Type Specimen

In preparation for my type specimen, I firstly continued to think about my logotype in context, as this will need to be included. I focused on process - layering and distorting using the scanner. For the first time, I also began to think about the paper stock that will be used for my printed elements - posters, type specimen, even the wristband. I think that using a green could be a strong possibility as this relates to motion in terms of traffic (GO! on a traffic light). At first, I wanted a neon green, I think this could fit the tone of voice for the contemporary exhibition. However, thinking this over I think that something more subtle could offset my typeface quite well. I need to go to Fred Aldous and pick out the perfect green paper for my specimen.
I really liked the outcome of the distorted logotype, however, I think for the sake of continuity it would be better to use the more structured version - and then perhaps experiment with distortion through a series of posters and how they relate to each other, much like the long poster shown.
I think that I should also experiment with other ideas of continuity through a poster series using other elements- perhaps my type stays stagnant and I crop images of the artwork and college them throughout the series - so show a sense of movement?

Type Specimen Development

 

My first idea for my type specimen was a long, thin, poster, of which the perspective was tilted to accommodate for my logotype which has been edited that way. My intention was for the poster to by longer than A0, but approximately A3 size in width. I wanted this length because I would be able to fit all the information that is needed for the specimen throughout the length of the poster, while still accommodating for negative space and appropriate layout. 

I think that this idea was strong and fit my theme well, however, I was really struggling with the logistics of the layout. When it came to fitting all the elements on the page, I was having a hard time with conveying motion appropriately. I kept thinking to myself - I should make a booklet. 

When I confirmed that I would make the change to a booklet - My first thought was about the shape. I think that it is really important that the shape of the pages still be angled. As well as this, I wanted it to be landscape rather than portrait, which conflicts with my ideas for the poster. I think that if the booklet is landscape it will accommodate for my lengthy typeface - I can also think about how I convey motion across the long pages. My main idea for the booklet that ties it to my theme is to have the all-important baseline running throughout. My rule will then be the same as it was for my typeface - information will either sit on top of or below the baseline. 

Other ideas that came to mind when I was thinking about my booklet - I want to revise the animation idea that I had in when thinking about logotype of the full stop rolling down the letterforms then falling into place. One interesting thing could be to make a small flipbook and bind this into my specimen. 

Crit

I had a crit session were people looked at my type specimen development. Feeback seemed to show that my booklet idea was a lot stronger and that the size and dimensions I had chosen were appropriate. Surprisingly, a lot of people said to not use my typeface for the body text but to choose a body text that relates to my theme. I need to look into this further and become certain about a body text to use. But for now, I would quite like to use Tw Cen MT as this is a geometric font that works well as body text. 

What to do next 

Looking forward I need to really develop my type specimen. To be able to do this, I need to firstly work on my logotype in context. I want to develop an image of the vinyl stuck on the outside of the building, an angular wristband, and a poster series. 

LogoType in Context

Prior to experimenting with logotype, I began to put it into context. At first, I struggled with this. For some reason, I was having a difficult time when it came to thinking creatively about layout - whether it be a poster or the facade of a building.

My first idea was for a small information catalogue for the gallery. I knew that I wanted to use a tracing paper overlay. As my theme is motion, I wanted to force the act of turning a page to reveal the title of the exhibition. I still stand by this idea and I liked the outcome - as it is visually pleasing. However, I wish that I had spent a little more time thinking about the actual design as this is just as, if not more, important.

Looking back, I know that I need to manipulate my typeface/logotype to create more of a design around it. I am beginning to think about how to convey motion around the typeface. Next, I really want to try and cut apart the words and re-arrange them so that they fit in a space much easier, as right now they are too long and difficult to work with.

In the crit, I got a lot of helpful feedback and ideas from people - 

- Experiment with motion blur so create a soft gradient 

- Make a pattern for the space around the text using the half-circle shape

- Increase the line weight of the text so that it owns the space

- Try disconnecting the words and re0linking them back up to make it occupy the space better
- Create a repeated pattern out of the LogoType

- Limit the size of the surrounding space to convey direction

Development Crit

Crit

Prior to my crit, I was very confused in terms of where to go next. Straight away I know that I should have been more active in asking for help so that I could have a clearer idea afterwards.
However, I learnt that the typeface that I made in response to the artwork 'permanent transit' had the most potential. Next, I should look into how I will make things physically and Bruno Manari should be a good reference for this.
It was also suggested to me that I should axe the straight-edged ascender and swap it out for a curved edge instead.
I was also told to start looking into physical aspects and was given a lot of conflicting ideas.
My main takeaway was that I need to iterate, exaggerate, and make more.

Week's Review 

Because I was struggling after my crit with coming up with ideas, I decided to look at synonyms of my chosen word 'mechanisms' to give me a chance to explore something new. I decided to incorporate the synonym 'motion' to represent how the exhibition pushes artists forward and how the themes and ideas throughout the exhibition move to different places.

At this point, I was still clinging to my idea of using the modular arrow shapes. Even though this gave off a 'mechanical' feel - I didn't think that the outcome was appropriate as a response for the gallery. Despite this, I liked the processes that I used (using mechanical materials such as the scanner).

I decided to take the advice I got in my crit and take it back to my 'Permanent Transit' typeface. This time, however, I was struggling with the 'mechanical' aspect of things,  and so I looked up synonyms of the word. I discovered motion and I thought that this worked well in representing the exhibition alongside the word 'mechanical'. The idea of pushing artist forward and being a forward-thinking exhibition linked.

I decided to really simplify down the shapes to just a half circle and a vertical line. This way, I could focus on other aspects to make the type more interesting. I came up with my type that explores the motion between the half circles, propped up by the lines.

I developed my design in multiple ways digitally. However, I also had the idea to inject morion into it by creating curved versions physically. My plan was to then photograph this and trace it, expecting to have some really warped and exciting outcomes. This was not the case, as my paper curved tubes looked slightly pathetic. It did, however, give me the idea to create a varied line weight at the sides and thinner at the top. I was expecting this to be a really good outcome, however, I was once again disappointed by the result. To me, the final outcome looks very script-like. 

Finally, I thought that another way to incorporate motion would be to hover a water bottle over my type so that it distorts the letterforms. When I tried to do each individual letter, it didn't really work.  It did, however, give me the idea to history the finalised typeface. I like the outcome, although I think that this may be more effective in terms of poster design or logotype.

Logo Type

Terminology

Leading
The vertical distance of words between baseline.

Kerning
The spacing between individual letters.

Tracking
The space between a group of letters (a word).

Logotype Development

- Quick experiments in groups of 4

- Logotype ideas to show the theme of 'motion' 

- Rotation, stretching, repetition 

Digital Developments

- Looking at how to layout full three words as well as logo
- Showing fluidity by playing around with placing letterform on top or underneath baseline depending on direction of half-circle shape
- Works well for a logotype in quite a simple way, however, can become quite illegible and complicated for full words - needs to be handled with care and focus on kerning.
- Design #1 is my preferred logotype - I think that the minimal style is fitting for the contemporary exhibition
- #12 is my prefered full-text version. The stroke is slightly thicked so the logotype also needs to be amended to match this

Crit Feedback 

- Have some / all of the letters connecting to push forward 'movement' theme. This would work better than the letters being separate

- #1 is the strongest logotype but could try playing around with different line weights to differentiate between letters - or simply make it a lot bolder 

- Do this also for the long word versions - as they get quite 'busy' when put together - have one of the words be thinner / bolder to create more of a contrast and improve legibility

- Extend some of the ascenders/descenders and use this new feature to play around with logotype

- Alphabet modifications - make M and W more coherent. Stacked O's in #17 doesn't work - try combining a different way.  

Jost Hochuli - Detail in Typography

Jost Hochuli - Detail in Typography 

Looking at 'Motion' and 'Movement' as a theme for my typography, reflecting the motion within the exhibition and how it propels artists forward. 

Detail in Typography by Jost Hochuli was helpful because he describes how the reader's eyes move across the page when reading. This, in itself, is a motion of its own that is linked to the words that we read. I learnt that when the eyes follow a page - these movements are called 'saccades'. The jumping movements that spring across the page as we read. 

Within my typeface, the half-circle resembles the saccades that Hochuli talks about. Hence, the typeface when written within a sentence maps out these motions of saccades and shows them directly to the reader, making the reading experience as easy as possible. 

Trends in Typography

Brutalism - Harbour 

- Designed by Gareth Hague and released through Alias in 1998

- Inspired by traditional blackletter fonts, however, introduces more legibility by a Latin-influenced style

- Flexible enough to be used with many different tones of voice across a range of media

- Often used as the sole font, paired with bright colours and unconventional grid systems

- Used in collages for Nike’s Gotta Shine campaign, design by Chris Burnett 

High Contrast Serif - OhNo Blazeface

- Designed by James Edmonson of OhNo Type Company. 

- Edmonson wanted to create a fatface serif that was more 'chill'. He wanted to treat problem letters effectively and break away from the traditional structure

- It has nine optical sizes, the larger for bold editorial work and the smaller 'for stuff that people probably won't read'

- Inspired by the type of Tom Carnase and John Pistilli who pushed type parameters like weights and x-height, stopping readers dead in their tracks

Variable Fonts - Fluido

- Designed by Balázs Szemmelroth

- When purchased digitally, this variable font consists of a single font file. It then can be adjusted using sliders in terms of weight, serif, slant, and contrast 

- It creates endless opportunities for designers as well as complete control over the variables

- Due to its versatility, the font has been used by a wide variety of designers in different ways, such as Klaus Birk's poster design for Modes of Criticism

3D type - David McLeod

- David McLeod has designed multiple 3D type images, both still and moving

- His work explores his curiosity for visual territories in CG

- His work is incredibly modern and visually fits well with his wide range of big clients like Nike, The BBC, and Apple

Psychedelic Type - Digestive

- Designed by Jeremy Landes for Studio Triple 

- This typeface was inspired by food (hence the name) like wiggle spaghetti, as well as the submarine universe such as seaweed

- It was first designed for a poster about George Sand's book La Mare Au Diable 

- It is a mixture of gothic and Art Nouveau

- Both repulsive and beautiful 

Time Table Task

Harvard Refrencing

'The Greatest Business Branding Strategy In The World' Summary


Within an issue of Forbes (DeVries, 2018), branding expert Yali Saar discusses the fundamentals of good branding. Saar reveals the key tips and tricks of how to both start and grow a successful brand.

One common misconception is that when in the process of creating a brand identity - many think that it should firstly represent the aims and ethos etc. of the brand itself. However, the number one key element of a brand is actually its consumers. Therefore, when thinking about what the identity should represent, one should consider the client and the problem that the brand is solving.

Additionally, many people assume that a brand must be unique. Yet a brand should not set out to be different from others on the market, it should aim to be memorable. Saar takes this notion further in numerous ways, for example describing how important colour is when designing an identity due to how easily is can convey strong emotions. Also, the importance of tying up loose ends when it comes to multi-platform media - continuity of a brand is vital.

Finally, throughout the article, Saag stressed how crucial it is to be quick. “You need to try things out and see how they resonate with your clients. So instead of trying to build the best brand on the first go, launch as soon as possible and be sure to collect feedback so you'll know how to adjust as fast as possible.” (DeVries, 2018)





DeVries, H (2018) 'The Greatest Business Branding Strategy In The World', Forbes (August) Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/henrydevries/2018/08/10/the-greatest-business-branding-strategy-in-the-world/ (Accessed: 17/10/2019)

Helvetica, 2007

Helvetica, 2007                Gary Hustwit

Typefaces express a mood, atmosphere. Helvetica is like air, it is everywhere. Designers use it because it is ubiquitous, beautiful, and timeless.

Massimo Vignelli

A designers job is to cure visual disease with design. 

There are not that many good typefaces. At most, a dozen. He uses only three. 

Helvetica is the best typeface out there. This is because it is not expressive. It is simple. 

Helvetica is clear, modern, legible, and good to use for everything and anything. The world was ready for it when it was introduced, especially after WWII when people needed unifying. 

"I can write dog in any type and it says dog, but there are people who write dog and think it should bark."

Personally, I am not sure if I agree with this, from a postmodernist point of view this is ridiculous. Why not write dog and have it say bark, as that is what a designer does? However, I also agree with the fact that type should be expressionless. The meaning should be within the context and not the type. 

Sees post-modernisms as barbaric disease. Thinks that they don't know what they stand for, all they know is that they are against Helvetica. 

Rick Poyner

In the 1950s idealism in design was prolific, especially in Europe. Design needed to be rebuilt so that it was more open to the people, smoother. From this, came the emergence of Swiss-style.

Helvetica is rational. It can be used for signs, corporate uses. It is intelligible and legible. Helvetica is underpinned by the feeling of idealism.   

Wim Crouwel 

Not in favour of using multiple typefaces for different atmospheres. Helvetica is usable for all. 

It is readable, clear, straightforward. Neutral, machined.

Grids create order and order is type. 

Type should not have meaning in itself, the meaning is in the context of the type itself. 

Mathew Carter 

When designing a font, always start with a lower case h. 

Helvetica has a beautiful horizontal slash that creates a structure throughout. 

Helvetica was born at the Haas type foundry in Switzerland, which is owned by Linotype. 

It was designed by Edward Hoffman and shows the interrelationships of negative shapes. The Swiss pay more attention to the background that holds the letterforms tightly. 

Michael Bierut

Using Helvetica restored tye history and makes designs new and fresh. 

Leslie Savan 

Helvetica is neutral and efficient yet smooth and accessible - this is what makes it perfect for brands who want to be seen as human, transparent, accountable, clean, official. 

Erik Spiekermann

A negative opinion on Helvetica - it has no rhythm to it like handwriting does. 

It is so popular that it is now the default, so all of the meaning has been stripped away from it.  

He believes that not all letters should look the same, and this is what Helvetica represents. 

Typefaces are a brand and Helvetica is a modernists club. 

Lars Muller 

Some people believe that Helvetica is the typeface of capitalism because it is used for so many brands, however, he believes that it is the brand of socialism due to that fact that it is so accessible and invites everyone into type. 

He describes it as 'the perfume of the city'.

I think this is an interesting take on Helvetica - that a typeface can somehow blur the lines between politics. 

Personally, when looking at the beginnings of Helvetica, I think that it was easy to anticipate a rise up against what quickly became the social norm, as there always is. 

Helvetica can easily be looked at as a dull, blanket of sameness. 

Paula Scher

A post-modernism view. Helvetica represents a visual language of brands and corporate culture. 

It's squeaky clean - much like the big brands that use it try to advertise themselves. 

These, however, are the same brands that sponsored the Vietnam war. 

Pushpin Studios was something that young designers who wanted to stand out looked up to - do to it feeling so fresh, alive and witty. 

When Scher started to illustrate her own type it was freeing and gave her designs more personality, its own medium, palette, vitality. It was expressive and free. 

Stefan Sagmeister

He was disappointed in modernism because it bored him. 

If it is 'boring' visually, then the content will probably be boring too. 

In my opinion, why does one have to choose a side? Why can't I blur the lines and be taken seriously by both modernists and post-modernists? 

David Carson 

King of Post-Modernism, experimental type?

Don't confuse legibility with communication - just because it is legible does not mean that it is communicating something correctly. 

The 'grunge type' trend shattered the rules within type. 

Critical Feedback and Ideas

As I was reviewing my feedback, collating and categorizing my ideas, I had a chat with Ben.
It got me thinking about different ways of working and I realised that I need to be looking more
closely at the artists themselves, and the ideas behind their work. As a result of this - I have decided
to try and ban “I thought” when talking about this project because the result is not about what I think
but about what the artists thought. I also set out to try and find a common theme throughout the artists
in the exhibition.

I reviewed a few of my favourite pieces - She, by Paul Jex, Permanent Transit by Camille Yvert,
Secret Action Painting (5) by Alaena Turner, and Lape Sul Naso (Bee on the Nose) by Alexei
Alexander Izmaylov. A common theme began to arise - I started to think about mechanics, man-made
elements. Whether it be the newspaper used in ‘She’ and the printing press that produced it, or the
themes of mass construction shown within ‘Permanent Transit’. When I scanned the short descriptions
about the work in the exhibition catalogue, the keywords that I pulled out were: 

Mechanisms 

Mass Media 

Mass Construction 

Mechanical 

Manual 

Reinterpreted Mundane 

Determinism 

Could I possibly reference Robert Rauschenberg as inspiration for my type as the themes in his work
are very similar to this? I possibly need to find a designer with the same idea who focuses on type like
David Carson - but I would like to find someone more underground. 

One possible point of reference could be designer Peter Nencini. His typeface designs include
everyday man-made objects like rope, pencils, elastic bands etc. This has given me some ideas for
possible physical type. 

Bloomburg New Contemporaries Exhibition

History of the Exhibition 

 The first New Contemporaries exhibition was in 1989 and held in London. Since then the exhibition has occurred annually (for 30 years) and has travelled around the United Kingdom, showing recently graduated artists.

I researched all of the catalogues that were published for the exhibition each year and have inserted some of my favourites, including this year's catalogue.

2015

1996

2019 - this years

2018

2017

There are a lot of catalogues to look through and think about, however, to make the task easier I have focused on the ones that include type - as some simply display an image from the exhibition. I was not able to find any designers as the information is quite difficult to find. However, a large range of type has been used, mostly sans serif and geometric. The 1996 catalogue (my personal favourite) has multiple typefaces arranged across the cover - giving an experimental look (fitting the theme of the contemporary exhibition)

The exhibitors also went through a short phase of colour blocking over the span of three years. They used a simple sans serif (possibly Helvetica?) and used a simple two-tone background. My preferred year that included this phase was 2015, however, I much prefer the more experimental covers.            The exhibition's current catalogue is interesting and I like the tall, elegance of the stretched out type. It adds a sense of 'grown-up' and seriousness to an otherwise quite fun exhibition. It is also illustrating the serious intentions behind the exhibit - to find newly graduated artists work and help them be taken seriously.                                                                                                                                       

When trying to find out who did any of the brandings for the exhibition, I could only find out who re-designed the website for them and took over all of their digital needs. UBX London design study did a full website re-design in 2018. 

One idea linked to the history of the gallery is that I want to take further is using the map as a grid. I plan to take a map of the country into Photoshop (or print it out and do it by hand) and mark on all of the locations that the exhibition was shown in. 

This will give me around 30 points on a map that I can then modify and experiment with to hopefully create a typeface. 

Exhibition Ethos and Aims 

Key Words: 

- Alternative

- Unique

- Emerging

- Developing

- Progression 

- Controversy 

- Opportunity 

- Support 

Architecture of the Gallery 

 Whilst at the gallery I made sure to pick up a map of the entire building from the front desk and I also found a laminated document that was about this history of the exhibition. It included a lot of black and white images of the exhibition's past shows and also the very first floor-plan of the first show.

I thought that this was a brilliant find and I knew that this would become useful when I look at grids.

One idea that I have that is linked to the architecture of the gallery is to tace both maps and play around with combining them. Once I have a few grids or even just elements taken from the plans the opportunities and combinations will be endless.

Specific Artworks and the Ideas Behind Them

Paul Jex - 'She' 

This piece of artwork stuck with me the most out of the entire exhibition and really resonated with me. At first, I was drawn to it because of the neon shapes that I immediately knew I could experiment with in an attempt to make a typeface. However, when I looked closer and began to research the art and the ideas behind it, it struck me even more. The amount of ironic comparisons between the two articles (that touch on two British artists that are married)  is great - and highlights sexism not only within today's media but also the art industry. 

Because of the significant effect that this artwork has had on me, I would like to experiment with this notion as a modular typeface. I plan to purchase some of the sticky bookmarks that Jex has used and create my own reaction in the form of a modular typeface. I could also use newspaper - scanning it into photoshop, or making multiple copies of articles and then modifying these.

Alaena Turner - Secret Action Painting (5)
When going into the exhibition I thought that it would be difficult to be inspired in terms of type. However, I found it easy to generate ideas based on the patterns and shapes within the artworks and particular rules came to mind.

In terms of Turner's work, I wanted to manipulate her arrangement so that it reflected some of my own initial ideas. The first keyword that came to mind when I started to reflect on the exhibition was 'Structure'. I think that this was due to the number of structural elements that were featured as well as structural themes within a lot of the work (including Turner's). I also immediately thought of an overall theme and this was: curated chaos. The exhibit as a whole seemed to neatly and cleanly portray small explosions of chaos which was the artworks. Whether it be social, political, theatrical, or completely random, all of the artworks exuded some sort of chaos to me.

One of my initial ideas was to combine these three elements to create a typeface to create a modified type. I plan to make copies of my photograph of Turner's work and collage them to create a typeface that reflects my chosen word and theme.  

Camille Yvert - Permanent Transit

 Immediately walking into the room that 'Permanent Transit' was exhibiting in it was clear to see that this could be used to make some exciting typefaces from. It immediately made me think of geometric type such as Futura. The curved width contrasting with the tall, straight height when looked at from different angles proposed an array of angular type opportunities.

Furthermore, when looking into the artwork further, I found out that it represents mass construction - this too can also be reflected in type. Maybe repetition or something growing - appearing larger and larger?

To take this idea further I would like to trace my photographs of 'Permanent Transit' digitally and create a typeface based on the curved and straight lines of the shape. To then develop on this, I could find ways of introducing the idea of mass construction into the type.

Key Words

- Structure 

- Curated 

- Chaos 

- Industrial 

- Nuanced

- Expressive 

- Construction 

- Problems 

- Expressive

Study Task 3

Modular Forms

Brief

Create a complete alphabet using three objects. This can be 2D or 3D, but you can not change the scale of the objects. Must be relative to your new word. 

Process 

Myself and my partner, Megan were given the word 'Stylish'. We thought about rules/patterns that we could implement to our type and I suggested that we focus on serifs. This was because I had previously done research into Serif's and Modern Serif's and found that Modern Serif's, in particular, are very often used in fashion magazines/brands such as Vogue, Zara etc. 

This was an interesting and not-to-obvious rule to use and it was effortless to put our three objects in numerous arrangements to create a cursive serif effect. Both the can opener and the bulldog-clip could also be manipulated and used in different ways, which created a more diverse range. 

If I were to try this task again I would try and include the coat hanger in its entirety as it was quite challenging to do so. In this instance, we used a piece of paper to cover up parts that we wanted to crop. 

Digital Development

Taking my modular font into Illustrator and creating a digital version was really enjoyable. I don't have a lot of Illustrator experience and so this task was really great at helping me learn all of the tools. 

My original idea was to use the scanned and image traced vectors of the items to make the glyphs as I liked the grunge, screenprinted effect. However, I felt that for the sake of legibility and to keep with the 'stylish' theme I should trace the structures and lines with pen tool. 

I like the final outcome of this alphabet as I think the serif idea really shines through, and I do believe that is unique. 

To push the design even further I wanted to strip back the shapes to their basic elements. I made them as simple as I could, reducing the bulldog clip to only a triangle. I like this, however, I wish that I had reduced the coathanger to the same extent and also played around with line weight - this is something that I really struggle with. 

Evaluation 

This modular type works a lot better than some of my past study task experiments (especially the digital work). This may be because I was working in a pair and I enjoy working collaboratively, or because I was simply in a better frame of mind. I think that it shows good development of interesting ideas. But once again, there are definitely elements that if I had the time I would take further and improve on. 

How to Blog - Prompts

Mindmapping the key elements of how to blog correctly for the best results.

Research

-Primary and secondary sources

-Putting your own work into greater context 

-Gathering existing materials/knowledge

-Written and visual

Speculation

-Challenging and questioning yourself
-Thinking of new ideas
-Critiquing your own work
-Thinking things over
-Looking at work from different perspectives

Reflection 

-To look back at what you've done

-Pointing out the techniques and processes that you have used and if they were successful 

-To analyse the positives and negatives (what worked and what didn't)

-To question what you can improve on further

Contextualisation

-The audience's perception 

-Political stances

-How the work affects social climates 

-The effect on the client/audience

Type Timeline

Creating a small publication based on my research into the history of type.