Don't complain; Just work harder.

I'm a sucker for good typography. It's something I notice everywhere I go, no matter the context. I appreciate that almost "organic" feel of hand-drawn words. I've always been captivated by the way the words themselves create an image of their own. Typography represents total creative freedom and endless possibilities. Over the past couple months I've noticed that two of my favorite brands have used typography in a way that emphasizes brand creativity and a youthful culture.

Chipotle:

Almost everyone can attest to enjoying a good meal at chipotle. To my surprise, food wasn't the only enjoyable discovery I made. I noticed that the "to-go" bags were completely covered in a beautifully flowing display of typography. Chipotle could've easily produced a lifeless brown paper bag with a word or two printed on the front, but they didn't. Instead they came up with a brilliant way to say something in a way that made it worth reading. This discovery led me to check out their website, where I found even more examples of creative typography. I never thought I'd want to spend time checking out a website for quick-service mexican food, but because of the typography that caught my eye, I did just that.

Trader Joe's:

Grocery shopping is something I enjoyed doing ever since I got my driver's license. I loved the freedom of being on my own, choosing where to go and what to buy. I had my usual route of Trader Joe's, Safeway, then home. Trader Joe's is what I call a brand with personality. If this so called Trader "Joe" was a real person, I'd describe him as creative, earthy, healthy, casual, probably retired, with a whole lot of great life stories to tell. On every single occasion that I entered that store, I would notice some new item in bright colored packaging with a youthful typeface. This packaging is often what influenced my purchasing decisions, and sometimes conveniently led to the discovery of my new favorite snack. I never went to Trader Joe's with the intention of getting "Pita Puffs", but because of the packaging, I did just that. Maybe my strategy when it comes to grocery shopping isn't exactly what most people would consider normal, but that's not the point. The point is that typography matters; maybe not to everyone, but it matters to enough people to make a difference. Trader Joe's uses typography in a very creative and intelligent way, demonstrating a good lesson in creative strategy and consumer awareness.

You don't even need to know what