Typography: Task 1: Exercise
3rd April 2023 - 1st May 2023 (Week 1 - Week 4)
Aidel Ivo Johan bin Mohamad Ismail / (0360349)
Bachelors of Design in Creative Media / Typography / Taylor's Lakeside University
The Lectures
Week 1
As I had arrived to lecture class, there was a small session in which everyone got settled in and introduced to the lecturer, Mr. Vinod. As far as greetings go, I was relieved to know that Mr. Vinod has experience working in the design industry and it made me feel relieved to know that we will be guided and taught as we go through by someone who has had real life experience in the design department.
Following the introduction, we were all asked to join the Facebook group for the session. It allowed us all to be updated while we were in session and for as long as we were in the group we can always refer to anything that we may have missed out. Through Facebook, we connected to the Zoom meeting in order to allow the recording of the lecture.
For our first lecture, we were informed of recorded lectures that we can refer to if we ever felt like we did not understand what had went down. Mr. Vinod was very kind to allow himself to explain again if we ever had trouble understanding.
We got started on setting up our blog for our E-Portfolio and Mr. Vinod guided us with the usage of a pre-recorded tutorial which I am grateful for as it allows us to go at our own pace. Not only that but also providing us with excellent samples from our seniors who have done their E-Portfolio.
Early Letterform Development: Phoenician to Roman
Phoenicians used wet clay and stone to scratch inscriptions, which laid the foundation for uppercase letterforms characterized by simple combinations of straight lines and circular pieces.
The Greeks introduced "boustrophedon" writing, where text alternated from right to left and left to right.
Hand Script from 3rd - 10th Century C.E.
Square capitals featured serifs on main strokes, achieved using a reed pen at an angle.
Rustic capitals, a condensed version of square capitals, allowed more words on parchment but were slightly harder to read due to compression.
Uncials, incorporating Roman cursive aspects, served as small letters and were more readable at small sizes.
Half-uncials marked the formal introduction of lowercase letterforms, including ascenders and descenders, 2000 years after the Phoenician alphabet's origin.
Charlemagne standardized texts with Carolingian minuscule, which combined majuscules, minuscules, capitalization, and punctuation.
Blackletter gained popularity in northern Europe, while the south favored the rounder "rotunda." Alcuin's minuscule influenced the humanistic script in Italy.
Gutenberg's 42-line Bible marked the transition from Blackletter to his type, mimicking the scribe's hand with precise engineering and metalwork.
Week 2
Through entering the class the 2nd time, Mr. Vinod began the session by introducing more of himself, and how he came to be in this current time. I learned a fair bit of his background and I came to understand his side of the story with the introduction of not only himself but also how typography was like in his day.
After introductions were over, Mr. Vinod began the lecture by requesting us to upload our typography sketches into the group. After doing so, he reviewed our sketches and gave us advice and instructions on what we are to do and what not to do. In many cases we were to reduce the amount of graphical elements and focus more on working on our typefaces in order to showcase expression of our chosen words.
Kerning and Letterspacing
Kerning means adjusting the spacing between letters automatically.
Letterspacing means adding space between letters.
Tracking is the process of increasing or decreasing space within a word or sentence.
Tracking Variations
Normal tracking, loose tracking, tight tracking: Different degrees of spacing between letters, affecting the overall appearance of the text.
Alignment Styles
Flush left: Resembles the asymmetrical nature of handwriting. Each line starts at the same point but ends where the last word ends, maintaining consistent word spacing for an even appearance.
Centered: Creates symmetry by assigning equal weight to both ends of each line, transforming the text into shapes and adding a visual quality. Line breaks should be adjusted to avoid jagged text.
Flush right: Emphasizes the end of each line rather than the beginning, useful for captions or situations where the relationship between text and image requires a strong right orientation.
Justified: Imparts symmetry by expanding or reducing spaces between words and letters. However, be cautious as it can create "rivers" of white space running vertically through the text. Attention to line breaks and hyphenation is necessary.
Texture
Anatomy of a Typeface: Illustration depicting the components and structure of a typeface.
Different examples of typefaces: Various typefaces with different grayscale values, some featuring darker or lighter strokes. Choosing a typeface with a middle or even gray color is ideal for easy reading. Typographers should carefully consider the typeface selection to effectively convey the intended message.
Leading and Line Length
Type size: Text should be large enough to be easily read from a normal reading distance.
Leading: Proper spacing between lines is crucial. Text set too tightly may cause the reader's eyes to move vertically, potentially losing their place. Conversely, loose spacing can create distracting striped patterns.
Line Length: Optimal line length is between 55-65 characters. Extremely long or short lines can hinder readability.
Week 3
For the third week, we had classes online. During class, we were looking into how to organize and shape our E-Portfolio. Through the many portfolios we took a look into, there was extensive criticism and advice given in order to improve or optimise the content of our given portfolio. Not only did we work on our E-Portfolios but we also were given more tips and advice on how to further improve our typography task.
Text-Indicating Paragraph
The Pilcrow symbol (¶), originating from medieval manuscripts, is a visual cue that marked the beginning of a new paragraph. Although its usage has diminished in modern typography, it played a significant role in guiding readers and organizing text in the past. Additionally, achieving cross alignment in typography involves aligning the leading (vertical space between lines) and the paragraph space (space between paragraphs) to create a harmonious visual structure and ensure consistent vertical spacing throughout the text.
Line space, also known as leading, is a fundamental aspect of typography that determines the vertical spacing between lines of text. It plays a crucial role in ensuring legibility and readability in printed materials. Proper line spacing helps avoid cramped or congested text, allowing readers to easily distinguish between lines. It is important to achieve cross alignment by maintaining consistent spacing between lines and paragraphs.
Standard Indentation
Standard indentation refers to aligning the first line of a paragraph with a consistent indent. This indentation is typically equivalent to the line spacing or font size. By using standard indentation, typographers create a visually appealing and organized appearance for paragraphs. It also helps readers identify the beginning of new thoughts or sections within the text, aiding in comprehension and providing a clear visual hierarchy.
Extended Paragraphs
Extended paragraphs involve creating wider columns of text. Although this style presents some challenges, such as potential readability issues and difficulties in maintaining a balanced composition, there may be valid reasons for choosing it. Whether for artistic or functional purposes, extended paragraphs can serve specific design goals, providing a unique aesthetic or accommodating specific content requirements.
Widows and Orphans
Widows and orphans are typographic terms referring to isolated lines of text at the end or beginning of a column or page, respectively. Widows, which are short lines left alone at the end of a column, are generally more tolerable, while orphans, short lines at the beginning of a new column, are considered undesirable. These typographic anomalies disrupt the visual flow and coherence of the text. Designers strive to minimize widows and orphans to maintain a visually consistent layout and ensure a smooth reading experience.
Highlighting Text
One way to highlight text in typography is through the use of quotation marks. Quotation marks, like bullets, create a distinct indentation that breaks the left reading axis. This visual technique allows important quotes or passages to stand out and draw the reader's attention. Additionally, it helps differentiate quoted text from the surrounding content. On the other hand, it is important to distinguish between quotation marks and primes, which are abbreviations for inches and feet. Primes are sometimes erroneously used in place of quotation marks due to typewriter limitations, leading to what is known as a "dumb quote."
Week 4
Describing Letterforms
- Baseline: The imaginary line at the bottom of letterforms
- Median: The imaginary line that determines the height of lowercase letters
- X-height: The height of the lowercase "x" in a typeface
- Stroke: Any line that defines the basic shape of a letter
- Apex / Vertex: The point formed by the intersection of two diagonal stems
- Arm: Short strokes extending from the stem of certain letters
- Ascender: The part of a lowercase letter that extends above the median line
- Barb: The half-serif ending on some curved strokes
- Beak: The half-serif ending on horizontal arms of letters
- Bowl: The rounded shape that forms a counter within a letter
- Bracket: The transition area between the serif and the stem
- Cross Bar: The horizontal stroke that connects two stems in a letter
- Cross Stroke: The horizontal stroke that connects two stems in a letter
- Crotch: The inner space where two strokes meet
- Descender: The part of a lowercase letter that extends below the baseline
- Ear: The stroke extending from the main stem or body of a letter
- Em/en: Originally referred to the width of an uppercase "M"; now, em represents the typeface size, and en is half the size of an em
- Finial: The rounded, non-serif ending of a stroke
- Leg: Short stroke extending from the stem of a letter
- Ligature: A character formed by combining two or more letterforms
- Link: The stroke connecting the bowl and loop of a lowercase "g"
- Loop: The bowl created in the descender of a lowercase "g"
- Serif: The right-angled or oblique extension at the end of a stroke
- Shoulder: The curved stroke that is not part of a bowl
- Spine: The curved stem of the letter "S"
- Spur: The extension that articulates the junction of a curved and straight stroke
- Stem: The main vertical or diagonal stroke of a letter
- Stress: The orientation of a letterform, indicated by a thin stroke in rounded forms
- Swash: A decorative flourish that extends the stroke of a letter
- Tail: The curved diagonal stroke at the end of certain letterforms
- Terminal: The self-contained ending of a stroke without a serif, which can be flat, flared, acute, grave, concave, convex, or rounded like a ball or teardrop
Instructions
Task 1
For our first task, we were given 7 words as options to choose. Rain, Fire, Crush, Water, Dissipate, Freedom, Sick. Out of the words given, we were to choose 4 words and create a design based on their expression.
The words I had chosen were Dissipate, Fire, Rain, Water. For as I do not have Adobe Illustrator available at the moment, I had used another software to sketch out my Typography designs. Getting down the rough idea of my designs, I sketched multiple sketches, although some words were left with only one sketch.
Sketches
A) Dissipate
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Task 1.1.1
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Task 1.1.2
C) Rain
Task 1.1.3
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Feedback
Week 2
Through the lesson, my typography section of my work had been given the wrong words and I was made to redo it as it was not what we had agreed upon, and to also reduce the graphical elements and focus more towards expression and typefaces.
Week 3
Add labels to e-portfolio, organize and add more content towards reflection, further reading, focus on improving sketches and digitize it in illustrator.
Week 4
Absent due to Raya Holiday
Reflections
Week 1
Through my experience, it went about very smoothly and I can accept the method of teaching given to us as it was very straightforward and informational.
Week 2
A lot of amendments are required to be done, and focusing on taking notes is key to keeping up with lectures.
Week 3
Cut time to make room to do tasks. I may be busy but I still require to learn allocation.
Week 4
Absent due to Raya Holiday
Reflection
Experience:
Engaging in the exercises of text formatting was a somewhat unfamiliar experience for me. As someone who often finds it challenging to follow along with tutorials, I initially faced some difficulties in grasping the concepts and techniques. However, I was determined to overcome this hurdle and actively participated in the exercises. It required me to focus and pay attention to the details of formatting text, such as applying appropriate font styles, adjusting spacing, and ensuring visual consistency. Although it presented its own set of challenges, the experience pushed me to expand my understanding of typography and its nuances.
Observations:
Throughout the task, I noticed a shift in my approach to work. Unlike my previous tendency to focus solely on completion, these exercises encouraged me to showcase my progress and receive feedback along the way. This aspect of sharing updates on a regular basis was initially unfamiliar to me, and I struggled to adapt to this new workflow. However, as I continued to engage with the exercises and participate in discussions, I gradually became more comfortable with the process. It taught me the value of continuous improvement and the importance of seeking input from others to enhance my work.
Findings:
One of the key findings from this task was the significance of striking a balance between creativity and simplicity in typography. I realized that while typography allows for innovative and out-of-the-box thinking, it is essential to adhere to certain rules and principles to maintain clarity and readability. It challenged me to think critically about the choices I made in terms of font selection, hierarchy, and layout. Despite the initial difficulties, I recognized that the learning curve involved in mastering typography is a necessary part of the creative journey. By embracing this process, I discovered the immense potential typography holds in communicating messages effectively and aesthetically.
Overall, the experience of engaging with the text formatting exercises provided valuable insights and growth opportunities. It challenged my existing approach to design, expanded my understanding of typography, and fostered a willingness to share my progress. Through this process, I discovered the balance between creativity and simplicity in typography and the importance of continuous learning in refining my design skills.
Further Reading
"The Elements of Typographic Style" by Robert Bringhurst
"The Complete Manual of Typography" by James Felici
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