Advanced Typography · Task 1 · Exercises · Typographic Systems & Type & Play

22 APRIL 2024 - 2024 / Week 1 - Week

YANG ZHI CHING / 0365154

Advanced Typography / Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media

Task 1 : Typographic Systems · Exercise 1 & 2

LECTURES

Lecture 1 | Typographic Systems

Typographic is complex becausi it depends on critiria such as hierarchy, order of reading, legibility, and contrast.

1. Axial System: All elements are organised to the left or right of a single axis.

Fig 1.1 Axial System, Week 1

2. Radial System: All elements are extended from a point of focus.

Fig 1.2 Radial System, Week 1

3. Dilatational System: All elements expand from a central point in a circular fashion.

Fig 1.3 Dilatational System, Week 1

4. Random System: Elements appear to have no specific pattern or relationship.

Fig 1.4 Random System, Week 1

5. Grid System : A system of vertical and horizantal divisions.

Fig 1.5 Grid System and student sample, Week 1

6. Transitional: An informal system of layered banding.

Fig 1.6 Transitional System and student sample, Week 1

7. Modular System: A series of non-objective elements that are constructed in as a standardised units.

Fig 1.7 Modular System and student sample, Week 1

8. Bilateral System: All text is arranged symmetrically on a single axis.

Fig 1.8 Bilateral System and student sample, Week 1

Lecture 2 | Typographic Composition

Principle of Design Composition:

emphasis
isolation
repetition
balance (symmetry/asymmetry)
alignment
perspective
rhythm
contrast

Fig 2.1 Emphasis, Week 2

The Rule of Thirds:

A photographic guide to composition. The intersecting lines are used as a guide to place the points of interest, within the given space.

Fig 2.2 The use of 'Rule of Thirds', Week 2

Typographic Systems:

The most pragmatic and the most used system is the Grid System because its modular nature tends to allow an infinite number of adaptation. Then, the notion of order was challenged by youngers designers. As the result, the systems such as asymmetry, random, repetition, dilatational, radial was borned.

Fig 2.3 Grid System, Week 2

Other models - Environmental Grid:

Based on the exploration of an existing structure or numerous structures combined.

Fig 2.4 Example of Environment Grid, from "Typographic Form and Communication", Week 2

Form and Movement:

Based on the exploration of an existing Grid Systems. The placement of a form on a page, over many pages creates movement. The forms could represent images, text or colour.

Fig 2.5 Static versions of the form placed on spread, Week 2

Lecture 3 | Context and Creativity

Handwritting: Become the basis / standard for form, spacing and conventions mechanical type would try and mimic.

Fig 3.1 Evolution of the Latin Alphabet, Week 3

Cuneiform, is the earliest system of actual writing. It was the result of pressing the blunt end of a read stylus into wet clay tablets.

Fig 3.2 Cuneiform, Week 3

Fig 3.3 Hieroglyphs, Week 3

Early Greek (5th C. B.C.E.): Drawn freehand, not constructed with compasses and rule, no serifs. In time the strokes of these letter grew thicker, and the aperture lessened, serifs appeared.

Roman Uncials: By 4th century Roman, letters were becoming more rounded, the curved form allowed for less strokes and could be written faster.

English Half Uncials, 8th C.: In England, the uncial evolved into a more slanted and condensed form.

Carolingian Minuscule.: Capitals at the atsrt of a sentence, spaces between words and punctuation. A new script emerged, the Carolingian minuscule. Become the Humanistic writing of the fifteenth century.

Movable Type.: allowed the dismanting and resetting of text. This innovation was pioneered in China but achieved in Korea.

Eastern Developments in handwrting ·

Middle Eastern.: use of sound represented in letters - the script itself has been possibly influenced by the Egyptian Hieroglyohics and Hieratic Scripts.

Fig 3.4 Evolution of Middle Eastern, Week 3

Chinese Script: From the Oracle bone to Seal Script to Clerical Script, Traditional and Simplified scripts.

Fig 3.5 Evolution of Chinese Scripts, Week 3

Brahmi Script: The earliest writing system developed in India after the Indus script. All modern Indian scripts and several hundred scripts found in Southeast and East Asia are derived from Brahmi.

Fig 3.6 Brahmi Script, Week 3

INSTRUCTION

Doc 1.1 MIB

Task 1 : Exercise 1 - Typographic Systems ·

We need to make the typography design by using 8 typographic systems which are: axial, radial, dilatational, random, grid, modular, transitional, bilateral. And using the following content:

The Design School, Taylor’s University

All Ripped Up: Punk Influences on Design

or

The ABCs of Bauhaus Design Theory

or

Russian Constructivism and Graphic Design

Open Public Lectures:

June 24, 2021

Lew Pik Svonn, 9AM-10AM

Ezrena Mohd., 10AM-11AM

Suzy Sulaiman, 11AM-12PM

June 25, 2021

Lim Whay Yin, 9AM-10AM

Fahmi Reza, 10AM-11AM

Manish Acharia, 11AM-12PM

Lecture Theatre 12

Software: Indesign

Size: 200 x 200 mm

Colour: black with additional colour

Graphic elements can bu used but limitedly

Other Research & References |

I explore more explanations about systems and how to make them on this website Type 365 , here are some examples (8 systems) from the website:

Fig 6.1 Axial example , Week 1

Fig 6.2 Radial example , Week 1

Fig 6.3 Dilatational example , Week 1

Fig 6.4 Grid example , Week 1

Fig 6.5 the grid line in Gris System, Week 1

Fig 6.6 Transitional example , Week 1

Fig 6.7 Bilateral example , Week 1

Fig 6.8 Modular example , Week 1

Week 1 Attempts |

(attempts of each system, and some Indesign creation process)

Basically, I first took some notes about each system, and based on this, I did various layout exercises using Indesign.

1. Axial System

All elements are arranged along an axis, left or right.

Fig 7.1 First attempt of Axial System, Week 1

2. Radial System

All elements are expanded by a focus.
Looks dynamic and active. but difficult to read and is suitable for presenting information with a small number of words.

Fig 7.2 First attempt of Radial System, Week 1

3. Dilatational System

All elements spread out from the center point in a circular shape.

Fig 7.3 First attempt of Dilatational System, Week 1

4. Random System

Elements don't seem to have a specific pattern or relationship.
It just seems random because the viewer will organize the composition, even if it is unconsciously. Humans' eyes and brains have been programmed to look for patterns, shapes, and order in everything they see.

Fig 7.4 First attempt of Random System, Week 1

5. Grid System

A system for dividing the layout vertically and horizontally.
The grid system has a regular composition and pursues visual order and process-oriented design.

Fig 7.5 First attempt of Grid System, Week 1

6. Modular System

Construct many abstract elements into standard modules
Design using unit standards.

Fig 7.6 First attempt of Modular System, Week 1

7. Transitional System

A free system that pays attention to layered gradient arrangement.
No connections are made along an axis, and there is no edge alignment.

Fig 7.7 First attempt of Transitional System, Week 1

8. Bilateral System

Symmetrical design based on one axis.

Fig 7.8 First attempt of Bilateral System, Week 1

Week 1 Final Submissions |

1. Axial System

Fig 8.1 Axial - Final, Week 2

2. Radial System

Fig 8.2 Radial - Final, Week 2

3. Dilatational System

Fig 8.3 Dilatational - Final, Week 2

4. Random System

Fig 8.4 Random - Final, Week 2

5. Grid System

Fig 8.5 Grid - Final, Week 2

6. Modular System

Fig 8.6 Modular - Final, Week 2

7. Transitional System

Fig 8.7 Transitional - Final, Week 2

8. Bilateral System

Fig 8.8 Bilateral - Final, Week 2

Final Submissions - Pdf with grids and without grids |

Doc 2.1 Exercise 1 Submission - without Grids

Doc 2.2 Exercise 1 Submission - with Grids

Task 1 : Exercise 2 - Finding Type ·

We were asked to select an image of a man-made object (chair, glass, etc.) or structures (buildings), or something from nature (Human, landscape, leaf, plant, bush, clouds, hill, river, etc).

Ensure that the image does not contain many different elements.

Chosen Subject |

I was inspired by the crack in rock. The stone image is from the material library in Canva. I did black and white processing and rotation.

Fig 9.1 Original Image and After Production, Week 3

Letterform Extraction |

I found the four letters O, I, N, R in the picture, and coincidentally can form the word 'IRON', which is somewhat related to rocks. I first used Procreate for rough tracing, and then Adobe Illustrator for more detailed tracing.

Fig 9.2 Tracing the Letterform, Week 3

Fig 9.3 Extracted letterforms - I, R, O, N, Week 3

Reference Typeface |

I corresponded to 10 fonts and finally chose Bembo Std as a reference.

Fig 9.4 Draft in Indesign, Week 3

Fig 9.5 Reference Typeface, Bembo Std.. Week 3

Sketches |

In order to have a clearer idea, I used the reference font and extracted typeface as references and manually drew a sketch of the improved font.

Fig 9.6 Reference and Sketch (column-3), Week 3

Digitization |

After sketch gave me a clearer idea, I started working in AI. I improved individual letters one by one in the direction of the reference font, and after five attempts, I came up with the final font.

Fig 9.7 Attempts of "I", Week 3

Fig 9.8 Attempts of "R", Week 3

Fig 9.9 Attempts of "O", Week 3

Fig 9.10 Attempts of "N", Week 3

Fig 9.11 First Completed Attempt, Week 3

The following are reference fonts, extracted fonts, and improved versions for comparison.

Fig 9.12 Reference and Outcomes, Week 3

According to the requirement of the class, I arranged the extracted image, process and reference font, and final outcome in one picture to submit the outcome in class. After feedback, Mr.vinod told me that my attempt was good, but the letters were uneven, and I needed to align them according the baseline and capline.

Fig 9.13 Submission on class, Week 3

Fig 9.14 Before adjustment, Week 3

Fig 9.15 Reference Font and Final Outcome, Week 3

Final |

Fig 9.16 Final Typeface Outcome, Week 3

Typographic Poster Design·

After completing the font design, we need to design a poster using the completed font. The artboard dimension requirement is 1024 x1024 pt.

I first used the meaning of the word 'iron' as a starting point to find the content of the poster, and i found out the content which is the cartoon movie 'the iron giant', then found suitable pictures to design the poster, but Mr.Vinod told me that I need to use typeface’s prototype “stone” as the content of the poster. So I continued working on three other posters with the theme of 'stone'.

Fig 10.1 Poster attempt #1, Week 4

Fig 10.2 Poster attempt #2, Week 4

Fig 10.3 Poster attempt #3, Week 4

Fig 10.4 Poster attempt #4, Week 4

Final |

Fig 10.5 Final, Week 5

FEEDBACK

Week 2 - Exercise 1

General Feedback:

We are told to utilize the great systems wisely, it can help us more to create our works.

Our design should be based on ‘meaning’, such as catching the eye, rather than randomly adding elements.

Specific Feedback:

The kerning of the title was too close, and the entire poster has too much white space.

Week 3 - Exercise 2

General Feedback:

We can add things not from the extracted image, it just reflected what we saw from the image. If the added elements make it look different from the reference, we can change reference font. And make attention to the thickness of the font.

Specific Feedback:

4 letters are uneven, I need to make the baseline and capline keep on a straight line.

Week 4 - Exercise 2

General Feedback:

The portrait image grabs the attention rather than the Type design. Should focus on the 'Type' . Aware of the functionality, readability. Our learning is in the mistakes.
Increase the relation between the typeface and image, increase the meaning. Bigger is better for the “title" Good poster can blend in the image and stand out at the same time.

Specific Feedback:

I need to adjust the measurement of the title. The background text size should be smaller and they got large ‘River’.

REFLECTION

Exercise 1 - 8 Typographic Systems

| Experience |

I did 28 layout exercises in this project, most of which were based on references founded from books and web. My main idea was to do this exercise for understanding and practicing the production of various systems. After the classmates' presentations, I found that their designs were all complete, more like completed posters. In comparison, my works seemed to be just "arrangement of words" rather than design, so I found that I might be misundertanding the task and getting off the path of 'designing'. Mr. Vinod shook his head at my complicated but ordinary 'design', which made me feel a bit depressed.

| Observation |

I found that my mastery of typograohy is not as good as other modules. I feel that I have relatively 'no sense' in this subject. My aesthetic understanding of typography is relatively shallow.

| Findings |

I need to read more related books and works to improve my interest and aesthetic understanding of typograohy.

Exercise 2 - Finding Type & Poster

| Experience |

When I was searching for font prototypes, the first inspiration that came to mind was glass fragments, but after I extracted it, I thought the effect was not very good, so I finally chose the cracks in the stone wall as the font prototype. I followed Mr Vinod's steps for my creation and everything went smoothly, so there wasn't much pressure on this exercise.

| Observation |

I found that my mood was more stable than the last exercise and I was not too nervous, so the effect was pretty good (for me). I often think that I should do well but I am nervous. In the end, I cannot do well because of nervousness, and fall into a bad cycle.

| Findings |

Follow to the teacher's steps, manage time, and maintain mentality, then we can complete the assignment smoothly.

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YANG ZHI CHING (0365154)