Task 3: Type Design and Communication
For this exercise, we were tasked to design a limited number of western
alphabets. We will endeavour to create a typeface that has the hallmarks
of a good typeface; subtlety, character, presence, legibility and
readability. Below are the letters we will design: a e t k g r i y m p n
! # , . We are only allowed to use Adobe Illustrator for digitalize and
FontLab7 to generate the font.
1. Visual Research
To begin, I decided to look at some great typefaces on Pinterest and
google fonts that I thought were interesting and I could get inspiration
from them to start off creating my own font. For me, I knew that my
preferable type font is San Serif as I think this style of font mostly has
clean lines and sharp edges are able to render out more clearly on a
screen which increases legibility for users. Below is my inspiration board
which I will always collect all of the works that I think are interesting.
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Fig1.1 - Inspiration Board (20.5.2022)
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2. Sketches
After doing some research, I started sketching out my idea of typefaces in
Procreate with a grid paper. I like to use grid paper just because I can
get the proportions between letters right on. I would always keep in mind
that some of the letters may not take up the same width, but they should
be the same height. I have created 9 initial sketches. At this point in my
sketching, I’m still not fully committed to one idea, so I just freely
play around with different ideas. Sometimes I will do a few different
versions of a letter when I’m still not satisfied. After getting feedback,
I decided to go with sketch #4 as the font has a very interesting
minimalist design. I liked the font that has a strong characteristic of
showing a contrast between the stroke, which also helped to add visual
interest.
3. Identify and deconstruct references
To gain a deeper knowledge of font style and shapes, I have to
deconstruction on an existing font to study the font carefully by
analyzing its anatomical parts. Unfortunately, the ten typefaces provided
don’t match with mine typeface design. So, I tried to look for any
typefaces which have the same characteristic - contrast in the font. I
decided to choose the font “Misto” as it kind of matches with my idea
sketches. Below I chose to deconstruct the letters O, B and P.
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Fig3.1 - Deconstructed "O" - Misto reference (20.5.2022)
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Fig3.2 - Deconstructed "B" - Misto reference (20.5.2022)
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Fig3.3 - Deconstructed "P" - Misto reference (20.5.2022)
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4. Digitization of Letters
Firstly, I created an artboard with 1000pt x 1000pt on Adobe Illustrator.
Next, I created a 500pt x 500pt square as a guide for the x-height. Then,
I type some text and adjust the size fit to the x-height. Next, I created
the guidelines by following the size of the letter by dragging the
measurement lines from the side.
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Fig4.1 - Making guidelines by using the Futura Std font
(27.5.2022)
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Fig4.2 - Guidelines (27.5.2022)
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1st attempt
Before creating my letters, I noted down the characteristics of my
typeface design to make sure all of the letters will look consistently.
First, the design of my typeface shows a strong contrast between the
strokes. I created two different thicknesses of the stroke - the width of
the thicker stroke is 161pt, while the width of the thinner stroke is
35pt. So, when creating the font, all of the strokes will follow the width
that I have set. Additionally, I got an idea of designing the overall
shape of the font in a square and blocky style, this will let the typeface
look more modern and futuristic, as well as bring a strong appearance.
When paying attention to typefaces' details, I wanted to make the edges of
the letters rounded and curved as I felt like it would give a minimalist
feel to the design and their softness tends to make them feel friendly and
inviting.
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Fig4.3 - The characteristics of the typeface (27.5.2022)
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Fig4.4 - Process of constructing the letters (27.5.2022)
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Fig4.5 - 1st attempt of all letters (27.8.2022)
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After digitalizing the letters, I'm not satisfied with the outcome, I try
to figure out why the typeface doesn't look so impactful to me. I observed
that some of the rounded edges are not consistence, and the thickness of
the stroke are not contrasting enough. So I decided to make some
improvements to it.
2nd attempt
Here is the improvement that I make, I adjust the stroke to become
thicker, and it looks much more impactful as they have a strong contrast
between the strokes. During our class, Mr Vinod has given a demo on
digitalizing the letter, and I have learned a new technique of how to
round the edges. Before knowing this, it took me a lot of time to use the
pen tool to create rounded edges, this way is not efficient and all of the
letter edges are unbalanced. Now I can just use the direct selection tool,
pressing shift to select multiple edges, entering the number of radius,
and then the rounded edges for each letter are created.
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Fig4.6 - Left is Before, Right is After making the adjustment
(28.5.2022)
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Below are some of the construction progress of the letters, the sequence
is from left to right.
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Fig4.7 - Construction progress of "A" (28.5.2022)
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Fig4.8 - Construction progress of "E" (28.5.2022)
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Fig4.9 - Construction progress of "N" (28.5.2022)
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Fig4.10 - Construction progress of "Y" (28.5.2022)
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Fig4.11 - Construction progress of "G" (28.5.2022)
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To make sure the typeface look consistent, I used guideline and adjusted
all the letter’s crossbar/arm/bowl in the same height.
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Fig4.12 - Adjust the height of crossbar/arm/bowl (28.5.2022)
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Fig4.13 - Guides and digitalised font design (28.5.2022)
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Fig4.13 - Comparison between 1st attempt and 2nd attempt (28.5.2022)
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5. Generate font in FontLab7
After digitalizing the typeface, I began copying the shapes from Adobe
Illustrator and pasting it as a vector file in FontLab7. Following the
demonstration tutorial video provided by Mr Vinor, I went to the font info
tab and filled in the font information and measurements of my typefaces.
Then, I adjust the individual kerning for each character in the metrics
tab.
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Fig. 5.1 Copying and pasting the letters into FontLab 7 (28.5.2022)
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Fig5.2 - Filled in the font info (28.5.22)
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Fig. 5.3 Letter kerning in FontLab 7 (28.5.2022)
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Fig5.4 - Letters generated in FontLab7 (28.5.2022)
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Finally generated all the characters, I proceeded to export the typeface
and install them on my laptop.
6. Poster
As stated by Mr Vinod, we need to create a poster in A4 size and type
out some sentences to showcase our letterforms. We also need to add a
credit line which includes the name of our font, creator and year, the
texts must be 8pt Univers Regular. Then, I tried out different poster
layouts by exploring opacity, repetition, alignment and contrast. I
liked the layout composition of poster #3 and #4 as they look more
visually dynamic and appealing. As for the final submission, I decided
to choose the poster #4 as the arrangement of the layout looks more
uniform and well-utilized spaces. The poster has also showcased all the
15 characters, which I feel more complete compared to other
posters.
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Fig6.1 - Designing several poster layouts (28.5.2022)
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Fig6.2 - Poster with guidelines (28.5.2022)
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Fig6.3 - Poster #1 (28.5.2022)
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Fig6.4 - Poster #2 (28.5.2022)
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Fig6.5 - Poster #3 (28.5.2022)
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Fig6.6 - Poster #4 (28.5.2022)
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Final Submission - Task 3A
Font download
Font Information
Name: Aittos
Ascender height: 852pt
Capital height: 777pt
X-height: 500pt
Descender height: -277pt
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Fig7.1 - Final Font "Aittos"(5.6.2022)
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Fig7.2 - Final Submission of Poster , JPG (5.6.2022)
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Fig7.3 - Final Submission of Poster , PDF (5.6.2022)
FEEDBACK
Week 9 – Sketches
Specific Feedback:
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My preferred is the sketch #7, however Mr Vinod commented that it’s
too plain and simple, the creation is too rudimentary.
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The sketch #2 is quite interesting , very experimental, but he
wouldn’t suggest going for it.
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He suggested that I choose sketch #4 as he thinks it’s a nice
typeface and seems to be more hands down and has the potential for
me to explore more.
Week 10 – Digitization
General Feedback:
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Remember to read the article provided in Facebook group to
understand how to create the punctuation correctly.
- The letter M should be wider than N
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Pay close attention on the letter K, the leg of the K should be
started at more upper rather than on the middle, so the leg will be
look more longer and thicker.
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For the upstroke terminal’s angle of your typefaces (such as letter
k & y) should be consistent rather they will be horizontal/
diagonal or vertical.
Specific Feedback:
- Very good typeface, nice one, look consistency
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I would suggest you the full stop and exclamation mark, the rounded
edges that you create, you should follow the comma to keep it the
same as the squareness edges, then all will look great.
Week 11 – Submission
Specific Feedback:
- Wow! I love it. Well done. I think you should complete this font in the holidays. There's definitely a typeface designer (graphic designer) in you somewhere.
- t3a Complete. Good job.
REFLECTION
Experiences
It was very interesting and exciting doing this task as it allowed me to develop my own font from scratch. Although it was difficult at first to decide what kind of aesthetic look I wanted to go for and going through the process of trials and errors, I finally made my first typeface design! The most satisfying part is when exporting the font from FontLab and the feeling of actually typing out my own font is also exhilarating. I'm proud of the progression and my efforts and what the final outcome looked like. I can't wait for the semester break, I want to explore and develop more letters for my typeface and share them with my family and friend. Additionally, I also learned to master Adobe Illustrator more, lots of things that Mr Vinod has taught are very helpful.
Observations
As I learned this module, I was so surprised that typefaces actually have many differences. Even if they look the same as a whole, they are all different and unique if you look more closely into them. I observed that the size of the lines and strokes matters. And how a simple-looking font is not that simple, a circular one is not that round. A font that looks simple could also be as challenging. Besides, I observe that consistency in size, shapes, and curves is needed in creating a typeface, and details are also crucial. A slightly different stroke size and overshoots could make a huge impact when we see the typeface from afar.
Findings
I found that doing typography, especially designing typefaces, requires lots of knowledge and patience. Serious research and analysis are also very crucial. Additionally, I found out that trials and errors are needed in order to make things better. Being more observant and looking out for minor details to keep a typeface consistent is very important. Through this project, I have opened a new broad perspective on typefaces as now I know how hard it is when creating a typeface with all the letters and symbols, it takes a lot of time, effort and precision when make it. I was amazed and admire those people who are able to do so.
FUTHER READING
Reading Article
Recognizing typographic illusions
Illusion 1
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The S seems like a perfectly symmetrical letter however it’s
not.
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If rotate it 180°, the top is actually smaller than the bottom.
- This makes it look more stable and confident.
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Fig8.4 - Illusion 1
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Illusion 2
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Even though all letters seem to be the exact same height, the round
shapes are actually slightly bigger.
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The intersection of the O, for example, with the baseline and cap
height is just a single point. While the intersection of the letter E,
for example, touches those lines with its full surface.
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Because both letters are technically the same size, they will seem
disproportional. We need to overshoot the O a little in order to make
them visually equal.
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Fig8.5 - Illusion 2
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Illusion 3
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To make the letter O seem symmetrical and consistent in weight, we
actually need to make it—not consistent in weight.
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Flip the letter O 90° and you’ll realize that the sides are a bit
thicker than the top and bottom.
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Fig8.6 - Illusion 3
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Illusion 4
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Flipping the letter A horizontally will reveal that this seemingly
symmetrical letter is actually not symmetrical.
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Little cheats need to be applied to certain letters, even if that
means going against the mathematical rule, in order to have them
visually pleasing.
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Fig8.7 - Illusion 4
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Illusion 5
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Usually in calligraphy, the upstrokes are thin, the downstrokes are
thick and the cross strokes are thin again.
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This rule needs to be applied to even the most simple and geometric
letters, like the letter T for example.
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Fig8.9 - Illusion 5
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Illusion 6
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The crossbars in the letters E and A theoretically are found at the
middle of the letter.
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However, in order for the letter to look well balanced, they need to
be moved just a bit.
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The example below clearly show that the crossbar is off centered by
turning the letter upside down.
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Fig8.10 - Illusion 6
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Illusion 7
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The letters B, P and R are sister shapes, one being derived from the
other. However, that doesn’t mean they have the same
proportions.
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The bowl of the R needs to be slightly thinner so that when we connect
the leg to it, it won’t become super thick.
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While the upper bowl of the B needs to be smaller than the bottom one,
so that the letter appears more stable.
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Fig8.11 - Illusion 7
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