Typography - Project 1
04/10/17 - 25/10/17 (Week 6 - Week 8)
Seoh Yi Zhen (0328497)
Typography
Project 1 - A Story Book
Typography
Project 1 - A Story Book
LECTURE NOTES
Lecture 6: Cancelled
04/10/17 (Week 6)
There was no lecture as we took too much time working on Project 1.
Lecture 7: Understanding Letterforms
11/10/17 (Week 7)
Mr Vinod explained to us that when designing typefaces, minor details give each typeface its own unique characteristics. For example, even though Helvetica and Univers are both sans-serif typefaces, they exhibit different 'personalities'. These small details are important to note when designing our own typeface in Project 2.
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| Fig. 1.1: Features of Bodoni. http://www.toducate.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/bodoni-features.jpg |
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| Fig. 1.2: Features of Garamond. http://www.toducate.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/garamond-features.jpg |
Lecture 8: Project 2 Brief
25/10/17 (Week 8)
Mr Vinod quickly went through the requirements of Project 2 with us. He cautioned us not to design anything too crazy, because the main purpose of this assignment is to test our understanding on typography basics.
INSTRUCTIONS
PROJECT 1
Week 6
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| Fig. 2.1: First draft of Mr Babadook (cover). |
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| Fig. 2.2: First draft of Mr Babadook (page 2-3). |
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| Fig. 2.3: First draft of Mr Babadook (page 4-5). |
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| Fig. 2.4: First draft of Mr Babadook (page 6-7). |
After receiving feedback from Mr Vinod, more changes were made to the book.
Week 7
My design for Mr Babadook was finalized, and Mr Vinod told me to start working on the animations for the book.
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| Fig. 3.1: Final design (cover). |
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| Fig. 3.2: Final design (page 2-3). |
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| Fig. 3.3: Final design (page 4-5). |
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| Fig. 3.4: Final design (page 6-7). |
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| Fig. 3.5: Final design (page 8-9). |
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| Fig. 3.6: Final design (page 10-11). |
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| Fig. 3.7: Final design (page 12-13). |
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| Fig. 3.8: Final design (page 14-15). |
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| Fig. 3.9: Final design (page 16-17). |
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| Fig. 3.10: Final design (page 18-19). |
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| Fig. 3.11: Final design (page 20). |
Week 8
Link to final design of Mr Babadook:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B0VKc3LVXKoZTkd3enl6ZS1LaHc?usp=sharing
Link to final design of Mr Babadook:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B0VKc3LVXKoZTkd3enl6ZS1LaHc?usp=sharing
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| Thumbails of Mr Babadook. |
Embedded PDF of Mr Babadook.
Video of the animated storybook.
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| Fig. 4.1: Front cover of the hardcopy book. |
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| Fig. 4.2: Pages 8 and 9. |
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| Fig. 4.3: Pages 16 and 17. |
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| Fig. 4.4: Last page of the book. |
FEEDBACK
Week 6:
Ideas are interesting, but the layout of text needs more work. Because I placed my texts in two extreme corners, it created a lot of empty space and made reading difficult. I should try to design more varieties of layouts instead of just placing the text. One thing that I had to keep in mind when planning the layout is to make sure there is a continuity from one page to another, whether by alignment or treatment of type.
Week 7:
The first half of the book is good, because there is a sense of continuity in the treatment of type and also good flow in layout. However, the second half lost the identity and had to be reworked. Mr Vinod said to use a select number of typefaces and play around with the layouts instead. After a few more adjustments, he approved my design and told me to start working on the animations.
Week 8:
The animations are appropriate for the text. However, because I timed the animations according to an average reading speed, some of them were too slow for fast readers. I had to speed them up and make some minor adjustments on the text that ran because of the animations. The printed booklet and thumbnails are okay.
Week 8:
The animations are appropriate for the text. However, because I timed the animations according to an average reading speed, some of them were too slow for fast readers. I had to speed them up and make some minor adjustments on the text that ran because of the animations. The printed booklet and thumbnails are okay.
REFLECTION
Experience:
In week 6, I had difficulties coming up with a variety of layouts for this storybook. It took me very long to do each page, because we had to balance good reading flow as well as appropriate type expression. Week 7; I finally understood the thought process that went behind designing layouts, which made my progress a lot faster. Week 8; the animations were much easier to do than designing the entire storybook.
Observation:
Week 6; I have a lot of ideas for type expression, but I need to be selective so that it does not look too messy. Week 7; I noticed that my work flow was getting smoother and more efficient. Week 8; the animations were really simple to add, which sometimes caused problems with 'over-designing'. I had to limit myself to just a few animations, and only add them where necessary in order to avoid this issue.
Findings:
Week 6; planning beforehand is really important when it comes to typesetting and layout design. Being smart about which type treatment to use is also crucial in order to produce a cohesive storybook design. Week 7; good typesetting for a storybook requires continuity from the first page to the last, whether through alignment or treatment of text. Week 8; selective and appropriate animations add another level of expression to the storybook. In a sense, it makes the story 'come alive' off the pages.
04/10/17 - 11/10/17 (Week 6-7)
"If we were to consider the normal, everyday activities that consume our lives, it would quickly become apparent that typography is ubiquitous and inescapable. For the most part, this material is routine and boring. But it is also, for the most part, essential."
Traditionally, typography has been associated with design, and in particular, with the printing industry. However, due to the universal access to digital technology, typography is now commonly used to refer to the arrangement of any written material and is no longer restricted to the work of a typographer. Any ordinary person can claim to be a typographer now.
Typography and writing have always been closely entwined: typography being the discipline and professional practice that mediates between the contents of the message and the receiving readership. Therefore, to understand typography, one must also obtain a knowledge and understanding of language and how it is adapted to function in various social contexts.
BranD Issue 33; TYPEPRO: ASIA by Nicole Lo
11/10/17 - 25/10/17 (Week 7-8)
Making full use of a good typeface largely depends on what project you are working on. For example, book designers usually choose typefaces that have all the weights and styles needed to create good typographic hierarchy in a particular layout. That means making sure that the selected typeface can cover headlines, subheadings, text (with italics), captions and so on.
In an interview with renowned artist and designer, Jianfeng Pan, he states that as a professional designer, communication must be talked about before the design. Therefore, communication is much more important than design. This is especially true with typeface design. A good typeface should be designed based on a particular communication aim in mind. For example, for what do you communicate? For what do you design? Is it serviced for a brand? Or cultural communication? Or personal likes?
Week 6; planning beforehand is really important when it comes to typesetting and layout design. Being smart about which type treatment to use is also crucial in order to produce a cohesive storybook design. Week 7; good typesetting for a storybook requires continuity from the first page to the last, whether through alignment or treatment of text. Week 8; selective and appropriate animations add another level of expression to the storybook. In a sense, it makes the story 'come alive' off the pages.
FURTHER READING
WHAT IS TYPOGRAPHY? by David Jury04/10/17 - 11/10/17 (Week 6-7)
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| Fig. 5.1: WHAT IS TYPOGRAPHY? |
"If we were to consider the normal, everyday activities that consume our lives, it would quickly become apparent that typography is ubiquitous and inescapable. For the most part, this material is routine and boring. But it is also, for the most part, essential."
Traditionally, typography has been associated with design, and in particular, with the printing industry. However, due to the universal access to digital technology, typography is now commonly used to refer to the arrangement of any written material and is no longer restricted to the work of a typographer. Any ordinary person can claim to be a typographer now.
Typography and writing have always been closely entwined: typography being the discipline and professional practice that mediates between the contents of the message and the receiving readership. Therefore, to understand typography, one must also obtain a knowledge and understanding of language and how it is adapted to function in various social contexts.
BranD Issue 33; TYPEPRO: ASIA by Nicole Lo
11/10/17 - 25/10/17 (Week 7-8)
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| Fig 5.2: TYPEPRO: ASIA |
Making full use of a good typeface largely depends on what project you are working on. For example, book designers usually choose typefaces that have all the weights and styles needed to create good typographic hierarchy in a particular layout. That means making sure that the selected typeface can cover headlines, subheadings, text (with italics), captions and so on.
In an interview with renowned artist and designer, Jianfeng Pan, he states that as a professional designer, communication must be talked about before the design. Therefore, communication is much more important than design. This is especially true with typeface design. A good typeface should be designed based on a particular communication aim in mind. For example, for what do you communicate? For what do you design? Is it serviced for a brand? Or cultural communication? Or personal likes?
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