Typography - Task 3: Type Design & Communication

 10.06.2024 - / Week 9 - Week 

HUANG JIAQI/ 0371553
Typography / Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media

Task 3: Type Design & Communication 

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Table of contents

1.Lectures

2.Instructions

3.Work progress

 

4.Feedback

5.Reflections

6.Further reading

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1.Lectures

All lectures are completed in Task 1: Exercises 1 & 2

Week 7:Task 2 -Type Expression and Formatting -Exercise 1&2

                          -Task 1 Exercise 1&2

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This is mine MIB

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In this task, we were instructed to do a detailed dissection of the letters "H", "o", "b" and "g" by using Adobe Illustrator. We need to select a preferred font from teh 10 fonts provided. 

Work progress

Before I started, I searched the Internet.

The letter strokes in some objects have decorative details that become serifs. Fonts with serifs are called serifs, and fonts without serifs are called sans-serifs.

 Fig 1.1 serifs and sans-serifs.

For Latin, Greek, Cyrillic, and other Western letters, the Baseline refers to the baseline line of most letters, usually the horizontal line where the lower edge of the letter n, x, h, and so on is located. The horizontal Line where the top edge of the x, u, w, etc., is called the Mean Line, and its distance from the baseline is called the X-height. The vertical space below the baseline is called the Descender; The vertical space from the main line above is called the Ascender. Some letters have diacritical marks in the flat and sharp parts. The ratio of the height of the lift to the height of the X-word has a great influence on the readability and appearance of a font, and is often used to characterize a font.

 Fig 1.2 basic knowledge

 Fig 1.3 basic knowledge

 Fig 1.4 basic knowledge

serifs

    

1.  Bodoni is a famous serif font that came after Didot. The two fonts are often compared side by side. Bodoni's strokes are bolder while retaining the elegant glyphs. The ease of use is much higher than Didot.

   

Fig1.5 serifs of Bodoni

2.Trajan is a Serif font. The reason why this font can reflect the classic sense is that it inherits the font characteristics and proportion characteristics of ancient Rome, belonging to the Old Style Serif, which conveys a very classic temperament. Many classic literary works use Trajan as the title. Titanic and the sea pianist, etc., have used this font to make movie posters, making people feel classic and eternal history.

Fig1.6 serifs of Trajan

3.Helvetica is a sans-serif typeface widely used in the Latin alphabet, designed by Swiss designers Max Miedinger and Eduard Hoffmann in 1957. Made for typesetting.

 

Fig1.7 serifs of Helvetica

Select a preferred font from the 10 fonts provided. Using the following letters H,o,g,b,

do a detail dissection of the letters (write observations in eportfolio)，In comparison, my design is the most similar to Gill Sans font.

Fig1.8 Alphabet analysis

Gill Sans is a sans-serif font designed by British font designer Eric Gill in 1928. It is famous for its concise and clear appearance. It is a very classic font that is widely used in various designs and typesetting.

A family of humanist sans-serif typefaces with a distinctly British concept and feel is called Gill Sans. Gill Sans, created by the gifted Eric Gill at the start of the 20th century, is a sans-serif font that has stood the test of time. It is modeled after the form and proportion of Roman characters, but it also has unique modern features and a warm touch.

Fig1.9 Alphabet analysis

Gill Sans

Fig1.10 Alphabet analysis

There is an unevenness in the "o" circle, with the right side slightly thicker than the left.

Fig1.11 Alphabet analysis

The letter "g" shows a more complex dissection.  The upper loop is stretched out horizontally.  The stroke of the link is thinner in the upper connected part.  The lower loop is a horizontally symmetric ellipse.  The ear has the same thickness of the stroke.

Fig1.12 Alphabet analysis

the closed counter of the letter 'b' is not the same as the size of the bowl outside

Jill Sands's artwork conveys a feeling of kinship and simplicity to viewers. Its lines are simple, but they have a special movement that keeps them from being stiff. Letter sizes and proportions are thoughtfully chosen to guarantee both the text's readability and aesthetic appeal.

Jill Sands is a timeless and adaptable sans-serif typeface in general. It excels in a variety of applications thanks to its straightforward and expressive design.

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Sketch

Task instruction

  material: Graph paper + 3 marker pens (your choice but must be 3.0 above)

Task 3:

- Select a preferred font from the 10 fonts provided. Using the following letters H,o,g,b,

do a detail dissection of the letters (write observations in eportfolio)

- Sketch the following letters HOGB / hoob using the 3 pens.

Explore 3 different writing styles for each of the 3 pens.

Sketches

sketches1.1

sketches1.2

sketches1.3

I found that I used serif a lot in my work, but after understanding the bauhans principle I will Continue to use sans serit as a design Principle, I chose the second of the third draft as the final draft, and got feedback and comments from the teacher.

        fig 1.4 The sketch given by the teacher

The teacher pointed out that my design needs to be more regular and consistent. For example, the thickness of the strokes needs to be unified, and the spacing between the letters also needs to be consistent.The teacher mentioned the identification and application of key features in font design, such as baseline and x-height. These features are very important for maintaining the balance and consistency of fonts.

                                       fig 1.5Final sketch

• fig 1.6Final digital sketch

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4.Feedback

week 9:The importance of baseline and X height:

The teacher pointed out the key role of baseline and X height in font design. These lines are used to ensure the alignment and high consistency of letters, and are the basic elements in the design.

Design consistency and regularity:

The teacher emphasized the consistency and regularity in the design. The stroke thickness and spacing of the letters need to be unified, and there should be no irregular elements in the design.

week10:When writing, pay attention to keeping the angle of the letters consistent, consider the design possibility of disconnecting strokes, unify the style and proportion of letters, and improve your writing quality through continuous practice and research.Specific feedback on specific letters: The letter 'G' needs special attention to ensure that its angle and style are consistent with other letters. Other letters may also need to be adjusted to meet the overall design and angle.

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5.Reflections

WEEK 9

Application of baseline and X height:

In the early stage of the design, I did not have a deep understanding of the concepts of baseline and X height, which led to problems with the alignment and height of letters. In the future, I will give priority to these basic elements in the design to ensure that each letter meets these standards.

Consistency of design:

In my preliminary design, the stroke thickness and spacing of the letters are not consistent enough, resulting in insufficient coordination in the overall design. Through the teacher's feedback, I realized the importance of consistency and improved it in the subsequent design to ensure that the strokes and spacing of all letters are unified.

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6.Further reading

   It is often useful to think of your text area divided into columns - consistent horizontal intervals that allow for more than one fieid of text per page. Working with columnar layouts heips you maintain a manageable line length and allows white space onto the page in piaces other than the margins. Keep in mind the dynamic relationship between type size, leading, and line length. 

Horizontal layouts allow for wider fields of text, which tend to support sustained reading more comfortably than narrower fields.Columnar layouts are effective for many different formats. Above, a three-column layout is applied to each of the three panels on an 8.5 x 11 in (216 x 279 mm) sheet.

Cross-aligning headlines and captions with text type reinforces the architectural sense of the page-the structure -while articulating the complementary vertical rhythms. In this example, four lines of caption type (leaded to 9 pts.) cross-align with three lines of text type (leaded to 13.5 pts.).