Typography / Task 1

03/04/2023 - 05/05/2023 / Week 1 - Week 5
Iman binti Kamarudin / 0364014
Typography / Bachelors of Design (Hons) in Creative Media
Task 1: Exercise 1 & 2

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LECTURE

Week 1:

During this class, we mainly went over the main resources and expectations for the module. We were instructed to join the Zoom and were introduced to the Typography Facebook group. Then, we learnt how to go about structuring our e-portfolios for class and watched a YouTube video to guide us. For our reference, there were links to some previous student e-portfolios. Afterwards, we touched on the Module Information Booklet and were assigned our first exercise. 

Typo_0_Introduction

Typography can be deemed as the act of creating/designing letters, the creation of typefaces or type families. It can also come in many different forms such as animated forms and can be used in website design, app design, signage, labels etc.

- Typography has developed over 500 years

- Calligraphy: writing styles

- Lettering: drawing the letters out

- Font: The individual font or weight within the type

- Typeface: The entire family of fonts/weights that share similar characteristics.

Figure 1.1 - Difference between Font & Typeface (Snowball.digital website)

Typography
Oxford: style and appearance of printed matter
Wiki: art of arranging type to make written language legible and appealing

involves selecting;type faces
- point size
- line length
- line spacing (leading)
- letter-spacing (tracking)
- adjusting the space within letter pairs (kerning)

Early evolution of roman letters
elegant, large and formal texts frequently inscribed on monuments, showing importance in words & dates.

 

Typo_1_development

Phoenician to Roman
Uppercase letterforms evolved out of scratching wet clay with a sharpened stick or carving into stone with a chisel. Mainly straight lines.

The greeks changed the direction of writing from right to left to left to right (called boustrophedon).

Etruscan carvers working in marble painted letterforms before inscribing them.

Figure 1.2 - Phoenician to Roman type

Hand Script 3rd - 10th C.E

4th or 5th century
Square capitals. 
- Letterforms have serifs added
- Variety of stroke width

Figure 1.3 - Square Capitals

Late 3rd - mid 4th century
Compressed version of square capitals (rustic capitals). Allow more words in the same space.
- Faster to write
- Harder to read
both square and capitals for documents

Figure 1.4 - Rustic Capitals

4th century
Cursive hand was used for everyday transactions to improve speed.

Figure 1.5 - Cursive hand

4th - 5th century
Uncials incorporated some aspects of the roman cursive handbroad form more readable than rustic capitals.
- Dont have lowercase/uppercase
- Have both cases integrated

Figure 1.6 - Uncials

C. 500
Half uncials is a formalisation of the cursive hand. Mark the beginning of lowercase forms
2000 years after Phoenician alphabet.

Figure 1.7 -  Half uncials

C. 925
Charlemagne ordered the standardisation of texts.
The monks rewrote texts using both majuscules uppercase, miniscule lowercase, capitalisation and punctuation. Set the standard for calligraphy for a century.

Figure 1.8 -  Caloline miniscule

C. 1300

Blackletter to Gutenberg’s type. Regional variations of Alcuin’s script.
- North Europe: Condensed, strongly vertical letterform gained popularity. (Blackletter/textura)
- South Europe: Rounder open hand gained popularity (rotunda)

Figure 1.9 - Blackletter

Gutenberg (invented modern day printing press)
- Developed mechanism to allow documenting of information more quickly (printing)
- mimicking a scribes hand (Blackletter)

Figure 1.10 - Gutenberg

C. 1460 - 1471

Humanist script to roman type

1499 - 1515
Venetian type

1531
Golden Age of French Printing

Week 2: 

During this week's class, we began with an introduction from Mr. Vinod and went through his previous work and type archive. Then, we went over the differences between an idea and a concept and we presented our idea sketches for our first exercise and received feedback. Those who didn't have their sketches critiqued had to choose which ideas to conceptualise and digitise using the existing feedback Mr. Vinod gave to the others. We had to ask ourselves questions on whether it fit the guidelines, whether there was too many graphical elements, if the design expressed the word and etc.

Typo_2_Text_P1

Tracking: Kerning and Letterspacing

- Kerning: automatic adjustment of space between letters

- Tracking: the addition/removal of space in a word or sentence

- Letterspacing: to add space between letters

Figure 2.1 - Kerning examples

Figure 2.2 - Tracking examples

Designers do not track lowercase letters as they require the counterform created between the letters to maintain the line of reading. Unlike lowercase letters. uppercase letters are able to stand on their own. 

Figure 2.3 - Tracking lowercase letters

Figure 2.4 - Normal & loose tracking body text

Figure 2.5 - Tight tracking body text

Formatting Text

- Flush left: mirrors the asymmetrical experience of handwriting. Spaces between words are consistent (even grey value) and each line starts at the same point.

- Centre: imposes symmetry upon text. Has equal weight and value on both sides of a line. Can transform text into shape, therefore line breaks must be amended so the lines aren't too jagged.

- Flush right: places emphasis on the end of the line. Can be useful in captions where the relationship between an image and a text are ambiguous.

- Justified: imposes symmetry upon text by expanding/reducing spaces between word and sometimes letters. Rivers may be created as a result. So, line breaks and hyphenation should be paid close attention to.

If you see the type before you see the words, you should change the type. It should be a clear, appropriate presentation of the author's message.

Figure 2.6 - Flush left

Figure 2.7 - Centre

Figure 2.8 - Flush right

Figure 2.9 - Justified

Figure 2.10 - Different formatted text

Texture

- Different typefaces suit different messages

- Type with a generous x-height or heavy stroke width produces a darker mass on the page than type with a smaller x-height or lighter stroke.

Figure 2.11 - Typeface examples pt. 1

Figure 2.12 - Typeface examples pt. 2

Leading and Line Length

- Type size: text type should be large enough to be readable at arm's length.

- Leading: text that is too tight encourages vertical eye movement. Reader can easily lose their place. Text set too loosely creates striped patterns. Reader can get distracted.

- Line length: should be between 55 to 65 characters per line. Too short or too long can impact reading.

Figure 2.13 - Tight and loose leading

Figure 2.14 - Different leading example

Type Specimen Book

- Shows samples of typefaces in various different sizes

- Provides an accurate reference for type

- Compositional requirement: Text should create a field that can occupy a page/screen. Ideal text should have a medium grey value, not stripes.

Figure 2.15 - Text composition

Week 3: Due to public holiday, our physical class was cancelled however we were told the previous week to digitise our sketches. Mr. Vinod was also online on Zoom for a bit for any guidance. Afterwards, we had to proceed on our own with animating one of the words, following the YouTube tutorial for assistance. We were also encouraged to watch videos from the Tuesday class.

Typo_3_Text_P2

Indicating Paragraphs

- Pilcrow: A character option to indicate a paragraph.

Figure 3.1 - Pilcrow

- Line spacing: Line of type pt size and leading pt size added together. The paragraph spacing is the same pt size as the line spacing.

Figure 3.2 - Paragraph spacing

Figure 3.3 - Leading vs Line Spacing

A standard indentation is the same size as the line spacing or the same pt size as your text.

Figure 3.4 - Indentation

Extended paragraphs create unusually wide columns of texts. There can be strong compositional reasons for using it.

Figure 3.5 - Extended paragraphs

- Widow: A short line of type left alone at the end of a column of text.

- Orphan: A short line of type left alone at the start of a new column.

Figure 3.6 - Widows and Orphans

Highlighting Text

Different kinds of text require different kinds of emphasis.

Figure 3.7 - Italic and bold

Figure 3.8 - Different font and text colour

Maintaining the left reading axis ensures readability at its best. Sometimes it is necessary to extend typographic elements outside the left margin of a column as well. 

Figure 3.9 - Field of colour

Figure 3.10 - Bulletpoints

Figure 3.11 - Quotations

Figure 3.12 - Prime and quotation mark

A prime is not a quote. They were later known as a 'dumb quote' due to the limited number of keys of a typewriter.

- Prime: Abbreviation for inches and feet

Headline within Text

- A head: Indicates clear breaks between topics. Larger than the text small caps, bold.

- B head: Subordinate to A heads. Indicates a new supporting argument. Small caps, italic, bold.

- C head: Indicate specific facets of material in B head text. Not commonly used.

Figure 3.13 - A head

Figure 3.14 - B head

Figure 3.15 - C head

Week 4: This week we presented our first attempt at animating one of our words. After receiving critique, we went over the next exercise for task 1, which is text formatting, and had to begin coming up with layouts which we would present next week. We looked at a few previous student works to gain some basic understanding of the task.

Week 5: During this week's class, we showed our text formatting layouts and received feedback for them. After all the critique we went over the submission deadline for task 1. We also went over the next task, which is an editorial layout, and we would have to begin working on it and showing our layouts in the next class. 

Week 6: Class was held online through Zoom and we mainly spent our time just presenting our editorial layouts to Mr. Vinod while he gave us some feedback. 

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INSTRUCTIONS

Task 1: Exercise 1 - Type Expression

During week 1, we were instructed to come up with sketches (using any medium) for a set of words and express the meaning of it typographically. The list of words were; Destroy, Silence, Party, Split, Love, Pause and Surprise. We only had to choose 4 words to express. Also, we had to keep contrast in mind and weren't allowed to distort the letters or use major graphic elements. Below are the sketches I came up with.

Figure 1.1 - Digital Type Expression Sketches (13/04/2023)

I struggled sketching up ideas for the word destroy and pause so I came up with ideas for a few other words as backup. In my personal opinion, I like the ideas 3a. and 3b. for 'Split', 5b. and 6. for 'Love', 3. for 'Surprise', as well as 2b. and 3. for 'Party'.

After feedback during the second week, I worked on my sketch a bit further to have a clearer idea of how I wanted the digitised version to look. 

Figure 1.2 - Selected Word Sketches (14/04/2023)

Once I did that, I began using Adobe Illustrator and digitsed my words and also attempted to animate the word 'Split'.

Figure 1.3 - Digitised Type Expressions JPEG (27/04/2023)

Figure 1.4 - Split Animation Frames (27/04/2023)

Figure 1.5 - First Animated 'Split' GIF Attempt (27/04/2023)

While translating the sketches onto Adobe Illustrator I had to mess around a lot with different tools such as the pathfinder tool and I took to a different approach for some of the words instead of following the sketches faithfully, such as the word 'Surprise'. 

After feedback, I added more frames so that the part of the word that's falling swings back and forth a bit longer before falling.

 

Final Type Expression 

Figure 1.6 - Final Type Expression JPEG (27/04/2023)

Figure 1.7 - Final Type Expression PDF (27/04/2023)

Figure 1.7 -  Final Animated 'Split' GIF (04/05/2023)

Task 1: Exercise 2 - Text Formatting

In Week 4, we began working on our second exercise. With guidance from the lecture playlist I practiced kerning and tracking and attempted some text formatting layouts.

Figure 2.1 - Kerning and Tracking Exercise JPEG (01/05/2023)

I looked at previous student works as well as a few images on Google for some inspiration and direction and I came up with four overall text formatting layouts. I chose the image because the creator of Helvetica was Swedish, so I looked up Swedish artists and decided to choose this painting.

Figure 2.2 - Text Formatting Layouts JPEG (01/05/2023)

I struggled with having a good flow and rhythm within my layout. I felt like I could have added more dynamism however I wasn't quite sure how to do that while keeping a decent line length and maintaining a good flow. After feedback, I was told to proceed with my first format and make some minor adjustments, such as the image and cross alignment. 

I also had a few widows in my text so I had to rebreak the endings of my lines using a non-breaking space.

Figure 2.3 - Widows

Figure 2.4 - Fixed widows

Final Text Formatting

HEAD
Font/s: ITC New Baskerville Std (Bold Italic and Roman)
Type Size/s: 60 pt, 14 pt
Leading: 11 pt
Paragraph spacing: 0

BODY
Font/s: ITC New Baskerville Std (Roman)
Type Size/s: 10 pt
Leading: 12.5 pt
Paragraph spacing: 12.5 pt
Characters per-line: 59
Alignment: left justified

Margins: 107 mm bottom, 12.7 mm left + right + top
Columns: 4
Gutter: 5 mm

Figure 2.3 - Final Text Formatting JPEG (05/05/2023)

Figure 2.4 - Final Text Formatting PDF (05/05/2023)

Figure 2.5 - Final Text Formatting w/ Guides JPEG (05/05/2023)

Figure 2.6 - Final Text Formatting w/ Guides PDF (05/05/2023)

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FEEDBACK

Week 2:

General Feedback - Script-like font is not included in the 10 typefaces. Use MINOR graphical elements - the word itself should be expressed not the graphics. Small amount of distortion is allowed if it benefits the word. Different fonts can be used for the same word. 

 

Specific Feedback - Explore 2b. destroy, further show more destruction in the letters. Split 1. best conveys the meaning. Love 4. Further explore surprise - duplicate the word more, shift the letters.

Questions to keep in mind:

1. Are the explorations sufficient?

2. Does the expression match the meaning of the word?

3. On a scale of 1–5, how strong is the idea?

4. How can the work be improved?

Week 4:
General Feedback - Pause on the last frame so it doesn't automatically loop. Animate the action being expressed, not add an animation onto an existing expression.

Specific Feedback - Animation is too jerky, needs more frames to make it smoother. Adjust the timing on different frames to show pause.


Week 5:
General Feedback - Ensure body text is balanced and even, be careful with rivers and hyphenations. There should not be 2 hyphenations in one paragraph. Take care of the ragging. Do not treat the title as if they are two seperate things, choose one aspect to alter (font, point size) not any more. If abbreviations stand out, use small capitals. Do not force line break. Never use bold, italics or condensed for body text.

 
Specific Feedback - Body text is balanced and even. The title work, no issues there. There is no cross alignment and images are not related to the text. Whenever dealing with space, maintain consistency. Stick with the first layout.

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REFLECTIONS

Experience

While working on these exercises, I learnt a lot of new things. Initially, I never knew that so much could go into just simply formatting a body of text but through this task I got to know about line length, cross-alignment, ragging, leading, kerning, tracking, paragraph spacing, choosing the right typeface and font; this was through the text formatting exercise alone. 

I feel like my experience was really positive although very rough. I struggled coming up with different and unique expressions and layouts as well as judging them. However, throughout the past few weeks I've gotten more confident. Classes were very light-hearted and feedback sessions really helped me with my work and I also got inspiration from my fellow classmates. 

Observations

An observation I made during this task is how so many different as well as similar designs can come out of the same context material. It was interesting to see other people come up with designs that I would have never thought of. 

Findings

I found that so many different aspects are in creating good typography and that some of them overlap with other design media such as dynamism, contrast, value, balance etc. I feel as though the things i've learnt through these exercises can also help me in my other modules. Also, I find that I have gained an appreciation for typography and all that goes into it.

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FURTHER READING

Week 1

Fig. 1.1 - Fundamentals of Typography Cover, Gavin Ambrose and Paul Harris (2006)

Phoenician characters were developed in 1600 BC. Their alphabet consisted of 22 'magic signs' and only had consonant and no vowels. Writing would be read from right to left and had no spaces. Sometimes they would use a dot to show a break between words.

Figure 1.2 - Phoenician 'Magic Signs'

I found it interesting how some of the characters are still used within our current alphabet even after so many years. 

Week 2

Continuing on from the same book as the previous week.

The Cyrillic language was developed between the 8th and 10th century, essentially relating back to a script (Glagolitic) used to translate the bible within the Great Moravia region (present day Slovakia, Czech Republic and Austria). The Cyrillic alphabet that we come to know now was created in the 1700s. 

Fig 1.3 - Russian Cyrillic Alphabet

Week 3

Figure 1.4 - Exploring Typography, Tova Rabinowitz (2006) 

Form and Content

A layout’s form refers to the way it looks. Utilises balance, contrast, unity, colour, texture and value.

A layout’s content refers to the message that is meant to be conveyed by the design. Can be presented in the form of text, symbols or images. 

If the readers interest in the content increases, the need for an effective form decreases. For example, job advertisements in the newspaper are aware those who are reading it do not care for how the information is presented as they are motivated to read the content regardless. Therefore, they layout the information in a space saving manner.

Figure 1.5 - Fumio Tachibana (1997)

Week 4 

Continuing on from the same book as the previous week.

Typographic Devices

Typographic devices can give us hints about the kind of information to expect from textual items before even reading them. It helps draw a relationship between page elements to understand how information is organised. These devices are:

- Headlines

- Subheads

- Block quotations

- Headers

- Tables

- Captions

- Sidebars

- Callouts

- Footers

- Lists

- Pull quotes

- Folios 

Figure 1.6 - Typographic Devices

Week 5 

Continuing on from the same book as the previous week.

Gestalt Psychology and Layout Elements

‘Gestalt’ is the German word for form or shape. Gestalt psychology can be very useful for designers so that we understand how viewers may perceive the layouts they see. 

The Law of Similarity 

Similar visual qualities prompt you to group them together. It can be used to help viewers organise information together.

Figure 1.7 - Law of Similarity (uxmisfit.com)

The Law of Proximity

Our brains group together and associate objects that are near to each other. Its important when it comes to typography because the proximity of each letter determines the meaning we’ll assign to the text.

Figure 1.8 - Law of Proximity (uxmisfit.com)

The Law of Common Fate

Our brains will group and associate objects that are going in the same direction or share a common orientation.

Figure 1.9 - Law of Common Fate (uxmisfit.com)

The Law of Closure

Familiar shapes are more readily perceived as complete rather than incomplete. Our brain groups incomplete objects to create complete recognisable ones.

Figure 1.10 - Law of Closure (chrisbrejon.com)

The Law of Continuation

Our brain will group objects that seem to be a part of a continuous line. Its important to consider in typography because we recognise strings of words as a sentence due to this. It can also cause us to perceive distracting elements such as rivers.

Figure 1.11 - Law of Continuation (uxmisfit.com)