1/7/2024 - 22/7/2024 (Week 11 - Week 14)
Wee Jun Jie / 0375271
Advanced Typography / Bachelor of Design (Hons) in
Creative Media
Task 3: Type Exploration and Application
Lectures 1 to 4 completed in Task 1 - Exercise 1 & 2
INSTRUCTIONS
<iframe
src="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pPuoGajk6dVXriwgBpZpSc0ISAOk7JoV/preview"
width="640" height="480" allow="autoplay"></iframe>
Task 3: Type Exploration and Application
Today we were briefed about our final project. I have 3 ideas
which 1 is about designing a typeface for shop signage,
twilight movie poster and an experimental creation typeface. I
then finalized my idea to create a new Gothic typeface for the
movie!
Fig. 1.1 Proposal Slide, Week 8 (13/6/24)
Research Studies
Before making any sketches, I wanted to study a similar
font and learn about its origins. Then, I found out
that... Gothic font, also known as Blackletter, originated in
Western Europe during the 12th century, evolving from
Carolingian minuscule. It became widely used in medieval
manuscripts and early printed books, characterized by
its dense, dark, and angular appearance. Renaissance
Italians labeled it "Gothic" to suggest it was barbaric
compared to classical Roman typefaces. Although its
popularity declined after the 16th century with the rise
of more legible Roman fonts, Gothic script remained in
use for traditional and decorative purposes, especially
in German-speaking regions. Today, it is used to evoke
history, tradition, and formality in various design
contexts.
Fig. 1.2 References, Week 9 (17/6/24)
I specifically took inspiration from some of the
architecture from that time, as shown in the image
above. The angles and structures greatly assisted me
in designing a new Gothic font.
Digitalize
Fig. 1.3 Attempt 1, Week 9 (19/6/24)
I didn't sketch as I usually do because I had
already decided on the design for this font.
Essentially, I used angular cuboids and followed a
grid for placement. I decided to establish the
baseline along the bottom edge of D and then
proceeded to trace these core characters. Since H
and O form the foundation for uppercase letters, I
drew O next. The subsequent forms were created with
the angles, strokes, and overall character widths of
H and O in mind.
From the image above, you can see that my guidelines were
incorrect as I didn't set the x-height, ascender, descender,
etc. This led to an imbalance in the font once it was completed.
The characters marked in red are those I feel need further
design updates, so they have been temporarily set aside.
Fig. 1.4 Anatomy of a Typeface, Week 10 (24/6/24)
Fig. 1.5 Attempt 2, Week 10 (26/6/24)
I start reading and learning the image Fig. 1.4 shown
above. I set the Cap Height, X-height, Ascender, Base, and
Descender guides, then reorganized and adjusted my Uppercase
and Lowercase letters. The entire process was difficult
because my initial setup was incorrect, requiring me to redo
everything. The most obvious mistake was that letter "g" did
not touch the descender line.
Fig. 1.6 Letter M & W transform, Week 11 (2/7/24)
Initially, I thought each letter had to fit into
the same box size, resulting in some distorted
characters. Later, Mr. Vinod explained that the key
is to maintain consistent stroke thickness, not the
size of the boxes.
Fig. 1.7 Attempt 3 - Final Attempt, Week 12 (9/7/24)
After multiple adjustments, I finally completed the
design by following the guidelines and setting the
compound path to confirm all the letters for preparing
export them to Font Lab! I also designed the numerals
and punctuations. Since Mr. Vinod didn’t provide too
much feedback on this Final Attempt, the process went
relatively smoothly. He advised us to move on to Font
Lab to adjust the kerning and bearing of the font.
Font Lab
First, we need to enter the key info before importing
our designed font. I had trouble when I was putting my fonts in Font Lab
but thanks to advice from Max, turned out it was because
I didn't change the setting properly.
Fig. 1.8 Font Lab Workspace, Week 12 (11-13/7/24)
I watched from the You tube tutorial and followed it. I
made most of the gap 50 as the tutorial says but I also
adjusted a bit for some letters and made a little
change.
Font Application Work Progress
Since Twilight is a movie series, I decided to
create applications related to merchandise and live
events. I also aimed to find mockups that fit a
gothic/classic movie theme to complement Twilight's
story.
Fig. 2.1 Illustrator Workspace, Week 13 (18-19/7/24)
It's been over 10 years since the Twilight movie
series, so finding images has been quite
challenging, especially clear background images. I
spent nearly an hour to find two photos that could
be used as backgrounds. The images above show
different styles I've applied to each photo. For the
first one, I aimed for a high-end wedding photo
cover vibe, using the Twilight protagonists to fit
my theme better. For the second image, I designed a
poster for the Twilight movie. Due to the
requirements of 1024px x 1024px, I cropped the
original image to ensure the main characters fit
within the square format.
Fig. 2.2 Illustrator Workspace, Week 13 (18-19/7/24)
For the remaining three collaterals, I plan to design
them as movie promotions. Therefore, I need to modify
the original images I found and also look for some actor
photos to use on the large banner for the promotional
booth. Additionally, I designed two different movie
tickets myself.
Final Outcome
Download Modern Gothic Font here.
Final Font Presentations
Fig. 3.1 Font Presentation 01 - JPEG, Week 13 (14-17/7/24)
Fig. 3.2 Font Presentation 02 - JPEG, Week 13 (14-17/7/24)
Fig. 3.3 Font Presentation 03 - JPEG, Week 13 (14-17/7/24)
Fig. 3.4 Font Presentation 04 - JPEG, Week 13 (14-17/7/24)
Fig. 3.5 Font Presentation 05 - JPEG, Week 13 (14-17/7/24)
Final Font Applications
Fig. 4.1 Album Cover, 1024px * 1024px - JPEG, Week 13 (18-20/7/24)
Fig. 4.2 Movie Poster, 1024px * 1024px - JPEG, Week 13 (18-20/7/24)
Fig. 4.3 Vinyl, 1024px * 1024px - JPEG, Week 13 (18-20/7/24)
Fig. 4.4 Movie Ticket, 1024px * 1024px -
JPEG, Week 13 (18-20/7/24)
Fig. 4.5 Fans Booth, 1024px * 1024px - JPEG, Week 13 (18-20/7/24)
Fig. 4.6 Final Task 3A: Font Presentations -
PDF, Week 13 (18/7/24)
Fig. 4.7 Final Task 3B: Font Applications -
PDF, Week 13 (20/7/24)
Playground
Try typing Uppercase Letter from the set — 'A', to 'Z' in the box below.
INSTRUCTIONS
<iframe
src="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pPuoGajk6dVXriwgBpZpSc0ISAOk7JoV/preview"
width="640" height="480" allow="autoplay"></iframe>
Today we were briefed about our final project. I have 3 ideas
which 1 is about designing a typeface for shop signage,
twilight movie poster and an experimental creation typeface. I
then finalized my idea to create a new Gothic typeface for the
movie!
Fig. 1.1 Proposal Slide, Week 8 (13/6/24)
Research Studies
Digitalize
Fig. 1.3 Attempt 1, Week 9 (19/6/24)
Before making any sketches, I wanted to study a similar
font and learn about its origins. Then, I found out
that... Gothic font, also known as Blackletter, originated in
Western Europe during the 12th century, evolving from
Carolingian minuscule. It became widely used in medieval
manuscripts and early printed books, characterized by
its dense, dark, and angular appearance. Renaissance
Italians labeled it "Gothic" to suggest it was barbaric
compared to classical Roman typefaces. Although its
popularity declined after the 16th century with the rise
of more legible Roman fonts, Gothic script remained in
use for traditional and decorative purposes, especially
in German-speaking regions. Today, it is used to evoke
history, tradition, and formality in various design
contexts.
Fig. 1.2 References, Week 9 (17/6/24)
I specifically took inspiration from some of the
architecture from that time, as shown in the image
above. The angles and structures greatly assisted me
in designing a new Gothic font.
Fig. 1.2 References, Week 9 (17/6/24)
Digitalize
Fig. 1.3 Attempt 1, Week 9 (19/6/24)
I didn't sketch as I usually do because I had
already decided on the design for this font.
Essentially, I used angular cuboids and followed a
grid for placement. I decided to establish the
baseline along the bottom edge of D and then
proceeded to trace these core characters. Since H
and O form the foundation for uppercase letters, I
drew O next. The subsequent forms were created with
the angles, strokes, and overall character widths of
H and O in mind.
From the image above, you can see that my guidelines were
incorrect as I didn't set the x-height, ascender, descender,
etc. This led to an imbalance in the font once it was completed.
The characters marked in red are those I feel need further
design updates, so they have been temporarily set aside.
Fig. 1.4 Anatomy of a Typeface, Week 10 (24/6/24)
Fig. 1.5 Attempt 2, Week 10 (26/6/24)
I start reading and learning the image Fig. 1.4 shown
above. I set the Cap Height, X-height, Ascender, Base, and
Descender guides, then reorganized and adjusted my Uppercase
and Lowercase letters. The entire process was difficult
because my initial setup was incorrect, requiring me to redo
everything. The most obvious mistake was that letter "g" did
not touch the descender line.
Fig. 1.6 Letter M & W transform, Week 11 (2/7/24)
Fig. 1.7 Attempt 3 - Final Attempt, Week 12 (9/7/24)
Fig. 1.6 Letter M & W transform, Week 11 (2/7/24)
Initially, I thought each letter had to fit into
the same box size, resulting in some distorted
characters. Later, Mr. Vinod explained that the key
is to maintain consistent stroke thickness, not the
size of the boxes.
Fig. 1.7 Attempt 3 - Final Attempt, Week 12 (9/7/24)
After multiple adjustments, I finally completed the
design by following the guidelines and setting the
compound path to confirm all the letters for preparing
export them to Font Lab! I also designed the numerals
and punctuations. Since Mr. Vinod didn’t provide too
much feedback on this Final Attempt, the process went
relatively smoothly. He advised us to move on to Font
Lab to adjust the kerning and bearing of the font.
Font Lab
Fig. 2.1 Illustrator Workspace, Week 13 (18-19/7/24)
It's been over 10 years since the Twilight movie
series, so finding images has been quite
challenging, especially clear background images. I
spent nearly an hour to find two photos that could
be used as backgrounds. The images above show
different styles I've applied to each photo. For the
first one, I aimed for a high-end wedding photo
cover vibe, using the Twilight protagonists to fit
my theme better. For the second image, I designed a
poster for the Twilight movie. Due to the
requirements of 1024px x 1024px, I cropped the
original image to ensure the main characters fit
within the square format.
Fig. 2.2 Illustrator Workspace, Week 13 (18-19/7/24)
For the remaining three collaterals, I plan to design
them as movie promotions. Therefore, I need to modify
the original images I found and also look for some actor
photos to use on the large banner for the promotional
booth. Additionally, I designed two different movie
tickets myself.
Final Font Presentations
Fig. 3.1 Font Presentation 01 - JPEG, Week 13 (14-17/7/24)
Fig. 4.1 Album Cover, 1024px * 1024px - JPEG, Week 13 (18-20/7/24)
Fig. 4.2 Movie Poster, 1024px * 1024px - JPEG, Week 13 (18-20/7/24)
Fig. 4.3 Vinyl, 1024px * 1024px - JPEG, Week 13 (18-20/7/24)
Fig. 4.4 Movie Ticket, 1024px * 1024px - JPEG, Week 13 (18-20/7/24)
Fig. 4.5 Fans Booth, 1024px * 1024px - JPEG, Week 13 (18-20/7/24)
Fig. 4.6 Final Task 3A: Font Presentations - PDF, Week 13 (18/7/24)
Fig. 4.7 Final Task 3B: Font Applications - PDF, Week 13 (20/7/24)
Playground
First, we need to enter the key info before importing
our designed font. I had trouble when I was putting my fonts in Font Lab
but thanks to advice from Max, turned out it was because
I didn't change the setting properly.
Fig. 1.8 Font Lab Workspace, Week 12 (11-13/7/24)
I watched from the You tube tutorial and followed it. I
made most of the gap 50 as the tutorial says but I also
adjusted a bit for some letters and made a little
change.
Fig. 1.8 Font Lab Workspace, Week 12 (11-13/7/24)
Font Application Work Progress
Since Twilight is a movie series, I decided to
create applications related to merchandise and live
events. I also aimed to find mockups that fit a
gothic/classic movie theme to complement Twilight's
story.
Fig. 2.1 Illustrator Workspace, Week 13 (18-19/7/24)
Fig. 2.2 Illustrator Workspace, Week 13 (18-19/7/24)
Final Outcome
Download Modern Gothic Font here.
Final Font Presentations
Fig. 3.1 Font Presentation 01 - JPEG, Week 13 (14-17/7/24)
Fig. 3.2 Font Presentation 02 - JPEG, Week 13 (14-17/7/24)
Fig. 3.3 Font Presentation 03 - JPEG, Week 13 (14-17/7/24)
Fig. 3.4 Font Presentation 04 - JPEG, Week 13 (14-17/7/24)
Fig. 3.5 Font Presentation 05 - JPEG, Week 13 (14-17/7/24)
Final Font Applications
Fig. 4.1 Album Cover, 1024px * 1024px - JPEG, Week 13 (18-20/7/24)
Fig. 4.2 Movie Poster, 1024px * 1024px - JPEG, Week 13 (18-20/7/24)
Fig. 4.3 Vinyl, 1024px * 1024px - JPEG, Week 13 (18-20/7/24)
Fig. 4.4 Movie Ticket, 1024px * 1024px - JPEG, Week 13 (18-20/7/24)
Fig. 4.5 Fans Booth, 1024px * 1024px - JPEG, Week 13 (18-20/7/24)
Fig. 4.6 Final Task 3A: Font Presentations - PDF, Week 13 (18/7/24)
Fig. 4.7 Final Task 3B: Font Applications - PDF, Week 13 (20/7/24)
Playground
Try typing Uppercase Letter from the set — 'A', to 'Z' in the box below.
FEEDBACK
Week 9
- No Feeback given.
Week 10
Specific
Specific
-
Good job, continue your work.
Week 11
General
-
Use a grid to ensure consistency in weight (stroke
thickness).
-
Generally, the thickness of curved letters is not consistent from
top to bottom, so is as thick as other letters in the mid-section
only (optically will appear equal).
-
When designing punctuations, there’s generally no need to put a
lot of the style of the letterforms. as it will cause difficulty
in reading.
Specific
-
When constructing uppercase and lowercase, construct them side by side to compare the caps height and maintain the thickness of stroke in both uppercase and lowercase.
Week 12
General
-
In application, make sure the visual doesn’t overpower the type as
it’s the typeface that’s being showcased.
-
The more counter space your type has, the more you need to make up
for that space in design application.
-
Clean up excessive nodes using the smooth tool on Illustrator before
exporting to Font Lab.
- Good job, continue your work.
- Use a grid to ensure consistency in weight (stroke thickness).
- Generally, the thickness of curved letters is not consistent from top to bottom, so is as thick as other letters in the mid-section only (optically will appear equal).
- When designing punctuations, there’s generally no need to put a lot of the style of the letterforms. as it will cause difficulty in reading.
- When constructing uppercase and lowercase, construct them side by side to compare the caps height and maintain the thickness of stroke in both uppercase and lowercase.
- In application, make sure the visual doesn’t overpower the type as it’s the typeface that’s being showcased.
- The more counter space your type has, the more you need to make up for that space in design application.
- Clean up excessive nodes using the smooth tool on Illustrator before exporting to Font Lab.
Specific
-
Take care of these letters: J, j, L, l, P, p. Set the kerning and try
to type it multiple times.
-
Letter Z looks nice.
Week 13
General
-
Final Compilation & Reflection. Complete and submit the e-portfolio for Task 3 and prepare the final compilation and reflection.
General
-
Final Compilation & Reflection. Complete and submit the e-portfolio for Task 3 and prepare the final compilation and reflection.
REFLECTION
Experience
Getting started on the project of creating my own typefaces was
both enjoyable and challenging. It required meticulous attention to
detail, a deep understanding of letter shapes, and a creative
mindset. I began by examining existing typefaces, studying their
structure, stroke variations, and overall appearance. This process
helped me learn the basics and rules of type creation.
Observations
One of the key things I noticed was how small changes and subtle
differences can significantly alter the character and mood of a
typeface. The feel and tone of a letter can be transformed by the
placement of a curve, the angle of a serif, or the distribution of
stroke weight. This made me realize the importance of accuracy and
attention to detail in creating type designs that are both visually
appealing and cohesive.
Findings
I learned to appreciate the delicate balance between legibility and
expression in type design. Although it was tempting to focus solely
on creating letters that looked interesting and unique, I quickly
understood that legibility and readability are far more critical.
Ensuring that characters are easily recognizable and understandable
in various sizes and contexts became a crucial aspect of my type
design process. This balance between form and function pushed me to
think creatively about how to give my typefaces personality and
character while still maintaining their practicality.
FURTHER READING
How to Design a Typeface Part 1
Reflecting on the journey of designing a typeface, it's
clear that this process is both an art and a science. The
meticulous attention to detail required in shaping each
character, balancing aesthetic appeal with functional
readability, and understanding the historical context of
type design underscores the complexity and depth of this
craft. Martin Silvert ant's guide on DeviantArt provides a
foundational understanding, emphasizing the importance of
sketching, digital refinement, and consistency in typeface
creation. Beyond technical skills, designing a typeface
cultivates a profound appreciation for the subtle nuances
that influence how text communicates visually. This
experience not only enhances one's design capabilities but
also enriches one's overall appreciation for typography as a
pivotal element of visual communication.
Part 2 focuses on refining characters, spacing, and kerning. It
emphasizes the importance of consistency, detailing how to
fine-tune each letter for visual harmony. The entry covers
techniques for adjusting character proportions and spacing to
ensure legibility and aesthetic appeal. Practical tips for
testing and iterating on the design are also provided, helping
designers create a cohesive and professional typeface.
REFLECTION
Experience
Getting started on the project of creating my own typefaces was
both enjoyable and challenging. It required meticulous attention to
detail, a deep understanding of letter shapes, and a creative
mindset. I began by examining existing typefaces, studying their
structure, stroke variations, and overall appearance. This process
helped me learn the basics and rules of type creation.
Observations
One of the key things I noticed was how small changes and subtle
differences can significantly alter the character and mood of a
typeface. The feel and tone of a letter can be transformed by the
placement of a curve, the angle of a serif, or the distribution of
stroke weight. This made me realize the importance of accuracy and
attention to detail in creating type designs that are both visually
appealing and cohesive.
Findings
I learned to appreciate the delicate balance between legibility and
expression in type design. Although it was tempting to focus solely
on creating letters that looked interesting and unique, I quickly
understood that legibility and readability are far more critical.
Ensuring that characters are easily recognizable and understandable
in various sizes and contexts became a crucial aspect of my type
design process. This balance between form and function pushed me to
think creatively about how to give my typefaces personality and
character while still maintaining their practicality.
Reflecting on the journey of designing a typeface, it's
clear that this process is both an art and a science. The
meticulous attention to detail required in shaping each
character, balancing aesthetic appeal with functional
readability, and understanding the historical context of
type design underscores the complexity and depth of this
craft. Martin Silvert ant's guide on DeviantArt provides a
foundational understanding, emphasizing the importance of
sketching, digital refinement, and consistency in typeface
creation. Beyond technical skills, designing a typeface
cultivates a profound appreciation for the subtle nuances
that influence how text communicates visually. This
experience not only enhances one's design capabilities but
also enriches one's overall appreciation for typography as a
pivotal element of visual communication.