Overall Comments
Part 4 has focused on typography’s history and application. Overall your response has been good, therefore gaining a better understanding of type design, font families, and typography in context to graphic design. There is much good work here to build upon, so well done, take this knowledge forward to Part 5 to continue developing your creative thinking, craft and digital skills.
I feel happy with the feedbacks. I know that there are lots more to learn about type and I need to spend more time in exploring different types.
Project: The visual word
Typography uses both written and visual languages, you were asked to explore this by visually representing a range of words. To start always use InDesign when using type and graphic design for layouts, Photoshop type will be ‘soft’. Once you start to manipulate type as image then use Photoshop or Illustrator, which you have done in step 2.
Step 1: You have generated some good examples of how movement of letterforms can represent the meaning, agree with you that ‘speed’ and ‘shy’ work particularly well, ‘squeeze’ also works. Good to see you have considered white space of page as part of the communication, so important when designing layouts. Next time think about what else you could do to the letters such as cut them up for ‘shattered’ or reverse them for ‘shadow’. How might using all caps or all lowercase change the visual communication for example ‘serious’ in all caps or ‘soothing’ all lowercase? Research a few examples where a word such as ‘sophisticated’ would be appropriate for example designer brands or expensive perfume or ‘soothing’ children’s medicine. Some focussed research underpinning understanding of type styles / categories / application and what / how they visually communicate, will help you develop on from this exercise.
Step 2: You have generated a great range of expressive words, the most successful are those not reliant on additional elements, in some respects those are working towards logo designs. Therefore ‘shattered’ ‘saucy’ ‘style’ are some of the most appropriate. Consider which words communicate purely through the typeface and composition (typography) and which are typefaces requiring additions (logo). Next, think about which words might be appropriate for what type of project for example a mens wear shop, a romantic novel book cover, advert for women’s product. Overall good start part 4.
Things to be considered
- Researching a few examples where a word such as ‘sophisticated’ would be appropriate for example designer brands or expensive perfume or ‘soothing’ children’s medicine.
- Which words might be appropriate for what types of project
Project: Anatomy of a typeface
To explore your understanding of how a typeface is constructed you were asked to undertake a typographic jigsaw puzzle. This is such a good exercise to understand specific characterises of typefaces, in this case Baskerville. You have done some sound research about the typeface, but you haven’t really analysed it in your own words. In addition the brief required you to draw the letterforms into the sentence, which would develop your visual understanding of individualcharacters, shapes and form, relationship of each character to the next, spacing and alignment. A digital program in effect does that for you, but it is only a machine and it doesn’t always do it correctly, therefore by doing this exercise digitally was not helpful in learning about typography. Using Procreate has been helpful in terms of developing your digital skills but the correct program to use for typography is InDesign.
So you need to trace type always using a sharp 2H pencil, quality tracing paper and draw really accurate rule tram lines, this will help you to carefully render each character and letter spacing. This takes time and lots of practise, therefore you will need to do quite a few versions, do not rub out and correct but start a fresh so by the end you have a collection of traces to compare and contrast the differences. This process will help train your eye when using type digitally making you a better typography.
Things to be considered
- Using pencil and tracing paper to help with visual understanding of individual characters.
Project: Different typefaces
You were introduced to some of the ways typography can be categorised, asked to create your own sample book of typefaces, and identify fonts you could use for a number of different design jobs. Good to see some research for this brief and that you are using InDesign.. The type specimen book is working well to show each selected font and how it looks typeset as ‘Quick brown fox….’.
Be cautious of using colours because, what you have designed is called a ‘blad’ or sample of what the book could like like, therefore colour for a complete specimen book would be problematic as you would run out of colours. Colour in this instance is decorative and therefore distracts from actually looking at the typefaces and choosing one to use. What you could try is one weight and size for each typeface example in a colour, to show how it would look. Just using red would be suitable as red and black were originally the only two colours available for mass printing.
You have added the styles in right hand column for Raleway specimen, so be good to be consistent and do same on Baskerville and Courier.
Things to be considered
- Not using colour for the specimen book
- Trying is one weight and size for each typeface for example in a colour, to show how it would look.
Project: Typesetting
This section explored typesetting by looking at magazines in terms of how easy they are to read, and using Lorum Ipsum to typeset text.
Magazine: You have chosen a range of magazines but you haven’t evidenced analysis of them. Suggested ways to analyse examples has been provided in previous feedback part 2/3 please refer to it to help you develop your analysis skills. So trace layouts to thoroughly analyse every choice the designer has made such as: font, serif or sans serif, weight, words per line, line length, text size, leading, gutters, paragraphs as line breaks or indents, text range left, centred or justified? Is there a change of text size for headings, introductions, main copy and captions? Consider how does the design communicate content in context to audience?
On a separate post ‘Diving with Sharks’ double page spread you have addressed some good analyse and Developed InDesign skills.
Good to see thumbnail sketch but it is just one. Next time explore a range of ideas generation and draw them more accurately with a higher level of detail. As a designer its always best to to be able to select the most interesting and appropriate layouts for development. You will always to need to have options to work with and show a client.
You are working through a very sound process to establish magazine grid structure and layout design using InDesign for digital iteration. You are clearly looking at your research examples but you need to evidence how, what you are looking at is informing what you are doing. Really good to see you have used a type size to line length working to average of 8 words per line, linked text boxes ensuring horizontal text alignment, boarders and column widths are comfortable across the spread, and you’ve worked to baseline grid, excellent. A few details to be aware of are widows, orphans, hyphened words and deep leading in headline text.
Parish advert: Same comments above apply here. The concept of your design is totally appropriate, lovely colour pallet, choice of image and appropriate typeface selection. Church rarely have a budget for advertising; did you consider reproduction in one or two colours? Did you test your design portrait format to avoid heading text clipping image? As a graphic designer you need to proof read text “ marks are incorrect. As with the magazine layout, this parish advert just requires refinement of a few details.
Sports poster and flyer: Same comments above apply here. Remember to use Photoshop or iIllustrator for image generation then import to InDesign for layout design and adding text. Your use of type and image, hierarchy of information, layout design is defiantly getting more confident.
Good self reflection, overall you have shown really good progress through this quite demanding long exercise, well done.
Things to be considered
- Showing evidence of analysing: font, serif or sans serif, weight, words per line, line length, text size, leading, gutters, paragraphs as line breaks or indents, text range left, centred or justified
- exploring a range of ideas generation and draw them more accurately with a higher level of detail
- being aware of widows, orphans, hyphened words and deep leading in headline text
- Proof reading
Project: Hierarchy
You were asked to typeset headings, sub-heading and body text for three different pages. You have methodically worked through this exercise which has clearly developed research analysis and InDesign skills. The three chosen layouts presented as final designs all show you are developing a good understanding of typography. There are a few general points to take into consideration next time — with text make sure you have approx 8-12 words per line so there are no rivers (holes) through your text, your measures are short so reduce point size and/or select a slimmer font. The tec mag is a good example of font size to line line to words per line.
Things to be considered
- Making sure to have approx 8-12 words per line so there are no rivers (holes) through the text
Feedback on assignment
Creative and analytical thinking, Visual and Technical Skills
For the Show Me… assignment you produced a cover and short article for a magazine on typography.
Research and analysis: You cite lots of interesting examples to stimulate ideas generation. Primary research is that conducted by yourself but in the context of creative practice it is research that you have actually generated such as your own sketches of type found or drawing letterforms or your own photographs of your own collection of magazines, with your own critical analysis written in your own words. Secondary research is material researched by someone else, so books with academic critical writing for example on type, typefaces, typography and general graphic design such as poster and magazine/books; your selection of magazine covers are an excellent starting point. Eye and Baseline are very good case studies to examine for this project. However, you don’t appear to have researched the subject of the brief, type foundries? Choose three foundries that produce type using different technologies, compare and contrast processes in context to production. There is no evidence of critical analysis writing to demonstrate how and what has informed your work, see previous feedback. Next time, use actual copies magazine examples to enable you to trace grid structure, type and image relationships, scale and size of published format. Having actual magazines will allow you to feel the paper texture and weight. Search used section of Amazon or Ebay. You need to correctly Harvard Reference all examples shown, make it absolutely clear what is your work and what is by professional practitioners.
Ideas Generation: Your sketches are more detailed, which is good to see, but very limited range of ideas, see previous feedback. So you need to consider how your research has informed your understanding of different type foundries; informed understanding of this task; informed your ideas generation? Use this information to produce a broader range of ideas generation.
Development: You evidence creative process through digital iterations, next time draw the letterforms first as this will help you explore the potential of the shapes. Your following process developing in Procreate then Illustrator was good practice, you acknowledge that quite a few versions should be drawn first; did you do that? What calligraphic styles from your Pinterest board did you refer to inform the decisions you made, learning by example?
Final outcomes: Work evidences some awareness of type in context to magazine design, good use of grid structure, type size and line lengths. Analysis of your ‘primary research: typeface design’ examples would have shown you that what is being discussed/described in the text should be illustrated with images, a publication of this type needs to be both visual and informative. Why did you decide not to illustrate the text?
Reflection: Review you work against research examples, learn from best practice. The refining of outcomes is a craft in itself requiring time and attention to detail, which you suggests you clearly understand. You have learnt a great deal about type throughout part 4, how central type/ typography is in context to graphic design. Overall well done.
Things to be considered
- Evidencing of critical analysis writing to demonstrate how and what has informed my work
- Using actual magazines next time
- Using Harvard references for all the examples have shown
Sketchbooks
Research and idea development, Context. Practice drawing letterforms, character spacing and leading; select three typefaces with similar characteristics to compare and contrast such as Baskerville, Times, Garamond, Palatino, Bodoni, Perpetua etc (refer to page 87 of student handbook) print off full alphabet, choose a sentence and trace each character, do not rub out to adjust spacing just lay another sheet of trace over what you have done and correct this way. This way you can check through and see all amendments made until confident with a final trace. When designing: thumbnail sketch your designs, scale up to actual working size, lay tracing paper over and develop ideas. Resolve all the design decisions on paper first. Select best solution, transfer and refine using InDesign. If you work from thumbnail sketches straight to InDesign the fine detailing can get lost in translation. It is difficult to see the size, scale and relationship of the typography in context to the whole when working on screen, often at a much smaller size than actual production. Doing printouts in BW as you work on a project is a good way to test what you are doing is working successfully.
Learning Logs or Blogs / Critical essays
Research and idea development, Context. Your research points asked to find out more about an area of typography that interests you, as well as documenting some vernacular typography.
Your history of type research appears to have come from just one source and therefore provides a good general overview of the history of type, interjected with different aspects of calligraphy often associated with different cultures. This has helped to underpin your general understanding of calligraphy within the overall history of type. Next time use a range of resources to seek research examples, in addition to writing historical facts write in your own words analysis of examples chosen and show images of what you are discussing. Next analyse of letterforms in context to graphic design to demonstrate understanding of how type and type, letterforms and typography communicate a visual as well as written language. So collect your own examples of type, analyse and distinguish between font styles and application such as fonts for shop fronts or packaging or road signage etc.
Your alphabet identifying type research, I agree with you that using an online type identifier isn’t easy especially at this early stage of your studies. When analysing a font first scan/photocopy an enlarged section of the text then use tracing paper to trace a line of text as before. This will give you an overall feel for the typeface set in text, such as the character shapes and letter spacing. Next is to repeat the process tracing just the characters that have distinct shapes, such as the ‘a, o, e, u, m, h, y, w’ in lower-case and upper-case. Really analyse the shapes of the bowls, the stokes of the characters ‘thicks and thins’ the shape of the serifs, the height and length of the ascenders and descenders. A book I previously recommended The Thames and Hudson Manual of Typography by Ruari McLean is the best bible about type to use. Identifying magazine tittle typefaces are always difficult to identify as they are often specifically drawn just for that publication such as Vogue which is called the ‘masthead’. McLean’s book would however help you to identify the style of serif font it has be drawn from, by the names of the strokes and feet, see chapter 5 Letters for printing.
Your vernacular typography research, you have shown a few examples collected online. As you recognise type is everywhere, now we are able to get out and about a bit more, carry on building a visual collection of examples that you find on the street. Look out for ‘ghost signs’ which are particularly interesting. You may also find it interesting to look into another culture that has low technology such as areas of India or Brazil, where many street signs and advertising is still painted by hand.
Generally you need to write-up more fully your reflection of learning for each exercise (better in places than others): what you learnt, what went well, what you could do differently next time, how the exercise will help when doing the assignment project.
Could you please title and number each post same as in course handbook to make navigation of blog a bit easier 🙂
It would be worth reading books that help you to develop your graphic design creative process further. Preferably see if you can access the following through library or online. Type as visual image you may be interested in Art and Text by Black Dog Publishing and for hand lettering Hand Job: A Catalog of Type by Michael Perry. David Jury is a writer about typography and books, About Face: Revisiting the Rules of Typography is in particular is a great read. A great handbook about type is Thinking With Type 2nd Ed: A Critical Guide for Designers, Writers, Editors, & Students by Ellen Lupton. Understanding grids Grid Systems in Graphic Design … by Josef Muller-Brockmann. You can also access St Bride Library online https://www.sbf.org.uk
Pointers for the next assignment
The final part of the course focuses on layout by exploring how to design leaflets, flyers and posters. This is an opportunity to thoroughly investigate the best designers, analyse their work and how they craft excellent design, learn by example and apply what you have learnt when exploring, developing and refining your own work. Refer to feedback provided throughout the course to date, to help you now make better informed design decisions. Use recommended resources to develop your understanding of creative thinking and production of graphic solutions. Always critique your work with comparable professional designs to help you recognise where improvements can be made.
Maryam: OCA Graphic Design 