TYPOGRAPHY - TASK 1 / Exercise 1&2

April 25, 2022

TYPOGRAPHY - TASK 1 / Exercise 1&2

4/4/2023 - 4/5/2023 (Week 1 - Week 5)

Yexinyan/0355096
Bachelor Of Design In Creative Media (Typography)

TASK 1 Exercise 1&2

INSTRUCTIONS

Typography: Development / Timeline

1. Early letterform development: Phoenician to Roman

Writing meant scratching into wet clay with sharpened stick or carving into stone with a chisel. The forms of uppercase letterforms (for nearly 2000 years the only letterform) can be seen to have evolved out of these tools and materials.

Fig 1.0 Evolution of Phoenician letters

The Greeks changed the direction of writing. Phoenicians wrote from right to left. The Greek developed a style of writing called 'boustrophedon' (how the ox ploughs), which meant the lines of text read alternately from right to left and left to right. They also chenged the orientation of the letterforms. Like the Phoenicians, the Greeks did not use letter space or punctuations.

Fig 1.1 Direction of writing, 'boustrophedon'

2. Hand script from 3rd - 10th century C.E.

Square capitals - Written letterforms found in Roman monuments. These letterforms have serifs added to the finish of the main strokes

Fig 1.2 4th or 5th century: Square capitals

Rustic capitals - Compressed version of square capitals. Rustic capitals allowed for twice as many words on a sheet of parchment and took far less time to write. Faster and easier to write, but were slightly harder to read due to its compressed nature

Fig 1.3 Late 3rd - mid 4th century: Rustic capitals

Roman cursive - For everyday transactions. Written in cursive hand in which forms were simplified for speed. Roman cursive is the beginning of lowercase letterforms

Fig 1.4 4th century: Roman cursive

Uncials - Incorporated some aspects of the Roman cursive hand. The broad forms of uncials are more readable at small sizes than rustic capitals.

Fig 1.5 4th - 5th century: Uncials

Half-uncials - Marks the formal beginning of lowercase letterforms, replete with ascenders and descenders, 2000 years after the origin of the Phoenician alphabet

Fig 1.6 C. 500: Half-uncials

Charlemagne, the first unifier of Europe since the Romans, issued an edict in 789 to standardize all ecclesiastical texts. He entrusted this task to Alcuin of York, Abbot of St Martin of Tours. The monks rewrote the texts using both majuscules (uppercase), minuscule, capitalization and punctuation which set the standard for calligraphy for a century

Fig 1.7 C. 925: Caloline miniscule

3. Blackletter to Gutenberg's type

With the dissolution of Charlemagne’s empire came regional variations upon Alcuin’s script. In northern Europe, a condensed strongly vertical letterform know as Blackletter or textura gained popularity. In the south, a rounder more open hand gained popularity, called ‘rotunda’. The humanistic script in Italy is based on Alcuin’s minuscule

Fig 1.8 C. 1300L Blackletter (Textura)

Gutenberg's skill included engineering, metalsmithing, and chemistry. He marshaled them all to build pages that accurately mimicked the work of the scribe's hand - Blackletter of northern Europe. His type mold required a different brass matrix, or negative impression, for each letterform

Fig 1.9 C. 1455: 42 line bible, Johann Gutenberg, Mainz

4. Text type classification

1450 Blackletter - The earliest printing type. Its forms were based upon the hand-copying styles

Fig 1.10 1450 Blackletter

1475 Oldstyle - Based upon the lowercase form used by Italian humanist scholars for book copying and the uppercase letterforms found inscribed on Roman ruins, the forms evolved away from their calligraphic origins over 200 years, as they migrated across Europe, from Italy to England

Fig 1.11 1475 Oldstyle

1500 Italic - Echoing comtemporary Italian handwriting, the first italics were condensed and close-set, allowing more words per page. Italics were soon case to complement roman forms. Since the sixteenth century, virtually all text typefaces have been design with accompanying italic forms

Fig 1.12 1500 Italic

1550 Script - Originally and attempted to replicate engraved calligraphic forms. Forms now range from the formal and traditional to the casual and contemporary

Fig 1.13 1550 Script

1750 Transitional - A refinement of oldstyle forms, this style was achieved in part because of advances in casting and printing. Thick to thin relationships were exaggerated, and brackets were lightened

Fig 1.14 1750 Transitional

1775 Modern - This style represents a further rationalization of oldstyle letterforms. Serifs were unbracketed, and the contrast between thick and thin strokes extreme. English versions (like Bell) are also known as Scotch Romans and more closely resemble transitional forms

Fig 1.15 1775 Modern

1825 Square Serif / Slab Serif - Originally heavily bracketed serif, with little variation between thick and thin strokes, these faces responded to the newly developed needs of advertising for heavy type in commercial printing. As hey evolved, the brackets were dropped

Fig 1.16 1825 Square Serif / Slab Serif

1900 Sans Serif - These typefaces eliminated serifs alltogether. Although the forms were first introduced by William Caslon IV in 1816, its use did not become wide-spread until the beginning of the the twentieth century. Variation tended toward either humanist forms (Gill Sans) or rigidly geometric (Futura). Occasionally, strokes were flared to suggest the calligraphic origins of the form (Optima). Sans serif is also referred to as grotesque (from the German word grotesk) and Gothic

Fig 1.17 1900 Sans Serif

1990 Serif / Sans Serif - A recent development, this style enlarges the notion of a family of typefaces to include both serif and sans serif alphabets (and often stages between the two)

Fig 1.18 1990 Serif / Sans Serif

Week 2

Typography: Basic

1. Describing letterforms

Baseline - The imaginary line the visual base of the letterforms

Median - The imaginary line defining the x-height of letterforms

X-height - The height in any typeface of the lowercase 'x'

Fig 2.0 Baseline, Median and X-height

Stroke - Any line that defines the basic letterform

Fig 2.1 Stoke

Apex / Vertex - The point created by joining two diagonal stems (apex above and vertex below)

Fig 2.2 Apex and Vertex

Arm - Short strokes off the stem of the letterform, either horizontal (E, F, L) or inclined upward (K, Y)

Fig 2.3 Arm

Ascender - The portion of the stem of a lowercase letterform that projects above the median

Fig 2.4 Ascender

Barb - The half-serif finish on some curved stroke

Fig 2.5 Barb

Beak - The half-serif finish on some horizontal arms

Fig 2.6 Beak

Bowl - The rounded form that describes a counter. The bowl may be either opened or closed

Fig 2.7 Bowl

Bracket - The transition between the serif and the stem

Fig 2.8 Bracket

Cross Bar - The horizontal stroke in a letterform that joins two stems together

Fig 2.9 Cross bar

Cross Stroke - The horizontal stroke in a letterform that joins two stems together

Fig 2.10 Cross stroke

Crotch - The interior space where two strokes meet

Fig 2.11 Crotch

Descender - The portion of the stem of a lowercase letterform that projects below the baseline

Fig 2.12 Descender

Ear - The stroke extending out from the main stem or body of the letterform

Fig 2.13 Ear

Em/en - Originally refering to the width of an uppercase M, and em is now the distance equal to the size of the typeface (an em in 48 points, for example). An en is half the size of an em. Most often used to describe em/en spaces and em/en dashes

Fig 2.14 Em/en

Final - The rounded non-serif terminal to a stroke

Fig 2.15 Final

Leg - Short stroke off the stem of the letterform, either at the bottom of the stroke (L) or inclined downward (K, R)

Fig 2.16 Leg

Ligature - The character formed by the combination of two or more letterforms

Fig 2.17 Ligature

Link - The stroke that connects the bowl and the loop of a lowercase G

Fig 2.18 Link

Loop - In some typefaces, the bowl created in the descender of the lowercase G

Fig 2.19 Loop

Serif - The right-angled or oblique foot at the end of the stroke

Fig 2.20 Serif

Shoulder - The curved stroke that is not part of a bowl

Fig 2.21 Shoulder

Spine - The curved stem of the S

Fig 2.22 Spine

Spur - The extension the articulates the junction of the curved and rectilinear stroke

Fig 2.23 Spur

Stem - The significant vertical or oblique stroke

Fig 2.24 Stem

Stress - The orientation of the letterform, indicated by the thin stroke in round forms

Fig 2.25 Stress

Swash - The flourish that extends the stroke of the letterform

Fig 2.26 Swash

Tail - The curved diagonal stroke at the finish of certain letterforms

Fig 2.27 Tail

Terminal - The self-contained finish of a stroke without a serif. This is something of a catch-all term. Terminals may be flat (‘T’ above), flared, acute, (‘t’ above), grave, concave, convex, or rounded as a ball or a teardrop (see finial).

Fig 2.28 Terminal

2. The Font

Uppercase - Capital letters, including certain accented vowels, the c cedilla and n tilde, and the a/e and o/e ligatures

Fig 2.29 Uppercase

Lowercase - Lowercase letters include the same characters as uppercase

Fig 2.30 Lowercase

Small Capitals - Uppercase letterforms draw to the x-height of the typeface. Small Caps are primarily found in serif fonts as part of what is often called expert set

Fig 2.31 Small Capitals

Uppercase Numerals - Also called lining figures. These numerals are the same height as uppercase letters and are all set to the same kerning width

Fig 2.32 Uppercase numerals

Lowercase Numerals - Also known as old style figurs or text figures. These numerals are set to x-height with ascenders and descenders. Lowercase numerals are far less common in sans serif type-faces than in serif

Fig 2.33 Lowercase numerals

Italic - Reder back to fifteenth century Italian cursive handwriting. Oblique is typically based on the roman form of the typeface

Fig 2.34 Italic

Punctuation & Micellaneous Characters - Miscellaneous characters can change from typeface to typeface. It’s important to ensure that all the characters are available in a typeface before choosing the appropriate type.

Fig 2.35 Punctuation & Micellaneous Characters

Ornaments - Used as flourishes in invitations or certificates. They usually are provided as a font in a larger typeface family. Only a few traditional or classical typefaces contain ornamental fonts as part of the entire typeface family (Adobe Caslon Pro).

Fig 2.36 Ornaments

3. Describing Typefaces

Roman - Uppercase forms are derived from inscriptions of Roman monuments. A slightly lighter stroke in roman is known as ‘Book’

Fig 2.37 Roman

Italic - Named for fifteenth century Italian handwriting on which the forms are based. Oblique conversely is based on the roman form of typeface.

Fig 2.38 Italic

Boldface - Characterized by a thicker stroke than a roman form. It can also be called ‘semibold’, ‘medium’, ‘black’, ‘extra bold’, or super. In some typefaces (notably Bodoni), the boldest rendition of the typeface is reffered to as 'Poster'

Fig 2.39 Boldface

Light - A lighter stroke than the roman form. Even lighter strokes are called ‘thin’

Fig 2.40 Light

Condense - A version of the roman form, and extremely condense styles are often called ‘compressed’

Fig 2.41 Condense

Extended: An extended variation of a roman font

Fig 2.42 Extended

4. Comparing Typefaces

Beyond the gross differences in x-height, the forms display a wealth of variety, in line weight, relative stroke widths and in feeling. These feelings connote specific use and expression. Examination of typefaces tells people how to feel about type and specific typefaces and what they can bring to the discussion of appropriateness in type choices.

Fig 2.43 Comparing typefaces

Week 3

Typography: Text

1. Kerning and Letterspacing

Kerning - The automatic adjustment of space between letters

Letterspacing - The addition of space between letters

Tracking - The addition and removal of space in a word or sentence

Fig 3.0 Kerning and letterspacing

Fig 3.1 Normal tracking, loose tracking and tight tracking

2. Formatting Text

Flush left - Most closely mirrors the asymmetrical experience of handwriting. Each line starts at the same point but ends wherever the last word on the line ends. Spaces between words are consistent throughout the text, allowing the type to create an even gray value

Fig 3.2 Flush left

Centered - Imposes symmetry upon the text, assigning equal value and weight on both ends of any line. It transforms fields of text into shapes, thereby adding a pictorial quality. Centered type creates such a strong shape on the page, it's important to amend line breaks so that the text does not appear too jagged

Fig 3.3 Centered

Flush right - Places emphasis on the end of a line as opposed to its start. It can be useful in situations (like captions) where the relationship between text and image might be ambiguous without a strong orientation to the right

Fig 3.4 Flush right

Justified - Imposes a symmetrical shape on the text. It is achieved by expanding or reducing spaces between words and, sometimes, between letters. The resulting openness of lines can occasionally produce ‘rivers’ of white space running vertically through the text. Careful attention to line breaks and hyphenation is required to amend this problem

Fig 3.5 Justified

3. Texture

Different typefaces suit different messages. Type with a relatively generous x-height or relatively heavy stroke width produces a darker mass on the page than type with a relatively smaller x-height or lighter stroke. Sensitivity to these differences in colour is fundamental for creating succesful layouts

Fig 3.6 Anatony of a typeface

Fig 3.7 Different typefaces with different gray value

TASK 1 / Exercise 1 – Type Expression

Week 1 - Introduction and Briefing

We got to know the instructor, Mr. Vinod, during the first week of classes. Mr. Vinod gave us an overview of the module information. Along with a recorded lecture on typography, he also provides a useful YouTube tutorial video on how to set up our online portfolio in Blogger. The necessity of weekly or daily updates to the electronic portfolio to track the development of each design was stressed to us. A sample electronic portfolio of one of our seniors is useful as a reference point as well.

The lecturer asked us to write down the words for action in the chat box, and after selecting a few of them, she posted a poll on the Typography Facebook page. We are all eager to participate in this small activity. After voting, the words we selected are "Rain", "Fire", "Crush", "Water", "Dissipate", "Freedom" and "Sick". We need to choose four words in it, and each Word needs three ideas.

Vote for words in the Typography Facebook group

April 4, 2023

Ten fonts for Google Drive

At first, I didn't have much inspiration for the typographic design of the word, so I found Pinterest for some inspiration.

April 19, 2023

Week 2

I roughly tried to make a draft with Adobe AI's brush tool.

First sketch of the four given words

April 20, 2023

After receiving feedback from Mr. Vinod, I changed the original draft, gave up using the brush tool, and referred to the ten fonts provided.

The meaning of the word sick is not by design and needs to be redone. And cannot use graphic elements to try to convey the meaning of words. The idea of RAIN needs to be explored further.

Week 3

We uploaded the final version to our Facebook group. Mr. Vinod reviewed and provided feedback on my type expressions. The "I" in "RAIN" can do dynamic rain, but the other letters can remain static. The design I chose to animate wasn't the best of the three, the other two could be considered.

I made changes to all my work after feedback.

Mr. Vinod thinks my first one is very suitable for making gif animation.

RAIN after feedback

April 30, 2023

After Mr. Vinod's feedback, I adjusted the fonts of the second and third panels, because Mr. Vinod thinks my fonts don't need to be compressed.

FIRE after feedback

April 30, 2023

After Mr. Vinod's feedback, I replaced the cube in the second picture with lines.

CRUSH after feedback

April 30, 2023

After feedback from Mr. Vinod, the idea of the first picture is not advisable, the second picture does not express the meaning of the font well, and Mr. Vinod suggested that the "i" in the last picture can be enlarged and used as a bed.

SICK after feedback

April 30, 2023

Ultimately, I settled on the final design of the four words.

Four selected digitized words. PDF

After the feedback session, we were asked to choose a word and make a GIF of it.

For the animation, I decided to choose the word "RAIN" because I think it's the most intuitive word of all my genres.

First attempt at animating frames for the word "RAIN".

RAIN gif effect

TASK 1 / Exercise 2 – Text Formatting

We were asked to show in "indesign". We are guided step by step through the given exercises in the pre-recorded tutorials by Mr. Vinod. We had to use the ten fonts that were previously requested to be downloaded.

"You will be given incremental amounts of text that address different areas within text formatting i.e. type choice, type size, leading, line-length, paragraph spacing, forced-line-break, alignment, kerning, widows and orphans and cross-alignment. These minor exercises (Formatting Text 1:4 to 4:4A) will increase your familiarity and capability with the appropriate software and develop your knowledge of information hierarchy and spatial arrangement. The task ends with the submission of one layout in A4 size demonstrating."

Kerning and Tracking
I first practiced kerning and tracking with my name using the 10 typefaces provided.

Without kerning

With kerning

Layouts

I began using InDesign after going through the given manuals and lessons.

Layouts 1

Layouts 2

According to the tutorial given by Mr., I divided it into four columns. For the sake of simplicity of the overall effect, I put the title and illustrations on the two corners of the page. I tried different font sizes to ensure a better effect. Finally I chose 11.I chose to align my body text for a clean and intuitive look.

layout 2

After Mr. Vinod's feedback, I gave up using lTALIC and BOLD fonts in BEMBO and replaced them with REGULAR. Ditch the use of italics within the text. And replace the two text boxes of the text with one and extend.

FINAL Text Formatting Layout

HEAD
Font/s: Bembo Std
Type Size/s: 48 pt
Leading: 24 pt
Paragraph spacing: 0

BODY
Font/s: Bembo Std
Type Size/s: 11 pt
Leading: 14 pt
Paragraph spacing: 11 pt
Alignment: left justified：left justified

Margins: 100 mm top, 10 mm left + right ,64mm bottom
Columns: 2
Gutter: 10 mm

Final Text Formatting Layout

Final Text Formatting Layout (PDF)

Final Text Formatting Layout - Grids

Final Text Formatting Layout - Grids（PDF)

FEEDBACK

Week 2

General Feedback: When sketching, I need to refer to the 10 fonts I provided.need to explore the idea for RAIN. Specific Feedback: The idea for RAIN does not work. I need to explore further. Sick the meaning of the word is not coming through the design. I cannot use graphical elements to express the word's meaning.

Week 3

General Feedback: Don't distort the provided fonts.Change the state of SICK using typography suggested by mentor.

Specific Feedback: Changing the ratio of the second and third fonts of FIRE can achieve better results. Change the font of CRUSH's second design from the left. The instructor recommends "Univers LT Std" to achieve better results.

Week 4

General Feedback:The "I" in "RAIN" can do dynamic rain, but the other letters can remain static.

Specific Feedback： The design I chose to animate wasn't the best of the three, the other two could be considered.

Week 5

General Feedback: Fonts and text formatting need tweaking.

Specific Feedback:： The body text box only needs one and then extended, the body font cannot be ITALIC and BOLD, because they are italic characters, it is not recommended to use.

FURTHER READINGS

Samara, T (2018). Letterforms : Typeface Design From Past to

Future.

I chose this book recommended by Mr. Vinod as I love fonts and wanted to know more about letterforms and font history.

This book provides an overview from the invention of movable type to today's digital typesetting.

The author claims, "Drawing letters was of great fascination to me from the time I first showed interest in art." Her professional creative endeavours were inspired by this fascination, which eventually resulted in the publication of this beautifully illustrated and educational book. Samara's genuine goal in writing the book is to teach practitioners the fundamentals of type design while attentively and completely outlining and illuminating the evolution of form and style. He guides you through the anatomy of letterforms, rhythmic stroke production, tool approaches, structure, and many other topics.

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