Advanced Typography - Final Project
28/05/19 - 2/06/19 (Week 10 - 13)
Azmina Fathima Haris (0337113)
Advanced Typography
Final Project
LECTURES
Lecture 10: No lecture
Week 10 (4/06/19)
No class this week as it was e-learning week.
Lecture 11: Typography in Different Mediums | Typography: Perception & Organisation
Week 11 (11/06/19)
This week, we had two lectures, the first one being on different mediums in typography. It covered various mediums like type on print and screen, like kinetic type and also experimental typography, which was type created using various materials and objects.
We gave the next presentation for the class, which was on Typographic perception and organisation. It covered various design principles applying to typography - like the Gestalt theory, hierarchy, along with examples on how they are applied.
Lecture 12: No lecture
Week 12 (18/06/19)
No lecture this week, instead we continued working on our final project.
Lecture 13: No lecture
Week 13 (25/06/19)
No lecture this week instead we continued with our final project and consulted for feedback.
INSTRUCTIONS
Final Project
For our final project, we are asked to develop a typeface or an outcome in the form of an application of any kind that solves a problem. I wanted to do something with Indian culture as I felt it would interesting and I would also be able to think of a problem and solution from my own experiences.
I decided to stick with the idea I had thought of back in the first few weeks of the semester but I also looked into other ideas as alternative options. The first option is to create a typeface based on a hand lettering style found on trucks in India. The second was to create a typeface inspired by a style of embroidery or a style of Indian architecture.
Week 11
After showing my ideas to Mr. Vinod, he told me to proceed with the first, to create the typeface based on truck lettering. As my purpose and application wasn't too clear at that point, he told me to work on finding a style to preserve and to research a bit more about the lettering. I also showed them these sketches I had made of different lettering styles.
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| Fig. 1 Ideas #1 - #3 |
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| Fig. 1.1 Ideas #4 & #5 |
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| Fig. 1.2 Ideas #6 & #7 |
While, I was looking into the different styles of lettering, I found this very interesting project promoting truck art and lettering. The initiative focuses on helping these artists gain global recognition. Another project I found rather interesting was Hand Painted Type by graphic designer and typographer Hanif Kureshi. He collaborates with various roadside painters across India and preserves their effort by digitising the lettering. This style of lettering by an artist from Afghanistan was one that I found particularly interesting. He uses nine different layers to create the effect.
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| Fig. 1.3 Digitised lettering by Painter Kafeel source - http://www.handpaintedtype.com |
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| Fig. 1.4 Digitised lettering by Painter Kafeel source - http://www.handpaintedtype.com |
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| Fig. 1.5 Digitised lettering by Painter Kafeel source - http://www.handpaintedtype.com |
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| Fig. 1.6 Digitised lettering by Painter Kafeel source - http://www.handpaintedtype.com |
After looking at these references, I tried compiling all these different traits into something more universal that is till reminiscent of the actual lettering style with the same curvatures and motifs.
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| Fig. 1.7 Final idea |
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| Fig. 1.8 Final idea |
Once I finalised on the lettering style, I decided to start working on it in Illustrator. Since, my stroke widths were not very clear from the sketches I had to work out the widths as I went on and made sure it was consistent.
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| Fig. 1.9 Outlines of characters |
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| Fig. 2 Construction closeup "G" - before joining shapes |
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| Fig. 2.1 Construction closeup "G" - after joining shapes |
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| Fig. 2.2 Initial attempt - A to F |
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| Fig.2.3 Initial attempt - G to M |
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| Fig.2.4 Initial attempt - T to Z |
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| Fig. 2.5 Adjusting the width of characters (from top to bottom) reference, adjusted letters and initial attempt. |
I was also asked to fix the curves on the letters as they didn't look consistent and didn't appear on the same side/edges of each character. Mr. Vinod also suggested adding a highlight effect to the characters as they appeared to have a shadow of some kind with the motif.
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| Fig.2.6 Final outcome - A to F |
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| Fig.2.7 Final outcome - G to M |
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| Fig. 2.8 Final outcome N to S |
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| Fig. 2.9 Final outcome - T to Z |
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| Fig. 3 Final outcome - characters |
Once I was done refining the characters in Illustrator, I proceeded to digitise it FontLab. I did try creating it in Glyphs but I felt FontLab was more easier to use, especially since we've used it before.
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| Fig.3.1 Process in FontLab |
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| Fig.3.2 Testing outcome in FontLab |
Week 13
My application was what I was uncertain about right some the beginning. My initial idea was to create stickers for the lettering so it would easy to get the same effect as the original. The reason why the lettering is being discarded is because of how complex it is and how time consuming the process of creating each one is. Creating the stickers would have solved this problem.
However, Mr. Vinod suggested another way to preserve the typeface - by expanding its usage to different mediums, in souvenirs like postcards for instance. So, I decided to create a pair of postcards using Indian motifs. However, I didn't want anything that would take the focus away from the type so I opted for a simple approach. I used the handprinted motifs and objects from trucks that usually accompany the lettering (as seen below). And since the colour of my typeface had turned out a lot differently than expected, I had to opt for brighter more contrasting colours to make it eye-catching.
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| Fig. 3.3 Reference for motifs |
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| Fig. 3.4 Reference for motifs |
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| Fig. 3.5 GIF of Process - postcard #1 |
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| Fig. 3.6 Process in Illustrator |
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| Fig. 3.7 Final outcome - postcard #1 |
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| Fig. 3.8 Final outcome - postcard #2 |
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| Fig.3.9 Back of postcards |
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| Fig. 4 T-shirt #1 |
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| Fig. 4.1 T-shirt #2 |
Final outcome embedded pdf -
Problem statement & solution -
FEEDBACK
Week 10
No feedback this week as it was e-learning week.
Week 11
General feedback: We were asked to create a flatlay of the collateral and poster to present our work so it actually looks like an identity. We were told to ensure that our images in the blog were all .jpeg files and not png
Specific feedback: Regarding my proposal for the final project, they suggested I should go ahead digitising the hand painted truck lettering, as it was more specific and had a clearer purpose compared to my other ideas. Mr. Vinod also reminded me to research more about the different styles before actually designing it and also applying it. For my blog, I was asked to update the post for Project 1 immediately as I had forgot to update the final key artwork in the process of making the poster.
Week 12
Specific feedback: After I showed them my sketches for the different typefaces I designed, they said I should keep working on it - I'm on the right track but not there yet. I was also reminded to keep my progress up to date on my blog.
Week 13
Specific feedback: My design looked fine and Mr. Vinod suggested adding a highlight effect to my letters. As for my application, I was asked to create a postcard or a print of some kind rather than the stickers as that would preserving the lettering in a different way by expanding its usage.
Online feedback: Use both. Make a 3rd one if possible. Don’t forget to show the other side as well. Post cards have images on one side and lines and some times some small written info on the other side as well. And the place them as digital spreads (JPEG and PDF). Put an Air India logo on it too. So you can say that the cards can be filled on the air plane and the airline will post it to any part of the world for free.
REFLECTION
EXPERIENCES
Week 11: I really enjoyed researching about the lettering styles and the semiotics behind each motif
Week 12: I wasn't exactly sure what motifs to put in for the typeface as each one is very personalised so I had to go for something more generic but still try to get the look and feel of the lettering.
Week 13: I found this class rather stressful as I had to complete adding all the details to the letters and also refine them a bit further to make sure they were all consistent.
OBSERVATIONS
Week 11: While researching, I realised how much the lettering style is a reflection of the truck driver/owner. As there is not one single style that is used when decorating trucks or even while creating the lettering.
Week 12: I was not very sure sure how to make the type look more hand painted. I tried adding curves to most edges of the design to make it more rounded and brush-like.
Week 13: Digitising chromatic type was not easy as it would have been if it was a regular font - the perspective made it all the more difficult and my colours turned out darker too.
FINDINGS
Week 11: I felt like everyone was struggling to come up with a unique idea, and worse - to find a proper solution for it. I felt glad that I had thought of this idea before but I was still finding it hard to come up with the actual design.
Week 12: It was hard to capture the actual look and feel of the hand lettering for me as they are done in so many different styles and customised by the drivers when being commissioned. The detail involved is also personalised so it was difficult coming up with a design that is more universal in appearance but is still identifiable as the truck lettering.
Week 13: I had quite the struggle digitising the font - FontLab proved to be quite hard to use, especially as I had multiple layers to my font. In the end the edges did not look quite smooth; the way it did in Illustrator, but I was really pressed for time and there was far too much for me to refine in FontLab.
FURTHER READING
Design Elements Typography Fundamentals : A Graphic Style Manual for Understanding How Typography Affects Design by Kristin Cullen
Chapter 3
This chapter discussed the factors coming into play when selecting a typeface. A good typeface is defined as "a system of thoughtfully conceived and constructed characters working together as words, lines and paragraphs". When selecting, start with the actual text and not the type, this gives a better understanding and feel of its mood and energy. Its application - whether print or screen is also a very important factor and what kind of text it is whether an essay or a book with many headings and captions. Next, the medium and its users have to determined. For instance, a typeface to be used in environment is different from one on a small screen. The audience must also appeal to the text so the same typeface can't be used for annual reports and children's books. However, when designing type for the screen it could be difficult and requires special consideration. Browsers are very flexible and what works for one might not work for the other and there are also numerous digital formats today.
Opportunities for New Digital typefaces Inspired from Lettering in Bollywood Film Titles & Street Graphics in India by Mohammad Shahid, Indian institute of Technology Guwahati, India
This essay discussed the potential of old Bollywood film titles to digitised and developed as actual typefaces. I found this interesting as it gave me ideas on how to proceed with my sketches for the design. These titles help build expectations of the film and also suggests the overall theme and storyline. They are expressive enough to evoke the films overall mood at first sight. Certain characteristics are added to the type to enhance the effect and makes it more distinctive.
From the essay, it was clear that no matter the genre or the theme, yellow and red was a popular choice for the title as it was bold and also stands out against a dark background. Title shapes are also shown to have an influence in handprinted signboards.
Typographic Design: Form & Communication
Proportions of the Letterform
This section of the chapter discussed the individual proportions of the individual letterform. I felt this was relevant to my font as the exact width of characters are not clear with so many different styles of lettering. There are four major variables that control it the proportion of the letterform; stroke-to-height ratio, contrast in stroke weight, expanded and condensed styles and x-height and proportion.
The stroke-to-height ratio - when superimposed on a grid, the height of the latter is ten times the stroke width. In adjacent rectangles, the center letter is reduced to one-half the normal stroke width and the one on the right has its stroke width expanded to twice the normal.
Contrast in stroke weight - a variation in the contrast between stroke widths can create an optical illusion, the letter O is an example.
Expanded and condensed styles - the design dualities of the letterform can change when they are expanded or condensed
x-height & proportion - the proportional relationship between the x-height, ascender, descender, influences the optical qualities of the typography significantly.
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