TYPOGRAPHY - PROJECT 2

25.10.18 - 01.11.18 (Week 9 - Week 10)
Catherine Starlie (0336261)
Typography
Project 2 - Font Design

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LECTURES

Lecture 9: -
We didn't have lecture for today as we got brief on our next project, Font Design.

Lecture 10: -
We didn't have any lecture for today, but the lecturers taught us how to use FontLab and were briefed us for our final project.

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INSTRUCTIONS

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PROJECT 2 (Week 9 - Week 10)

Font Design - Study of a Alphabet & Creating Our Own Font of Name Initials

We were asked to choose and use a letter from our name initials and then use line or circle to construct the letter. Lowercase letters should be 500 pt. x-height while uppercase letters should be 700 pt. x-height.

I chose C from my first name and used Bembo Std, extra bold font.

Fig 2.1 Uppercase letter C using Bembo Std

After that, we were told to sketch our name initials by using a certain font as our reference. I chose Futura Std as my references. I tried to sketch some.

Fig 2.2.1 First attempt on name initial sketch

Fig 2.2.2 Second attempt on name initial sketch

Fig 2.2.3 Final name initial sketch

After being agreed, we continued to digitalise it on Adobe Illustrator by using pen tool and shape tool.

Fig 2.3.1 First attempt of Initial Name Digitalize

 Mr. Shamsul said that there are easy ways to make it, and he taught us how to do it. And for the next one, I used the method he taught me.

Fig 2.3.2 Second attempt of Initial Name Digitalize

Because I didn't really like the thickness of the stroke, I went back to again to the first one.

Fig 2.3.3 Third attempt of Initial Name Digitalize

After getting some feedback, I fixed the letter 'C' and 'L'.

Fig 2.3.4 Latest attempt of Initial Name Digitalize

Fig 2.4 Final Outcome

Moving on, we learned to generate our font at FontLab Studio 5.

Fig 2.5.1 First attempt using FontLab to create letter C

Fig 2.5.2 First attempt using FontLab to create letter L

Fig 2.5.3 First attempt using FontLab to create letter S

Fig 2.5.4 First attempt using FontLab to create my Initial Name

But because I needed to fix my initial name digitalize, that means I also needed to fix the font at the FontLab.

Fig 2.6.1 Second attempt using FontLab to create letter C

Fig 2.6.2 Second attempt using FontLab to create letter L

Fig 2.7.1 Latest attempt using FontLab to create letter C 

Fig 2.7.2 Latest attempt using FontLab to create letter L

Fig 2.7.3 Latest attempt using FontLab to create S

Fig 2.7.4 Latest attempt using FontLab to create my Initial Name

Fig 2.7.5 Zoom in version of fig 2.7.4

FEEDBACK

Week 9
Specific feedback: Mr. Shamsul said that I should use big circles instead of small circles and my font design didn't match with the font that I chose and the stroke didn't match the letter, while Mr. Vinod said that my letter C looked more like letter L and I need to fix the letter C and L and I must match the the serif.

Week 10
Specific feedback (for project 2): Mr. Vinod said that I should fix the 'C' because it hasn't matched the 'S' and 'L', while Mr. Shamsul said that I should fix my 'L' because the thickness of the horizontal line is different with the 'S'.

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REFLECTION

EXPERIENCES

Week 9
I felt stuck at first because I freely sketched it and later it's easier to do it after analysing further more.

Week 10
I'm having hard time when I made the serif of each letters, and the curves of the letters.

OBSERVATIONS

Week 9
I observed not all people having an easy time to design the font.

Week 10
I observed that the serif of each letters of a font need to be same.

FINDINGS


Week 9
I found out that everyone had to take their own time to design their own font.

Week 10
I found that more people are focused on project 1 more.

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FURTHER READINGS

The Fundamentals of Typography by Gavin Ambrose & Paul Harris

Front cover

Commercial art

Lithography was invented in Austria by Alois Senefelder in1796 and then by 1848 the process had been refined to print speeds (10,000 sheets per hour). Lithography allowed the merging of art with industry to produce posters and colour plates for books.

Type as image

Type is used as a graphic device that speaks more through its visual representation than the meanings of the constituent letters. Some common example like logos as the styling of the letters is used to create a visual statement about a company.

Reference List: Ambrose, G. & Harris, P. (2006). The Fundamentals of Typography. AVA Publishing SA. 

Front cover: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/119145.The_Fundamentals_of_Typography

Type Matters! by Jim Williams

Front cover

Legibility and readability

Legibility is the clarify of individual characters and how easily they are deciphered, while readability is the level of comprehension and visual comfort when reading typeset material.

A good typographer is one who can arrange type so as to produce a graceful and orderly page which puts no strain on the eye. But beyond this is another field for the printer-designer which is less austere and richer in opportunities for invention and so on.

Reference List: Williams, J. (2012).Type Matters!. London.

Front cover: https://near.st/product/27616