Week 1 - Week 4 : 28 Mar 2022 - 18 Apr 2022
Tan Yi Yun 0345559
Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media
Task 1 / Exercises
LECTURE
Week 1
Live class :
Today is the first time we met Mr. Vinod in the face-to-face session. Similar to our Semester 1, a playlist of pre-recorded lectures are provided in YouTube, and also some essential reading materials. Blogging is necessary as it records our entire working process and reflective writing.Recorded lectures :
Typographic systems
"All design is based on a structural system." The typographic systems are
similar that the systems has a set of rules that is unique and provides a
sense of purpose that directs the decision making.
There are 8 major variations:
a) Axial System : All elements are organised to the left or right of a single
axis.
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| Figure 1.1.1, Axial system, Week 1 (28/3/2022) |
b) Radial System : All elements are extended from a point of focus.
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Figure 1.1.2, Radial system, Week 1 (28/3/2022) |
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Figure 1.1.3, Radial system, Week 1 (28/3/2022) |
c) Dilatational System :
All elements expand from a central point in a circular fashion.
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Figure 1.1.5, Dilatational system, Week 1 (28/3/2022) |
d) Random System :
Elements appear to have no specific pattern or relationship.
- Hold people's interest
- There is a method in the chaos
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e) Grid System : A system
of vertical and horizontal divisions.
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Figure 1.1.9, Grid system, Week 1 (28/3/2022) |
f) Transitional System :
An informal system of layered banding.
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| Figure 1.2.1, Transitional system, Week 1 (28/3/2022) |
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Figure 1.2.1, Transitional system, Week 1 (28/3/2022) |
g) Modular System : A
series of non-objective elements that are constructed in as a standardised
units.
- Allows you to move the individual units to different portions.
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Figure 1.2.3, Modular system, Week 1 (28/3/2022) |
h) Bilateral System : All text is arranged symmetrically on a single axis.
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Figure 1.2.5, Bilateral system, Week 1 (28/3/2022) |
Week 2
Typographic Composition
There are 2 parts of typography : the design of letters and the
arrangement of information.
Principles of Design Composition
The dominant principles underpinning design composition : emphasis,
isolation, repetition, symmetry and asymmetry, alignment, perspective,
may seem ambiguous when it comes to translating it into typographic
layouts or composition. They seem more relevant to imagery than complex
units of information that consist different elements.
The Rule of Thirds
The Rule of Thirds is a photographic guide to composition, it basically
suggest that a frame (space) can be divided into 3 columns and 3 rows.
The intersecting lines are are used as guide to place the points of
interest, within the given space.
*Realistically no one would ever use the rule of thirds when there are
other more favorable options.
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| Figure 1.2.6, Rule of Thirds, Week 2 (7/4/2022) |
Typographic Systems
There are 8 typographic systems we learned in the last
lecture. From the 8 systems the most pragmatic and the most used system is the
Grid System (or Raster Systeme), which is derived from the grided
compositional structure of Letter Press printing.
It was further enhanced by what is now come to be termed as the Swiss
(Modernist) style of Typography, with its foremost proponents being
Josef Muller Brockmann, Jan Tschichold, Max Bill and such.
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The versatility of the system and its (to some degree) modular nature
tends to allow an infinite number of adaptations.
In reaction to this very ordered approach to Typography of the
modernist era, a group of younger designers began to question and
challenge this notion of order. Thus was born the
post-modernist era in
Typographical systems where chaos, randomness and asymmetry were
explored.
- Legibility and readability were relegated to the back
seat
- There was a method to their madness.
- Order was replaced with apparent chaos but this chaos was exciting
and ‘new’ for a generation that was being exposed to Punk
anti-establishment thought and music.
- As such the asymmetry, random, repetition, dilatational and radial
systems began to take root in the lexicon of designer.
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Environmental Grid
- Based on the exploration of an existing structure or numerous
structures combined.
- An extraction of crucial lines both curved and straight are
formed.
- Organizes the information around this super-structure (non-objective
elements to create a unique and exciting mixture of texture and visual
stimuli).
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Form and Movement
This system is based on the exploration of an existing Grid
Systems.
Mr. Vinod developed this system to get students to explore:
- the multitude of options the grid offer
- to dispel the seriousness surrounding the application of the grid
system
- to see the turning of pages in a book as a slowed-down animation in
the form that constitutes the placement of image, text and
color.
The placement of a form (irrespective of what it is) on a page, over
many pages creates movement. Whether the page is paper or screen is
irrelevant.
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| Figure 1.3.1, Example of form and movement system, Week 2 (7/4/2022) |
Static versions of the form placed on spread (Grids were hidden). Care
was taken to ensure visual connections and surprises on every page. The
forms could represent images, text or colour.
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Week 3
Context and Creativity
Handwriting
Why is handwriting important in the study of type/typography?
- The first mechanically produced letterforms
were designed to directly imitate handwriting.
- Handwriting would become
the basis or standard for form, spacing and conventions mechanical type
would try and mimic.
- The shape and line of hand drawn letterforms are influenced by the tools
and materials used to make them. Sharpened bones, charcoal sticks, plant
stems, brushes, feather and steel pens all contributed to the unique
characteristics of the letterform.
- Additional factors included the material upon which the forms were
written: clay, papyrus, palm leaf, animal skins (vellum and parchment) and
paper.
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Cuneiform
c. 3000 B.C.E.
- the earliest system of actual writing, was used in a number of languages between the 34C. B.C.E. through the 1st century C.E.
- Its distinctive wedge form was the result of pressing the blunt end of a reed stylus into wet clay tablets.
- The characters evolved from pictograms.
- Was written from left to right
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Hieroglyphics
2613–2160 B.C.E.
- The Egyptian writing system is fused with the art of relief carving.
- The system was a mixture of both rebus and phonetic characters—the first link to a future alphabetic system.
Can be used in 3 different ways :
- As ideograms, to represent the things they actually depict.
- As determinatives to show that the signs preceding are meant as phonograms and to indicate the general idea of the word.
- As phonograms to represent sounds that "spell out" individual words.
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| Figure 1.3.5, Hieroglyphics, Week 3 (14/4/2022) |
Early Greek
5th C. B.C.E.
- Built on the Egyptian logo-consonantal system, the Phoenicians developed a phonetic alphabet consisting of 22 letters.
-The Phoenicians system then was adopted by the Greeks who added the necessary vowels. - Early Greek was comprised of only capital letters, written between two guidelines to organize them into horizontal rows.
- Direction of reading was not yet fixed.
- Often read in a format known as boustrophedon or “as the ox plows.” (read left to right and then switch from right to left)
- Were drawn freehand, not constructed with compasses and rule, no serifs —neither the informal entry and exit strikes left by a relaxed and fluent writer, nor the symmetrical finish stroke typically added to letters by formal scribes.
- In time the strokes of these letter grew thicker, the aperture lessened, and serifs appeared. - - The new forms, used for inscriptions throughout the Greek empire, served as models for formal lettering in imperial Rome.
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| Figure 1.3.6, Early Greek letterforms, Week 3 (14/4/2022) |
- By the 4th century Roman letters were becoming more rounded, the curved form allowed for less strokes and could be written faster.
- And those Roman inscriptional letters—written with a flat brush, held at an angle like a broad nib pen, then carved into the stone with mallet and chisel—have served in their turn as models for calligraphers and type designers for the past two thousand years."
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| Figure 1.3.7, Roman Uncials, Week 3 (14/4/2022) |
English Half Uncials
8th C.
- In England the uncial evolved into a more slanted and condensed form.
- While English and Irish uncials evolved, writing on the European continent devolved considerably and needed a reformer.
- Luckily it came in the Carolingian Handwriting Reform.
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| Figure 1.3.8, Roman Uncials, Week 3 (14/4/2022) |
8 C. CE
- After the fall of the Roman Empire, the end of a central advanced culture resulted in general illiteracy and a breakdown of handwriting into diverse regional styles.
- For 300 years the knowledge of writing was kept alive mainly in the remote outposts of religious cloisters and retreats.
The Evolution of the Chinese script: From the Oracle bone to Seal Script to Clerical Script, Traditional and Simplified scripts.
Radial
Dilatational
One of the hardest systems to construct. But the efforts paid off.
Random
Mr. Vinod didn't give feedback on this one tho, perhaps the design is not attractive enough. So I produced another design.
Transitional
Grid
Modular
Somehow I lost some interests in doing such "concrete" letterforms. Then
I looked into the texture of leaf. Still not satisfied. Spider web...too
many "Y" and "H". Finally I thought of something
interesting —— the neuron systems in human body.
Plot twist (Week 3, 11/4/2022) - Mr. Vinod wanted the real life image. So
I ended up with the first image I took on asphalt road.
Typeface reference : Typo Round
Digitisation of "cracks"
I extracted the letters from the original image and digitised in Adobe Illustrator. There are a lot of details can be observed on the outline of the letterforms.
Typeface : Univers LT Std (Bold Condensed)
To make it more realistic, I added texture to the shadow.
Typeface : Univers LT Std (Bold Condensed)
Final Submission - Type & Image
Typographic Systems
The Circle and Composition
Then I came across the interesting part. The circle, a tool to guide
people's eye, creates emphasis, contribute to visual organisation or
balance.
Carolingian Minuscule
- A court school was established under the direction of Alcuin of York.
- During Charlemagne's patronage book production increased and language was standardized
- The Carolingian minuscule, was used for all legal and literary works to unify communication between the various regions of the expanding European empire.
- As important a development as the standard Roman capital—for it was this style that became the pattern for the Humanistic writing of the fifteenth century; this latter, in turn was the basis of our lower-case roman type.
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| Figure 1.3.9, Carolingian Minuscule, Week 3 (14/4/2022) |
Black Letter
12-15 C. CE
- Gothic was the culminating artistic expression of the middle ages, occurring roughly from 1200—1500.
- The term Gothic originated with the Italians who used it to refer to rude or barbaric cultures north of the Italian Alps.
- The Gothic spirit took hold in France, Germany and England where it was manifested through unhindered upward striving:
- the vertical supplanted horizontals as the dominant line in architecture; the pointed arch replaced the round arch of the Romans; the almond shape, or mandorla, was preferred.
- Gothic writing forms reflected this aesthetic. Blackletter is characterized by tight spacing and condensed lettering. Evenly spaced verticals dominated the letterform.
- Condensing line spacing and letter spacing reduced the amount of costly materials in book production.
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| Figure 1.4.1, Black Letter, Week 3 (14/4/2022) |
The Italian Renaissance
- As the Gothic spirit reached its apex in the other areas of western Europe, Humanist scholars in Italy were slowly reviving the culture of antiquity.
- The renaissance embrace of ancient Greek and Roman culture spurred a creative wave through Italian art, architecture, literature and letter form design.
- The Humanist admired the Carolingian script , which had clear open handwriting.
- Humanist named the newly rediscovered letterforms Antica. The renaissance analysis of form that was being applied to art and architecture was directed toward letterform — resulting in a more perfect or rationalized letter.
Movable Type
11 C.—14 C.
- Printing (wood block) had already been practiced in China, Korea and Japan (Dharani Sutra, AD 750).
- Earliest known printed book (AD 868) is the Diamond Sutra: 16’ scroll with the world’s first printed illustration.
- China had attempted use movable type for printing but was unsuccessful due in part to the number of characters and the material used (clay).
- In late 14 C. several decades before the earliest printing in Europe, the Koreans establish a foundry to cast movable type in bronze—allowed the dismantling and resetting of text.
- With the creation of their new script Han’gul, the Koreans would succeed where the Chinese failed.
- To conclude, the introduction of moveable type was introduced in the 1000-1100 CE. This innovation was pioneered in China but achieved in Korea (Diamond Sutra). In the late 1300-1399 CE, several decades before the earliest printing in Europe (Guttenberg’s bible 1439), the Koreans establish a foundry to cast movable type in bronze.
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| Figure 1.4.2, Movable Type, Week 3 (14/4/2022) |
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| Figure 1.4.3, Han'gui, Week 3 (14/4/2022) |
Why do we talk about Greek influence on Rome, but not Egyptian or Near Eastern influence on Greece?
Because in the 19th century and the rise of the modern British Empire, it became out of style to credit Africa or Africans with anything of value, and therefore Greece and Rome were elevated over much older, much more influential civilizations, specifically Ancient Egypt, but also less extensive or old civilizations like Mesopotamia, the Indus Valley, China, etc.
Handwriting
With the digital revolution, the west would begin to digitize many of its historical creations and type foundries would create, market and sell or license them. The recognition of the importance of these historical letterforms is something to be admired and learned from.
With the colonization of the east by the west, much of the heritage and cultural practices in literature, arts and crafts, languages and scripts would be halted or stunted.
Eastern developments in handwriting
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| Figure 1.4.4, Evolution of Middle Eastern Alphabets, Week 3 (14/4/2022) |
Evolution of Middle Eastern Alphabets: It is also important to note that while the Phoenician letter marks a turning point in written language—use of sound represented in letters—the script itself has been possibly influenced by the Egyptian Hieroglyphics and Hieratic Scripts.
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| Figure 1.4.6, Indus Valley Civilization (IVC) script, Week 3 (14/4/2022) |
The oldest writing found in the ‘Indian’ subcontinent the Indus Valley Civilization (IVC) script (3500-2000 BCE), is as yet undeciphered and seems to have been somewhat logo-syllabic in nature.
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The Brahmi script (450–350 BCE) is the earliest writing system developed in India after the Indus script. It is one of the most influential writing systems; all modern Indian scripts and several hundred scripts found in Southeast and East Asia are derived from Brahmi.
The origin of the script is still much debated, with most scholars stating that Brahmi was derived from or at least influenced by one or more contemporary Semitic scripts, while others favor the idea of an indigenous origin or connection to the much older and as-yet undeciphered Indus script of the Indus Valley Civilization.
Handwriting
The oldest writing systems present in Southeast Asia were Indian scripts. There were a few, but the most important would be Pallava (or Pallawa in Malay), a South Indian script originally used for writing Sanskrit and Tamil.
Pallava was highly influential, becoming the basis for writing systems across Southeast Asia.
But Pallava wasn't the only Indian script in use in the Malay Archipelago. Another was Pra-nagari, an early form of the Nagari script, used in India for writing Sanskrit.
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This is the Kedukan Bukit inscription from Sumatra, written in Old Malay using the Pallava script.
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Pra-nagari, an early form of the Nagari script, used in India for writing Sanskrit. It can be seen today in the Blanjong inscription of Bali
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Laguna Copperplate Inscription. Written in Kawi, “the bearer of a debt, Namwaran, along with his children Lady Angkatan and Bukah, are cleared of a debt by the ruler of Tondo.” The Sanskrit terms seen in the document, the culture and society of Manila Bay was that of a Hindu–Old Malay amalgamation, similar to the cultures of Java, Peninsular Malaysia and Sumatra at the time.
Does this mean Nusantara never had writing systems of its own? Were they all just borrowed from India? This is where we get to what is perhaps Indonesia's most important historical script: Kawi. Based on Nagari, but indigenous to Java.
The word Kawi comes from the Sanskrit term kavya meaning poet. The interesting thing about Kawi is that it was the script used for contact with other kingdoms. Because it was so widespread, Kawi became the basis of other scripts in both Indonesia and the Philippines.
This means that ancient kingdoms in of the Malay Peninsula would have been using both Indian scripts and Kawi to write old Malay language.
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| Figure 1.5.2, Incung, Week 3 (14/4/2022) |
Indonesia has a great number of historical writing systems. We will look into the scripts of the communities that assimilated into Peninsula Malay communities.
Scholars have theorised the existence of an ancient Gujerati-derived Proto-Sumatran writing system which was the basis of medieval scripts on the island. More can be read about this here.
Now for some later examples. This is Incung from Kerinci. If you have family from Kampung Kerinci, this is your “tulisan asal” or original writing system, not Jawi.
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| Figure 1.5.3, Rejang script, Week 3 (14/4/2022) |
A related script to the Rencong grouping is the Rejang script, also from South Sumatra.
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| Figure 1.5.4, The Batak script, Week 3 (14/4/2022) |
The Batak script: This is a page from a Batak handbook on magic and divination
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| Figure 1.5.5, The Bugis script, Week 3 (14/4/2022) |
The Bugis script called Lontara, deriving from the word lontar, a type of palm used for writing manuscripts in the Malay Archipelago.
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| Figure 1.5.6, The Javanese script, Week 3 (14/4/2022) |
Jawi, the Arabic-based alphabet. We all know Jawi was introduced along with Islam. But how this happened is more interesting than "we converted and adopted the Arabic alphabet”.
Ancient Hindu societies in both South and Southeast Asia were classist and often caste-based. The lower classes were generally illiterate. Obviously Islam didn't change this completely, but it did encourage teaching for the sake of proselytization
When those traders engaged in missionary work, they would have taught Jawi to people that might otherwise not have learned to read and write. This allowed it to spread among the upper and middle-class in the trading ports. However it took a while for Jawi to supplant other scripts, and in some areas never did so completely.
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| Figure 1.5.7, Record of sale for a female Batak slave to a British, Week 3 (14/4/2022) |
In modern Malaysia, Jawi is of greater importance because it's the script used for all our famous works of literature. Every hikayat and Malay charm book is written in Jawi. Unlike Indonesia, we don't have a huge wealth of pre-Jawi inscriptions and writings—this part of the reason why some tend to ignorantly claim that Jawi is "tulisan asal Melayu", which is of course untrue.
Here is an article that gives a small very basic overview in what is a complex history of writing systems in the Malay archipelago / South East Asia.
All systems of writing have some form of influence. To claim complete originality is inaccurate and some would say ignorant. History gives us context, but it also gives designers opportunity to design, research or help codify to communicate and understand better our collective heritage.
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Importance of handwriting
- Because the first mechanically produced letterforms were designed to directly imitate handwriting.
- Handwriting would become the basis or standard that for form, spacing and conventions mechanical type would try and mimic.
- For decades, Asia/East has neglected much of its written heritage, and by adapting western printing technologies (letter press, linotype, Unicode), it was difficult to create many of the old text in printed form, because it would take know-how, much time, effort and money.
- However with a mild renaissance in the East, with the advent of computer programmers in large numbers, we are starting to see the proliferation of indigenous scripts on phones, tablets and computers.
Programmers and Type Design
More vernacular scripts are being produced by software giants (Google): in their employment a great many Asian programmers and designers. More and more vernacular and “multi-script” typefaces —a term coined by Muthu Nedumaran—are being produced to cater to situations where the written matter is communicated in the vernacular script or vernacular and Latin scripts.
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| Figure 1.5.9, Baloo, Week 3 (14/4/2022) |
Local Movements and Individuals
In Malaysia, murasu.com spear-headed by programmer and typographer Muthu Nedumaran. The programming language needed to encode the different types of vernacular writing systems was cracked by Muthu. The system is now used in mobile phones and desktops.
Huruf a local group of graphic designers interested in the localized lettering of latin and vernacular letters painted or inscribed on walls and signages are amongst the more prominent organizations digitizing and revitalizing typefaces in Malaysia.
Ek Type and Indian Type Foundry are organizations that have done ground breaking work with the development of vernacular typefaces in India.
In South East Asia, the movement has not organized and coordinated itself well enough. But with increasing awareness and examples from larger neighbors like India with their large talent pool and resource, the knowledge behind methods used and approaches taken are more accessible geographically speaking.
Creativity and originality are properties that are most often intertwined. It is important for young designers to look inward and examine their histories, civilization, culture and communities to bring these past developments into the future and develop on them instead of blindly appropriating cultures and developments that have no context, relatability or relevance.
Creativity and inspiration should begin by observing our surroundings and exploration of our collective histories.
INSTRUCTIONS
TASK 1 / EXERCISES : Typographic Systems & Type & Play
EXERCISE 1 / Typographic Systems
We are to explore 8 types of systems we learned from the lecture video
using a given content. We can pick extra one colour other than black.
Graphical elements like line and dot can be used but
limitedly.
Sketches
I did some rough sketches before immersing myself in Adobe
InDesign.
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| Figure 2.1, Sketches, Week 1(2/4/2022) |
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| Figure 2.2, Sketches, Week 1(2/4/2022) |
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| Figure 2.3, Sketches, Week 1 (2/4/2022) |
Digitisation in Adobe InDesign
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| Figure 2.4, Digitising in InDesign, Week 1 (3/4/2022) |
I struggled a little when working on dilatational, random, grid and
modular systems.
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| Figure 2.5, First attempt, Week 1 (4/4/2022) |
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| Figure 2.6, Extras, Week 1 (4/4/2022) |
After the feedback is given during the next class, I made adjustments
on (or redo) the axial, random, grid, transitional, modular and
bilateral systems because I'm not satisfied with most of the
designs.
Axial
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| Figure 2.7, Axial (progression), Week 2 (6/4/2022) |
Radial
Mr. Vinod likes my radial system. (Approved!)
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One of the hardest systems to construct. But the efforts paid off.
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Mr. Vinod didn't give feedback on this one tho, perhaps the design is not attractive enough. So I produced another design.
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The first two designs are done in Week 1. After the feedback session, I
came out with the third design.
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Grid system may look easy but it took me way too much time to figure
out a better layout.
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I fixed the tight leading and the alignment after the feedback
session.
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| Figure 3.4, Modular (Progression, Week 2 (6/4/2022) |
Bilateral
Although the first design is symmetrical, the "clumps" of information
does not seem to be connected. I then redesigned the title, repositioned
the information and added leading lines.
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Figure 3.5, Bilateral (Progression), Week 2 (6/4/2022)
FINAL |
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Figure 3.7, Final Axial, Week 2 (9/4/2022)
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Figure 3.9, Final Dilatational, Week 2 (9/4/2022) |
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Final Compilation in PDF, Week 2 (9/4/2022)
Final compilation (with grids) in PDF, Week 2 (9/4/2022)
EXERCISE 2 / Type & Play
PART 1 : Finding Type
We were asked to make a selection of image between man-made objects
(like chairs, glass, etc.) or structures (buildings), and nature
(human, landscape, leaf, plant, bush, clouds, hill, river). The
objective is to enhance/support the interplay between the letter/word
and the selected visual. The text must be woven into a symbiotic
relationship with the image. This exercise helps to reflect the thing we want to construct into
letters. Minimum 4 letters.
We can use movie titles as our references/inspiration.
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| Figure 4.6, Movie titles, Week 2 (9/4/2022) |
Selection of Image/Texture
Firstly, I took pictures of the dividing line on asphalt road. This is the road I walk to Taylor's
University.
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| Figure 4.9, The neurons, Week 2 (9/4/2022) |
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Digitisation of "neurons" (Abandoned)
*Just included the process here as a record purpose
Digitisation of our chosen letters in Adobe Illustrator.
*Just included the process here as a record purpose
Digitisation of our chosen letters in Adobe Illustrator.
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| Figure 5.4, Typeface reference, Week 2 (9/4/2022) |
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| Figure 5.5, Form comparison, Week 2 (9/4/2022) |
Digitisation of "cracks"
I extracted the letters from the original image and digitised in Adobe Illustrator. There are a lot of details can be observed on the outline of the letterforms.
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Figure 5.6, Extracted letters, Week 3 (15/4/2022) |
Chosen typeface : Bembo Std (Bold)
I overlapped the raw extracted letters on the chosen typeface and
adjusted the size to fit on the same cap line and baseline.
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| Figure 5.7, Chosen typeface, Week 3 (15/4/2022) |
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| Figure 5.8, Form comparison, Week 3 (15/4/2022) |
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| Figure 5.9, Refinement process, Week 3 (16/4/2022) |
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Figure 6.1, Refinement process, Week 3 (16/4/2022) |
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Figure 6.2, Refinement process, Week 3 (16/4/2022) |
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Figure 6.3, Refinement process, Week 3 (17/4/2022) |
I was asked to reduce / control more on the outlines so that it looks
more like a road.
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Another feedback was given in Week 5...
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Final Submission - Finding Type
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Figure 6.8, Final Submission - "Cracks" (with grid) , Week 5
(25/4/2022) |
PDF - Final Finding Type, Week 4 (24/4/2022)
PART 2 : Type & Image
We are asked to combine a visual with a letter/word/sentence of their
choosing. The objective is to enhance the interplay between the
letter/word/sentence and the selected visual. The text must be woven
into a symbiotic relationship with the image.
Things to take note :
- Sensitivity to the characteristics and reaction of material to the
image
- Your ability to carry it out and execute it in Ps or Ai.
- Inspiration to look out : Movie posters
The direction I wanted to go for : Shadow, fire, reflective
materials.
Attempt #1
The image I took from Internet is taken by the photographer, Alan
Schaller.
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| Figure 6.9, Original photography by Alan Schaller, Week 4 (24/4/2022) |
I use Photoshop to distort and shape the text. Gaussian blur are
applied and brush tool is used to create gradient. The phrase "inner
mind" indicates the inner thoughts of the people on the
street.
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Figure 7.2, Inner Mind , Week 5 (25/4/2022) |
Attempt #2
The burning flower, a photography by Mat Collishaw has caught my attention. Her works seem to be tied to an aesthetic based on the collision/
encounter between the lust of the flesh and the brutality of the
torture that creates in the viewer mixed feelings while giving the work a quasi
mystical aura.
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| Figure 7.3, Original image by Mat Collishaw, Week 4 (24/4/2022) |
Typeface : Univers LT Std (Bold Condensed)
Again, I used Photoshop to add "wave" effect to the text. Outer glow is
being applied and the rest is just painting to create the flame
effect.
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Figure 7.4, Ignited, Week 4 (24/4/2022) |
I applied liquify to further distort the text after I studied the
shape of the real flame.
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Figure 7.5, Finalised Ignited, Week 4 (24/4/2022) |
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Figure 7.7, Final Submission - "Ignited", Week 4
(24/4/2022) |
PDF - Final Submission of "Inner Mind", Week 5 (25/4/2022)
PDF - Final Submission of "Ignited", Week 4 (24/4/2022)
FEEDBACK
Week 2 :
General Feedback
Do take note that text over 12pt is really large for real
printing. Reduce 0.5pt for capital letters & numbers so
that they will accompany the body text. Graphical elements
are only acts as a complement.
Specific Feedback
Radial is the best among all the designs. Dilatational is good. Bilateral can be better. When the information doesn't seem to be
unified (or relating to each other), then the layout doesn't seem to be
good enough. Grid has a disconnection of the title, tightening the information
alignment is important in grid system. Modular has a tight leading.
Extra :
Dilatational is good. Must consider adjusting the leading space a
little bit. Bilateral is good.
Week 3 :
General Feedback
Extraction of text is very important. Avoid using illustration/blur
image so that you can observe the nuance details of the
letterforms.
Specific Feedback
Nice picture of the road. Observe the texture of the road and see if
you can introduce that to the shape of the letters.
Week 4 :
General Feedback
The typefaces you are working on should share some sort of similarities
and take note on the consistency of the characteristics.
Specific Feedback
Mr. Vinod sees the typeface design more like a sans serif typeface
instead of the serif typeface. But I can go ahead with the serif
typeface. Some parts of the design is good and well-controlled but some
parts are too "aggressive" (e.g. the stem of the "Y"). Maybe one side
could add the "broken" texture. The details of "X" is good. The sharp
things should be reduced because the road doesn't give the sharp feeling
(more to a broken style). The details of the little dots are
fine.
Week 5 :
General Feedback
The text should have relation to the image.
Specific Feedback
Good. For the "inner shadow", maybe I can try to add the texture on the
text. For the "ignited", it is good. I can submit both of them in my
blog.
REFLECTION
Experience
For the first exercise, everything is expected to be done in one week
time, deadline comes with stress that makes me feel a bit anxiety in
the beginning. Surprisingly we were given extra 1 week time to
finalise our work after feedback was given in Week 2. From this
exercise, I have learnt different styles of arranging texts and
information. I enjoy playing with the legibility and font size for the random
system. Grid system and modular system require more time to figure out
the composition that work the best. The overall experience is indeed positive.
The following exercises are more interesting than I thought. Although initially I have no idea how the final outcome will be, when I started doing, the missing pieces come together and the problems are resolved eventually. I would say I enjoyed the exercise 2 part 2 (Type & Image) the most.
Observation
I observed that every students have their own styles in
terms of colour choices, typefaces choices and the use of
graphical elements. For example, some overused graphical
elements and some didn't use much to enhance their layout.
Although we are free to "play" within the given
typographic systems, the final output should be in
balance.
In exercise 2, I found that some students do not pay attention to the details of the letterforms. Some of them only draw a rough outline and thus missing a lot of details in the structure. I also noticed that some students have similar interest as me when comes to selecting the reference image. For example, image of spider web, cells, and texture of wood trunks.
Findings
In exercise 1, I have learnt about different types of typographic
systems, exercising my brain to produce interesting/creative layouts that fulfill the existing systems. I also learnt that the
graphical elements are the enhancement of the composition (like
balancing or leading eyes' direction), should not overpower the text
itself.
In exercise 2, I have learnt to create a typeface that will reflect its origin. The knowledge can be applied in the title of movie poster. The latter part of the exercise 2 then allows me to insert a text/phrase that represent the image or further enhance the meaning of the image. Text and image should not be overtaking each other.
FURTHER READING
Typographic Systems
by Kimberly Elam
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| Figure 6.1, Cover of "Typographic Systems", Week 2 (9/4/2022) |
The introduction states that many designers focus on the traditional
grid system and unaware of other potential systems. It is important to
observe other people's work to expand our knowledge of organisational
approaches to typographic design well beyond the grid.
Constraints and Options
Variable leading, word spacing and letter spacing will create a distinct
texture and tone. For example, the tight leading and kerning makes people
feel breathless and squeezed. Lines are broken intuitively to form a
logical pattern, or a group that simply the composition and enhance
readability.
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| Figure 6.2, Placement of circle creates different effects, Week 2 (9/4/2022) |
Non-objective Elements
It enhances the function or emphasis, organisation, and balance. It can
be narrowed down into 3 types : rule series, circle series and tone
series. Rule series organises and emphasise a message. The change in
weight will also create a rhythm and guide the eyes. Circle series is to
add the circle so that the hierarchy is achieved. Tone series is the use
of tone that dramatically alter the hierarchy of a message. Portions of
word can be emphasised, giving the message a sense of visual
punctuation.