Advanced Typography | Task 2A&B
16/10/2024 - 13/11/2024 Week 4 - Week 7
Gao Yuan Yi 0373945
GCD61004 Advanced Typography / Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media / Taylor's University
Task 2A&B Key Artwork & Collateral
LECTURES
Lecture 4 AdTypo_4_Designing Type
Why is there a need to keep designing new fonts?
1. Type design carries a social responsibility so one must keep improving its legibility.
2. Type design is a form of art expression. Artists create when they find a need to be fulfilled.
1. Type design carries a social responsibility so one must keep improving its legibility.
2. Type design is a form of art expression. Artists create when they find a need to be fulfilled.
1. Frutiger by Adrian Frutiger
Fig 1. 1. 1 Frutiger, Week 4
Designed by the Swiss type designer Adrian Frutiger in 1968, specifically for use in the French airport.
The purpose is to create a clean, distinctive and legible typeface that is easy to see from both close up and far away.
Consideration / Limitations: Letterforms needed to be recognized even in poor lightings, or when the reader was moving quickly past the sign.
2. Verdana by Matthew Carter
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Fig 1. 1. 2 Verdana, Week 4
Designed by Matthew Carter to address specific technical challenges.
The purpose is to be extremely legible even at very small sizes on the screen due in part to the popularity of the internet and electronic devices.
Consideration / Limitations: Verdana exhibits characteristics derived from the pixel rather than the pen, the brush or the chisel.
3. Johnston Sans by Edward Johnston
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Fig 1. 1. 3 Johnston Sans, Week 4
Type Design Process
1. Research
Understand type history, type anatomy, type conventions and terminologies.
Determine the type’s purpose or what it would be used for and what different applications it will be used in.
Study existing fonts that are presently being used for inspiration / ideas / reference / context / usage pattern / etc.
2. Sketching
Traditional / digital
3. Digitisation
Professional softwares: FontLab and Glyphs App. Some designers also use Adobe Illustrator then only the specialised font apps. This however is frowned upon by the purist.
4. Testing
The results of testing are part of the process of refining and correcting aspects of the typeface. Prototyping is also part of the testing process and leads to important feedback. Depending on the typeface category (display type/text type) the readability and legibility of the typeface becomes an important consideration. However, it is not as crucial if the typeface is a display type, where expression of the form takes a little more precedence.
5. Deploy
Even after deploying a completed typeface there are always teething problems that did not come to the fore during the prototyping and testing phases. Thus, the task of revision doesn’t end upon deployment. The rigour of the testing is important so that the teething issues remain minor.
Typeface Construction
Fig. 1. 1. 4 Construction grid for roman capitals (8 x 8 cells)
Using grids (with circular forms) can facilitate the construction of letterforms and is a possible method to build/create/design your letterform.
Construction and considerations
Fig. 1. 1. 5 Classification according to form and construction
Different forms and constructions must be taken into account when designing a new type. An important visual correction is the extrusion of curved (and protruding) forms past the baseline and cap line (overshoot). This also applies to vertical alignment between curved and straight forms.
Fitting the type: A visual correction is also needed for the distance between letters. The letters must be altered to a uniform visual white space - the white space between the letters should appear the same.
Ink traps were generally used when printing on cheap absorbent paper and when printing is fast and not very precise. Excess ink gathers at the corners, but with ink traps the corners remain visible.
Lecture 5 AdTypo_5_Designing Type
Perception in typography deals with the visual navigation and interpretation of the reader via contrast, form and organisation of the content. Content can be textual, visual, graphical or in the form of colour. However, our focus today is on typography.
Fig. 1. 2. 1 Methods of Contrast by Rudi Ruegg
7 Types of Contrast by Carl Dair:
Fig. 1. 2. 2 Methods of Contrast by Carl Dair
1. Contrast / Size
Fig. 1. 2. 3 Contrast / Size
A contrast of size provides a point to which the reader's attention is drawn.
The most common use of size is in making a title/ heading noticeably bigger compared to the body text.
2. Contrast / Weight
Fig. 1. 2. 4 Contrast / Weight
Describes how bold type can stand out in the middle of the lighter type of the same style.
Using rules/spots/ squares also provides a heavy area for an emphasized point of visual attraction.
3. Contrast / Form
Fig. 1. 2. 5 Contrast / Form
Using the different weights to create contrast is an important factor when dealing with information.
A distinction between a capital letter and its lowercase equivalent, or a Roman letter and its italic variant, condensed/ expanded versions.
4. Contrast / Structure
Fig. 1. 2. 6 Contrast / Structure
5. Contrast / Texture
Fig. 1. 2. 7 Contrast / Texture
Fig. 1. 2. 8 Example of Contrast / Texture
Created by putting the contrasts of size, weight, form, and structure together.
Texture refers to the way the lines of type look as a whole up close and from a distance.
6. Contrast / Direction
Fig. 1. 2. 9 Contrast / Direction
Opposition between vertical and horizontal, and the angles in between.
Turning one word on its side can create a dramatic effect, text blocks also have their vertical/ horizontal aspects of direction.
Mixing wide blocks of long lines with tail columns of short lines can also create a contrast.
7. Contrast / Colour
Fig. 1. 2. 10 Contrast / Colour
Fig. 1. 2. 11 Example of Contrast / Colour
The use of colour suggests that a second colour is often less emphatic in values compared to plain black on white.
It is important to give thought to which element needs to be emphasized and to pay attention to the tonal values of colours that are used.
Form
Fig. 1. 2. 12 Form
Form refers to the overall look and feel of the elements that make up the typographic composition.
Plays a role in visual impact and first impressions.
A good form of typography tends to be visually intriguing to the eye which leads the eye from point to point, entertaining the mind and often memorable.
The word typography originated from the Greek words 'typos' (form) and 'graphis' (writing), which means to write in accordance with the form.
Typography can be seen as having 2 functions:
1. To represent a concept
2. To represent a concept in a visual form
Displaying type as a form provides a sense of letterforms' unique characteristics and abstract presentation. Below are some examples of great combinations of typographical forms:
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Fig. 1. 2. 13 Examples
The interplay of meaning and form brings a balanced harmony both in terms of function and expression. When a typeface is perceived as a form, it no longer reads as a letter due to the manipulation of its letterform by distortion, texture, enlargement, and being extruded into a space.
Below are some examples of how form and communication come together:
Fig. 1. 2. 14 Examples
Organization / Gestalt
Gestalt is a German word meaning the way a thing has been "placed" or "put together".
An attempt to understand the laws behind the ability to acquire and maintain meaningful perceptions.
A Gestalt psychologist, Max Wertheimer developed a number of laws that predict how perceptual grouping occurs under a variety of circumstances.
Emphasizes that the whole of anything is greater than its parts—based on the idea that the things we experience are a unified whole.
Perceptual Organization / Groupings
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Fig. 1. 2. 15 Gestalt Laws
1. Laws of Similarity
2. Laws of Proximity
3. Laws of Closure
4. Laws or Continuation
5. Laws of Symmetry
6. Laws of Simplicity (Praganz)
1. The Law of Similarity
States that elements that are similar to each other tend to be perceived as a unified group.
Similarity can refer to any number of features, including colour, orientation, size, or indeed motion.
2. The Law of Proximity
State elements that are close together tend to be perceived as a unified group.
Items close to each other tend to be grouped together, whereas items further apart are less likely to be grouped together.
3. The 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 (Good) Continuation
Holds that humans tend to perceive each of two or more objects as a different, singular, and uninterrupted object even when they intersect.
The alignment of the objects or forms plays a major role in this principle.
INSTRUCTIONS
Task 2A - Key Artwork
In task 2A, we instructed to create a wordmark of our own name / pseudonym, which will be subsequently be used in Task 2 (B) collateral.
We were instructed to begin by creating a mind map about us.
Fig. 2. 1. 1 Mindmap 'About Me'（week 4)
Then, I try to find inspiration in my daily art works.
Fig. 2. 1. 2 daily art works
Fig. 2. 1. 3 Initial sketches (week 4)
Fig. 2. 1. 4 First design (week 4)
Fig. 2. 1. 5 First design (week 4)
Fig. 2. 1. 6 First design (week 4)
Fig. 2. 1. 7 First design (week 4)
Fig. 2. 1. 8 First design (week 4)
Fig. 2. 1. 9 First design (week 4)
Fig. 2. 1. 10 First design (week 4)
After Week 7 tutorial, Mr. Vinod suggested me exploring more idea. The first try of my wordmark was not good enough. He suggested me to create some circles in my design to express the meaning of my name. So I started to try another idea of my wordmark.
Task 2A Final Outcome
Fig. 2. 2. 1 Black wordmark on white background (week 5)
Fig. 2. 2. 2 White wordmark on black background (week 5)
Fig. 2. 2. 3 Colour palette (week 6)
Fig. 2. 2. 4 Wordmark in actual colours on lightest shade of colour palette (week 6)
Fig. 2. 2. 6 wordmark animation (Gif format) (week 6)
Fig. 2. 2. 7 Task 2A Key Artwork - PDF (week 6)
Task 2B - Collateral
Expand your key artworks identity into your chosen collateral.
Mr Vinod has provided us this site: Pentagram site for inspiration view and study how identities are expanded.
Sample identity expansion from Pentagram site :
additional resource on expansion of identity https://www.itsnicethat.com/articles/paula-scher-atlantic-theater-company
After finishing the collateral designs, we need to plan out our IG design.
Fig. 2. 3. 1 Collateral -1 (week 7)
Fig. 2. 3. 2 Collateral -2 (week 7)
Fig. 2. 3. 3 Collateral -3 (week 7)
Fig. 2. 3. 4 Layout of Instagram account (week 7)
Fig. 2. 3. 5 Screenshot of Instagram account (week 7)
ig link: (@y.uan_y1) · Instagram 照片和视频
Fig. 2. 3. 6 Task 2B - Collateral - PDF (week 7)
Task 2 Outcome Compilation
Fig. 2. 4. 1 Black wordmark on white background (week 8)
Fig. 2. 4. 2 White wordmark on black background (week 8)
Fig. 2. 4. 3 Colour palette (week 8)
Fig. 2. 4. 4 Wordmark in actual colours on lightest shade of colour palette (week 8)
Fig. 2. 4. 6 Wordmark animation (Gif format) (week 8)
Fig. 2. 4. 7 Task 2A Key Artwork - PDF (week 8)
Fig. 2. 4. 8 Collateral -1 (week 8)
Fig. 2. 4. 9 Collateral -2 (week 8)
Fig. 2. 4. 10 Collateral -3 (week 8)
Fig. 2. 4. 11 Layout of Instagram account (week 8)
Fig. 2. 4. 12 Screenshot of Instagram account (week 8)
ig link: (@y.uan_y1) · Instagram 照片和视频
Fig. 2. 4. 13 Task 2B - Collateral - PDF (week 8)
FEEDBACK
Week 5
Specific Feedback
Need explore more style of wordmarks, sketches are not good enough.
Need explore more style of wordmarks, sketches are not good enough.
Week 6
Specific Feedback
Try to make a circle in wordmark to express the meaning of my name. Exercise more with Adobe Illustrator. My operation skill are not good enough.
Week 7
Specific Feedback
The first try of my wordmark was not good enough. Mr. Vinod suggested me to create some circles in my design to express the meaning of my name. Some pictures of IG featuring 9 tiles seem created by the same idea. Explore some new idea.
REFLECTION
Experience
In the Advanced Typographic class, I embarked on a journey of creating a wordmark based on my name, using Adobe Illustrator. This was a challenging yet enriching experience that required me to develop my typographic identity and expand it into collateral applications. Throughout Weeks 5 to 7, I iteratively worked on refining my designs, receiving constructive feedback from Mr. Vinod at each stage. Initially, my sketches lacked depth and variation, which pushed me to explore different styles and techniques. The process taught me the importance of experimentation and how crucial it is to align the design with the concept I aim to express.
Observations
My initial attempts were not satisfactory because the sketches lacked exploration and refinement. Mr. Vinod suggested incorporating circular elements to better represent the meaning of my name, which was an insightful direction to explore.
My proficiency with Adobe Illustrator was not sufficient at first, which made executing ideas difficult. However, through repeated exercises and practice, I started to get more comfortable with the tools and techniques.
Findings
Feedback is invaluable in refining a design. My progress over the weeks demonstrated how much a design can improve through iteration and thoughtful adjustments. Incorporating circles into the wordmark allowed me to embed the meaning of my name into the design, making it more personalized and conceptually strong. Visual elements should not only look appealing but also convey meaning. While I improved my Adobe Illustrator skills, this experience reinforced the importance of continuous practice to achieve technical proficiency. Technical skill is as crucial as creativity in design work. Exploring different styles and studying inspirational designs helped me expand my creative horizon. It emphasized the importance of looking beyond initial ideas to discover better solutions.
FURTHER READING
Typographic Systems - Kimberly Elam
The grid in the calendar program by Emil Ruder is determined
by the strong vertical strokes of the large-scale letters representing the first character in the day of the week. The repetition of "mdmd" creates a rhythm in the right edge alignment of the columns and a tension with the closer column under the "f" Text in each column is qrouped according to time. The strong stress of the vertical movement is in contrast to the negative counterforms of the letters.
The smaller work below, also by Ruder, uses a similar play of horizontal and vertical movement. The vertical stress is emphasized by the columns of text and intensified by the rules that separate lines of text. The horizontal movement is created by the sequence of bold arcs completing a circle.
Grid system (Page 89)
Transparent structures identify the columns and visual fields that make up a grid. in the works to the right and bottom right, each column is a gray field. These gray fields are accented by transparent horizontal fields that overlap the columns to separate type into visual fields or provide emphasis. The result is a visible structure that divides the space. The work below left uses a different strategy to create transparency. The red outline square emphasizes the word "Architectonic" and becomes a transparent window.
Transitional system (Page107)
One of the strongest traits of the transitional system is a sense of movement. Since there are no strong vertical alignments to create a visual stop, the typography seems to be in motion, a sense that is intensified when rules or text bleed off of the left or right edges of the format.
Experience with grouping gained by working with other systems is brought to the transitional system and logical groups of lines share proximity relationships. Sensitivity to the message leads the designer to create a natural reading order and differentiate the groups by positioning or a change in tone.
In the composition to the right, the thin line entering the format and attached to the tiny circle emphasizes movement. The text above and below the rule continues the movement toward the right edge. Below, staggered multiple lines enhance the feeling of motion as they move toward and away from the text groups.
Modular system (Page127)
The thumbnail phase of the modular system is unlike the other systems; it involves nonobjective elements in all compositions, even the one size,one weight thumbnails. Modules take the place of nonobjective elements, and the designeris challenged to design with modular shapes at the outset. Simple shapes such as circle, square, and rectangle are the easiest to control, with long rectangles having the closest visual relationship to lines of text. Polygons, ellipses, and other multifaceted shapes become very complex and are much more difficult to control.
Early compositions often contain stand-alone modules, but as work progresses modules begin to touch, overlap, and combine so as to create otherinteresting shapes. In working through the thumbnail process the designer realizes that the lines of text can be arranged in the shapes in an irregular manner and that the modules need not be regimented, which results in more lively compositions.
Bilateral system (Page141)
Siegfried Odermatt and Rosmarie Tissi have worked as partners since the 1960s and are one of the best-known graphic design studios in Switzerland.Their poster for Serenaden 92 becomes an abstract landscape with an orange setting sun and a white, rising crescent moon. The landscape is further defined by the green "forest" and the text and rules that play down the page like a reflection on water.
The text is arranged in a bilateral column that is slightly offset to the right, Each text group is organized by a red rule to the left and balanced by a similar rule to the right, creating an abstract reflection of light from the sun and moon on water. The ancillary information at the bottom does not employ the right-side rules, so the reflection appears to diminish near the bottom of the page.
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