What do you see in the following pictures?
A young or an old woman?
This (well known picture) is originally from a drawing by W.E. Hill, titled “My wife and my mother-in-law” 1915. Both a young woman and an old woman co-exist in the picture. (Look away, then look again if you can’t see it) It may be easier to see in the colour version.
Now this logo, what do you see? (revealed after you click ‘read more >’)
Is it “Amped” or “Pimped”? When I first saw it, I immediately saw pimped. Not surprising since it is a (recently controversial) sub domain reviewing ‘adult’ material (videos, websites etc). Supposedly it is Amped, but its true meaning and purpose is the one you are most likely to see first (as is probably intended).
For background on the controversy, see the following threads:
The revolution will be commodified? (great title BTW, Heart!), and concurrent thread
Pimped - Alas A Blog reviews hardcore pornography websites
Fuckery and betrayal (in comments I first mentioned the duality)
Of course there are many more blogs/threads discussing this betrayal to the anti-porn feminists, and a few defending Amp’s decision to ’sell out’ aforementioned feminists.
So for those not so knowledgeable in the areas of design, you now know what I talk about when I babble on about duality - the dual message or meaning inherent in the logo or drawing.
Thanks to Kaka, who apparently was the originator of the ‘fuckery’ term (at least within the rad-fem community). I have now got it as a category. Cool.
***THE MINI-SURVEY***
I’ve decided to do a mini-survey on this, to see who saw either AMPED or PIMPED first. (Please advise me if I have put you in the ‘wrong’ list.)
AMPED
Jimmy
Manxome
PIMPED
Heart
Delphyne
Jo22
Stormy
Thursday, 12 October 2006 at 16:07
Good spot, Stormy. I did read it as “pimped” (didn’t see the “amped” at all until you pointed it out) but I’m so used to seeing this shit everywhere and anywhere now it didn’t really register.
He is a sneaky fucker isn’t he? This whole thing is such a slap in the face to women.
Thursday, 12 October 2006 at 17:49
I think that Heart also saw it as Pimped, hence the title of her first post.
However, the rest of the information would indicate that it is meant to be Amped Reviews.
Because you, Heart, Sparkle etc were all covering the nitty gritty betrayal angle, thought I’d put a different spin (which kind of backs up what our side has been saying anyway, in spite of the denials ‘didn’t know’ ‘only links in background’ etc). It’s not looking terribly ‘innocent’ now.
Thursday, 12 October 2006 at 23:30
Hi, Stormy, this is Jimmy Ho (that user name was already taken).
Good catch about the graphic ambivalence. I’m not too bad at noticing visual puns, usually, but for some reason, this one flew right above my head, despite the strong hint in Heart’s post title.
Thursday, 12 October 2006 at 23:41
Hi Jimmy - welcome to stormyblog - you are the inaugural XY !
Don’t beat yourself up, I missed it initially, and I should certainly see these things far more than the average person (being a designer, but product not graphic). Are you saying that you saw Amped rather than Pimped? Interesting.
You can choose any display name that you wish (different from your username). However, a bit of an oversight at WP, you cannot get in to edit your profile preferences (change of password, display name etc) until you register your first blog. So register one (even if you have no intention of using it). You will then be able to access your profile.
Friday, 13 October 2006 at 13:45
Yes, I spontaneously read it as “Amped”; I guess I still couldn’t believe my eyes and needed a rationalisation, or maybe it is just that many sites who adopt the “retro” look use a similar font (from the 60s-70s? I’m not quite sure).
After reading Heart’s “Epilogue” today I googled “amptoons reviews” and that page is the first result, oy.
Thanks for the tip about creating an empty blog; I might do that when I get some time off of thesis writing and editing.
Friday, 13 October 2006 at 13:47
(Oh, and thanks for the welcome! I already enjoyed reading your comments and I’m glad you got your own weblog.)
Friday, 13 October 2006 at 15:47
Cheers Jimmy, you are always welcome to stop by (and comment!). I just hope I can keep coming up with stuff to interest my reader(s)!
Actually, the blog is doing ok for it’s first week, there is actually more than one reader, but you know I like to joke around.
Friday, 13 October 2006 at 18:41
Well Stormy, you did make me feel better when you said you didn’t see it initially - as I too have a graphic design background. That said:
I saw “Amped” initially - I think a lot of that was influenced by the background and pumpkin colors that match amptoons. Porn page certainly wants one to think that perhaps it’s tied in to amptoons, doesn’t it?
It did look funny to me, though (does that count? ;P ) Mostly because it’s not a true upper/lower caps treatment (where the stroke would stay the same weight), but just a straight all caps where the point size of the initial P is increased.
So I certainly wondered, after reading this post, if the A and even the M were manipulated to suggest “pimped”. Which it certainly does - oh how witty! If that A were the same point size as the rest, the suggested lower-cap I would carry less visual weight than the other lower caps, and not come across as such. But with the A increased as it was, it was just the right amount to suggest an upper P cap (as there is a p later in the word to visually verify that, even) leaving the rest of the letter A to look as if it were a lower cap I that was merged with the P.
Yeah, blah blah blah, I’m a fontaholic. Here’s the font used showing all caps, consistent point size. Play with the custom preview at will *wink*, with a nod to the myfonts site for the font ID.
So, to that burning question of mine, “did they manipulate the letters to get this affect?”: no. They just did an unprofessional point size increase on the P.
Friday, 13 October 2006 at 19:08
Hi Manxome, welcome.
OK, let’s bore the rest of the readers here at Stormyblog with some nitty gritty graphic design tech-talk!
Yes, I agree. Before I had seen the original font used, I would have said it looked like an enlarged A, with both the A and M having the curve added (and possibly the horizonal on the A manipulated). This is because, if you look closely, the curves look quite clumsy, especially on the sweep of the M.
Also, due to my mistaken assumption that more work had been done than actually had been, I would have said it was extremely clever. Now that I see the original font source, I say; “lazy fucking bastards” (was that too techie for the non designers out there?) *grin*
Actually, try entering it as “Amped” and there is even less effort required. What a completely dodgey font, see the overlap on the M and P?
Designer verdict: pornified lazy bastards.
Friday, 13 October 2006 at 20:36
Bwaahaa, I love it, Stormy!
Yes, it is quite the crappy font. That M really bugged me, and part of it is the lazy overlap “have-you-people-never-heard-of-kerning?!” problem (for those following along, the shadow of the P overlaps the tail of the M, and heck, the shadow on the M overlaps the A, and heckity heck, the lazy author of the font should have fixed the spacing parameter defaults).
The other part is that the spacing between the vertical strokes of the M is unequal - wtf?! And - and- (gasp) the whole thing looks like a printed piece where the ink was too heavy, bleeding so that the space in the P is practically closed up. Eww eww eww.
I kept telling myself I should have known what font this was, but since no respectable place I worked for ever shelled out the bucks to add crud like that to their library, I’m thinking I must have seen it on an The Electric Company skit or an episode of Schoolhouse Rock way back when.
My verdict: Besides using the same background and pumpkin color as amptoons and playing on the “Amp” thing so it looks like it’s part of the amptoons site, just how many fonts does one have to go through before we can find one that makes “Amped” read as “Pimped” *snicker*?
In our next installment of Graphic Design Tech Talk: Fonts Gone Wrong - What the hell is with the uppercase P in Palatino and why does it make my stomach churn?
Friday, 13 October 2006 at 21:54
ROTFLMAO !
I darn’t use the K word (kerning!) as I figured the average person wouldn’t understand it. That font is just bad. Period. As you say, no self respecting organisation would dare add it to their library. But hang on a minute. We could deem it ‘appropriate’. Sleezy font for sleezy business!
Perhaps we need to make a mockumentary:
“When fonts go bad”
Friday, 13 October 2006 at 23:18
Stormy, thank you for the font fun. (Does that make me a fun fontaholic?) I do believe it’s made my day.
Saturday, 14 October 2006 at 9:44
Manxome, I think it only proves to the rest of the folks reading this discussion that, yes, indeed, there is NO HOPE for either of us!
Actually, non-designers don’t recognise a lot of the hidden meaning behind design, or the basis or choices in design. They look at the superficial, the prettiness, etc. Design does have a language, and the thoughts behind its creation are frequently evident (to other designers).
If you have come to the realisation that you are a fontaholic, then I can only suggest going on the 12-step programme at FA (Fontaholics’ Anonymous). In the programme I believe one has to apologise to all the letterheads onto whom one has foisted jovial fonts. Jovial fonts - never a good idea!
Saturday, 14 October 2006 at 17:22
Oh dear, this has triggered a horrid design flashback. Big City Public Schools, who always had plenty of money to make major copy changes after an entire hundred-and-some page thingamabob was designed and laid out but never enough to open crumbling schools on time, wanted, as in demanded, a freaking rainbow on the cover of their supply catalog. A rainbow!
I could have thrown up on it in rainbow colors, I suppose, but instead I tried to move away from the horrid image as much as possible and still convince them it was a rainbow. So, each spectrum became ribbon-like, curving and waving as independent strips.
It still sucked, but maybe not as much as those trade mags for the cemetery and pest control management industries. Pest of the month! Seriously.
I think I’m getting the shakes.
Sunday, 15 October 2006 at 9:32
Ah Manxome, as you are in the latter stages of designeritus (flashbacks, shakes), I suggest that you ease your condition by looking at some top quality design work. It will restore your faith in the design religion.
To avoid further relapses, avoid situations such as design-by-committee, and design-by-idiots-who-know-nothing-about-design-but-stick-their-beaks-in-anyway.
Dr S. Cloud
Designer Rehabilitation Centre
Monday, 16 October 2006 at 12:36
I read it as “pimped” then realised it was “amped”. But I saw pimped first.