Advanced Typography Task 1

 Advanced Typography: Task 1

Week 01-Week 04

Siam Siew Yong 0358399

Bachelor of Design in Creative Media | Taylor’s Design School | Taylor’s University

LECTURE NOTES

Week 1:Typographic System

There are eight major variations according to Elam 2007: 

• Axial
• Radial
• Dilatational
• Random
• Grid
• Modular
• Transitional
• Bilateral

Typographical organization is complex because the elements are dependent on communication in order to function.

Additional criteria- Hierarchy, order of reading, legibility, contrast

Axial system: elements are organised to the left or right of a single axis, information is divided into groups and placed in different angle/ different sides of axis. (*no need to be straight, it can be bent)

Radial system: elements are extended from a point of focus

Dilatational system: elements expand from a central point in a circular fashion, there can be multiple rings of circle with information on sides or lines. Hierarchy manner can be applied by showing important information take place in the outer ring or inner ring 

Random system: elements appear to have no specific pattern or relationship

Grid system: a system of vertical and horizontal divisions. Mostly the fonts come from different sizes or different weights to create emphasis and hierarchy

Modular system: series of non- objective elements that are constructed in as a standardized units. Units can be randomly placed even though not within a larger grid

Transitional system: informal system of layered banding

Bilateral system: all text is arranged symmetrically on a single axis

Fig 1.1 eight major variation of typographic system

Week 2:Typographic Composistion

When we think about composition, we will think about these principles..

• emphasis
• isolation
• repetition
• symmetry
• asymmetry
• alignment
• perspective

Rule of third: 

• a photographic guide to composition
• suggest frame can be divided into 3 columns and 3 rows
• intersecting lines basically form the points where the designer would place important messages on it
• never used in typography competition

Typographic system:

• 8 systems studied in WEEK 1 
• the most used system is grid system(Raster system)

Fig 1.2 grid system example provided by Mr Vinod

• further developed into what is now commonly known as the Swiss style of typography
• Chaos, randomness, and asymmetry were explored through the past-modernist era in Typographic Systems.
• David Carson, Paula Scher, and Jonathan Barnbrook are some of the best examples of designers who effortlessly blend legibility and readability in their work.

Environmental Grid:

• based on the exploration of an existing structure or numerous structures combined
• an extraction of crucial lines both curved and straight is formed
• The designer arranges the information around a super-structure, incorporating abstract elements to create a distinct and dynamic blend of texture and visual appeal.

 

Form and movement:

• based on the exploration of the existing Grid System
• The placement of a form on a page, repeated across multiple pages, generates a sense of movement.
• whether the page is paper or screen is irrelevant 

Week 3:Context and Creativity 

Handwriting: 

• plays a crucial role in typography as the first mechanically produced letterforms were designed to directly imitate handwriting 
• It forms the basis for form, spacing, and typographic conventions

Creativity and originality are often linked, making it important to:

•  Reflect on one's own history, civilization, culture, and community
•  Use these past influences to build for the future
•  Avoid blindly appropriating other cultures and developments that lack context or relevance.

INSTRUCTION

Fig 2.1 MIB of Advanced Typography

TASK 1: TYPOGRAPHIC SYSTEM / TYPE & PLAY

EXERCISE 1

The 8 systems mentioned above need to be explored using the following content

The Design School,

Taylor’s University

All Ripped Up: Punk Influences on Design

Open Public Lectures:

June 24, 2021

Lew Pik Svonn, 9AM-10AM

Ezrena Mohd., 10AM-11AM

Suzy Sulaiman, 11AM-12PM

June 25, 2021

Lim Whay Yin, 9AM-10AM

Fahmi Reza, 10AM-11AM

Manish Acharia, 11AM-12PM

Lecture Theatre 12

I used the content above to design my layout in 8 systems

Here's my first layout 

Fig 3.1 axial system

Fig 3.2 radial system

Fig 3.3 dilational system

Fig 3.4 bilateral system

Fig 3.5 transitional system

Fig 3.6 modular system

Fig 3.7 grid system

Fig 3.8 random system

After feedback by Mr Vinod, I make some changes for my layouts

Here's my final layout!

Fig 3.9 axial system(final)

Fig 3.10 radial system(final)

Fig 3.11 dilational system(final)

Fig 3.12 random system(final)

Fig 3.13 grid system(final)

Fig 3.14 modular system(final)

Fig 3.15 transitional system(final)

Fig 3.16 bilateral system(final)

EXERCISE 2

I decided to use water ripple photo as my reference photo on designing my letterform

fig 4.1 reference photo to type n play

after decided the photo, I traced the photo and extract my letterform from these element

Fig 4.2 process tracing

fig 4.3 process 2

fig 4.4 extraction process

fig 4.5 reference font

My reference font is Gill Sans Mt Ext Condensed Bold

Feedback- my letter font needs to be more retained with the element I choose

So I make some changes 

fig 4.6 reference font

 with my typeface

fig 4.7 second draft

FINAL TYPEFACE

After making some drafts, I think this is the best design

fig 4.8 final typeface (png)

After decided my typeface, I started to do my poster

I decide to change my background picture but without changing the element( water ripple)

fig 4.9 background photo

First, I used Illustrator to edit my word, changing the color

After that, I copy and paste into Adobe Photoshop

I adjusted the filter of the typeface to comfort with my topic

fig 4.10 editing layer in Photoshop

fig 4.11 screenshot of process in Photoshop

I add some caption to make it more like movie poster

The color palette I used is prone to horror movie poster

Here's my final poster!

fig 4.12 final poster(png)

fig 4.13 final poster(pdf)

FEEDBACK

Week 2

general feedback- design create a design, u should not play the texture, we dont mess with the content of the text, what ever u do u able to justify, design try to not be so familiar, 

specific feedback-reduce thickess of line-axial, a lot of space- grid,(reduce gap), reduce gap to make the poster looks more comfort

Week 3

general feedback-lack of observation should be prevent

specific feedback- letter font u designed must retain the picture u choose

Week 4

specific feedback- font u designed must retained with the picture u choose

REFLECTION

Experiences

Throughout the past weeks, I've learned the typographic systems and how to design aesthetic typography. However, I still face challenges like balancing creativity with structure, especially aligning fonts and topics consistently. I learned how to create more cohesive and comfortable layouts from the feedback.

Observation

I observed that it’s essential to look beyond familiar design elements and noticed that small details, such as line weight and spacing, significantly impact the overall comfort and readability of a design. From other students' work, I observed their mistakes and strong points and learned how to maintain consistency and coherence in the task. 

Findings

Through this task, I discovered that understanding and applying a typographic system is essential in creating structured and effective designs. I hope I can master these systems and produce more comfortable and nice design.

FUTHER READING

fig 5.1 Typographic Reference by Allan Haley..

I read pages 80- 84 which topic are Free Placement, The Grid and Hierarchy

  

Fig 5.2 design from 

Kevin Paolozzi,

York University Department of Design, Canada

 

Free Placement

• Designers have various approaches to starting a composition; many begin by building a grid.
• Some may prioritize the image first, using it as the focal point for the rest of the design.
• When the image is the primary element, this approach can be beneficial for balance and emphasis.
• Even in all-typographic layouts, positioning elements freely can lead to dynamic and engaging compositions.

The grid

• The grid is a design tool that helps create compositions with unity and variety.
• Designers can use existing grid structures provided by software or create their own using columns or modules.
• Key elements to consider when creating a grid include: Media, Format, Use, Image,  size, Typographic scope, Word count, Expandability
• For traditional, perfect-bound books, single left- and right-page columns facilitate smooth text flow.
• In magazines, understanding the gutter (center margin) is essential, as paper can creep toward the binding.
• Website grids are often flexible and dynamic, allowing modules to adapt to different screen sizes, such as large monitors or mobile devices.
• Grid types can divide to BOOK AND MANUSCRIPT GRID & COLUMNAR GRID

fig 5.3 example of hierarchy in magazine

Hierarchy

Factors of hierarchy includes: 

• Letterform size
• Letterform weight
• Design characteristics of letterforms
• Text color
• Contrast with the background
• Text position and orientation on the page or screen
• General mass

These factors interact with each other as well as with images, margin space, and line spacing.

For motion-based screen text, hierarchy is influenced by:

• Animation characteristics (duration of visibility, movement onto/off the screen).

Viewers rely on these cues to quickly decide what to read and in what order, often apprehending multiple pieces of information simultaneously rather than reading sequentially.

As multitasking becomes more common, people make fewer hierarchically driven decisions about where to focus their attention.

Designers must recognize that their work may receive limited attention, emphasizing the need for a clear typographic hierarchy in their designs.