Typography Task 3 / Type Design & Communication

To begin, choose an existing font design that adheres to the direction that we would like to head in. Study the font carefully by analysing its anatomical parts.

Start with rough sketches, explore a variety of options and upon approval begin digitisation of the drawings. Software for digitisation: Adobe Illustrator and later FontLab.

Artworks shall be printed out for critique sessions followed by refinements. If time permits we shall generate the font for actual use. The purpose of this project is for us to learn how to create a good typeface - subtlety, character, presence, legibility and readability.

The letters to design: o l e d s n c h t i g , . ! #

1. Research

We were given time to sketch out our ideas during Week 9 Tutorial and Practical sessions. I started by doing research on type design, and I have attached some of the designs below for reference.

Fig 2.1.1 References

2. Sketches

Fig 2.2.1 Sketches

My personal favourites are sketches #1, #2, #4, and #9. Based on the feedback given by Mr Max, one from the sketches #2, #4, #7, and #9 can be chosen to proceed to digitisation stage.

3. Identify and deconstruct references

I deconstructed some of the letters from my reference font design to learn how it works.

Fig 2.3.1 Deconstructed "A"

Fig 2.3.2 Deconstructed "S"

Fig 2.3.3 Deconstructed "G"

After deconstructing these letters, I have observed that although this kind of font design aims to be 'out of the box' to create a sense of depth, it still needs to occupy equal spaces at the top and bottom in order to look balance.

4. Digitisation

I chose sketch #2 for my final font design, and started by sketching out the rough ideas for all the letters that need to be digitised.

Fig 2.4.1 Sketches

Fig 2.4.2 Digitisation process

Fig 2.4.3 Digitisation process

While digitising the designs, I used the rectangles of equal size to check and ensure the spacing is consistent for every letter.

After finishing the digitisation of the letters, I've noticed that the ascender and descender height in the sketches went over the set heights given which should be within the 1000 x 1000 points art board, thus I adjusted the heights accordingly to make sure they follow the basic rules.

Fig 2.4.4 Guidelines and digitised font design

After receiving feedback from Mr Max during Week 10, I realised that the diagonal lines of the letter 't' are thicker than those of other letters. This needs to be corrected while ensuring that the overall proportion and spacing remain consistent. To address this, I used the same method - employing same-sized rectangles to ensure that the size, spacing and angles are correct and uniform for all letters.

Fig 2.4.5 Adjustment process

Measurements (from baseline)
Baseline: 0 pt

Ascender: 697 pt
Capital height: 659 pt
Median: 500 pt
Descender: -197 pt

Stem: 68 pt

Gap: 135 pt
Crossbar: 34 pt

Body width: 271 pt

Fig 2.4.6 Anchor points of digitised letters

Fig 2.4.7 All digitised letters

5. Developing final font in FontLab 7

After finalising my design, we began to import them into FontLab 7.

During Week 11 Tutorial and Practical lessons, Mr Max guided us step by step on how to copy and paste our designs into FontLab 7 and export them as ttf or otf format files.

Fig 2.5.1 Copying and pasting the letters into FontLab

Fig 2.5.2 Letter kerning in FontLab

Fig 2.5.3 Imported fonts

6. Final Task 3: Type Design and Communication

Font download: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1PlXsZQB3gu1wN0xMUXuY4VkK0RhmpmuF

Fig 2.6.1 FontLab Screengrab

Fig 2.6.2 Final Task 3: Type Design and Communication "Locky" - JPEG

Fig 2.6.3 Final Task 3: Type Design and Communication "Locky" - PDF

Fig 2.6.4 Final Poster - JPEG

Fig 2.6.5 Final Poster - PDF

3. FEEDBACK

Week 9

General Feedback

We are to create 9 designs for letters 'o h d n g', and post them in Facebook comment for Mr Max to finalise the design before moving on to the digitisation stage.

Specific Feedback

Mr Max suggested choosing 1 design from sketches 2, 4, 7, and 9 to digitise.

Week 10

Specific Feedback

The diagonal line of the letter 't' (top and bottom) should be thinner, same as other letters.

Week 11

Specific Feedback

The digitised font designs were finalised and approved by Mr Max, can start importing them all into FontLab 7.

Week 12

Specific Feedback

Side bearings and final poster looking good, can finalise.

4. REFLECTIONS

Experience

This is one of my favourite tasks. We got to design and develop our own font, it was a totally new and exciting experience for me. Due to the malfunctioning air conditioner throughout the entire four weeks, we had online tutorial classes most of the time. This was somewhat inconvenient and not very effective, but fortunately, Mr Max was patient and detailed in explaining and guiding us step by step to complete our work. Therefore, it wasn't too troublesome to manage, and it felt really rewarding to design a font and eventually bring it to life.

Observation

Before we start sketching our ideas, Mr Max suggested us to think of a specific element or theme for our font design, which I think is a very good and effective way to ensure that the styles and vibes were consistent for all the characters we designed. For this task, Mr Max also used the same method as the previous lessons to conduct the feedback session, screen sharing and use some of the designs as examples to show everyone how to enhance them. This allowed us to learn and possibly apply those improvements to our own designs. By observing my peers' work, I found that we actually have many different and interesting styles. Some of us emphasised the overall shapes of the font designs, while others preferred using graphical vector elements. These different approaches made all the work diverse and creative.

Findings

Throughout the process of designing the font, I realised that there are actually more rules to follow in kerning and tracking than in the designing stage. While designing a font, we need to take note of the guidelines and follow rules such as making the ascender slightly higher than the caps height, but overall this still gives us a lot of freedom to express our creativity as long as we ensure the overall designs are balanced. However, once we imported the letters into FontLab, we had a specific table of letter spacings that need to be adjusted accordingly, and it was essential to follow the fixed data. But I also found this process manageable, as I personally think that the adjustments for lowercase letters are easier to deal with compared to uppercase letters.

5. FURTHER READING

Fig 5.1 Just My Type

I read some of the parts of this book, and Chapter 18 - Breaking the rules impressed me the most.

This chapter highlights the tension between following rules and embracing creativity in typography, which was also what I was struggling with initially. It emphasises that while rules like using only a few typefaces and keeping text legible are helpful, but they can also limit creativity, especially for beginners like us.

It mentioned Paul Felton's book, "The Ten Commandments of Typography", cleverly contrasts strict typography rules with more rebellious, creative approaches.

Fig 5.2 The Ten Commandments of Typography

By flipping the book, readers can see both the "good" rules and the "bad" ones being challenged. Felton argues that breaking these rules can lead to innovative designs and better reflect the spirit of the times.

Fig 5.3 Paul Felton's Plea for Heresy

This illustrates that while rules ensure order, sometimes breaking them is necessary for true artistic expression.

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Tay Yue Chern (0373215)

Typography Task 3 / Type Design & Communication

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