Textonic

As a recently unemployed teen, I’ve made a strong effort to search for a new job. I’ve made my rounds in the mall, local shopping plazas, and even fast food joints, and every single application has had the same corporate feel to it. After the first few applications my hand was running on autopilot, knowing what goes where. The application of design is not an important part of employment, but it does give certain organizations an edge, in the respect that the applicant feels more involved in the process, putting their full effort into the application.

Taco Bell captures this concept well, as their colorful brochure style application is both easy on the eyes and a breeze to fill out. But one application I came across stood far above the rest. Color filled the entire pamphlet, and a consistent design and color scheme brought the entire process together into one stylish package.

Sweetbay Supermarket, a relatively new chain formerly known as Kash N’ Karry, employs every aspect of good design for their hiring application. Each section of the application is noted by a unique number marking each step, subtly faded into the background. Not onlyis this a subtle reminder of step by step procedures, it’s also a visually appealing navigational style used by many popular published magazines, but by many popular websites as well.

On the reverse side a completely green page adds contrast to the booklet, with the important material printed in  beautifully kerned white text. Unfrotunately my cameraphone shots could not capture the full detail, but the picture above gives a general idea of the final page. My favorite feature though has to be the enlarged signature boxes, leaving plenty of room for those who like to get creative with their John Hancock. Can anyone say user oriented design?

Finally, a clean header design ties the entire form together, with a solid repeating pattern covering the entire top portion of the application, and then the Sweetbay logo embedded on every page. My pictures can’t accurately display the aesthetic appeal of this design, but if there’s a Sweetbay Supermarket iny our area I highly suggest picking up an application, if not for the job, then at least for the  elegant design.