TYPOGRAPHY / TASK 3: TYPE DESIGN & COMMUNICATION

16.05.2023 - 26.06.2023 (Week 07 - Week 13)
TAN JIE YING / 0353959 / BACHELOR IN DESIGN OF CREATIVE MEDIA
TYPOGRAPHY
TASK 3: TYPE DESIGN & COMMUNICATION

JUMP LINK

Lectures

Instructions

Task 3: Type Design & Communication

Feedback

Reflections

Further Reading

LECTURES

Week 7
We were instructed to bring five pen tools, each equipped with different tips, along with graph paper. Our task was to practice drawing diagonal, horizontal, vertical, and circular lines, as well as writing the letters AOTMX on graph paper. This exercise served as fundamental training to enhance our writing stability. In preparation for the upcoming class, we are required to utilize the five distinct pen tools to write the letters a, e, t, k, g, r, i, y, m, p, and n.

Week 8
Upload the work, which involved writing the letters a, e, t, k, g, r, i, y, m, p, and n using five distinct tools, and specifying the names of those tools, on the designated Facebook post. Following Mr. Vivod's feedback, we were instructed to select our preferred style and continue practicing it, ensuring consistency throughout. Additionally, we needed to watch the lecture video before the next class.

Week 9
From the previous practices, we are required to select the most favorable version for each letter. These chosen versions should then be cropped and placed in Adobe Illustrator. Utilizing the pen tool, line tool, or shape tool, we should proceed to trace the outlined letters. Following the tracing process, the next step is to embark on designing the letters in a fresh and unique style.

Week 10
Following the comment session, we need to make additional revisions to address any errors and implement improvements.

Week 11
The letters a, e, t, k, g, r, i, y, m, p, n, along with the symbols: . , ! #, need to be finalized. To proceed with the next step, apply the finalized letters and symbols to FontLab. Follow the instructions provided in the video for guidance.

Week 12
Download the completed font design and use it to type a sentence consisting of seven words. Arrange the words in a way that they are all the same size to create a visually appealing poster.

INSTRUCTIONS

Task 3: Type Design & Communication

For task 3, the objective is to develop a typeface utilizing the characters "a e t k g r i y m p n ! # , ." Begin by sketching the typeface and subsequently digitizing it in Adobe Illustrator. Once digitized, proceed to create an A4 poster incorporating the letters we have created. Arrange the letters in a way that they form a sentence consisting of seven words.

Exploration

Before the task, we did a practice exercise on drawing and writing using five pen tools with different tips. The tools I used were super fine (Sharpie), soft board (highlighter), standard fine (marker pen), round (Artline 0.8), and standard board (whiteboard marker).

Figure 1.1 Practice Exercise (16.05.23)

Figure 1.2 Further Practice (16.05.2023)

Figure 1.3 Exercise At Home (16.05.2023)

After that, I have to write down the letters a, e, t, k, g, r, i, y, m, p & n using the five tools. I can choose to write in Uppercase or Lowercase.

Figure 1.3 a, e, t, k, g, r, i, y, m, p & n (20.05.23)

Upon receiving feedback, I made the decision to concentrate my practice on the style of soft board letters.

Figure 1.4 Further Practice in Soft Board Style (25.05.23)

Letter Deconstruct

Myriad Pro Regular

Figure 2.1 Myriad Pro Regular Letter 'n'

Bembo Std Regular

Figure 2.2 Bembo Std Regular Letter 'O'

Arial Regular

Figure 2.3 Arial Regular letter 'A'

Digitalize

I pick the best writing of each letter from the practice. I used the shape tool to trace out the shape of the letters.

Figure 3.1 Progress (04.06.23)

After the tryout. I got to transfer the letters into 3D style.

Figure 3.2 Progress (10.06.23)

Based on the feedback given, I thickened the strokes to make it clearer to see. At the same time, I did a version without the stroke to compare.

Figure 3.3 With Strokes (13.06.23)

Figure 3.4 Without Strokes (13.06.23)

FontLab

Once finished digitizing, I move on to the font lab. I explore the kerning from the lecture video.

Figure 4.1 Progress

Poster

After exporting the final font, I crafted a seven-word sentence using the letters a e g i k m n p r t y (max seven words).

Figure 4.2 Sentences (19.06.23)

Figure 4.3 Poster Designed

After receiving the feedback, I decided to focus on the balance.

Figure 4.4 Poster Design (New)

Final Digitalize Typeface and Poster Outcome

Figure 5.1 Final Digitized Typeface (13.06.23)

Figure 5.2 Final Digitized Typeface PDF (13.06.23)

Final FontLab7 Outcome
Font Download: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mdgw4o79vBjOtQZ5fMEhccSe7vP7bmVF/view?usp=drive_link

* Use Caps Lock

Figure 5.3 Final Poster (24.06.23)

Figure 5.4 Final Poster PDF (24.06.23)

FEEDBACK

Week 8 General feedback: Soft and standard may have potential. Specific feedback: There is still much to improve. Keep practicing writing in the style.

Week 9
General feedback: Keep practicing
Specific feedback: DO NOT fill up the stroke.

Week 10
General feedback: Some parts can make it simple.
Specific feedback: Make the letters look like a series.

Week 11
General feedback: Can try out without strokes to compare.
Specific feedback: Commas and full stops can be improved. The strokes should be thicker for easy to see in small sizes.

Week 12
General feedback: Can be greater
Specific feedback: Please focus on the kerning.

REFLECTIONS

Experience

Through in-depth exploration and research, I discovered that fonts that appear similar at first glance can possess significant differences upon closer inspection. By zooming in and analyzing their details, I observed nuances such as asymmetry, ticked endings, and variations in X height. These subtle distinctions highlight the importance of paying attention to the finer elements of typography, as they can greatly influence the overall visual impact and convey a distinct style or tone. Understanding and appreciating these intricacies empowers designers to make informed choices and effectively utilize typography to communicate specific messages and create visually compelling compositions.

Observation

Creating fonts is a complex and challenging endeavor. Similar to conducting a scientific experiment, it involves continuous research, exploration, and experimentation to achieve the desired outcome. Throughout the process of innovation, intriguing ideas may arise, such as exploring three-dimensional aspects of typography. However, it is important to note that the final result often diverges from the initial expectations. This realization emerges after numerous cycles of comparison and iteration, reflecting the valuable insights gained through persistent trial and error. The process of font creation embodies the essence of exploration and adaptation. It requires embracing unexpected outcomes and leveraging them as opportunities for growth and improvement. By remaining open to change and learning from each attempt, one can ultimately achieve refined and compelling typographic designs.

Findings

Creating a typeface is a demanding task that requires significant effort, concentration, and attention to detail. It involves tryouts, research, and references to ensure improvement and comparison. Through this process, one gains a better understanding of the differences and intricacies involved in typography.

Chapter 9 is related to the topic tabs. Left Align Tab, Right Align Tab, Center Align Tab, Decimal Align Tab, Comma Align Tab, and User-Defined Align Tab are the basic tab settings. Two rules for using tabs: maintaining a flush-left paragraph alignment and utilizing the minimum number of tab settings whenever possible.

Figure 6.2 Chapter 9: Tabs (PG 23)

Chapter 10 introduces paragraph indents, which are used to visually separate paragraphs and indicate the start of new paragraphs. The most common type of indent is a small indent at the beginning of each paragraph. In cases where there is no paragraph space, a first-line paragraph indent is used. The amount of indent is typically based on the font size. Indents improve readability and provide a clear structure for readers.

Figure 6.3 Chapter 10: Paragraph Indents (PG 24-25)

Chapter 11 explained widows and orphans. In typesetting and document formatting, widows and orphans refer to single lines of text that appear isolated at the top (widow) or bottom (orphan) of a page or column, separated from their respective paragraphs.

Chapter 12 focused on special formatting.

Hyphens are used to divide words or numbers. At the same time, they are used to break words from one line to the next.

There are two types of dashes en-dash and em-dash. En-dash is longer than the hyphens. It was used to separate ranges of items (data, quantities, or times). Em-dash is used in place of a comma to set off a section of the sentence that requires special emphasis. Also can be used to precede the attribution of a quote.

Figure 6.4 Chapter 12: Special Formatting (PG 26)

A line break is important for readability, especially in headlines and subheads. Most programs are used to insert line breaks by using a shift-return. If standard returns are used, just the last line of the subhead will have the correct settings.

Figure 6.5 Chapter 12: Special Formatting (PG27)

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TAN JIE YING 0353959