Some GOOD Sheet
Lately I’ve really been enjoying “the GOOD sheet,” a free publication I’ve been picking up at Starbucks. It’s a nicely designed, icon-laden, info-dense, little square of newsprint. Each week, they take on a different politically charged issue with the goal of getting people better informed before they cast their votes next month. The best part is that the “just the facts” approach makes it – as far as i can tell – pretty unbiased. So far issues have included health care, gas prices, and immigration.
The GOOD Sheet on Immigration
Graphics
Visually, these are a lot of fun. The layouts are filled with playful icons and clever infographics – for example, they depict the path to a US Green Card as a gameboard or labyrinth. Most of the icons are silhouettes, and the simplicity works well. However, there isn’t quite a consistent style among them – either they were created independently by different staff designers, or some of them are stock designs.
To a certain extent, GOOD relies a bit too heavily on current design trends. The use of solid printer’s colors (cyan, magenta, and yellow) and overprinting (that semi-transparent layering of two different colors, as in the circle on the map) are both becoming a little overused. But on the whole, the graphics are witty, informative, and attractive.
I give GOOD a lot of credit for avoiding many of the usual pitfalls that publications fall into. Photos are used sparingly and tastefully, text is well organized and readable, and layouts are well thought out. To top it off, I haven’t yet seen a single gradient or drop-shadow. These days, that’s downright daring.
Typography
GOOD appears to use Benton Sans for their primary type system. I think this is a great choice. It’s a viable alternative to common choices like Franklin Gothic or Akzidenz Grotesk, and it has a kind of newsy chunkiness that adds an air of authority. A redrawing of Morris Fuller Benton’s 1903 News Gothic, the typeface also has a distinct “American-ness” perfectly suited to the content of the publication.
Immigration infographics
Marketing
As far as I can tell, the GOOD Sheet is a temporary publication to cease after the November election. Until that time, it’s only available at Starbucks – but at least it’s free, so even if you don’t like their coffee you can at least grab a copy. The sheet seems a little heavy on the advertising, but as it’s a free publication that doesn’t much bother me. They have to cover the production cost somehow.
The Sheet’s goal (aside from, you know, informing the public) appears to be getting visitors to the website. From there, they can subscribe to the magazine (in print or online) or make donations to the non-profits that GOOD partners with. Starbucks, for their part, appears more concerned with larger issues in the community and nation.
But is anyone actually noticing? So far, the only people I’ve actually seen notice it are myself and another designer I work with. They only have a few copies in the stand at any given time, but they never seem to run out. Maybe GOOD’s covers just aren’t compelling enough to someone who isn’t interested in the graphics. Or maybe people just want their coffee without the fuss.
Overall
GOOD does a great job of presenting information in a clear and interesting way. The graphics are clever and the design is clean – together, they actually make a cheaply-printed sheet of newsprint feel classy. Further applause for making it free – I know I’ll be picking up the next one.
-Brendan