Typography Task 2 / Typographic Exploration and Communication
27/5/2024 - 14/6/2024 / Week 6 - Week 8
Tay Yue Chern / 0373215
Typography / Bachelor of Design (Honours) in Creative Media / Taylor's University
Task 2: Typographic Exploration and Communication
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. LECTURES
2. INSTRUCTIONS
3. FEEDBACK
4. REFLECTIONS
1. LECTURES
Lecture 6 / Understanding
(a) Understanding letterforms
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| Fig 1.6.a.1 Baskerville 'A' |
Suggest symmetry, but in fact it is not symmetrical.
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| Fig 1.6.a.2 Univers 'A' |
May appear symmetrical, but a close examination shows that the width of the left slope is thinner than the right stroke.
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| Fig 1.6.a.3 Helvetica 'a' and Univers 'a' |
Examining the lowercase 'a' in Helvetica and Univers reveals the complexity of each letterform. Differences in how the stems finish and how the bowls meet the stems highlight distinct characteristics between to seemingly similar sans-serif typefaces.
(b) Maintaining x-height
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| Fig 1.6.b Median and baseline |
The x-height defines the size of lowercase letterforms. However, curved strokes, like those in 's', must rise above the median or sink below the baseline to appear the same size as vertical and horizontal strokes.
(c) Form / Counterform
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| Fig 1.6.c.1 Form / Counterform |
Recognising counterforms, the space within and between letters, is as important as recognising letterforms. This is crucial for letters like lowercase 'r' that lack internal counters. Managing counter forms well ensures that words are easily readable.
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| Fig 1.6.c.2 Form / Counterform |
The 'S' maintains its identity at each stage of enlargement, while 'g' loses its identity when its individual elements are viewed without the context of the whole letterform.
(d) Contrast
The most powerful dynamic in design.
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| Fig 1.6.d.1 Contrast |
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| Fig 1.6.d.2 Contrast |
Lecture 7 / Screen and Print
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(a) Typography in Different Medium
Typography is now present on various screens not only on paper, and is influenced by fluctuating factors like operating systems, system fonts, devices, and viewports. This variability affects how we experience typography, as typesetting occurs in the browser.
(b) Print type vs Screen type
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| Fig 1.7.b.1 Print Type Example |
Popular typefaces for print, such as Caslon, Garamond, and Baskerville, are favoured for their elegance, intellectual appeal, and readability at small font sizes.
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| Fig 1.7.b.2 Screen Type Example |
Typefaces for the web are optimised for readability and performance in digital environments. They often have taller x-heights, wider letterforms, more open counters, heavier thin strokes and serifs, reduced stroke contrast, as well as modified curves and angles.
For typefaces intended for smaller sizes, more open spacing is crucial to improve readability. These adjustments help enhance character recognition and readability on screens, including web, e-books, e-readers, and mobile devices.
Hyperactive Link / Hyperlink: A clickable text, phrase, or image that links to a new document or section. Common on web pages, hyperlinks are usually blue and underlined. When you hover over a hyperlink, the cursor changes to a pointing hand.
Font size for screen: 16-pixel text on a screen is almost the same size as text printed in a book or magazine, considering reading distance. Because we typically read at about 10 points, if you were to read at arm's length, you'd want at least 12 points, with is approximately the same size as 16 pixels on most screens.
System fonts for screen / Web safe fonts: vary by device and operating system. Window, MacOS, and Google's Android each have their own pre-installed font selections. If a designer chose a font that isn't available on the viewer's device and isn't pulled from a web-friendly source, it defaults to a basic font like Times New Roman. Web safe fonts, however, are a limited collection that appears consistently across different operating system. For example: Open Sans, Lato, Arial, Helvetica, Times New Roman, Times, Courier New, Courier, Verdena, Georgia, Palatino, Garamond.
Pixel differential between devices: Screens on devices like PCs, tablets, phones, and TVs differ in size and pixel proportions, so 100 pixels on a laptop will look different from 100 pixels on a 60" HDTV. This variation exists even within the same type of device.
(c) Static vs Motion
Static typography, such as bold and italic, offers limited expressiveness compared to dynamic typography. It is used in billboards, posters, magazines, and fliers for various purposes - informational, promotional, formal, or aspirational. The impact of static typography depends on the emotional connection it creates with the audience.
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| Fig 1.7.c Static Typography (billboard) |
Motion typography allows typographers to dramatise types, making letterforms fluid and kinetic.This technique is often used in film title credits and motion graphics, especially in animated bread identities of film and television production companies. Besides, motion typography in music videos and advertisements often follows the rhythm of the soundtrack, making it expressive and enhancing the tone or convey brand values. In title sequence, it prepares the audience by evoking the film's mood.
2. INSTRUCTIONS
PROCESS WORK
Task 2: Typographic Exploration and Communication (Text Formatting and Expression)
For Task 2, we need to create a 2-page editorial spread with the provided text using Adobe InDesign, with each page measuring 200mm x 200mm. Choose one from the three text options provided: A code to build on and live by, The role of Bauhaus thought on modern culture, Unite to visualise a better world.
- Minimal graphic elements, such as lines and shades, are allowed
- No images (unless permitted)
- No colour may be used
We may use Adobe Illustrator for the headline expression if necessary, but the final layout must be completed in Adobe InDesign.
1. Sketches
I chose the article titled 'A code to build on and live by'. To me, this topic offers more opportunities and space for creative design and expression compared to the other two.
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| Fig 2.1.1 Sketches, Week 6 (31/5/2024) |
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| Fig 2.1.2 Sketches, Week 6 (31/5/2024) |
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| Fig 2.1.3 References, Week 6 (31/5/2024) |
My personal favourites would be sketches #3, #4 and #5, as I think these designs are better able to convey and express the meaning of 'code'.
After the Week 6 feedback session, I started digitising immediately and made some adjustments according to the suggestions given during the process.
2. Digitisation
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| Fig 2.2.1 Digitisation process, Week 6 (31/5/2024) |
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| Fig 2.2.2 Design #1-1, Week 6 (31/5/2024) |
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| Fig 2.2.3 Design #1-2, Week 6 (31/5/2024) |
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| Fig 2.2.4 Design #2, Week 6 (31/5/2024) |
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| Fig 2.2.5 Design #3 Digitisation attempts, Week 6 (31/5/2024) |
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| Fig 2.2.6 Design #3 Digitisation attempts, Week 6 (31/5/2024) |
I made several attempts on Design #3, particularly focusing on merging the letter 'A' with the symbol '<' (Fig 2.2.5) and deciding whether or not to capitalise 'live by' (Fig 2.2.6).
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| Fig 2.2.7 Design #3-1, Week 6 (31/5/2024) |
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| Fig 2.2.8 Design #3-2, Week 6 (31/5/2024) |
I also tried incorporating the title into the layout to explore any interesting ways to enhance the design.
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| Fig 2.2.9 Layout Attempts, Week 6 (31/5/2024) |
After the Week 7 feedback session, I made some adjustments based on the advice and guidance given by Mr Max.
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| Fig 2.2.10 Design #1 improvement process, Week 7 (7/6/2024) |
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| Fig 2.2.11 Design #2 improvement process, Week 7 (7/6/2024) |
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| Fig 2.2.12 Design #3 improvement process, Week 7 (7/6/2024) |
After making adjustments, these three final designs were approved by Mr Max to move on to the next stage of creating layouts.
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| Fig 2.2.13 Final Design #1, Week 7 (7/6/2024) |
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| Fig 2.2.14 Final Design #2, Week 7 (7/6/2024) |
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| Fig 2.2.15 Final Design #3, Week 7 (7/6/2024) |
3. Layouts
Margins
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| Fig 2.3.1 Layouts, Week 7 (7/6/2024) |
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| Fig 2.3.2 Layouts (Blocks), Week 7 (7/6/2024) |
Personally, I prefer layouts #1, #3, and #5.
For layout #1, I made the body text progressively decrease in height to create and emphasise the feeling of 'build on'.
For layout #3, I like the clean and simple way of displaying the title and the body text.
For layout #5, it was an interesting new attempt for me, as I explored several ways of placing the elements (title, lead-in text, body text) while ensuring it is visually pleasing and balanced.
After the Week 8 feedback session, layout #5 was chosen by Mr Max. However, before finalising the design, some final adjustments needed to be made.
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| Fig 2.3.3 Improvement process, Week 8 (14/6/2024) |
As #5-1 is the original design, Mr Max suggested swapping the positions of the title and the lead-in text, and rotating the lead-in text so it is readable horizontally, as shown in #5-2. After that, I decreased the leading of the lead-in text and aligned it to the centre of the symbol '>' in #5-3 to make it look more balanced.
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| Fig 2.3.4 Improved Layout, Week 8 (14/6/2024) |
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| Fig 2.3.5 Improved Layout (Blocks), Week 8 (14/6/2024) |
Margins
Left page - Top, Bottom, Left: 25 mm / Right: 10mm
Right page - Top, Bottom, Right: 25 mm / Left: 10mm
Heading
Font: Serifa Std (45 Light)
Heading
Font: Serifa Std (45 Light)
Lead-in Text
Font: Serifa (55 Roman)
Font size: 19 pt
Leading: 31 pt
Body
Font: Bembo Std (Regular)
Font Size: 10 pt
Leading: 12 pt
Paragraph spacing: 12 pt
Line length: 110 - 120 characters per line
Alignment: Left Justified
Body
Font: Bembo Std (Regular)
Font Size: 10 pt
Leading: 12 pt
Paragraph spacing: 12 pt
Line length: 110 - 120 characters per line
Alignment: Left Justified
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4. Final Outcome - Typographic Exploration and Communication
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| Fig 2.4.1 Final Task 2 Outcome - JPEG, Week 8 (14/6/2024) |
Fig 2.4.2 Final Task 2 Outcome - PDF, Week 8 (14/6/2024)
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| Fig 2.4.3 Final Task 2 Outcome with grids - JPEG, Week 8 (14/6/2024) |
Fig 2.4.4 Final Task 2 Outcome with grids - PDF, Week 8 (14/6/2024)
3. FEEDBACK
Week 6
Specific Feedback
Design 1: Mr Max suggested combining sketches #1 and #3, keeping the elements from sketch #1 but aligning them as shown in sketch #3.
Design 2: Sketch #2 was chosen, and Mr Max recommended combining it with the idea in sketch #4, which emphasises the word by highlighting it with black quadrilateral shapes.
Design 3: Mr Max prefers sketch #5, and suggested capitalising the letter 'd' to 'D', and merging it with the word 'and'.
Week 7
Specific Feedback
Design #1-2: Ensure the spacing is consistent for all lines.
Design 2: The 'A' and '&' should use a thinner font, and it would be better to merge 'y' with '>' instead of '/'.
Design #3-2: Try to make the 'C' have a regular quadrilateral shape, same as other letters.
After these adjustments, three of the designs were approved and moved to the layout stage.
Week 8
Specific Feedback
Layout #5 was chosen. To improve it before finalising, Mr Max suggested swapping the positions of the title '& live by >'and the lead-in text, rotating the lead-in text so it is readable horizontally, making the leading of the lead-in text smaller and adjusting it to the centre.
4. REFLECTIONS
Experience
This task actually gave us more freedom on designing titles and layouts compared to Task 1. We were asked to come out with at least six headline designs within 2 hours based on the three given articles. Our air conditioner wasn't functioning that day, so we were free to go around the campus to continue our design work. I went to theatre hall and finished my designs there. It was surprisingly a good experience for me. I found that exploring and experiencing new places really helped in developing creative ideas, especially for design works, as it served as a way to refresh our minds.
Observation
During the Week 7 feedback session, Mr Max used our digitised headings as examples and demonstrated on screen how to enhance it. He mentioned that it would be more beneficial and effective if everyone could learn from the feedback, rather than just one person in 1 to 1 sessions as we did in previous classes. By observing my peers' work, I realised that sometimes the way people think often reflects in their designs. For instance, when considering the keyword 'code', the first thing I thought of was coding and programming, which I focused on. However, some people thought of barcodes or QR codes, which was very interesting. In the broader context of design, we need this diversity.
Findings
When creating the layouts, I realised that sometimes the rules of Typography can restrict our ability to fully express our creativity and ideas, as many of our designs were not 'feasible' when it came to the layout stage due to various reasons. During the sketching stage, I tried to include the idea of Morse code in the design, but it didn't work well and was abandoned. It is quite a challenging task to find the balance between creativity, aesthetics and readability. What we should do is maximise creativity while following the rules, exploring a wide range of possibilities within set limits.
5. FURTHER READING
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| Fig 5.1 Typography Referenced |
The chapter 8: Typographic Principles gave me some new ideas on Text Expressions and Text Formatting, as I mostly focused on the content regarding type expressions and layouts.
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| Fig 5.2 The Golden Section |
I like the concept mentioned in this book - designing with type is as much a science as an art. It talks about the importance of balancing instinct with formal knowledge gained from experience and training, and it also emphasises how contrasts in size, shape, colour, and placement affect how designs look.
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| Fig 5.3 Reading direction |
Readers typically begin at top left and scan right and down, left and down, until finally reaching the composition's bottom.
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| Fig 5.4 Example of focal point |
Dynamic compositions, especially those meant to attract a viewer’s attention, often employ a focal point that does not allow a reader to scan starting with the top-left corner. In these compositions, the designer takes control, guiding the reader on what to read first.
As shown in Fig 5.4, the straight line of black type provides enough contrast against the circular elements to draw the reader's attention to the title. There are many types of formal contrast that enhance focal points; my two favourites are shared below:
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| Fig 5.5 Flat / Deep |
Shayna Lauer’s book cover places the title within a deep space setting, with the author’s name sitting flatly and quietly as a line of white type.
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| Fig 5.6 Sequence / Randomness |
As the letter S slowly disintegrates, new images appear on the reader’s right, delivering the predicable and unpredictable.
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