Typography: Project 1- Text Formatting and Expression
PROJECT 1: Text Formatting and Expression
03/05/19 - 10/05/19 (Week 5- Week 6)
Sia Man Sheng 0333877
Typography
Exercises
LECTURE NOTES
LECTURE 5: Understanding Letterforms
03/ 05/ 19 (Week 5)
This week is all about realizing small details of letterforms:
- Symmetry - As most of the alphabet suggest symmetry structure, but there is some typefaces such as Baskerville is not, which resulting in different stroke weight on both sides.
- Lowercase - Realizing the differences between Helvetica and Univers by look at the letterforms finish and how the bows connect to the stem, could quickly make a comparison by overlapping them.
- x-height - It is the height of lowercase letterforms but when there is a curve, it would be slightly above or below the median line and base line. As Mr.Vinod said, even it is exactly the same size but it is not visually the same and lack of visual harmony.
- Counterform - The negative space in letterforms, how well you handle it determine it is easy to read or not. One way to study counterform is to examine them in close detail.
- Contrast - It determine the readability of letterforms (small/big, light/dark, organic/ machined etc.)
This week has no lecture but has a section of adjusting Project 1 with Mr. Vinod.
INSTRUCTION
Week 5: Producing booklet
03/ 05/ 19
Starting a new project with InDesign. We were given a task to express typographically the content of the given article: First Thing First Manifesto 2000. After a roughly skim through the article, I had come out with several sketches and my idea: as the article keep on emphasizing on the situation designers facing nowadays repeatedly, hence I would design the layout should be look like consistently but enhancing in terms of meaning.
Figure 1.1.1 Draft on Ideas and sketches
Figure 1.1.2 First Page
Figure 1.1.3 Second Page
Week 6: Finalize Project 1
10/ 05/ 19
This week is to finalize design of project 1. From what I did in the first attempt, there are no deep idea and thinking that relate to the topic and has no proper formatting of text, expression of headline and meaningful layout.
My design intention for second attempt is to create a feeling of shout out the thoughts of all visual designers. In order to create a impactful and impressive layout, I decided to make it the whole layout rotated to show excitement with a extremely stands out title and powerful because horizontal and vertical layout is way too stable. Body text around the headline is to show the energy released from the headline when it is shouting. But it does guide the readers' eyes to the headline again visually.
Final Artwork
Figure 1.2.1 Second attempt -PDF (Design approach: shout out）
Figure 1.2.2 Second attempt (Design approach: shout out）
After decided my idea intention and layout, I have proceed to adjust the formatting of the text: font size, kerning, legging, paragraph spacing and line length.
FEEDBACK
Week 5 - 03/ 05/ 19
General Feedback:
Please beware of the formatting of e-book, do not creating a awkward space by pressing spacebar twice. Ensure that the links are up-to-date, accessible link, clear structure and good quality pictures with labels. We were advised by Mr. Vinod to understand the content then start to proceed with the design.
Week 6 - 10/ 05/ 19
General Feedback:
Always back up our eportfolio in Microsoft Word. For eportfolio, we have to use default font, only white or almost white background colour, label images of exercises with personality and approach Mr. Vinod if have any problem regarding formatting issues. Body text should avoid condensed typeface, italic and capital letters.
Individual Feedback:
Beware of the spacing issue between paragraph, please make it standardize. For my project 1, Mr. Vinod said that in order to create a shout out effect, I have to adjust the heading go beyond the boundary. It is because if stay within the boundary, it is like normal conversation. Also there is to many variation of typefaces, it is not wrong, just need justification to explain the intention of doing it.
REFLECTION
Experiences:
Experiencing of frustrated when there is no idea come out. I was really get frustrated easily because of poor work progress and limited ideas with only one option came out initially. But things getting better after my inspiration came suddenly during class and I could immediately has a good progression with a satisfied idea(design intention).
Observation:
I noticed that idea is indesign is not easy to learnt and there is so many things need to cover by myself through readings. I know that details is important in design as well, but I could not know how detail it will go and how important it is until I realize the existing of that element. Knowing that kerning, grid, margin, layout, legging, paragraph spacing are all significant elements while designing a booklet.
Foundings:
Readings really helps me a lot since lecture only shows a direction or guiding me in realizing new things but books explain them in details with examples. Reading and practicing is the key to digest knowledge from the book faster. Moreover, understanding of the concept or the story of what you are going to design does help me to gain a impactful and accurate inspiration.
FURTHER READING
Grids (Basic Design) by Ambrose/ Harris
Grid: a structure or pattern of lines used to guide the placement of the elements of a design.
Using of grid allows for greater accuracy and consistency in the placement of page element. It does help in save time and effort of designers. One of the main purpose and the most often way in using it is to organize information. Grids in the earliest stage is to guide the reader's eyes using common elements by having a clear header and a sense of direction of the content. Human eyes tends to look at the top left and scans down and across to the bottom right corner hence, designers would use this knowledge to making elements more prominent or less noticeable. While designing grid, we should know who is it aimed at? How it will be used? Where will it be read? Questions like this determine whether a complex grid or a simpler grid is suitable in different situation.
Grids did apply principle of proportion to create contrast as well as using hierarchy to show which element should be emphasize on. Some examples of grids are the rule of thirds, horizontal, vertical, diagonal, symmetrical, asymmetrical grids or combination of them. Moreover, elements could be use in grids are type, baseline, images, columns, narrow and column number etc.
The hidden message of this book is to prove that grid not only brings order to design but also showing expression and creativity through grid.
Figure 3.2 cover page of Layout (Basic Design) by Ambrose/ Harris
Layout (Basic Design) by Ambrose/ Harris
Layout is the arrangement of the elements of a designs in relation to the space that they occupy and in accordance with an overall aesthetic scheme. Simply called as the management of form and space. Layout work together with grids, together they use to connect different visual element and to allow reader digest complex information with minimum effort.
First thing first, before printed a book, imposition is what we should consider first. It is the arrangement of pages in sequences and position in which they will appear when printed. Different material of paper would suit different kind of uses such as gloss stock is better suited for colour images while matt stock suited for both images and text. In order to achieve cost effective and maximise the coverage of a special, a designer should consider the printed material works well with the content or not and how to locate them together.
When working on pages, there is much more things to consider, most importantly is the intended audience and the purpose of it. For example, layout from a novel is not transferable to a guide book, they serve different function accordingly to their audiences. Moreover, printing method and print finish specification such as binding is also key considerations.
When working on pages, there is much more things to consider, most importantly is the intended audience and the purpose of it. For example, layout from a novel is not transferable to a guide book, they serve different function accordingly to their audiences. Moreover, printing method and print finish specification such as binding is also key considerations.
One example from the book, Art & Ideas designed by Alan Fletcher created a classic proportioned page layout with all images or text are located in the centre, either vertically centred to each side or horizontally. This centralised elements provide visual consistency and harmony.
Golden section is a grid that dividing a page by approximately 8:13 ration, as known as fibonacci number sequences. Objects that have these proportions are oth pleasing to the eye and echoed in the natural world. When comes to grid, there is symmetrical grid and asymmetrical gird. Symmetrical grid is dependent upon proportion rather than measurement, it gives harmonious to the text block. However, asymmetrical grid provides a opportunity for the creative treatment of certain elements.
Golden section is a grid that dividing a page by approximately 8:13 ration, as known as fibonacci number sequences. Objects that have these proportions are oth pleasing to the eye and echoed in the natural world. When comes to grid, there is symmetrical grid and asymmetrical gird. Symmetrical grid is dependent upon proportion rather than measurement, it gives harmonious to the text block. However, asymmetrical grid provides a opportunity for the creative treatment of certain elements.
Comments
Post a Comment