May 06, 2024

ADVANCED TYPOGRAPHY [ TASK 2 ]

20.05.24 - 12.06.24 / Week 5 - Week 8

Kim Abin 0365392
Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media / Advanced Typography / Taylor's University
Task 2

OUTLINE

Recorded Lectures

1 // AdTypo_4: Designing Type
2 // AdTypo_5: Perception and Organisaton

Task 2: Exercise 1
Task 2: Exercise 2

WEEK 5
WEEK 6

RECORDED LECTURES

1 // AdTypo_4: Designing Type
2 // AdTypo_5: Perception and Organisatoin

Lecture 1 - AdTypo_4: Designing Type

Two reasons for designing a typeface (Xavier Dupre, 2007):
Type design carries a social responsibility so one must continue to improve its legibility.
Type design is a form of artistic expression.

Adrian Frutiger: is a Swiss graphic designer, and is renowned for his significant contributions to typeface design, particularly the typefaces Univers and Frutiger, which have significantly advanced typography.
Frutiger: Adrian Frutiger, a Swiss type designer, created Frutiger, a sans serif typeface, in 1968 for France's newly completed Charles de Gaulle International Airport. He experimented with unfocused letters to investigate whether letterforms could still be recognised in low-light settings or while swiftly past the sign.

L1_1 Frutiger

Frutiger: Verdana is a font created particularly for the screen by Matthew Carter and commissioned by Microsoft. Hinting is crucial in screen typefaces to improve readability.

L1_2 Verdana

L1_3 Hinting of Verdana

Bell Centennial.: In 1976, AT&T designed Bell Centennial, a new typeface for telephone directions, to address technical and visual issues with Bell Gothic, the company's phonebook typeface.

L1_4 Comparison - font vs printed

L1_5 Bell Centennial

Edward Johnston created the hugely influential London Underground typeface, later known as Johnston Sans (1916). He combined classical Roman proportions with humanist warmth.

L1_6 Johnston went right back to the source

L1_7 London underground exit sign

L1_8 Digitised version of the Underground typefaces later known as Johnston Sans

General Process of Type Design:
1. Research
Understanding type history, anatomy, conventions, terminologies, side-bearing, metrics, and hinting is crucial for creating type. It's essential to determine the type's purpose, and applications, and reference existing fonts for inspiration and usage patterns.
2. Sketching
Traditional and digital tool designers use conventional and digital tools to set conventional methods to be more confident and controllable. In contrast, digital tools like Wacom allow quicker and more consistent results.
3. Digitisation
There are professional software that are used in digitisation: FontLab and Glyphs App. It is important to examine both the form and counter form of the letters to ensure the readability of the typeface
4. Testing
Testing is crucial in design thinking, refining and correcting typeface aspects. Prototyping provides feedback. Readability and legibility are important considerations, but less so for display types where form expression is more important.
5. Deploy
Despite deploying a completed typeface, teething issues may arise due to unpredicted prototyping and testing. Revision is crucial to minimize these issues.

Construction and Considerations
Depending on their form and construction, the 26 characters of the alphabet can be arranged into groups, whereby a distinction is made between a group for the capitals and a group for lowercase letters. When designing a new type, consider various forms and constructions, including visual corrections like extrusion of curved forms past the baseline and cap line.

L1_9 Construction grid for the Roman Capital using 8 x 8 cells

L1_10 Classification according to form and construction

Visual correction: is needed for the distance between letters. To achieve a uniform 'visual' white space, letters must be arranged in a 'fitting' type, ensuring the same visual white space between them, rather than placing them next to each other.

L1_11 Circles and triangles tend to appear slightly larger than squares of the same height

Lecture 2 - AdTypo_5: Perception and Organisation

Perception: is “how something is regarded, understood, or interpreted”. Perception in typography deals with the visual navigation and interpretation of the reader via contrast, form and organisation of the content.

Contrast
L2_1 Contrast

Carl Dair emphasizes texture and direction in design, using contrast in typography to make meaning stand out. He proposes seven types of comparison similar to Rudi Reugg's work.

1. Contrast of size: provides a point to which the reader’s attention is drawn. The most common use of size is making a title or heading noticeably bigger than the body text.

L2_2 Awareness posters by Amnesty International

L2_3 Do Something Loving poster by Xtian Miller (Source: Behance)

2. Contrast of weight: describes how bold type can stand out in the middle of the lighter kind of the same style. Using rules, spots, and squares also provides a “heavy area” for a powerful point of visual attraction or emphasis.

L2_4 Contrast of weight

3. Contrast of the form: the distinction between a capital letter and its lowercase equivalent, or a Roman letter and its italic variant, condensed and expanded versions of the typeface are also included under the contrast of form.

L2_5 Contrast of form

L2.6 (Source: Fashion Gone Rogue)

4. Contrast of structure: the different letterforms of different typefaces. For example, a monoline sans serif and a traditional serif, or an italic and a blackletter.

L2.7 Contrast of sturcture

L2.8 Contrast of sturcture

5. Contrast of texture: by putting together the contrasts of size, weight, form, and structure, and applying them to a block of text on a page. Texture refers to how the lines of type look up close and from a distance.

L2.9 Contrast of texture

L2.10 Contrast of texture

6. Contrast of direction: the opposition between vertical and horizontal, and the angles in between.

L5.11 Contrast of direction

L2.12 Poster by Benjamin Kowalski and BonFX

7. Contrast of colour: The use of colour suggests that a second colour is often less emphatic in values than plain black on white.

L2.13 Contrast of colour

L2.14 Contrast of colour

L2.15 Typographical Contrast by Carl Dair (left) and Rudi Ruegg (right)

Form: refers to the overall look and feel of the elements that make up the typographic composition. It is the part that plays a role in visual impact and first impressions. Displaying type as a form provides a sense of letterforms’ unique characteristics and abstract presentation.

L2.16 Form

L2.17 Form

Organisation / Gestalt: Gestalt is a German word meaning a thing has been “placed” or “put together”. Gestalt theory emphasizes that the whole of anything is greater than its parts.

Gestalt Laws (Principles) by Max Wertheimer:

1. Law of Similarity: states that elements that are similar to each other tend to be perceived as a unified group (eg. grouping of colour, orientation, size, or indeed motion).

2. Law of Proximity: that states elements that are close together tend to be perceived as a unified group.

3. Law of Closure: refers to the mind’s tendency to see complete figures or forms even if a picture is incomplete, partially hidden by other objects, or if part of the information needed to make a complete picture in our minds is missing.

4. Law of Continuation: humans tend to perceive each of two or more objects as different, singular, and uninterrupted objects even when they intersect.

5. Law of Symmetry

6. Law of Simplicity (Praganz), etc.

INSTRUCTION

Module Information Booklet (MIB) of Advanced Typography

Task 2: Exercise 1 - Key Artwork

For this exercise 1, we are tasked to make a lettering/wordmark of the student's chosen name or nickname. My first step was creating a mind map using Miro.

A Mind Map (Miro) (Week 4 / 18.5.2024)

After making a mind map and organising my information, I got the ideas by searching various typographic artworks on Pinterest.

Moodboard 1 (Week 4 / 18.5.2024)

I had to decide which letters to use before I made the sketch, but I was also allowed to use a first name pet name or pseudonym, so I thought what to do. Eventually, I chose my name, 'Abin'.

The factors I chose when I did the mind map and then sketched were 'music, painting (brush) and wolves'.

Fig. 1.1 Sketch 1 (Week 4 / 19.5.2024)

I drew a lot of sketches, but I picked the one I thought was the best, the last one, and I kept changing it to a better form.

Fig. 1.2 Sketch 2 (Week 4 / 19.5.2024)

Fig. 1.3 Attempt 1 (Week 4 / 19.5.2024)

Fig. 1.4 Pre-submission (Week 5 / 20.5.2024)

Week 5 submitted an artwork to get feedback from the lecturer, and I thought I might have misunderstood the assignment a little bit. So, referring to his feedback, I started searching again on Pinterest.

Moodboard 2 (Week 5 / 20.5.2024)

Nothing was more difficult than expressing irregularly splashed paint. So I had to change the splashed paint as I continued to transform it along with the data I found.

Fig. 1.5 Process 1 (Week 5 / 20.5.2024)

Fig. 1.6 Process 2 (Week 5 / 20.5.2024)

Fig. 1.7 Process 3 (Week 5 / 23.5.2024)

Fig. 1.8 Process 4 (Week 5 / 23.5.2024)

But as I kept doing it, I thought that the splashed paint might be a little bit too much. As I kept looking at these patterns, my eyes got used to them, so it was difficult to notice whether it was excessive or not.

Fig. 1.9 Process 5 (Week 5 / 23.5.2024)

Fig. 1.10 Process 6 (Week 5 / 23.5.2024)

Fig. 1.11 Process 7 (Week 5 / 23.5.2024)

Fig. 1.12 Process 8 (Week 5 / 23.5.2024)

Fig. 1.13 Process 9 (Week 5 / 23.5.2024)

I looked up the data once again because I saw patterns that were getting more and more excessive.

Moodboard 3 (Week 5 / 23.5.2024)

After finishing my third research, I decided to just boldly remove 90% of the artwork I did.

Fig. 1.14 Process 10 (Week 5 / 24.5.2024)

Fig. 1.15 Process 11 (Week 5 / 24.5.2024)

Fig. 1.16 Process 12 (Week 5 / 25.5.2024)

Fig. 1.17 Process 13 (Week 5 / 25.5.2024)

Fig. 1.18 Process 14 (Week 5 / 25.5.2024)

Fig. 1.19 Process 15 (Week 5 / 25.5.2024)

Fig. 1.20 Pre-submission Final Black and White (Week 5 / 25.5.2024)

After getting feedback from Week 6 again, as he said, I gradually reduced the wide spacing of B. And the spacing between each letter was widened.

Fig. 1.21 Process 16 (Week 6 / 27.5.2024)

When doing B, the two holes in B didn't seem to fit well, so I made it thin after fixing it a little bit.

Fig. 1.22 Process 17 (Week 6 / 27.5.2024)

Fig. 1.23 Final Black wordmark on white background (Week 6 / 27.5.2024)

Fig. 1.24 Final White wordmark on black background (Week 6 / 27.5.2024

After fixing it, I made a format for printing the letters according to the lecturer's words.

Fig. 1.25 Final for printing (Week 6 / 27.5.2024)

Fig. 1.26 Final Black wordmark on white background (Week 6 / 27.5.2024)

Fig. 1.27 Final White wordmark on black background (Week 6 / 27.5.2024)

Fig. 1.28 Final for printing (Week 6 / 27.5.2024)

Task 2: Exercise 2 - Key Collateral

Once I finished the artwork, I chose the colour palette from ColorHunt, as the lecturer advised.

Fig. 2.1 Colour Palette 1 (Week 5 / 25.5.2024)

Fig. 2.2 Attempt 1 (Week 5 / 25.5.2024)

I chose the colour palette that I liked, but when I finished making it, the colour was too light. So I chose another palette for now.

Fig. 2.3 Colour Palette 2 (Week 5 / 25.5.2024)

Fig. 2.4 Attempt 2 (Week 5 / 25.5.2024)

I picked a different palette, but I didn't get the feeling I wanted, so I just decided to modify the palette I picked at first a little bit.

Fig. 2.5 Colour Palette 3 (Week 5 / 25.5.2024)

Fig. 2.6 Attempt 3 (Week 5 / 25.5.2024)

After finishing choosing the colour palette, I made a logo to fit in a small space such as an Instagram profile as the lecturer suggested. I tried to harmonize the feeling of the paint falling out and spreading as much as possible with the feeling of those paints splashing.

Fig. 2.7 Wordmark Logo attempt (Week 5 / 25.5.2024)

Next, when I looked at Attempt 3, I thought it was a little boring, so I made a background pattern that I can use here as well. I used the patterns when I made the Wordmark logo (Fig, 2.7).

Fig. 2.8 Pattern 1 (Week 5 / 25.5.2024)

Then I moved on to the Mock-up, combining the collateral I picked with my artwork.

Fig. 2.9 Mock-up 1 (Week 5 / 25.5.2024)

After getting feedback from Week 6, I tried to find a colour palette that was more intense and not too harmonious than a light colour.

Fig. 2.10 Attempt 4 (Week 6 / 27.5.2024)

When the lecturer checked Fig. 2.10, he said that the colours were still too harmonious, so I removed black and added yellow this time. Then he said this was better, and I decided to use this colour palette.

Fig. 2.11 Attempt 5 (Week 6 / 27.5.2024)

Next, I changed the colours of my existing artwork and added entirely new elements. Most of the new additions were created to emphasize the splattering effect when the paint runs out.

Fig. 2.12 Pattern 1 (Week 6 / 31.5.2024)

Fig. 2.13 Pattern 2 (Week 6 / 1.6.2024)

Fig. 2.14 Workmark Logo (Week 6 / 1.6.2024)

Next, I worked on the mock-ups. To avoid repeating the mistake of making the colours too light, I focused on emphasizing the base colours in each collateral. I also added collateral to match the Instagram placement.

Fig. 2.15 Mock-up 1 (Week 6 / 2.6.2024)

Fig. 2.16 Mock-up 2 (Week 6 / 2.6.2024)

I also created a few mock-up posts for Instagram to see how they would look. I took a photo of myself, added texture to match the key art, and placed it in the centre. To avoid it looking too plain, I added many dot textures as seen in Fig. 2.17. However, the lecturer advised that it might be too much, so I removed them entirely.

Fig. 2.17 IG Attempt 1 (Week 6 / 2.6.2024)

Fig. 2.18 IG Attempt 2 (Week 8 / 10.7.2024)

Final Submission

Instagram link: https://www.instagram.com/abinofficial_design/

Fig. 2.19 Final Black wordmark on a white background JPEG (Week 8 / 12.6.2024)

Fig. 2.20 Final White wordmark on a black background JPEG (Week 8 / 12.6.2024)

Fig. 2.21 Colour Palette JPEG (Week 8 / 12.6.2024)

Fig. 2.22 Wordmark in the lightest shade of colour palette JPEG (Week 8 / 12.6.2024)

Fig. 2.23 Wordmark in the lightest shade of the colour palette on the darkest shade of the colour palette JPEG (Week 8 / 12.6.2024)

Fig. 2.24 T-shirt collateral 1 JPEG (Week 8 / 12.6.2024)

Fig. 2.25 Fashion Canvas Bag collateral 2 JPEG (Week 8 / 12.6.2024)

Fig. 2.26 Bucket Hat collateral 3 JPEG (Week 8 / 12.6.2024)

Fig. 2.27 iPhone Case collateral 4 JPEG (Week 8 / 12.6.2024)

Fig. 2.28 Boxes with Business Card collateral 5 JPEG (Week 8 / 12.6.2024)

Fig. 2.29 Free Two Small Envelopes collateral 6 JPEG (Week 8 / 12.6.2024)

Fig. 2.30 IG screen JPEG (Week 8 / 12.6.2024)

Fig. 2.31 Final Submission PDF (Week 8 / 12.6.2024)

FEEDBACK

WEEK 5

Specific Feedback: The leturer suggested that I use only one keyword instead of two keywords. He said it would be better to decide the exact word about what I want to be when it comes to design, not music.

General Feedback: The spread of paint can also help you express that you are a creative person. Paint splashing can be an expression of the word, artist, or you can express that you are the creator of amazing artwork. Make at least two digitized sketches.

WEEK 6

Specific Feedback: The Lecturer said the first and last colours in the chosen colour palette can be used, but others are so light. And it was better to use something like dark blue. The middle part of B needs to be corrected. It's too thick, so he recommended thinning it. And increase the gap between I and N, and improve the spacing of the letters overall.

General Feedback: The overall design is good, but some parts need to be fixed.

WEEK 7

Specific Feedback: The lecturer said the text looks overly dramatic like paint splashed on it. Even if you have good elements, using them excessively can lead to poor results, so it's important to be cautious.

General Feedback: He suggested taking out the spread overall.

REFLECTION

Experience

Creating a new letterform using my name was quite interesting work. I should design something that can describe or represent me in the design field to my clients (audiences). Doing a mind map was my step toward a better understanding of myself.

Observations

I realised that I have to show my identity and strength to my clients (audiences) to get recognition as a designer through this artwork. Not just showing my strength, I needed to appeal as a talented designer.

Findings

Creating artwork that looks good in design and represents my strength takes work. I knew it before starting to work, but I could recall it while doing it. I struggled and thought so much about the best artwork for me. And it was a meaningful time to create 'good' artwork.

Appropriateness is the search for the specific problem and defining possible solutions. It guides the use of media, materials, scale, expression, colour, and texture. Appropriateness transcends style and elicits client approval. It determines the project's look and is a fundamental principle of our Canon.

- Ambiguity

Ambiguity, a plurality of meanings, enriches design expression but should be used cautiously to avoid negative outcomes. Contradiction can reinforce ambiguity, indicating discontinuity or lack of control.

- Design is One

At 16, the author was a draftsman at Castiglioni Architects in Milano, designing iconic items like radios, flatware, and furniture. They became icons of Italian design and emphasised mastering a design discipline for diverse projects. The author has pursued diversification in design practice, testing intuition, knowledge, passion, and desire for success.

- Visual Power

Design should be visually powerful, expressing clear concepts in beautiful form and colour. Infinite possibilities exist for powerful expressions, such as scale differences, bold type contrast, and manipulating light through textures and materials. Visual strength is an expression of intellectual elegance.

- Intellectual Elegance

Intellectual elegance is the sublime intelligence that has produced masterpieces in history, guiding us to the best solutions, elevating humble artefacts to noble stands, and promoting civic consciousness, social responsibility, and moral imperative.

- Timelessness

We oppose design fashion, obsolescence, waste, and novelty. We advocate for lasting, enduring designs that respond to people's needs and wants. We prefer primary shapes, colours, objective typography, and an economy of design that respects investment.

- Responsibility

Responsibility in graphic design is crucial for economic awareness and a responsible solution to problems. Designers have three levels of responsibility: project integrity, client efficiency, and public benefit. They must commit to finding the most appropriate solution without compromises.

- Equity

A company's logo should not be merely a tool for change, but rather a part of its overall corporate identity. Logos that have been in the public domain for over 50 years are considered classics and should not be replaced. Instead, new logos should reflect respect for history and cultural values.

The tangibles:

- Paper sizes

Paper size selection is crucial in printing, with international A and American A sizes being widely used. Standardizing paper sizes improves reproduction quality, reduces pollution, and respects ethics.

- Grids, Margins, Columns and Modules

Graphic design focuses on organizing information and achieving desired outcomes. The grid serves as a basic structure, providing consistency and order. The most appropriate grid is chosen based on the job at hand. The grid can be divided into columns and modules, ensuring consistency and horizontal reference. The grid is a useful tool for enhancing message clarity.

- A Company Letterhead

The text describes a modern, asymmetrical layout for a letterhead, with the company name centred in the second column. The sender's address is placed at the bottom of the page, with the logo or symbol on the first column. The grid prevents arbitrary placement of information on the printed page and can be used in various stationary pieces, such as fax forms and invoices. The grid's design allows for infinite compositions, similar to music's five lines and seven notes.

- Grids for Books

The grid in book design provides structure and continuity, organizing information according to content. The size of the book determines the container, and the grid should relate to the proportion of pictures. Grids are used for various types of books, magazines, newspapers, and posters. Refinement involves planning a grid with type and illustrations following the same exact grid, resulting in elegance and good typography.

- Typefaces, The Basic Ones

The computer revolutionized desktop publishing, leading to a surge in typefaces and visual pollution. An exhibition emphasized the importance of structure in typography, emphasizing good design over bad.

- Flush left, centred, justified

Flush left alignment is common in Linotype, as it's faster and easier to read. Centred is used for lapidary text, invitations, and business cards, while justified is more common for textbooks.

- Type Size Relationships

Typesetting involves choosing the appropriate size of type based on column width, with a preference for two sizes on a printed page. Typography should express intellectual elegance, using appropriate leading, Roman or italic type, regular spacing, tight kerning, rulers, and bold, regular, and light weights. The type should be used with moderation in packaging design situations.

- Rulers

The author uses a hierarchy of weights and types between rulers to clarify text parts. They respect typography and learn from great Masters, ensuring the type hangs from the ruler.

- Contrasting Type Sizes

The author discusses the importance of typography in graphic composition, particularly the contrast of scale on a printed page, and the relationship among type sizes. They emphasize the importance of white space in creating a perfect pitch and avoiding intellectual vulgarity.

- Scale

Scale is a crucial design element, affecting the size of an object in its natural context. Mastering the scale involves understanding its functions, physical and psychological. To convey the intended message, controlling every detail, including material, texture, colour, weight, sound, and temperature is essential.

- Texture

Light masters form and texture, allowing for the expression of artefacts. Surface qualities like reflection and absorption influence object design. Texture and colour are crucial in defining creative artefacts, enhancing perception and revealing inner secrets.

- Colour

Colour is often used as a signifier or identifier in a primary palette of Red, Blue, and Yellow. This preference may seem restrictive, but it conveys a specific message. Appropriateness is crucial in choosing colours for particular tasks, ensuring effective use.

- Layouts

The grid is a useful design tool for publications, providing consistency but not excitement. White space, margins, and aesthetic considerations are crucial for achieving the final look.

- Sequence

The sequence of layouts in a publication is crucial for the reader's cinematic experience. They prefer forceful, simple layouts with full-bleed pages and pictures. A neutral approach is chosen, overcoming monotony and allowing room for creativity. The publication's nature helps overcome monotony.

- Binding

Bookbinding adds quality to products and consists of several components, including a cover, spine, headband, and endpapers. Sandwich binding, a type of sandwich binding, consists of a chipboard panel on the front and a white cloth spine. This binding allows books to open flat, making it convenient for picture books.

- Identity and Diversity

Identity and diversity are crucial in design, balancing them to avoid fragmentation and perceptive redundancy. Balance is key, with flexibility in design solutions. Examples include book series with constant identifiers and furniture with user-defined aesthetics.

- White space

White space is crucial in typography and architecture, separating messages and establishing tension. Masterful handling of white space is a distinctive attribute of American graphic design, influencing landscape grandeur and enhancing message.

- A collection of experiences

Modular and standard dimensions save money and promote good design. Designers should continuously evaluate details, focus on modular relationships, and select elements for universal harmony.

QUICK LINKS

Projects