Project 2

WEEK 9

Jennifer Tan Qing Ni (0333137)

Typography

Project 2

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LECTURES

There were no lectures for this week so we moved on to our 2nd project

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INSTRUCTIONS

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PROJECT 2

So for this week, we were first shown a picture, which is the one below.

Figure 9.1 example

So we were then asked to chose one of our initials and a typeface and then to do the same as the picture above, so we can have a better understanding of the letter and typeface.

My name starts with a 'J' so, I decided to go with the letter 'J' with the Jansen type family.

Figure 9.2 My attempt on the study of the letter 

After doing this, we were asked to take the initials of our names along with a type face to alter it, so we can make a new typeface for the letters. I first typed it out in uppercase letters and found out that it was too 'in your face' so I went on with using lowercase letters. Before digitalising it, I first sketched out my idea on paper.

Figure 9.3 Sketches #1

Figure 9.4 Sketches #2

After a few sketches, Mr Vinod commented that 2nd sketch (Figure 9.4) weren't appropriate but he approved the last one on the 1st sketch (Figure 9.5). So decided to modify it a little. I tried to draw both uppercase letters and lowercase letters. The lowercase letters appealed to me more so I just went with that.

Figure 9.5 Sketches #3

Figure 9.6 The finalised design. 

Mr Vinod told me to modify just a little bit more and I can move on to digitalising it.

I then started to digitalise it in Adobe Illustrator.

There were a lot of little mistakes made when digitalising, mainly the widths, because they were all different in the 3 letters. Below was the first attempt.

Figure 9.7 First attempt 

There were many mistakes. Below stated are the mistakes.

Figure 9.8 mistakes 

After some corrections of all the mistakes above, it was finally okay.

Figure 9.9 Final outcome

Creating the typeface in FontLab

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FEEDBACK
WEEK 9
Specific Feedback: This week we had to create a typeface of our very own. I chose the Jansen typeface and started sketching out my ideas. I sketched out a few ideas and some of them were rejected due to it being too different from the original typeface. One of the was accepted and that I just needed a few modification and that i can move on to digitalising it. After digitalising it, Mr Vinod and Mr Shamsul commented on how the widths on each letter was different from each other and that I should keep the same width for each of the letters. Besides that, they also commented on some elements on the letters shouldn't and should be there and that I should just modify a little more.

WEEK 10 

I showed Mr Vinod my book design and he said that the triangles weren't necessary, and my weight of both sides of the book should be similar. I edited it and showed it to Mr Shamsul, who said that it looked much better now and that I could finally print it. I also asked him about my poster and asked for confirmation if the traffic jam issue right outside campus could be done and he said any issue that affects us in the campus could be worked on.

FINDINGS 
WEEK 9
I found out that when it comes to letters, when the typefaces are altered, it creates a whole new typeface that can be really unique.

WEEK 10
I found out that creating a new typeface can be really tricky as a lot of elements and rules are needed to be taken into account for it to look functional.

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REFLECTIONS
WEEK 9
For this exercise, I found it quite fun to be able to create a brand new typeface, unique all on its own. But it can be quite tricky as certain alterations can make the typeface look really awkward


week 10
I felt much more relaxed knowing that I could do my work by doing it one step at a time

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OBSERVATIONS
WEEK 9
I found out that my each of my classmates have a different way of expressing their typefaces and its all different and pretty in their own special way.

WEEK 10
I realised that my classmates and I are less confused than how we are before when creating the typeface

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FURTHER READING

Drawing Type: An Introduction to Illustrating Letterforms by Alex Fowkes

Week 9

Chapter 3: Playful Type

By creating fun types, illustrations, patterns and self made rules are used by designers and illustrators to create playful type and they let taste, vision and message take control. This will introduce a few designers that are known to create fun and playful types. 

Paul Thurlby

Paul Thurlby’s style has been described as Retro-Modern. The aesthetics are retro while the subject matter is more to the modern side. For his backgrounds, he normally uses old books, postcards, and pieces of paper for the illustrations. 

“As with all other alphabet letters I work on, I tart by looking through my dictionary for words that I could transform into their initial letter.”

Figure 1.1 Art by Paul Thurlby #1

Figure 1.2 Art by Paul Thurby #2

Danielle Davis

Danielle Davis’s has a love for lettering and illustrations and she focuses a lot on letterform and always strive to master her skills better with each project she’s been given. With that it allows her to explore crazy and amazing things when it comes to lettering. 

Figure 1.3 Art by Danielle Davis

Figure 1.4 Art by Danielle Davis #2

week 10

What is a Serif by Jacci Howard Bear

In typography, serifs are small strokes found at eh end of main vertical and horizontal strokes of some letters. Some can be subtle while others are more obvious and in some cases it can increase the readability of a typeface. Serif fonts are extremely popular and have been around for many years. 

How are serif fonts used? 

Large block text normally use serifs in their fonts as it makes its easy for the the eye to travel over the text. Its mostly used in books, newspapers and magazines. However, Web designers rarely use serif fonts, particularly when they’re small in size. This is because the screen resolution of some PCs is low so the serifs can be los or go fuzzy, thus affecting the readability of the text. So this is why web-designers prefer sans serif rather than serifs as they are more clean and modern. 

Classification of Serif Fonts. 

Classic Serif Fonts can be categorised into a few categories:

• Modern serif fonts date to the 18th century. 
• Old Style fonts are the original serif typefaces and some date back to before the mid 18th century. New typefaces modelled on these original fonts are called old style fonts.
• Traditional or Baroque font development dates to the mid 18th century when printing methods started to improve so reproducing Fien line strokes were possible
• Slab Serif fonts are easily identified by their usually thick, square or rectangular serifs. They are often bold and are designed to attract attention. 
• Blackletter fonts are also refereed as Old English or Gothic fonts. Their ornate appearance make them recognisable. They are most useful on certificates as initial caps, Blackletter fonts are not easy to read and should never be used in all caps
• Informal or Novelty serif fonts attract attention and are best used sparingly combined with another font that is easily legible. They are extremely diverse and they ten to invoke a mood, time, emotion or special occasion.

URL: https://www.lifewire.com/serif-font-information-1073831