Typography and Lobsters

This add was on a website called TV Commercial Spots. The site does not give any information
about who created the ad, but it is listed under their section for Red Lobster. I found an article
from 2014 on AdWeek.com reporting that Red Lobster had “named Publicis Kaplan Thaler as its
lead creative agency.” I can not verify that they are the ones responsible for this specific ad.

 

Slab Serif Typeface

The first typeface on this ad falls in the slab serif category. Slab serif typefaces can
be recognized by their thick block-like letterforms with little to no thick/thin
transition. The serifs on this typeface are as thick as the rest of the letterform.

 

Sans Serif Typeface

The second typeface on this ad is from the sans serif category. The most obvious
clue is that there are no serifs on any of the letters. Also, all of the letters are the
same thickness with no thick/thin transition.

 

Contrast

These two typefaces provide a nice contrast for this ad because they are from two
different categories that work well together. One has serifs and the other does not,
so they are seen as separate and distinct. Even though both typefaces use all capital
letters, the slab serif is set at a larger font size making the contrast more obvious.

 

Conclusion

Most of the ad space is taken by images of food with a dark gray background. The
large, white, slab serif  lettering, set in an arch over smaller, straight, white, sans serif
provides great contrast for the entire ad.