Labels

ADVANCED TYPOGRAPHY TASK 1: EXERCISES


29/3/2021 Week 1 - 19/4/2021 Week 4
Rhyanne Cyrene Lowe / 0347077 / Bachelor of Design (Honours) in Creative Media
Advanced Typography
Task 1 (Exercises)

Lecture Notes:
Week 1: Beginning the first subject of my semester, we were introduced to the module and brief for this module. Our first lesson was on 'Typographic Systems'. This lesson on the 8 Typographical Systems was based on a book by Kimberly Elam.
The 8 systems are: 

1. Axial - Elements are arranged to the left or right of an axis
2. Radial - Elements are extended from a point of focus, creating 'rays'
3. Dilatational - Elements are arranged in a circular pattern
4. Random - Elements have no specific pattern or relationship with one another
5. Grid - Elements are arranged on/in horizontal and vertical divisions
6. Modular - Elements on layout use repeating structures to break up the content.
7. Transitional - Elements are arranged as layers or lines
8. Bilateral - Elements are arranged centered on a single axis

Week 2: The lecturer went through the analytical questions with us again and showed us the process of analysis. The questions were : 

  • Does it adhere to the prescribed system? (yes/no) 
  • Comment on the information's hierarchy 
    •  Is it logical/ appropriate? 
  •  Does the composition draw you in? 
  •  Are there weaknesses in the composition? 
  •  Does the design adhere to the best practices in typesetting? 
    •  Is it the right point size? 
    •  Leading / kerning? 
    •  Is the headline too big?
  • How can they improve? 
We were then brief on our second exercise.
 
Week 3: There are no lecture notes this week

Week 4: Mr. Vinod went through our second exercise again and gave additional feedback. W were then briefed on the next type and play exercise and started working on it in class. 


Instructions:

29/3/2021 Week 1-2
Exercise: Typographic Systems

1. Axial 
fig1.1 Axial
We were asked to design this axial system poster during class within a limited time as a warm-up before starting on our first task to design for each typographic system. 
After we were done, we were put in breakout rooms and shared our feedback on our designs.
I chose to enlarge the title with scale and stroke, bringing attention to it at first glance. Although axial layouts also include a diagonal axis where the text falls on, I decided to go with a central axis instead.

2. Radial


Final:

fig 1.2. Radial

The radial system was rather challenging for me to figure out as I have never really experimented with text paths and rotation before. For the layout, I placed the central point to be on the left side of the margin creating a semi-circle, where the type will radiate from. I also added a textured gradient as the background to further accentuate the radial effect.

3. Dilatational 


Final:

fig 1.3. Dilatational


Similar to Radial, the dilatational layout was also challenging as I had to play around with text rotation. Because of how much dilatation reminds me of ripples on water, I tried to mimic that as my layout After many trials and errors,  I found a layout was satisfied with and added elements to make it look more like water droplet ripples.

4.Random


Finals:

fig 1.4. Random

fig 1.5 Random

Experimenting with the Random typographic system was fun as I had a lot of versatility (Even though the other systems have versatility too, I feel like this one has the most). I wanted to try arranging the layout in an isometric manner. The second photo was my first idea and the third was my attempt at including line elements. 

5. Grid


Final:


fig 1.6. Grid



The Grid system is commonly used in some of the best designs. It is especially used a lot in editorial as it puts readability as a priority. Personally, following a grid system as a designer requires a lot of discipline. For this design, I used 3 equal columns and rows and arranged the text in a way that made sure it stayed within the column except for the title.

6. Modular

Final:

fig 1.7. Modular

Modular arrangements are usually laid out using repeating structures to break apart content. For this, I used boxes to separate the dates and information across the page, while keeping the title in big bold text.

7. Transitional
fig 1.8

Final:
fig 1.9. Transitional

The Transitional System was a little tricky to figure out however I really enjoyed how the layered style of the transitional system allowed me to warp the stacked text to fit the theme of waves and liquid. It gave a sense of tranquility to the entire poster as a whole.

8. Bilateral

fig 1.10 Bilateral


Reading the definition of the bilateral system, I initially thought that it was a very limiting/ boring layout as you are only to place text centered on a single axis but I was wrong. This system can communicate a minimal clean and tidy look to your design. 


On week 2, feedbacks and further tutorials were given. After taking note of my mistakes and how to improve these were the final revised pieces: 

fig 1.11. Random (Revised)

fig 1.12. Dilational

fig 1.13. Modular (Revised)

fig 1.14. Radial (Revised)

fig 1.15. Grid (Revised)

fig 1.16. Axial

fig 1.17. Bilateral (Revised)

fig 1.18. Transitional (Revised)

PDF of the finals typographic systems exercise:
5/4/2021 Week 2: 
Exercise: Type & Play Part1 

We had to pick an image for this new exercise and find letterforms within that image. We then had to refine the letters into a digitalized type. 

I picked a zoomed-in photo of a leaf to work with because I instantly fell in love with how the plant texture on the surface of the leaf looked cell-like.

fig 2.0 Leaf Texture by
@davidclode

I then took this image to photoshop to adjust the levels and contrast and inverted the colors, so that I would have a clear outline to work with. 

fig 2.1

I then traced the outline to have it vectorized

fig 2.2 extracting


After doing so, I searched for letterforms and from here I found the letters A, B, C, E, and O

fig2.3

fig 2.4 

fig 2.5

I took the letterforms to Adobe Illustrator and refined my lines and cleaned up the jagged edges as an attempt to create a softer edge letterform.
I wasn't happy with how uneven and messy the type looked especially side by side so I decided to sketch out the letterforms using a grid box as a guide.
fig 2.6

I like how the letterforms kept the round soft edges of the leaf cell texture while having little spacing. As in the original photo, the cells/letterforms look inflated while having that "pushed in" (>) points along the sides of the form. 
I wanted to retain these as the characteristics of the type while I even out the width and height of each letter to a grid box of 4x5 to form a more consistent and balanced look.
This is the result of the final type compared to the original letterforms :

fig 2.7
This is the final type compared to the original letterform:  (A>B>C>E>O)

fig 2.8


fig 2.9 Letter A
fig 2.10 Letter B

fig 2.11 Letter C

fig 2.12 Letter E



fig 2.13 Letter O



fig 2.14 Refinement Process


fig 2.15 Type showcase



Below I've attached the PDF file of the project:


19/4/2021 Week 4: 
Exercise: Type & Play Part 2

For this exercise, we have to combine a visual with a letter/word/sentence of our choosing. 
The objective of this is to enhance/support the interplay between the letter/word/sentence and the selected visual. The text must be woven into a symbiotic relationship with the image.

fig 3.0 first attempt

fig 3.1 second attempt


As I wasn't satisfied with my first attempt, I decided to change the image while still having the same idea in mind, I played with the visuals of water refractions on the text as it fades the deeper in the water it is.

fig 3.2 third attempt

PDF File: 


Feedback:
Week 1:  There was no feedback given by the lecturer this week.

Week 2: Starting the class, the lecturer prepared us for breakout rooms of 4 where we were asked to analyze and advise each others' 8 typographic systems. 

My peers said that my Random typographic layout was not random enough and needed more chaos. I agreed and mentioned that I was afraid of taking the risk at first and it was hard to break out of that traditional 'orderly' a habit we usually are thought of as designers but, I was assured that typographic systems don't always need to be neat, tidy, and legible all the time, hence the existence of the Random system. 
I was also advised to not depend so much on the use of graphic elements in my work. I appreciated this feedback as I think it will serve as a reminder to me that it's important to be practice typography in a way that prioritizes the type. Elements should function to assist the information. Feedback given to me was mostly on experimenting more. My peers told me that I should get out of my comfort zone and not be afraid of trying something new. 

Week 3:  My peers said that my original letterforms reminded them of intestines haha. They also mentioned it was rather hard to read and I agreed that it is not a font meant to use for a lot of text but instead used as a title font. 

Week 4:  Mr. Vinod advised me to double-check the corner radius consistency on my typeface on exercise 2. For exercise 3, Type and Play 2, Mr. Vinod asked me to work on relating and connecting the text to the image and make it look more interesting and playful.

Reflection:
Week 1:  As it was my first design subject since transferring to Taylor's, I had my expectations rather high for the learning process for this module and I'm glad to say that it met it. I really enjoyed how in Task 1 I was given opportunities to train myself and experiment with different layouts and tools where I would be too afraid to even try. I'm looking to the next few weeks of learning in this module. 

Week 2: I noticed that I had a couple mistakes as I did not fully understand the definition and rules of the systems. After analyzing my peers' work and Mr. Vinod giving further advice I was ready to revise my work and learn from my mistakes.

Week 3: I enjoyed this week's exercise a lot, it made me feel like I was directing a letterform and sculpting a new one. This made me understand the structures of typefaces a lot better and how they can greatly play a role in relating to an image.

Week 4: After the feedback received on my type and play part 1 exercise, I feel much more confident in my work process than the week before. But I still have a lot to learn.


Further Readings:
Week 1 & 2:  

Grid – Thinking With Type

Grid – Thinking With Type. (2021). Retrieved 6 April 2021, from http://thinkingwithtype.com/grid/posts, V.

7 Essential Typographic Layout Systems - Type365 Lucas Czarnecki
"7 Essential Typographic Layout Systems - Type365 Lucas Czarnecki". 2017. Type365. https://type365.com/2017/02/21/7-typographic-layout-systems/.

Week 3 & 4:  

Beier, Sofie, 2009, Thesis, Typeface Legibility: Towards defining familiarity PhD thesis, Royal College of Art.

Willen, B., & Strals, N. (2009). Lettering & Type: Creating Letters and Designing Typefaces Design briefs. Princeton Architectural Press.

Browse by Type

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment