Introduction

In 1934, William Lightfoot Schultz founded the Shulton Company. Four years later, they began manufacturing Old Spice for men. Schultz used a maritime theme for the company, and it has become a well-known trademark of the company today. This can be seen in anchors and ships on their products, as well as the beach found in the image above.

Old Spice launched the “Smell Like a Man, Man” campaign in 2010, just prior to the Superbowl. The Superbowl commercial created for the campaign was so successful that they continued with the theme in other television commercials and in print ads. The ad was created by the Wieden+Kennedy firm.

https://www.effie.org/case_database/case/NA_2011_4882

Typeface #1

The first typeface seen in the photo above is sans-serif. The word “sans” means without in French, and serif refers to the small lines, like feet, on the ends of letter strokes. It is a sans-serif font because there are no such lines on any of the letters, such as in the circled “L” above. Both the letters “A” and “M” are highlighted to show that they are monoweight, meaning that the strokes have the same uniform thickness throughout. This is another characteristic of a sans-serif typeface.

Typeface #2

The second typeface used is an oldstyle font. When the line is drawn through the thinnest parts of the “O,” we can see that the stress of the letter leans diagonally right. The letters also have serifs, as are visible on the “D” in the ad. Lastly, the letters have varying degrees of thickness, like on the “S.” The center is much thicker here than the ends.

CONTRAST

The main points of contrast between the two typefaces are the use of stress, the use of serifs, and the use of monoweight in the ad. By comparing the “L” with the “O,” one can see that the “O” has stress because it leans diagonally right when a line is drawn through its thinnest points, while the “L” is perfectly vertical. There is a stark contrast between the “D” and the letter “E” because the small, feet like strokes at the end of the “D.” The “E” on the other hand, is a simpler sans-serif font. Lastly, the “N” exhibits a thickness that is constant throughout, while the “E” has both thicker and thinner strokes present.

Conclusion

It’s clear that the two typefaces above share a contrasting relationship because the two elements are easily differentiated. One is a simple, bolder, sans-serif font while the other takes on a more refined appearance with its diagonally right stress. This contrast makes the hierarchy of information clear to the viewers, because it encourages them to “Smell Like a Man, Man,” before associating the concept with Old Spice. The Old Spice brand name is consciously written in an oldstyle typeface to stress the importance of the brand itself, and make it something memorable for their audience. All these typographical elements combined give the ad clear communication, purpose, and a sense (or a scent) of freshness!