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10 Outstanding TV Series Title Sequences

Shawn — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 16:30:11 +0000

This week, we’re looking at 10 outstanding and uniquely styled TV series title sequences.

Many people refer to the title sequence as the opening credits even though they are not really the same. However, I’ll be using the two terms interchangeably in this post.

The title sequence / opening credits is usually accompanied by visuals and sound that set the mood for the series. This usually includes the theme music for the series (if any).

Previously, I showcased a couple of title sequences from other shows that use specific effects, such as Poirot and Dollhouse. Since I’ve already featured them here on the Blog, I’m not going to include them in this list.

The title sequences chosen for this post are ones I feel are particularly memorable or out of the ordinary.

Human Target (Season 1, FOX)

The opening credits for Human Target immediately made me take notice.

The title sequence makes great use of a grunge/watercolor effect. It borrows a bit from the Bond movies, but everything works well together and fits the theme of the series.

I also like the tilting and suddenly jerk effects (for lack of better terms). This gives the sequence a more ‘real’ and less digital feel, which goes well with the watercolor and grunge effects.

Murphy’s Law (Series 3, 4 and 5, BBC)

Murphy’s Law as a series changed quite a bit from the beginning of season 1.

Season 5’s title sequence was a big departure from the opening credits of the previous seasons but fits with the shift in the subject matter of that season.

My favorite part is the way the Murphy’s Law text/logo appears to be painted onto shards of glass which move toward the viewer at the end.

I couldn’t find the opening credits for just season 5 by itself, so the video below contains the intros for seasons 3, 4 and 5.

Caprica (Season 1, SyFy)

Whether you like the opening credits for Caprica or not, you have to admit that it’s a very unique intro.

I haven’t seen anything quite like it. Beyond the slick CGI and effects, it sets up the plot of the series and is almost like a mini episode.

Hustle (BBC)

Hustle, a series about a small group of grifters (con-men), doesn’t often take itself overly seriously and the title sequence plays to this well.

While the title sequence changes after season 3, both the earlier and later versions use vector-style animation which fits in really well with the show’s fun theme.

If you watch the title sequences, you’ll see some great visual metaphors within the animation (the fat businessman falling for the trap).

Plus, I dare you not to start humming or whistling the theme song.

Hustle Seasons 1–3

Hustle Season 5

Mad Men (Season 1, FOX)

Mad Men’s opening credits are a mix of vector illustration/animation and retro photographs which is very fitting for the theme of the series.

Eureka (Syfy)

Eureka’s opening credits are a bit unusual in that they use an “animated images”/Ken Burns style.

It also mixes a small town look with retro-futurism elements and a muted palette.

Chuck (Season 1, NBC)

Chuck’s title sequence combines vector-style animation, ninjas, and a theme song from Cake that won’t get out of your head. Win, win, win.

Conclusion

The above television series’ title sequences are some of my personal favorites.

As such, I’m sure there are many others that I have either forgotten about or never seen. What’s your favorite television title sequence? Tell us in the comments.

Authentic Vintage Typography

Shawn — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:02:24 +0000

There are only 26 letters in the English language, and yet so much that can be done with them.

There’s just something unique about vintage and retro typography. I could spend hours looking at all the different styles.

1908 Sears, Roebuck Catalogue

I was clearing out a garage a couple weeks ago for an older lady and found an old 1908 Sears, Roebuck catalog catalogue in among some junk.

I immediately brought it home and started thumbing through the pages.

Did you know you could buy tombstones from Sears? Blacksmith tools? Home dental equipment? A swastika hat pin? Lithium tablets?

Amazing Retro and Vintage Type

Anyhow, among the velocipedes and stereoscopes was some amazing vintage type.

The headings are very bold. There’s even a touch of art deco thrown in (see the armchair page below).

I wanted to share a few of the pages (out of over 1100 pages!) I pulled from the catalog, so I scanned a few of the highlights.

The images and fonts below were created pre-1923, so they are public domain.

PS: My favorite is the “automatic liquid pistol”. Read the suggested uses.

Retro Resources at Tack-O-Rama

Shawn — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 16:01:08 +0000

Recently, I showcased some great vintage and retro fonts, and I mentioned a site: Tack-O-Rama.

But Tack-O-Rama isn’t just about retro fonts, it’s a great resource for anything retro:

Fonts
Clipart
Stock photos
Photoshop Shapes

Fonts

Tack-O-Rama has collected over 700 vintage and retro fonts, with new fonts being added each month.

Beyond being broken down into the normal types (serif, sans-serif, etc), they are also broken down into categories by the years they were popular and their styles:

Art Nouveau (1890 – 1905)
Bauhaus and Dada (1916 – 1933)
Art Deco (1925 – 1940s)
1950s and 1950s dingbats
1960s
1970s
1980s
1990s

Update: You can now browse fonts by font designer as well.

Retro Clipart

Tack-O-Rama also has an nice collection of retro clipart (over 500) for free download.

While the clipart is fine for the web, if you need a higher resolution/size, the scalable versions are available for just $2.95 for each.

Retro Stock Photography

This is my favorite section on the site.

While the photos aren’t that high of a resolution and the image dimensions aren’t too impressive, they would work for screen graphics like websites just fine.

Images are broken into categories such as: couples, girls, guys, kids and families, recreation and sport, work and school, and miscellaneous.

This is the largest collection of vintage and retro stock images that I’ve seen anywhere.

Retro Photoshop Shapes

Tack-O-Rama also offers free retro Photoshop shapes for download as well.

These shapes were created by Josella Colquhoun (who runs the site), so you won’t find these Photoshop shapes anywhere else on the web.

Follow on Twitter

Josella twitters about all things retro and shares other retro and vintage-related links and resources.

Be sure to follow her on Twitter @TackORama.

And check out the Tack-O-Rama website the next time you need anything retro or vintage.

Illustration and Animation Inspiration: Edward Gorey

Shawn — Fri, 01 May 2009 11:00:42 +0000

Edward Gorey definitely has his own style.

Looking at any of this illustrations, you can immediately recognize his work. Edward Gorey’s illustrations and poety were usually macabre and a bit dark. You can imagine where Tim Burton got a lot of his inspiration.

While he published many books and illustrations, Gorey’s probably best known for his 1980 animated intro for Mystery! on PBS.

This is where I got my first taste of Edward Gorey.

Mystery! Theme Version 1

Mystery! Theme 2

These Mystery! intros used to scare me when I was a little kid, but I still love them no matter how many times I’ve seen them.

The Epileptic Bicycle

He [Edward Gorey] also illustrated books as diverse as Dracula by Bram Stoker, The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells, and Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats by T. S. Eliot.

Source: Wikipedia

Illustrations

From The Interesting List

The Gashlycrumb Tinies Cover

Amphigorey

Image © copyright Estate of Edward Gorey. Source

Dracula Broadway Play (and Other Edward Gorey Illustrations) @ movietreasures.com

The Very Fine Clock (illustrated by Edward Gorey)

Edward Gorey Illustration Collection (0rchid_theif on LiveJournal)

0rchid_theif on LiveJournal has a very nice collection of Edward Gorey illustrations from a bunch of different books, plays and other projects.

Buy Edward Gorey Books

Here are a couple places online where you can buy Edward Gorey books.

Brickbat Books

Brickbat Books has a collection of several of Gorey’s books and 1st editions available for purchase.

The Epileptic Bicycle

Barnes & Noble

Barnes & Noble has a big selection of Edward Gorey books and books that were illustrated by Gorey.

The Doubtful Guest cover

Edward Gorey Books (Amazon)

There are many Edward Gorey Books at Amazon.com.

Other Sites to Buy Edward Gorey Books

I hope you enjoyed this brief look at the illustrations of Edward Gorey. I like the dark, Victorian look of his illustrations and the fact they are unpolished and imperfect.

More To Come

In the next few weeks, I plan to showcase more illustrators that I grew up appreciating and some other artists that you may not be as familiar with.

Subscribe to the RSS feed to read more graphic design-related posts (published here on the Es Developed Blog every Friday).

Vintage, Retro and Art Deco Inspiration on DeviantART

Shawn — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 11:00:09 +0000

DeviantART is a great resource for inspiration to designers–not to mention an easy way to literally while away hours at a time. There are tons of talented artists on DA.

This week I thought I’d focus on some styles I particularly enjoy: vintage, retro and art deco photography and art.

This is just scratching the surface of the great retro/vintage/art deco designs, photographs and art you can find on DeviantART.

Hope you enjoyed. Until next week!

Art Deco Inspiration: Agatha Christie’s Poirot

Shawn — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 16:28:19 +0000

I’m a big fan of mysteries and especially of Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot. I’m also a fan of art deco design.

Much of the world of Hercule Poirot is influenced by the art deco movement. We can see it in the Poirot books as well as the architecture and furniture of the films and television series.

Art Deco in Print

Many of Agatha Christie’s books, such as the Hercule Poirot series, feature covers that are inspired by art deco design as seen in the typography and illustrations.

Art Deco in Motion

But some of the most impressive examples of art deco can be found in the theme sequence of ITV’s Poirot television series. I’ve probably watched the opening theme hundreds of times, but I am still impressed by it every time.

Agatha Christie’s Poirot

Art Deco Architecture of Poirot

Not only is the title sequence a great example of art deco in motion, even the sets and locations with their architecture, decorations, and furniture are obviously inspired by the art deco movement.

Whitehaven Mansions (aka Florin Court, aka Poirot’s residence)

Ravenscourt Hospital

More Examples of Art Deco Architecture

Art Deco (Britain)
Art Deco Buildings
Huge collection of art deco buildings throughout the world (includes some of the locations used in the filming of the Poirot ITV series)
Art Deco – a Set on Flickr
Art Deco Architecture Flickr Group

The art deco movement had a huge impact on the world in the early 1900’s, and through architecture, typography and movies and television, it continues to inspire us as designers.

What examples of art deco have you found? Tell us about it in the comments.

Inspiration: Retro Clothing Labels

Shawn — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 12:05:54 +0000

I love the look of retro design and vintage typography. I love being able to introduce elements from the past into my designs. I also happen to have some vintage cloths that I’ve accumulated over the years.

This morning, I was putting on an old – er – vintage shirt and I happened to focus on the label. So I decided to share a few of the retro labels with you.

David Homson

Marlboro Brand

I didn’t realize that Marlboro had their own brand of shirts.

417 – Van Heusen

Stir-Ups Western Model

The Aviator – Van Heusen

Fruit of the Loom – Golden Harvest Collection