Task 3: Type design & communication

 16/05/2023 - 06/06/2023 / Week 7 - Week 10 

Amirah Akbar Ali / 0361001

Typography / Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media 

Task 3: Type Design and Communication

LECTURES

WEEK 7

As instructed, we were to bring a graph paper and art pens. He specifically requested to bring five different tools and an ink for us to experiment which tool is the best for ourselves to write and understand the balance of handwriting. We had to practice writing diagonal, horizontal and circular lines for all 5 tools in different ways as well as the alphabets of " A, O, T, M, X". Mr.Vinod had suggested working on these first before we go deep into the real process. After we had done so, we are to select 1 option from the different options from each tool and write "A, E ,T, K, G, R, I, Y, M, P, N" we were given two options, whether to write them in uppercase or lowercase.

Fig. 1.1 Class Activity, Week 7 (16/05/2023)

WEEK 8

Independent Learning Week

On week 8, we were to watch the lectures provided by Mr.Vinod as this week is Independent learning week which requires us to self-learn on the particularness of typeface construction.For next week's lesson, we have to take the selected writing style and tool and explore and practice 

writing in that style. We should write until the letterforms have a consistent look.

WEEK 9

This week we are to start digitisation and finalizing our chosen typeface and style from our handwriting practices. Mr.Vinod shared with us a demonstration of transferring the handwritten alphabets into Adobe Illustrator.

We were given a demonstration by Mr. Vinod, on how to digitize the letterforms in Adobe Illustrator. 

There are 3 different ways to do so:

(1) using the brush tool, later combined with the pen tool for details. 

(2) using the pen tool and then the brush tool, 

(3) starting with basic shapes, then using the pen tool to adjust the letterform.

WEEK 10

Mr.Vinod had given us feedback on our punctuation which are coma, full stop, and exclamation mark, he has advised us to reconstruct and study more on ensuring our punctuation is aligned to our typeface design. Mr.Vinod had also given a 20 mins tutorial on how to improve them, while in the midst of that he had suggested us to learn how to use FontLab, to ensure we have no difficulty in transferring them later on.

WEEK 11

Mr. Vinod gave us feedback and advice on how to improve the digitization of our typeface. We need to refine the letters to make it look more "font-like". Refining takes a lot of time and focuses on lots of small details.

WEEK 12

Mr. Vinod briefed us on how our final submission should be presented in our blog. We also had to create our final compilation blog, which includes links and final work from Task 1, 2 and 3. Mr. Vinod then gave us feedback on our poster and was given time to make amendments and complete it.

INSTRUCTIONS

TASK 3: Type Design and Communication

For Task 3, we have to design a limited number of Western (Latin) alphabets. We have to choose an existing font design which adheres to the direction we want to head in. We then have to analyse its anatomical parts, do rough sketches on our typeface and digitize those sketches

using Adobe Illustrator and FontLab.

1. Writing Activity: 5 tools in 5 different ways

We started Task 3 with this activity. These are the

instructions: 

- Write diagonal, horizontal, vertical and circular lines for all 5

tools in 5 different ways for each tool 

- Write AOTMX for all 5 tools

in 5 different ways for each tool 

- Select 1 option from the 5

different options from each tool and write "a e t k g r i y m p n" in the selected style.

 

Fig 1.2: Writing exercise, Week 7 (16/05/2023)

Fig 1.3: Writing exercise, Week 7 (16/05/2023)

Typeface research:

Anatomy of Typeface

Fig 1.4: Basics of typography, Week 7 (16/05/2023)

Type Classifications

Most typefaces are classified into four groups: serifs, sans-serif (without serifs), scripts and decorative styles (Strizver, 2015).         

1. Serif - Old Style, Transitional, Modern (Neoclassical/Didone), Square Serif, Glyphic 

2. Sans-serif - Grotesque, Geometric, Humanistic 

3. Scripts - Formal, Casual, Calligraphic, Blackletter, Handwriting 

4. Decorative 

Typographic Optical Illusions  - Overshoot

he degree to which capital letters go below the baseline or above the cap height, or to which a lowercase letter goes below the baseline or above the x-height, to have an optically similar appearance in size. Overshoots are used in capitals, triangles and rounded letters. (Piotr Łukaszkiewicz, 2019).

Fig 1.5: Overshoot example, Week 7 (16/05/2023)

Type of serifs

Serif refers to either the mark or line that can sometimes appear at the end of a character’s stroke, or the collective name for typefaces that use serifs in their design.

Fig 1.6: Types of serifs, Week 7 (16/05/2023)

Deconstruction of Letters 

We have to choose an existing typeface that comes close to our design and analyse/ deconstruction the letterforms (a typeface from the 10 typefaces provided and a typeface from Fontshare or Google Fonts). It was advised to choose lowercase letters with ascenders, descenders and x-height, and capitals with a cap height.

Fig 1.7: Deconstructed letter "a", Bembo std, week 8 (22/05/2023)

Fig 1.8: Deconstructed letter "g", Bembo std, week 8 (22/05/2023)

Fig 1.9: Deconstructed letter "a" and "g" - bembo std, week 8 (22/05/2023)

Digitizing (sketch to Adobe Illustrator)

I first created the guidelines on a 1000pt x 1000pt artboard by following the tutorial video by Mr. Vinod. The ascender line, descender line, cap line, baseline, and x-height is subject to our design and can be bigger or smaller.

Fig 2: Creating guidelines in Adobe Illustrator, week 10 (6/6/2023)

Fig 2.2: Final outcome on Adobe Illustrator, week 10 (6/6/2023)

FontLab

Once the digitization process was complete, I exported the letterforms and punctuation into FontLab, following the tutorial provided by Mr. Vinod. We were required to transfer our typeface into FontLab and try and error whether our font was legible.

Fig 2.3: Adobe Illustrator to FontLab, Week 10 (6/6/2023)

Fig 2.4: Transferred all letterforms and placed on the baseline, week 10 (6/6/2023)

Fig 2.5: Transferred all letterforms and placed on the baseline, week 10 (6/6/2023)

Fig 2.5: Kerning Progress, Week 11 (12/06/2023)

Fig 2.6: Kerning Progress, Week 11 (12/06/2023)

Fig 2.7: Metrics Tab Screenshot after multiple try and error with kerning of each letterform.

Week 11 (12/06/2023)

Poster Design  

We have to create a poster using our font. We are allowed to come up with our own text using only the letters created. The requirements of the poster are as followed:

 

> The poster must be impactful.

> The poster dimension must be A4 size.

> The text must contain only the letters provided - The words are not allowed to have different point sizes.

Fig 2.8: Layout progress, week 12 (20/6/2023)

These are some of the phrases I have come up with: "try mint tea, great pear pie." in a different format ad composition.

Fig 2.9: Poster #1, Week 12 (19/06/2023)

Fig 3: Poster #2, Week 12 (19/06/2023)

Fig 3.1: Poster #3, Week 12 (19/06/2023)

Final Outcome of Typeface

Fig 3.3: Final Task 3: A4 poster (JPEG), week 12 (20/6/2023) 

Fig 3.4: Final Task 3: A4 poster (PDF), week 12 (20/6/2023) 

Feedback 

Week 12:

General Feedback: Ensure the credit name is at 12 point 

Specific Feedback: Practice more compositional layout for the poster and give more impact and use every letterform for the sentence

 

Week 11:

General Feedback: Slightly smaller than capital letters (#), exclamation marks top and bottom sections are not the same size, and the bottom is smaller.

Specific Feedback: Good progression, continue with the refinement of typeface & ensure the ascender height for each letter is balanced and stroke width is not vary

Week 10:

General Feedback: Ensure the typeface is straighten and refined, avoid uneven ascender and different stroke weight

Specific Feedback: In the refinement process, I have to be more mindful of the details of smoothing my typeface from the final handwritten one

 

Week 9:

General Feedback: Watch the video provided and practice type construction, ensure baseline/ each details and guide are acquired during the process

Specific Feedback: Redo the lettering or choose another style (do not design the lettering, just write in your own handwriting)

 

Week 8:

General Feedback: (ILW) Practice more on writing style with a calligraphy pen, find the rhythm and get used to shaping strokes.

Specific Feedback: I have to practice more and look up for references to understand better to create a legible font

 

Week 7:

General Feedback: Practice more on researching and sketching/writing the designed typeface of your own and do a lot of research how it is done and understand each detail

Specific Feedback: To be more focused in the requirements of what to submit into the E-Portfolio such as (JPEG AND PDF) for each tasks.

Reflection

Experience:

Through out this particular task, this was the interesting experience. I always wanted to create my own font. Events there were a few rejections and redo's. We get to express our creativity and I get to have an experience of making a design font of my own. It was satisfying to be able to use my own font in the poster.

 

Observations:

In my observations regarding deconstruction process, not all official font or the most well known font is not always perfect. It has different characteristics to the design. By creating my own font I observed that deconstruction process and kerning of font is important to keep persistent.

Findings:

Through out all the tasks I have gone though, this was my most satisfied work I have done. Events there was a few rejections and distraction of ideas. From sketching to digitalising to putting them into Fontlab, each steps are to followed strictly and not to be skipped as it is important that would affect our final outcome.

Further Reading

Fig 3.5: A Type Primer: second edition by John Kane, (20/6/2023) 

"A Type Primer: Second Edition" by John Kane is a comprehensive and accessible guide to typography, designed to help both novice and experienced designers understand and utilize the power of type effectively. This updated edition builds upon the success of the first edition and provides a fresh exploration of typography in the digital age.

The book covers the fundamental principles of typography, including type anatomy, classification, and spacing. It delves into the history of type and its evolution, providing valuable insights into the various styles and trends that have shaped typography over time. Additionally, it discusses the practical aspects of typography, such as selecting appropriate typefaces for different contexts, creating effective layouts, and optimizing legibility and readability.

With a focus on hands-on learning, "A Type Primer" includes numerous examples, exercises, and visual illustrations to reinforce the concepts discussed. It also explores the role of type in various media, such as print, web, and mobile, offering practical guidance on adapting typographic principles to different platforms.

Whether you're a graphic designer, web developer, or simply interested in the art of typography, "A Type Primer: Second Edition" serves as an indispensable resource, providing a solid foundation in typographic knowledge and empowering you to create visually compelling and impactful designs.

These suggested readings will complement my understanding of typography, offering different perspectives and insights into the art and craft of typesetting. By approaching each book with a critical mindset and applying the knowledge gained to my own typographic projects and experiments.