Typography - Task 2 / Typographic Exploration and Communication

20.05.2024 - 14.06.2024 / Week 5 - Week 8
Omar bin Shafik / 0371439
Typography / Bachelor of Design (Honours) in Creative Media
Task 2 / Typographic Exploration and Communication

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LECTURES 

Week 5:

We were given tutorials for our second task and informed of our deadline for Task 1. We were linked to a video demo on how to proceed with Task 2 and given texts to use in Microsoft Teams. In Task 2, we will be formatting a text of our choosing from the texts given to us in a similar way as we did the exercise in Task 1. As for the main title of the text, we will have to apply what we learnt in our type expressions exercise there.

Letters

Understanding Letterforms

Most letterforms are designed with a meticulous amount of care. Like the uppercase A in the Baskerville typeface. The two stems of the letterform are noticeably thicker and thinner than one another. Their brackets connecting the serifs to the stems each have a unique arc although they may look identical. This can also be seen in the uppercase A of the Univers typeface. The width of the left stem is thinner than the right stem although they look near identical to each other. This shows that designers take a lot of consideration into creating their letterforms because one small detail could make the typeface just feel wrong to them.

Maintaining x-height

While the x-height generally describes the size of lowercase letterforms, curved strokes should still rise above the median or sink below the baseline because they would seem to be smaller otherwise.

Form / Counterform

Recognizing counterforms (or counters) is just as important as recognizing a letterform. These counters also account for the space in between letters. Because of this, most typeface designers are against people adding letterspace in the letterform. 

Fig 1, Examples of Forms and Counterforms, (27.05.2024)

One of the better ways of understanding forms and counterforms is to magnify the letterforms and take a closer look at the details in each letterform.

Contrast

The basic principles of graphic design also apply directly to typography, namely, contrast. 

Fig 2, Examples of Contrast in Letterforms, (27.05.2024)

Week 6: 

We were given feedback on our text formatting assignment. The headlines should have a proper emphasis put on the words that have the most impact when making the type expression. Things that we have learnt in the lessons before should be applied correctly in this task like type expression, proper use of typefaces, proper use of text formatting. 

Typography

Different mediums

There are two mediums, Print and Screen.

Typography in different mediums

In the past, typography was viewed as living only when it reached paper. Once a publication was edited, typeset and printed, it was done. Nothing needed to be changed. Good typography and readability is the result of skilled typesetters and designers.

Today typography not only exists on paper but a multitude of screens as well. Because of this, the reading experience can vary between different sizes of screens and how the typesetting happens to render on the browser page.

Print Type vs Screen Type

Type for print

    Good typefaces for print are Caslon, Garamond, and Baskerville, among many others mostly because of their elegant and intellectual characteristics which are also very much readable at smaller sizes. Versatile, easy-to-digest classic typefaces with a certain neutrality which makes them easy to typeset.

Type for screen

    Optimized and often modified to enhance readability and performance on screen in a variety of digital environments. 

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INSTRUCTIONS

Fig 3, Typography MIB, (25.05.2024)

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TASK 2: TEXT FORMATTING

The Headline

For the headline, we have to use what we learnt during our first exercise, Type Expression. We have to take the headline and make a type expression based on it that would be the main graphic for the text formatting task.

Fig 4, Type Expression Sketches, (01.06.2024)

These are the thumbnails I thought up for the headline type expression. In number 1 I thought I could go for something simple with putting emphasis on the word "thought" and use the letter o as a head with thought bubbles coming out of it leading to the sub-headline. As for number 2, I saw the Bauhaus building and attempted to do something similar with the headline putting emphasis on the words "Bauhaus Thought" and turning them sideways as seen on the building. For number 3, I tried to change up the look of number 1 by turning the word "Thought" sideways, dividing it in two by adding a hyphen in between "tho" and "ught". I thought this would make it look more dynamic and eye catching. In number 4, I just tried something simplistic, arranging the words at the bottom of the page. I eventually ended up using number 3 but when I initially tried to apply it, I showed it to Mr. Vinod and he told me it was too small. He said I should make it fit the page better because it demands more attention from the viewer.

The Text

This is where we apply what we learnt in our second exercise, Text Formatting. The rest of the text given should be formatted properly according to the advice given to us through the online lectures and feedback during physical classes. I just went with something simple here, going with an arrangement similar to what I did for the type expression bit.

Fig 5, Text 1, left page: gray value, right page: text formatting, (01.06.2024)

Mr. Vinod said that the leading was too small and that I should try adding to it by 2.5. I also increased the font size by 1 point.

Fig 6, Text 2, left page: gray value, right page: text formatting, (01.06.2024)

Final Text Formatting

This is my final result after applying both my text formatting and type expression. 

Fig 7, Final Text Formatting JPEG, (01.06.2024)

Fig 8, Final Text Formatting PDF, (01.06.2024)

Fig 9, Final Text Formatting Gridded JPEG, (01.06.2024)

Fig 10, Final Text Formatting Gridded PDF, (01.06.2024)

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FEEDBACK

Week 5: General feedback: Use leading and font size properly with leading usually being bigger than the font size. Margins and columns can also be used to make paragraphs and headings more appealing to look at if used properly. Widows, orphans and rivers are unacceptable. The text under the image should be 2 sizes smaller than the main content of the page.

Specific feedback: use proper units and increments.

Week 6: The headlines should have a proper emphasis put on the words that have the most impact when making the type expression. Things that we have learnt in the lessons before should be applied correctly in this task like type expression, proper use of typefaces, proper use of text formatting. 

Week 7: 

General feedback: use fonts properly. Don't use two different fonts that are both sans serif. 

Specific feedback: try adding maybe 2.5 more leading to the text and align the bottom of the left side of text to the hyphen in the headline.

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REFLECTIONS

Experience

This task felt easier than Task 1, I'm thinking because it's mostly just applying what I've learnt in Task 1 here. The process of doing this task was much smoother than Task 1 because I somewhat already knew what I was doing. The only part I really took time with was type expression but once I had an idea of how to do it, digitization was simple enough.

Observations

I noticed that my end result was quite simple compared to others, but I still prefer the way I did it. Other students used the both pages one whole page while I used each page individually. There are many ways to format text, especially on a digital medium. You can get a lot more interesting with the type expression especially with some other works I saw having it span the entirety of the two pages.

Findings

While doing this task, I learnt that having a poor text formatting can worsen the reading experience of the viewer. Things like letterspacing, font size, and type of font used can drastically change the reading experience which I found out while formatting the text.

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FURTHER READING

Week 5: 

A Type Primer

Fig 11, A Type Primer Cover, (9.06.2024)

I went back to "A Type Primer" and read the subchapter "Maintaining x-height" under the chapter "Letters, words, sentences". It explains how the x-height usually describes lowercase letterforms but letters with curved strokes at the top and bottom should rise above the median or dip below the baseline to appear similar in size to the other lowercase letters.

Week 6:

A Type Primer

I continued reading "A Type Primer" and this time, read the subchapter "Reinforcing meaning" also under "Letters, words, sentences". It basically explained how the way we placed letters and words could express the meaning of the word itself, basically what we did in our first task, type expression.

Week 7: 

Typographic Design: FORM AND COMMUNICATION

This week I went back and read the subchapter "Background" under the chapter "The Typographic Grid". It explains how the grid we know today originates from some of the earliest written forms like the cuneiform from Mesopotamia to hieroglyphic writings on papyrus.