Lectures
WEEK 5 | PERCEPTION AND ORGANIZATION
Perception is the way someone understands or sees things. Perception in typography refers to the visual elements of a typographic design. There are different elements in a design that could cause various perspectives, such as contrast and color and more broadly the gestalt theory.
The contrast in typography can be achieved by manipulating weight, form, structure, direction, size, detail, and serifs. It's important to understand how we could mix and match different types to maximize the attraction of the media it's applied on. Some examples include using the concept for the title and body, and interesting headlines for magazines.
As learned in my first semester, the principles of Gestalt are reintroduced. Gestalt principles emphasize the fact that every element plays a part in a design, and that the bigger picture needs smaller details to be whole.
LAW OF SIMILARITY
This principle explains that elements that share
characteristics tend to be seen as one group.
LAW OF PROXIMITY
The theory states that elements that are closer get
perceived as one group.
LAW OF CLOSURE
This principle is one that relies on the audience's
perspective. If we are familiar with a symbol, our mind tends to see
patterns even if the elements are disconnected.
LAW OF CONTINUATION
The Law of continuation states that elements are
seen as uninterrupted objects even when they intersect.
Instructions
Type Exploration
TASK 2
For this task, we are asked to decide first and foremost what our focus would be. The options were either to create a problem-solving typeface or to experiment. I had looked through some examples from past works of seniors and Mr. Vinod's suggestions for ideas, and an experimental typeface felt more exciting to try. However, at that time I had no idea what kind of experiment I could do and proceeded to write down whatever idea I could think of. After thinking about it for a while, I came up with the idea to relive my childhood moments and attempt typefaces that could remind other students of the fun we used to have with typefaces even outside of design school.
My first idea was to make a font entirely based on "The Cool S Thing", which is an S made from only diagonal and vertical lines. I searched up for if anyone had already done this idea, and unfortunately, they have. On the other hand, I realized it isn't truly consistent as there were horizontal lines present, and although Mr. Vinod said it was a clever solution, I personally believed it could be improved.
The goal I wanted to set for this typeface was for creative writing for children as just the S used to bring me joy. But in the meantime, I set this idea aside as my backup plan.
My second idea is a font based on the Pigpen code. The inspiration was from the fact that Morse Code had gotten a visualized guide for children to memorize faster, but the pigpen code didn't. I soon understood why, as it was extremely difficult to create a font based off of Pigpen that was actually readable.
The last idea I had was to experiment with using pinholes. This idea was brought up by a childhood activity where I would pierce holes on black paper to mimic the night sky in my drawings. The experimental part is attempting to create each letter with only 8 main holes and smaller supporting ones. I was unsure at first about this idea, but Mr. Vinod was intrigued by this and it gave me the boost I needed to try.
Firstly, as I was unsure if I could have enough time to finish my experimental type, I expanded the Cool S font.
After that was taken care of, I started to experiment with the needles and paper. I used cardboard boxes and the back of my sketchbook cover as tools for this experiment. The recording process is placing the recording device inside the cardboard box as the paper goes above it and a flashlight from another phone is used to create the shining effect. This is the result of my first experiment.
After the feedback session was completed, I decided to further conduct the experiment in a cleaner manner. I searched for a bit more into understanding what it means to have an experimental type. Below are some of the videos I watched for inspiration.
After watching the examples, I felt like I had more direction in my project. So, I started by laying out all the letters and planning how I should impale them. As I had to record this from a reversed angle, I wrote down the letters from right to left so that it would appear normal on the recording device.
After several trials and errors, I placed all the video clips in Adobe Premiere Pro.
Final Works
TASK 2
FINAL MP4
FINAL GIFs
Full GIFs folder | Link to Download
Song | Afterglow by Karl Casey
Glitter Overlay | Pixabay
Feedback
WEEK 10
GENERAL FEEDBACK
In week 10, we were advised to be sure of our direction whether it be
problem-solving or experimenting.
SPECIFIC FEEDBACK
Explore the pinhole-based typeface.
Suggestion not to continue Pigpen as it’s hardly readable.
WEEK 11
GENERAL FEEDBACK
Holiday, check Friday Lecture. I gather that we have to focus on the
consistency of our typefaces and really think about our
applications.
WEEK 12
GENERAL FEEDBACK
Check the baseline and if it matches up with the other letters.
SPECIFIC FEEDBACK
Smooth up the panning of the letters to get a cleaner look.
WEEK 13
GENERAL FEEDBACK
Check the baseline and if it matches up with the other letters.
SPECIFIC FEEDBACK
The typeface needs to focus more on its meaning and uses.
Reflection
EXPERIENCE
This last task has been one of the most interesting experiments to conduct. I enjoyed the arts and crafts perspective of the experimental type creation and I had no regrets about spending time on it. I loved being able to see how it all turned out in the end and feeling that my knowledge gained from other modules hadn't gone to waste in editing the video. The type itself was an interesting comeback to reliving the childhood memories that I had almost forgotten. If I had more time, I would be interested to explore my other font ideas in a looser time.
OBSERVATION
Learning the difference between experimental and problem-solving types was eye-opening for me. I didn't think at first that creating fonts could help with some issues. Knowing this, I started to pay more attention to public spaces where typography is used for warnings and announcements. To my surprise, readability is one of the hardest things to achieve without just manipulating the size and weight of a text. Even so, weight and size needed to be carefully adjusted still.
FINDINGS
Throughout the classes conducted every week, I gained helpful feedback that provided me knowledge. Until it was mentioned, I didn't even realize that typography could be experimental. Teachers have always taught me in the past that "writing is just drawing alphabets", but it never felt that way until recently. The way I get to closely examine type has never been more interesting than it is now.
Further Reading
Typography Referenced
For further reading, I decided to search for a page that can
help me with choosing pairs of types. Luckily, I found
exactly what I needed in this book. For the most suitable
pairing of typefaces, it's recommended to always utilize the
principle of contrast in typography. Using mostly similar
typefaces would result in no hierarchy in the content, and
does not end well. With this thought in mind, it's often
that sans-serif fonts are used as a body typeface for serif
headings. However, it's not limited to whether serifs are
used or not. Both title and body could be serif fonts, but
have different weights or different sizes. As long as a
principle of contrast is present, it could work as a pair.
For further reading, I decided to search for a page that can help me with choosing pairs of types. Luckily, I found exactly what I needed in this book. For the most suitable pairing of typefaces, it's recommended to always utilize the principle of contrast in typography. Using mostly similar typefaces would result in no hierarchy in the content, and does not end well. With this thought in mind, it's often that sans-serif fonts are used as a body typeface for serif headings. However, it's not limited to whether serifs are used or not. Both title and body could be serif fonts, but have different weights or different sizes. As long as a principle of contrast is present, it could work as a pair.
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