Advanced Typography / Task 3: Type Exploration and Application
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16.10.2023 - 24.11.2023 (Week 8 - Week 13) Johnny Lam Wee Zhe / 0363436 /
Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media Advanced Typography Task
3 Type Exploration and Application
LECTURE
Lectures are completed and be viewed in Task 1 (Lecture 1-2) and
Task 2
(Lecture 3-5)
INSTRUCTIONS
TASK 3 - TYPE EXPLORATION AND APPLICATION
Proposal
For the final project of the semester, we are task with creating a full set of
fonts that would help solve a problem. We are to pick a problem that we have
notice and solve it by creating a full set of fonts. First thing to do is to
create a proposal on what problem we want to solve here is the slides.
DEVELOPMENT AND DIGITIZATION
After determining the problems that I want to solve, I went ahead to attempt
the digitization all three problems and see which one works and which one
doesn't. Before that, I did some research on each of the three problems:
- Dog Font
As some sort of test, I decide to try out and see if using various dog poses
to see whether letterforms can distinguished from the dog font. And here is
the a few test:
Fig 1.1 Dog Font (31/10/2023 Week 10)
- Reinvent Comic Sans
First thing I'll do is to do a research on comic sans. As comic sans is the
most widely hated font, I went to look up on the reasons why it is hated and
what features make it so hated. And if it's hated, why is it still
considered a popular font?
According to an article by
how-to-geek, the comic sans font is a font inspired by fonts used in the comics; Dark
Knight Returns and Watchmen. It was initially created to be a more playful
fonts like font that fonts like Time New Roman can't convey.
Microsoft themselves described comic sans as casual but legible. However,
according to the critics of comic sans, the typeface gives off stern but
playful massage and that the letterform is just simply labelled 'ugly'.
Keeping that in mind, I move on to study the font better.
Fig 1.2 Observation of Comic Sans (31/10/2023 Week 10)
Looking at this comparison as a whole, I would described that comic sans
is asymmetrical and inconsistent. Some of the strokes of the letter forms
protrudes beyond the base line or hovers over the base line. Another
observation to note is that either side of each letters are rather
different and lines with one another. It's unnoticeable when zoom out but
when zoomed in, the inconsistency becomes more evident. With that in mind,
I begin my digitization process by writing on piece of paper and
digitalized them in Adobe Illustrator.
Fig 1.3 Comic Sans Reinvention (31/10/2023 Week 10)
- Flawed Font
To figure out the theme for my flawed font, I decide to do some experiment
on whether it could work or not. The concept of finding beauty in flaw is
not a rare concept and is in fact, being use in graphic design. At first I
played around with original cracked letter form ideas. Then I proceeded to
go for a varying weight thickness idea.
Fig 1.4. Flawed Digitization (31/10/2023 Week 10)
As I am a bit behind on the work, I decide to choose one that suits the
theme Mr. Vinod had and further develop it. Evidently, it is the
reinvention of comic sans and since there is no objection from Mr. Vinod,
I decide to pick this as my final font and develop it further and create
all capital letters.
Fig 2. Letter Capitals (31/10/2023 Week 10)
After receiving feed back during class, I trace the letters of my first
draft capita letter using outline to ensure that same width is maintained
through out according to Mr. Vinod's feed back.
On the same day, we are asked to complete the whole set and so I went on
and start to create lower capital letters as well as punctuation and
numbers of the font.
Fig 4. Finalized Complete Font (1/11/2023 Week 11)
KERNING AND FONT GENERATION
The usual uses to convert the digitalize letter form in fonts is to use
fontlabs. However, there are limited excess to fontlab and the computer
lab may not always be free and I ran out of free trial for both fontlab 7
to fontlab 8 from last semester. I remembered that Mr. Vinod has suggest
an alternative application called Fontforge which is a free open source
software.
Since the Fontforge works differently from fontlab, I went on Youtube to
watch tutorials on how to use this application:
Fig 5. FontForge Tutorial
Due to the way font forge works, copy and pasting isn't working as it does
not show the letter forms on display. I will have to split all characters
into different art board and export it as SVG format and import all SVG
files onto relevant glyph.
Fig 6.1 Adobe Illustrator (9/11/2023 Week 11)
Fig 6.2 Import SVG files to FontForge (9/11/2023 Week 11)
Fig 6.3 Viewing Glyph (9/11/2023 Week 11)
After I have import all the letter forms onto FontForge, I proceed to
adjust bearings according to the inforgraph provided by Mr. Vinod and
apply kerning according to the shape of the letter forms.
The next part of task 3 is to apply the font onto a presentation and
application of the font in a form of a slide. The first thing I do is to
download a two presentation as an inspiration for my slide according to
what Mr. Vinod has provided in the files.
Fig 1.1 Font Presentation Slide Sample 1
Fig 1.2 Font Presentation Slide Sample 2
For this presentation, I decide to go for a more simple two tones of blue
shades and white color scheme for them. We are tasked with creating 4/5 font
presentation and 4/5 font application for our presentation. I start by
drawing out graphics according to the inspiration of the original comic
sans, comics.
I first start out by creating the presentation itself and type down the
letters for my presentation. Then, I start to draw out a comic style woman
with a speech bubble that displays the font.
Fig 2.1 Comic Style Woman Draft One (14/11/2023 Week 12)
Thinking about how application are similar to collateral being done from the
last task, I decide to do the same thing and create a logo with this fonts
and wrap them onto a picture of a ceramic mug.
Fig 2.2 Logo Wrapped on Ceramic Mug (14/11/2023 Week 12)
Next, I download the pictures of hands holding the paper and write down the
message on the paper. I also wrap the text according to the angle of the
paper.
Fig 2.3 Letter Message Adobe Screenshot (22/11/2023 Week 13)
After showing Mr. Vinod my work, I removed the cup image as an application
and readjust according to the feedback given. In addition to that, I add a
few more image of application and presentation for the slide. Starting with
a hot dog poster. Then I use the poster and paste them onto an image of a
boy reading a poster.
Fig 3.2 Distort Poster to the Poster Wall (22/11/2023 Week 13)
I also redraw the comic girl as my drawing skill is not enough to attempt
drawing the actual comic and go with my actual style instead.
Fig 3.3 Comic Style Draft 2 (21/11/2023 Week 13)
I then trace out comics with Adobe Photoshop as the quality of the comic I
downloaded is of low quality. After I hand drawn them, I edit them onto the
picture of someone pressing a paper onto a table with the comic on a piece
of paper.
Fig 4.1 Comic Drawn (25/11/2023 Week 13)
Fig 4.2 Edit comic onto paper (25/11/2023 Week 13)
Fig 7. Font Presentation and Application Slide (29/11/2023 Week 14)
FEEDBACK
Week 10
Specific Feedback
Understand the way you write the fonts and keep them consistent throughout.
Maintain the pressure of your writing if you want your font to digitalize
based on your writing.
Week 11
Specific Feedback
Cross stroke in lowercase F is to long. Strokes are not even in N, A, E.
Check all the letters to ensure they have the same thickness of stroke. W is
too radical and needs to be adjusted more.
The overhand for the
lower letter f is too much as well as the lower stroke of lower case t.
Correct the Y further. Make the quotation mark similar to the apostrophe.
The W should be curvier. The top part of the '&' symbol should be
smaller.
Week 12
General Feedback
Application requires some further work on it.
Week 13
Specific Feedback
There are difference between application and presentation. Display how
application can be used and pre-plan what the application can be apply.
A child looking at the poster is an example. Add margin to the text in
the paper holding.
REFLECTION
Experience
It is quite an interesting prospect to complete the whole set of a font
(almost the whole set). Previously on last semester, I find it rather
bothering that I am to complete only a few letter of uppercase letters.
Although, this is not what I would consider the full set, it does give some
further insights onto how fonts are developed especially when creating the
lowercase versions of the alphabet. This task is only makes more challenging
due to the limited access to font labs and have to look up tutorial on how
to use the alternative, font forge.
Observation
I notice that the end result of my reformed Comic Sans font is suitable for
uses that does not limit to just merely replace comic sans as a whole but it
can also be used by those who have difficulty reading general fonts
especially due to dyslexia. It because of this, I decide to apply the font
as various reading material in the font application section of this task.
Findings
I find that there are two differences between font presentation and
application. Although both may seem similar at first glance of the examples,
they are not the same. Font presentation can be use to present the font
itself, either in form of a poster, or in the form of word art while font
application shows the usage of the font and how it can be applied as problem
solving context.
FURTHER READING
Type Specific: Design Custom Fonts for Function and Identity by
Charlotte
Fig 8. Type Specific Book Cover
As a part of my further reading for this task, I read this book titled Type
Specific:Design Custom Fonts for Function and Identity. This book shows
various briefings of application where a designer has to create a custom
font that suits the application as well as written down solutions that the
designers has come up with to solve the briefing. One such briefing includes
creating a promotional material for a world renowned art gallery named Tate
Modern and Tate Britain during an exhibition at the time. The designer,
James Goggin's solution to the problem is to not completely discard
previously existing font's identity completely instead of redoing a
completely new font. He uses the original Tate font as the base and give it
minor adjustment with various versions, each applies according to the
artist. Most versions involved removing some features of the original
font.
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