Advanced Typography Task 2

 Advanced Typography: Task 2

Week 05-Week 08

Siam Siew Yong 0358399

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

LECTURE NOTES

Week 4:Designing Type

Xavier Dupre: 

• type design carries a social responsibility, must continue to improve legibility
• is a form of artistic expression

Adrian Frutiger:

• Typeface Frutiger: create a clean, distinctive and legible typeface
• Letterforms must recognized even in poor light conditions or when the reader was moving quickly past the sign
• He tested with unconfused letters to see which letterforms could still be identified

Fig 1.1 typeface frutiger

General process of Type Design:

1. Research
2. Sketching
3. Digitization
4. Testing
5. Deploy

Typeface Construction: using grids can facilitate the construction of a letterforms and is a possible method to build/create/design ur letterforms

 Week 5:Perception & Organization

Perception in typography deals with the visual navigation and interpretation of the reader via contrast, form and organisation of the content

Fig 1.2 typeface contrast example

Contrast /Size:

• provides a point to which the reader's attention is drawn
• most common use of size is in making a title or heading noticeably bigger than the body text

Fig 1.3 contrast in size example

Contrast /Weight:

• bold type can stand out in the middle of lighter type of the same style
• using rules, spot, squares also provides a heavy area for attraction and emphasis

Fig 1.4 contrast in weight example

Contrast /Form:

• distinction between capital letter and its lowercase equivalent

Contrast /Structure:

• different letterforms of different kinds of typefaces

Fig 1.5 contrast in structure example

Contrast/Texture:

• putting together the contrasts of size, weight, form, and structure, and applying them to a block of text on a page
• texture refers to the way the lines of type look as a whole up close and from a distance

Contrast/Direction:

• opposition between vertical and horizontal, and the angles in between

Contrast/Color:

• the use of color is suggested that a second color is often less emphatic in values than plain black on white

Form:

• refers to the overall look and feel of  a composition.
• creates visual impact, guides the eye, entertains the mind, and is often memorable

Fig 1.6 form in typography example

Form:

• refers to the overall look and feel of  a composition.
• creates visual impact, guides the eye, entertains the mind, and is often memorable

Organization:

• Gestalt, meaning 'placed' or 'put together' in German, refers to how elements are arranged
• Max Wertheimer identifies principles explaining how we perceive and group elements meaningfully.
• These 'laws' are more accurately described as principles
• emphasizes the whole of the experience

Organization/Gestalt: Perceptual Organization/Grouping

1. Law of Similarity
2. Law of Proximity
3. Law of Closure
4. Law of Continuation
5. Law of Symmetry
6. Law of Simplicity(Pragnanz)
7. ...

INSTRUCTION

Fig 2.1 MIB of Advanced Typography

Task 2 Key Artwork and Collateral

Objective: 

• Creates a wordmark/lettering to identify ourselves
• Afterward design a t-shirt, label pin, an animated key artwork and an Instagram account transforming the key artwork into a brand

Task 2a: Key Artwork

Before I start drafting, I have thought about my typeface style and I decide to create a futuristic and modern wordmark.

After decided my font style, I had searched some lettering as reference 

Fig 3.1 reference fonts

Besides, I started to create my fonts

Fig 3.2 first draft

The design is not much good, Mr Vinod suggested me to change/ create another typeface

Mr Vinod suggest me to use grid, enhance the keyword 'futuristic' and 'modern',

'M' letters almost same with the first draft

I redesigned my new letter 'S' and 'A' from part of letter 'M'

Fig 3.3 second draft

From Mr Vinod, 'M' not too like 'M'

So I did a small changes    

Fig 3.4 outline stroke view

Here's my final wordmark

Fig 3.4 final wordmark task2(a)

After getting approved by Mr Vinod, I required to choose color palette for my identity

The color palette we chose must have contrast like including darkest shade and lightest shade

The middle tone and 'special tone' also included in my chosen color palette

Color Palette

Fig 3.5 color palette

The green color is my 'special tone' to show the futuristic theme, it also can grab attention and evokes energy

After decided the color palette, we also required to create animation for the wordmark

Animation

I used frame animation function in Photoshop to make my animation artwork

Fig 3.6 frame of the animation

Fig 3.7 final wordmark animation 

Final outcome

Fig 3.8 black wordmark on white background 

Fig 3.9 white wordmark on black background 

Fig 3.10 color palette 

Fig 3.11 actual color wordmark on lightest shade background

Fig 3.12 lightest shade wordmark on darkest shade background

All color chosen must from color palette

Fig 3.13 final animation

Task 2b: Collateral

The products I chose was T-shirt, phonecase and tote bag

The mockup website I used: https://app.dynamicmockups.com/mockup-library

First Collateral: T-shirt

Fig 4.1 design of the tshirt

Fig 4.2 final collateral 1

Dark blue T-shirt with green logo design to creates contrast

Second Collateral: phone case

Fig 4.3 design of the phone case

Fig 4.4 final collateral 2

Repeated wordmark provide structure, while color variations add vibrancy and prevent monotony. 

Third Collateral: tote bag

Fig 4.5 design for the tote bag

Fig 4.6 final collateral 3

I used white tones for the logo on green to keep the design cohesive. For hierarchy, a neutral color like gray used for secondary text.

Other extension

We also need other extension pictures/poster to fill up the Instagram profile

Fig 4.7 first artwork extension

I did this artwork in Photoshop, contrast with size and color create visual interest and guide viewers' attention

For the second extension, it is quite simple because I use a part of my 'M' letter / 'A' letter to design the artwork

Fig 4.8 second artwork extension

In this artwork, I want to present it like arrow to right

It is a minimalist shape with contrasting color (green and dark blue)

The final extension picture was our portrait poster

Fig 4.9 layer of portrait extension

Fig 4.10 portraiit extension

The subject(me) is positioned in the center of the poster, with the text providing additional context and the logo being emphasized in the middle.

Final Instagram Profile

Link below 👇

https://www.instagram.com/siam_chill?igsh=MWl4eDd2aWl3MzhsYg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

Fig 4.11 final Instagram profile

Task 2(b) Final Outcome

Fig 4.12 tote bag collateral

Fig 4.13 T-shirt collateral

Fig 4.14 phone case collateral

Fig 4.15 Instagram tiles

Fig 4.16 Instagram layout

FEEDBACK

Week 5

specific feedback: use grid to make ur word in AI, ovserve ur moodboard or reference letterform to enhance ur keyword in sketches and also following artwork general feedback: need to have keyword, prevent to have too many thing and dont complicate ur key artwork, need to consider who will be attracted by ur artwork(*).

Week 6

specific feedback: thickness of the stroke and angle must be same general: plan ur art work, t shirt or bag

Week 7

specific feedback: color palette accepted, font 'M' needs some changes

REFLECTION

Experiences

In this task, I thought I did better than Task 1 work. In this task, I have much enough time to create my work and I didnt feel rush. I got better at designing letterforms by using grids to create more precise and structured designs. Looking at mood boards and references helped me understand different styles and made sure my sketches matched the concept.

Observation

Observing other's amazing artwork gave me fresh ideas and I noticed that how they balance creativity and structure so well, which inspired me how to improve my artwork too.

Findings

I learned that balancing creativity with structure makes designs more polished. Using grids and references improved my letterforms, and observing others helped me understand how to combine creativity with technique. I’ll apply these lessons in future projects.

FUTHER READING

Fig 5.1  Lettering & Type : Creating Letters and  Designing Typefaces

Book I have read in week 5 till week 8 is 'Lettering & Type : Creating Letters and  Designing Typefaces' written by Bruce Willen & Nolen Strals

I read from pg 47 to pg 68, and I learned much of information and principles in creating font

• Successful lettering begins with a clear idea or concept, where understanding the message and its context is crucial for impactful results.
• Letters are never truly neutral, as every style carries inherent associations that evoke specific emotions and tones.
• Designers carefully select letter styles and visual elements like scale, color, and style to shape the tone and align with the content.
• Pairing type with imagery can either reinforce or contrast the message, creating unique associations. A deep understanding of these relationships is just as important as the technical skill of drawing.

Besides..

• All letters follow the same basic principles of structure, proportion, and color, which are essential for legibility. 
• Lowercase letters derive their anatomy from centuries of broad-nibbed pen usage, creating patterns of thicks and thins, while capital letters reflect the classical forms shaped by pens, brushes, and chisels. 
• Modulation, which defines the axis or angle of emphasis in rounded letters, is key to ensuring they look natural to readers. 
• Vertical strokes are typically thicker than horizontal ones due to the pen's stress, contributing to legibility. 
• Proper proportions establish a letter's stability, tone, and consistency with its neighbors, while negative space around and within letters significantly impacts their appearance.

 Additionally, character spacing affects text readability, as tight spacing reduces legibility and excessive spacing disrupts the reading flow.