Title Inspiration

    I found a few examples of cursive fonts that include a lot of swirls and thin, intertwined, and somewhat messy lines, which reminded me a bit of twigs or materials that form birds nests. The thin stroke weight of these different typefaces also adds to the twig-element that could be connected to the exhibition title. The thin line element can be applied to the background and/or other elements on the website. The freeform lines that curve and intersect may symbolize a bird's path/trail of flying. To keep with the calligraphy theme, I also found some examples of bird script compositions that could play into the title and/or website design. 

I have included an image of a few title treatments above. I tested out a few calligraphy-style fonts and a few serif-fonts that could be possible options for the title, and paired them each with a sans-serif font for the subtitle. I don't think the subtitle should be in the calligraphy-style or serif fonts because it may be harder to read and may take the attention away from the title. Many of the calligraphy-style fonts that I tested included the long, thin, swirling loops and designs that remind me of birds nests, and the flying patterns of birds. The serif-fonts that I used also included thin lines and stroke-weights that included curves and rounded edges that reminded me of the shape of a bird. I think the calligraphic and serif style fonts pair well with the theme/topic of the exhibition, as well as the context of where it is being used, because it adds a level of sophistication and elegance (maybe even decadence) that may be associated with birds and some of the artwork in the collection. As for the color palette, I tested out a few different shades of blue to symbolize the sky, and made the text white to provide appropriate contrast and to allow the thin lines of the text to stand out. For the text positioning and alignment, I included a few different versions for each font, some vertical and some horizontal. I made the "and" in the title smaller than the words "Birds" and "Art" to keep the key words the main focus. I kept the titles around the vertical-center of each art board, intending them to be around eye-level for viewers if they were title walls. In some of the drafts, I placed the title higher than the subtitle, and often to the left. I kept the position and the alignment of the titles a bit more traditional and less complex because of the somewhat complex nature of the decorative font, and I didn't want too many confusing or distracting elements that would make it challenging for viewers to read and comprehend. After testing out the different fonts, positioning/alignment, and colors, I think my favorite title treatment may be the one shown below:

For the background color of the title treatment above, I sampled a color from Allegory of the Unicorn, one of the pieces in the collection.