TYPOGRAPHY| TASK 3: TYPE DESIGN & COMMUNICATION

TYPOGRAPHY| TASK 3: TYPE DESIGN & COMMUNICATION_

|| 16/05/23 – 26/06/23 (Week 7 – Week 13) 

|| Miao Xinjun, 0379525

|| Typography

|| Task 3: Type Design & Communication. 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Instructions

2.Process Work

•    2.1 Research
•    2.2 Ideation
•    2.3 Final Outcome 

3. Feedback

4. Reflection

5. Further Reading

1.INSTRUCTIONS

Task 3: Type Design & Communication

We learned about the structure of different letters and related knowledge, gained an understanding of various styles of uppercase and lowercase fonts, and learned the terminology corresponding to the components of letters. In the lecture, we were taught how to dissect and analyze letters, create our own fonts, and then use those self-created fonts to make a poster.

Learning Goal:

• To develop student’s ability to construct a readable and legible font.

• To develop student’s ability to design a font with consistent characteristics premised on research and analysis.

Submission:

1. Link to download font
2. Your initial sketch
3. Screen Grab of FontLab process (side-bearings)
4. Final Type construction in Ai JPEG (1024px, 300ppi, Grayscale)
5. Final Type construction Ai in PDF
6. Final JPEG A4 black & white poster (1024px width, 300ppi, Grayscale)
7. Final PDF A4 black & white poster 
8. Font Tester/Preview (optional)

Timeframe: Week8 - Week 12 (Deadline on Week 13)

Figure 1.1 Module Information Booklet (MIB) of Typography

2.PROCESS WORK

2.1 Research

In the begining, we are tasked to select a preferred font from the 10 fonts provided. Using the given letters H,o,g,b, do a detail dissection of the letters in Adobe Illustrator (artboard size: 1000pt x 1000pt). Deconstruction is a great help for us to understand a general idea/ principle of how other create their font.

Figure 2.1.1 Deconstruction of a, g, n from Univers LT Std (75 Black)

After the anatomical analysis, I began to try creating my typeface using the four letters previously given. I used Pinterest to find some references.

Figure 3.1.2 Reference for Type Design

2.2 Ideation

We started sketch the letters a, b, g, t / A, B, G, T (in both lowercase and uppercase). We were allowed to experiment with both lowercase and uppercase versions, creating four drafts and trying out 2 to 4 different styles.

I chose to create two sets of uppercase and lowercase letters with different styles, each based on a distinct concept.

Figure 2.2.1 An attempt at two sets of uppercase and lowercase (a b j t/A B G T) 

In the feedback on these four drafts, the lowercase letter sketches I created had a better visual effect than the two sets of uppercase ones. So, I chose the more distinctive set of lowercase letters at the bottom to explore further, using this concept to continue working on the other seven letters (e p y i d m o) and four punctuation marks (. , ! #).

Figure 2.2.2 The sketches of the eleven letters and four punctuation marks

I made several different attempts at some of the letters and punctuation marks, to provide more options for selecting a more consistent set with better visual effect later on.

After further feedback, I selected the best written "a e p y i  t g d m o b , . ! #" from my previous sketches to digitize using Adobe Illustrator.

Figure 2.2.3 Compilation of the best written "a e p y i  t g d m o b , . ! #"

2.3 Final Outcome

After finishing the draft, I started using FontLab to create my font. Since my font has distinct swashes in its design, I named it "Story".

Download Font here

Figure 2.3.1 Screen Grab of FontLab process (side-bearings)

Figure 2.3.2 Final Type construction in Ai JPEG

Figure 2.3.3 Final Type construction Ai in PDF

Figure 2.3.4 Final JPEG A4 black & white poster 

Figure 2.3.5 Final PDF A4 black & white poster 

3.FEEDBACK

• Week 8:

General Feedback:

For the first two hand-drawn sketches: The design of lowercase letters appears somewhat ordinary, and some details don't meet the requirements. The uppercase letters look good and can be further explored.

Specific Feedback:

When creating hand-drawn sketches, pay attention to keeping the letter sizes and details consistent, as well as the ascenders and descenders. The design of lowercase letters is slightly similar to most common typeface designs—you should attempt more creative approaches.

• Week 9:

General Feedback:

This is good, no problem.

Specific Feedback:

The lowercase letters look better than the uppercase ones. You can pick one of the lowercase letter sketches to move forward with with next.

• Week 10

General Feedback:

Overall, there’s a distinct design concept, but some letters have partial details that most others don’t. For some letters, trying more variations in their execution could help achieve greater consistency.

Specific Feedback:

The stroke of the letter "t" and the letter "y" can be adjusted slightly according to the design concept to better align with the overall design. Compared to the designs of "a" and "b", the letters "e" and "m" look a bit simple—more experiments can be done based on the concept. More attempts can also be made with the punctuation mark "#" and the letter "o"; this might provide better options for the upcoming digitized work.

• Week 11

General Feedback:

Pay attention to details

Specific Feedback:

Ensure the Stroke, Bowl, Ear, Final, Loop, and Swash of each letter are consistent. In particular, make sure the thickness of each letter’s stroke is uniform, and that the thickest part of the bowl—based on its own design (such as the letter "o")—matches the stroke.

• Week 12

General Feedback:

When creating fonts in FontLab 7, pay attention to the size and positioning of letters and punctuation marks.

Specific Feedback:

The head of a comma should be slightly smaller than a period, and it should sit on the baseline—aligning with the bottom of the letter "o". The period should be positioned slightly higher than the baseline of the letter "o"

• Week 13

General Feedback:

You can adjust the letter spacing to make it a bit wider. When creating the font poster, ensure the layout is balanced.

Specific Feedback:

Considering the font’s own design, when adjusting the sidebearing size, you don’t need to subtract the overlapping spacing between two letters. For the black-and-white poster, a centered layout works, but the font shouldn’t be too large.

4.REFLECTION

Experience:

These past few weeks of study have gone smoothly! While completing Task 3 wasn’t easy—there were some failures and mistakes before I successfully finished my font design—I kept receiving feedback and advice from the lecturer, which helped me smoothly address my shortcomings and make improvements. When I entered the week8 of study and started working on Task 3, my first thought was that creating my own font would be a fun endeavor. But before diving into designing the font itself, learning the relevant guidelines was an essential step. Through the lectures, I learned the terminology for the various structures of letters and the uppercase and lowercase forms of different styles, gaining a better understanding of the principle governing letter design. After that, building on what I’d learned, I practiced dissecting and analyzing three letters in the same style. These steps were crucial to my ability to complete the task smoothly, and only then did I start sketching drafts. At first, I somewhat overlooked the consistency in size and concept across each letter, but these issues were quickly resolved. My design soon gained the lecturer’s approval, and I was told I could begin digitizing it using FontLab 7 to bring the letters to life.

Observations:

To better refine my font design, I looked up references for various font styles. While I hoped my design would be distinctive, I also worried it might end up overly exaggerated and flawed—after all, this was my first attempt at font design. As a result, most of my first two hand-drawn drafts came across as fairly conventional font designs. While waiting for feedback, I saw some of my classmates’ work: some were quite unique, others were cute and charming, which was surprisingly engaging. Soon, I received the lecturer’s feedback: those plain-looking designs were completely overshadowed by the more creative ones I’d experimented with. This made me discard my initial reservations, and I went on to explore more ideas based on the more standout font designs I’d created.

Findings:

I’ve realized that designing fonts requires both attention to principle and details, as well as bold, creative experimentation. When looking up references, I came across font designs of various styles—each with its own concept and characteristics, yet all adhering to consistent font principle and norms. When creating drafts, building on basic guidelines, I can use different concepts to design fonts of varying styles and make multiple handwritten attempts. This provides more options for selecting a better set of letters later on. During digitization, extra attention must be paid to details: the size and baseline positioning of each letter and punctuation mark, the thickness of strokes, the curvature of swashes, and so on—none of these details can be overlooked. I’ve also noticed that different font designs call for different, complementary poster layouts. When using your own font to create a poster, you should arrange the layout differently based on your specific design.

5.FURTHER READING

Figure 5.1 The Elements of Typographic Style, by Bringhurst, Robert

I read the "Grand Design" chapter in this book, and from it, I gained an understanding of the primary goals of typographers and the crucial role that typography plays in text.

The following is my summary of this reading：

• Typography exists to honor content

Typography is an art that can add beauty to language or clarify the meaning conveyed by text, though it is sometimes intentionally misused.

In many cases, typography is required to be both eye-catching and readable—two qualities that are hard to balance. Thus, a kind of statuesque transparency clarity and durability are goal in typographic design.

One of the principles of durable typography: legibility and some earned or unearned interest (more than legibility)

These principles apply, in different way, to the typography: business cards, instruction sheets and postage stamps, edition of religious scriptures, literary classics and other books that aspire to join their ranks.

 Typography is just that: idealized writing.

“Typographic style is the power to move freely in the length and breadth of linguistic thinking without slipping into banality. “--Walter Benjamin. 

Typographic style, in this large and intelligent sense of the word, means the power to move freely through the whole domain of typography, and to function at every step in a way that is graceful and vital instead of banal.

• The typographer’s one essential task is to interpret and communicate the text. Its tone, its tempo, its logical structure, its physical size, all determine the possibilities of its typographic form.

• In novels and other reading materials, typographic techniques such as varying font sizes, styles, and margins can effectively distinguish between a character’s thoughts, dialogue, and actions, helping readers grasp the different meanings the author intends to convey through the text. (such as Peter Mathiessen’s novel “Far Tortuga”)
• Boundaries between author and designer sometimes vanish. Writing merges with typography, and the text becomes its own illustration. (such as the works of Guillaume Apollinaire and Guy Davenport)