Helvetica Poster

New, Groundbreaking Ads: Selling the Brand

Roger Sterling's Desk

Color



While watching the first episode of the new season last night I couldn't help but notice the subtleties of updated design in the show. The characters have a new office which is decorated with all sorts of tables and chairs with 1960's design. Color also plays a large factor in the change.This episode really showed how far the characters are getting from the 1950's design mentality which was so apparent in previous seasons. Here are some examples that really sparked my eye.- - -As a designer I couldn't help but notice the Helvetica poster in the background of this scene:Helvetica is a widely used sans-serif typeface developed in 1957. While overused in present-day design, it had a huge influence in design in the 1960's. It was something fresh and new which is the feeling I get from this new season.- - -Most of the Ads designed in the 1950's conveyed heavy information about a product. They utilized heavy body copy and their main goal was to sell the product. It is apparent that the show is moving in the direction of selling the brand. It is interesting to see the show follow these trends in advertising and design. For example: this bathing suit ad pitched in the first episode:- -There is not much that needs to be said about this, as long as you have a photo. The desks in the old office were very old fashioned and very proper. You can notice the influence of 1960's design by the bold solid colors and futuristic shapes of the furniture in the new office. For example: Roger Sterling's Desk:- -The colors in this scene, the same scene where the Helvetica Font showed it's face, really stood out to me regarding color. Bold primary colors, yellow and red, against a pale blue. A huge step away from the brown's and white's of the old office.For me, this shows the creative department's design inspiration, and the welcoming of new ideas. I think we have a lot to look forward to in this new season.