more interwoven together to indicate signalling or else totally separate rotating the typeface to indicate a movement of signalling to connect. Then black type on a white box dumped on top of a very intricate mystical interstellar background image totally contradicts that mystic. It looks more like a sale price sticker stuck on by the retailer.

finding good typeface in the right place

Goodtype1: Doritos Corn Chips.
thick bulky typeface with sharp edges - crunch.
strong contrasting colours: black/white/red - crunch.
cornchip shape and colour for dot on i is sharp - crunch.
Italic font is forward momentum to crunch!

Goodtype2: Ballantines Whiskey.
Tight, strong, script font in royal blue colour states 'Ballantines' as regal.
Spaced, serif font in the demanding colour of red used for 'finest' as fact.
Sampling of the product will prove the typefaces used to be correct!

Goodtype3: MYOB Accounting Manual.
line 1: 'A Step by Step Approach to' - spaced/thin - easy to do, colour/yellow - friendly/easy
line 2: 'Setting up and Operating' - tighter spacing/bold white against background - a stated fact that can be done.
line 3: 'a Computerised Accounting System' - more compressed spacing - denoting the efficent/quick use of computerised accounting.
line 4/5: back to friendly/easy using colour yellow but with thin typeface - efficient.

Goodtype4: Alumni Newsletter.
Minimal font/ metallic grey on black - denotes the cold, aloof individuals that perceive intellectual achievement superior to friendly humanitarianism.

Goodtype5: Captain Black Cigars.
Solid script font denoting authority of a Captain - the boss!
Emphasised by the strong colour contrast of white on black and red - pure male authority.
If you don't smoke these cigars you are a woos!

finding the right typeface for the right product?

Well got this wrong the first time
this - the second image is the correct way.

Exploring typefaces

I am using Platypus today but I would prefer Papyrus (it is similar) but I have not yet put it in Photoshop yet. And I prefer to work in Photoshop because it has more flexibility and options.
Platypus only has one font therefore, you can't make it italic - but in Photoshop you can transform it with 'skewing' to appear to be italic.
I like it because:
it is light and airy and only half there with obscure edges - that's me
makes me feel creative
I would use it on my business card and letter heads to represent my business as an artist.
I would use the text in a very light hue of blue based grey on white textured paper.

sketching layouts remembering what we have learnt?

identifying grid layouts

The first 2: ArtGrid1LINES.jpg and ArtGrid2LINES.jpg both demonstrate very clear but simple grids in their placement of text and slightly offset images which is a common style with most art journals.

HarveyNormanLINES.jpg adheres to a very obvious but strict and more complicated grid pattern as do most catalogues with a lot of product to display.

Woolworths do get a bit more creative often using a lot of white space however they still adhere to a grid in the placement of the text and images.

We all know there is no such thing as a layout that does not contain a grid of some kind. We are creatures that have a mind that processes everything to make meaning, and we can always find points of reference that make a grid in the most primitive layout.

The MinimalAbstractLINES.jpg image shows a more complicated grid. I have indicated with circles the similar line spacing grid at the junction of image placements. The red X's indicate the line similar line spacing of a larger grid that contains the whole page.

I like the AbstractLINES.jpg image the best as at first glance it appears to have only one grid line in the placement of text to the left. However when you begin drawing lines using the corners of the images a grid begins to appear that also encompasses the text. I could have drawn more lines using the colour contained within each image but I hope I have demonstrated that I understand the concept of grids and layouts enough because I need to get on with the next activity.
These are all good exercises for me to familiarize myself with all the new tools in my recently updated version of Photoshop - but it is taking more time than I thought?

References:
ArtGrid1LINES.jpg, 2008, Frieze Magazine, Issue 112, pp. 196-7.
ArtGrid2LINES.jpg, Autumn 2008, art&australia Journal, vol.45, no.3, pp. 466-7.
HarveyNormanLINES.jpg, 2010, Half Yearly Flooring Clearance, Cambridge Park Publishing, Cambridge, Tasmania, pp. 6-7 .
WoolworthsLINES.jpg, 2010, WC070610/Tas, p.9.
MinimalAbstractLINES.jpg, Autumn 2008, art&australia Journal, vol.45, no.3, p 388.
AbstractLINES.jpg, Autumn 2008, art&australia Journal, vol.45, no.3, p 338.

100 apples - endurance exercise!