Typography - Project 2
24.10.18 - 31.10.18
(Week 9 - Week 10)
Feryn Juliesta Sulia (0336407)
Typography
Project 2
Lectures
Lecture 9: -
24.10.18 (Week 9)
No lecture this week. We were told to construct a chosen alphabet using lines and circles.
Lecture 10: -
31.10.18 (Week 10)
We had no lecture this week. We continued our progress on our project 1 and 2. Mr. Vinod and Mr. Shamsul start briefed us about the final project.
Instructions
Project 2 (Week 9 - Week 10)
Font Design
Before started our project, we were told to study a chosen alphabet by dissecting it. We have to choose one between 10 typefaces that we have been used. For me, I chose Adobe Caslon Pro to be applied to my chosen alphabet.
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| Fig 1.1 'f' (Adobe Caslon Pro Regular-lowercase-500pt) |
After that, we have to accordingly design at least 3 alphabets to the 9 typefaces that have been given to us. They suggest us to use 3 alphabets from our initials.
After asking for approval on our initials sketch, we have to digitalised our initials. |
| Fig 1.2 Rough Sketches |
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| Fig 1.3 Rough Sketches (2) |
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| Fig 1.4 Final Sketch |
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| Fig 1.5 Digitalised Initials Font Design |
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| Fig 1.6 Digitalised Initials Font Design after feedback |
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| Fig 1.7 Thumbnail |
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| Fig 1.8 Final Outcome |
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| Fig 1.9 My 'f' font design brought to font lab |
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| Fig 1.10 My 'j' font design brought to font lab |
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| Fig 1.11 My 's' font design brought to font lab |
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| Fig 1.12 'fjs' preview |
Feedback
Week 9
For the dissecting exercise, Mr. Shamsul told me that I did it right. The lines and circles I used precisely closes every area of my chosen alphabet. After did several sketches and showed it to Mr. Vinod and Mr. Shamsul, they told me that my sketches are lovely and they suggested me to go with the one that I did with circular serif.
Week 10
Mr. Shamsul commented on my digitalised work that the spine on my 's' is not consistent because there's a part of it that is too thin.
Reflection
Experiences
Week 9
I have never design a font before and this project is quite challenging for me because I can only imagined what it feels like to design a font before this project.
Week 10
I always experiences a difficulty when it comes to digitising works. But, I always trying hard on that one and finally worked it out somehow. I always become anxious when it comes to the new software. Both because I still don't know how to operate it and I haven't got the software yet.
Observation
Week 9
I realise that the exercise that were given to us about dissecting alphabet was actually helped us to do this project in a way.
I realise that the exercise that were given to us about dissecting alphabet was actually helped us to do this project in a way.
Week 10
I saw that when we start using the font lab software which is new for some of us, a lot of us are lost in confusion. Including me especially when my laptop actually can't install the software.
Findings
Week 9
At first, I thought font design is just the same as lettering exercises that we have done before. But the more I work on it, the more I realise that those two are different. That this font design that we do is more usable while the lettering we have done was more to one time artwork.
I found that font design is actually fun to do although it is tiring.
Further Reading
Design: Type, A seductive collection of alluring type design by Paul Burgess/Burge Agency
Week 9
Chapter 5: Traditional Type; Traditional, Retro, Classic, Old School, Ornate
The decision to use 'vintage' typefaces, techniques, and aesthetics can come from a variety of motivations. Designers tend to be collectors and lovers of a informational miscellany and minutiae, and vintage type is the perfect outlet to express those carnal desires in an effective and acceptable way. Vintage designs are a celebration of their times, their economies, and their progress. They come loaded with history and meaning and tend to be obtuse in the way they go about their business. It is refreshing to look at design that has such a clear voice when you are searching for the right direction in your own work. There is a joy in historical design; A freedom to use a dozen typefaces in one design, the eccentricities of a typeface designed on the fly by a worker in a wood type factory, and the bold, straightforward language used to sell a bottle of soda are all cathartic to us now, free from the burdens we can feel when doing our own work. These pieces have a special sense of emotion, evoking places and moods on top of their visual aesthetics. Vintage designs have reminded designers to take risks, to mix for typefaces and break more rules.
It's easier to separate yourself from historical design work than that of your peers. The technology standards and conventions were vastly different than they are now, and it enables you to look at the work objectively and closely study its formal attributes. The limitations of the time often forced unique solutions for dealing with type and composition. Now that we are separated from the context of those earlier works, we can look on them with our own set of tools, rules, and needs, and reconfigure them in fresh ways that retain the charm of the original while fulfilling the needs of modern day. The gaudy, superfluous typefaces of the Victorian period can be given new life when put in a controlled setting, and the surprisingly complicated composition on a baseball ticket from the 1930s can be revived with careful typeface selections. The goal is not rote reproduction of vintage designs; it is to reimagine them in a new age. The right selection of a historically inspired typeface can bring your work an extra layer of meaning and importance. Older designs have an added weight to them, an importance and meaning that goes beyond the formal aspects of the face that comes from decades of use and exposure. We can connect with a typeface without knowing why because it subliminally references the careful craft of a sign painter or the stylised geometric shapes of the Art Deco movement.
It's refreshing to look at a physical object for a spark instead of a computer screen. Seeing something physical that's still around decades after its creation is an inspiration in a multitude of ways. It's design out of its original context, free from comparisons of whatever trends were popular at the time, once again fresh and new. It's also a reminder of the importance and longevity of design. Design can be timeless, cherished, and treasured, and that's an exciting thing to remember. I think there is more to looking to past designs than just seeking a spark of visual stimulation. There is an element of reverence and respect tied to it as well. By resurrecting a design element from the past, you are honouring it and proving that it was a worthwhile endeavour in a way you hope your own work will be respected in the future.
Some collection that I am interested in:
Letterwork: Creative Letterforms in Graphic Design by Brody Neuenschwander, designed by Leonard Currie and David Quay
Week 10
Old style faces such as Bembo and Times are characterised by classical proportions, bracketed serifs and a gradual transitions from thick to thin elements with calligraphic weighting. Capitals are usually slightly shorter than ascenders, and there is occasional entasis. With their calligraphic basis and classical proportions and spacing, they display balanced horizontal and vertical stresses. The relationship of black to white is also balanced, giving a timeless feeling of elegance and stability in the best examples. Such faces were first developed under the influence of the broad pen. As products of the Renaissance and Baroque, they witnessed the transition from broad-pen italics to the earliest pressure-made-copper.
The pairing of hand lettering and type requires the careful balancing of formal harmonies and contrasts.
Week 9
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| Book Cover |
Chapter 5: Traditional Type; Traditional, Retro, Classic, Old School, Ornate
The decision to use 'vintage' typefaces, techniques, and aesthetics can come from a variety of motivations. Designers tend to be collectors and lovers of a informational miscellany and minutiae, and vintage type is the perfect outlet to express those carnal desires in an effective and acceptable way. Vintage designs are a celebration of their times, their economies, and their progress. They come loaded with history and meaning and tend to be obtuse in the way they go about their business. It is refreshing to look at design that has such a clear voice when you are searching for the right direction in your own work. There is a joy in historical design; A freedom to use a dozen typefaces in one design, the eccentricities of a typeface designed on the fly by a worker in a wood type factory, and the bold, straightforward language used to sell a bottle of soda are all cathartic to us now, free from the burdens we can feel when doing our own work. These pieces have a special sense of emotion, evoking places and moods on top of their visual aesthetics. Vintage designs have reminded designers to take risks, to mix for typefaces and break more rules.
It's easier to separate yourself from historical design work than that of your peers. The technology standards and conventions were vastly different than they are now, and it enables you to look at the work objectively and closely study its formal attributes. The limitations of the time often forced unique solutions for dealing with type and composition. Now that we are separated from the context of those earlier works, we can look on them with our own set of tools, rules, and needs, and reconfigure them in fresh ways that retain the charm of the original while fulfilling the needs of modern day. The gaudy, superfluous typefaces of the Victorian period can be given new life when put in a controlled setting, and the surprisingly complicated composition on a baseball ticket from the 1930s can be revived with careful typeface selections. The goal is not rote reproduction of vintage designs; it is to reimagine them in a new age. The right selection of a historically inspired typeface can bring your work an extra layer of meaning and importance. Older designs have an added weight to them, an importance and meaning that goes beyond the formal aspects of the face that comes from decades of use and exposure. We can connect with a typeface without knowing why because it subliminally references the careful craft of a sign painter or the stylised geometric shapes of the Art Deco movement.
It's refreshing to look at a physical object for a spark instead of a computer screen. Seeing something physical that's still around decades after its creation is an inspiration in a multitude of ways. It's design out of its original context, free from comparisons of whatever trends were popular at the time, once again fresh and new. It's also a reminder of the importance and longevity of design. Design can be timeless, cherished, and treasured, and that's an exciting thing to remember. I think there is more to looking to past designs than just seeking a spark of visual stimulation. There is an element of reverence and respect tied to it as well. By resurrecting a design element from the past, you are honouring it and proving that it was a worthwhile endeavour in a way you hope your own work will be respected in the future.
Some collection that I am interested in:
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| Chow by the Tracks P.O.P. poster campaign. Art Director: Joshua Best. Client: Choo Choo Grill |
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| 221/222plus, the customer magazine of a private bank Sal. Oppenheim jr. & Cie. Art Director: Bernd Vollmōtier. Designers: Dôrte Fischer, Bernd Vollmōtier. Client: Sal. Oppenheim jr. & Cie |
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| NIU College of Business 50 Year Anniversary type treatments. Designer: Jason James Petersen. Client: Nothern Illinois University |
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| Left: Incanto. Right: Galić wines |
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| Top Left: Magazine Header. Top Right: Hooked Logo for a brand-new sustainable seafood boutique. Bottom Left: State of Mind Art Collective Logo. Bottom Right: Skateboard Dock Design |
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| The Arrogant Butcher Outdoor Mural |
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| Leo Ingwer Identity |
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| Conqueror Catalog 4.0 |
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| Branding for Island Creek Oyster Bar |
Letterwork: Creative Letterforms in Graphic Design by Brody Neuenschwander, designed by Leonard Currie and David Quay
Week 10
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| Book Cover |
Old style faces such as Bembo and Times are characterised by classical proportions, bracketed serifs and a gradual transitions from thick to thin elements with calligraphic weighting. Capitals are usually slightly shorter than ascenders, and there is occasional entasis. With their calligraphic basis and classical proportions and spacing, they display balanced horizontal and vertical stresses. The relationship of black to white is also balanced, giving a timeless feeling of elegance and stability in the best examples. Such faces were first developed under the influence of the broad pen. As products of the Renaissance and Baroque, they witnessed the transition from broad-pen italics to the earliest pressure-made-copper.
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| Exhibition Poster |
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| Exhibition Poster |
This 1987 poster announces an exhibition on the novelist Natsume Soseki held in a Tokyo department store. Kazumasa Nagai has placed the four characters of the novelist's name at the corners of the poster, set in bold type and filled with patterns taken from the covers of notebooks and diaries belonging to the novelist. This typographic manipulation would be meaningful to a Japanese audience familiar with the source of the decorative patterns.
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