Extended Practice Submission
12/12/13
Brief 02 _ Graphology Collab w/ Sam Lane
Abbas Mushtaq
Context
Brief
Preparation
Evidence
“A real typeface needs rhythm, needs contrast, it comes from handwriting, and that’s why I can read your handwriting, you can read mine.”
Produce a series of typefaces which engage with the public and consider Spiekermann’s comments about human handwriting and typeface and cross-analyse with the study of graphology.
Research into Handwriting and Personality Traits.
A range of Type specimens and visual experiments with typefaces+ a range of interactive print based collateral in order to gain and analyse data.
– Erik Spiekermann, Helvetica, 2009
With the objective of creating unique and bespoke typefaces which are not just vanity projects but with solid logic, process and theoretical purpose behind them.
How can we build on this and use similar tests to help generate the typefaces? Research into typographic grids and evoking emotions and visual presence through letterforms.
Pushing the deliverables and contexts of these fonts as far as you can, in order to create a substantial range of material for your clients/target audience.
Interactive forms and systems will have to be created in order to collect a lot of the physical results, such as human handwriting.
Graphology is the pseudoscientific study and analysis of handwriting, especially in relation to human psychology. Typography is almost always designed by typographers for the public to use, which makes sense, but what if the public designed the typography themselves? What would it look like? Is it possible to create a organised and consistent typeface based on human handwriting and a reflection of unique personalities?
Research into Tests and Experiments already done.
This will have to be branded with our experiment name to make people want to get involved and create a sense of professionalism.
In the long-term a website showcasing the concept, scientific breakdown and artwork created to emphasise a presence. Website allows user to input their needs, such as “bold, independent, caring” and website recommends you one of our unique typefaes. Visual identity through print and web for the project and all client correspondence. Ongoing research and design process documented.
#01
12/12/13
Extended Practice Submission
Erik Spiekermann
+ Graphology
= Typecast.
Abbas Mushtaq
“A real typeface needs rhythm, needs contrast, it comes from handwriting, and that’s why I can read your handwriting, you can read mine. And I’m sure our handwriting is miles away from Helvetica or anything that would be considered legible, but we can read it, because there’s a rhythm to it.” Graphology is the pseudoscientific study and analysis of handwriting, especially in relation to human psychology and traits of personality and human behaviour. Our typography service and experimental project. We create unique and bespoke typefaces completely unique and reflective of your personality and tastes, through the pseudoscientific study of graphology.
In terms of product range to sell and put the font in context, your personality (your font) will be combined with your tastes (colour, music) etc to capture you across the material. Personality + Tastes = YOU.
Brief 02 _ Graphology Collab w/ Sam Lane
Mixing traditional typeface creation and the study of graphology and human handwriting. Combinining this with a contemporary approach to contextualisation and
#02
Extended Practice Submission
12/12/13
Brief 02 _ Graphology Collab w/ Sam Lane
Participant: 000144
The participant I chose to base my first font from.
Data sheets 01-03 contain handwriting and tastes. All the information we need to produce a font.
Stage 1: Data Collection
Typecast branding
Process
Order of Process
We decided to base our first font from found data from participants so we created data collection and process material such as questionnaires, checklists and rulebooks.
All data collection was branded in a medical themed aesthetic style, with heavy use of boxes, generic layouts and almost a ‘clipboard’ feel to the forms.
After all data was collected from participants, we analysed and signed all forms.
1. Data Collection
We wanted to create the aura of almost prescribing a typeface to our client.
We used transfer paper so the participant without realising draws on sheet 02, and their drawins automatically overlay onto our grids on sheet 3 - which let us analyse their handwriting size, style, slant, loops etc which are invaluable moving forward.
3. Cross-analyse visuals with rulebook for Graphological Analysis
Helvetica The Typecast logo is in Helvetica, the most widely used font in the world, to play on the fact we want to create typefaces with unique personalities and to give our own font production output a space to shine, in contrast to Helvetica’s objective qualities.
Abbas Mushtaq
2. Visual Analysis of participant handwritinghandwriting
4. Compile keywords and visual characterists to adhere to. 5. Drawing on created grid sheets 6. Digital font production 7. Application of font to deliverables.
#03
12/12/13
Extended Practice Submission
Brief 02 _ Graphology Collab w/ Sam Lane
Abbas Mushtaq
Participant:000144 Visual Analysis
+ Graphology Analysis
Very rounded. Circular. 3 degree baseline. 30 degree strokes. The Stone Roses. Variable taste in colour. Mod. Manchester. Relaxed style. Wide letter spacing. No letter joins. Slanted ‘e’. 1988 birth year. ‘he’ almost a ligature. Wide descender loops. Well balanced and spaced. Bold. Reserved. Ambitious. Objective. Precise. Creative. Independent. Logical. Determined. Freedom. Individual. Independent. Reliable. Driven. Balanced.
Visual analysis was compared against our checklist of visual traits. These visual traits were compared against our graphology classification book in order to find out what these visual traits mean.
Visual analysis such as baseline slants, loops, x-height, letter slants, descenders, ascenders etc were compiled in a list. Along with graphological analysis. Doing so creates a set of keywords in terms of personality, such as bold. Along with visual traits such as high ascender, small descenders.
#04
Extended Practice Submission
12/12/13
Brief 02 _ Graphology Collab w/ Sam Lane
Stage 5: Drawing on Typecast Grids
Grids
‘The Donut Grid’ - Grid04
We created 10 unique grids purposely designed for typeface creation, with the help of books and material such as Grid Index.
The Donut Grid is perfect for the participant in hand because of it’s circular forms, giving rounded x-height sections along with curved descender loops.
Each grid has different visual properities, for the client/ participant in hand, the most suitable grid was Grid04 - THE DONUT GRID
Abbas Mushtaq
Looking back, improvements can be made in a technical aspect to make the grid even more useful with more possible variations of form, but almost all the typeface and aesthetic style of letterforms came to fruition on the Typecast grids.
#05
Extended Practice Submission
12/12/13
Brief 02 _ Graphology Collab w/ Sam Lane
Abbas Mushtaq
Singular.
Donuts.
Key Features
Singular is the font which has resulted from the partipants answers to questions, visua traits of their handwriting combined with their personality in terms of graphology.
The whole font has been virtually designed on our own designed grid - what we’ve christened THE DONUT GRID, because of it’s circular and grid like forms.
Smaller ascender, than descender.55% of x-height, compared to descender being 75% of x-height.
Stage 6: Digital Font Production
Singular. Type Family Standard. Bold. Extra Bold. Form.
Font Architecture
55%
55%
55%
Why call it Singular? Singular means to be individual, balanced, non-conformist and unique. These keywords all align with the personals graphological analysis.
A circle was the most logical option as the foundation of this font, as the graphology points towards being balanced and solid, the best balanced shape you can get is a circle, or a sphere. Impossible to topple over.
14 degree cuts on letterforms, adhering to participants baseline slant.
Using Singular, an English rather than foreign word aligns with the participants nationality, and it also communicated varying cap widths, ascenders, descenders and varying letterforms.
#06
12/12/13
Brief 02 _ Graphology Collab w/ Sam Lane
Abbas Mushtaq
Stage 7: Application of Typeface
Type Specimen
Standard Dialogue / Standard Music
Key Features
Deliverables
Contains full breakdown of font development, glyphs, ligatures, with fold out and accetate elements allowing reader to overlay grid and font angles to get a feel for the architecture and process behind making the font.
Deliverable bag also included seperate leafs of participants favourite film dialogue - in this case a scene from = No Country for Old Men typeset in Singular Standard.
Smaller ascender, than descender.55% of x-height, compared to descender being 75% of x-height.
+
14 degree cuts on letterforms, adhering to participants baseline slant.
Colour Pallette
Poster for their Favourite Gig - The Stone Roses @ Heaton Park 2012 - typeset in Standard Bold
Ligatures based on human handwriting tendencies. e.g. tt double cross
Extended Practice Submission
Stage 6: Application to Deliverables
Along with the usual deliverable of making a type specimen, we’ve tried to make typeface deliverables less intimidating and more interactive, including what many of us had to interact with type properly in our childhood - a stencil! Each font comes in a specimen bag, full of deliverables, posters, stickers and a variety of contextual products to enjoy your own font and engage with it.
Colour pallete is red, white and blue with a touch of neon to create really progressive type specs which aren’t so intimidating, while physically represeting participants favourite colours.
Personality + Tastes = YOU
#07
12/12/13
Brief 02 _ Graphology Collab w/ Sam Lane
Abbas Mushtaq
Deliverables
Type Specimen
Standard Dialogue / Standard Music
Key Features
Along with the usual deliverable of making a type specimen, we’ve tried to make typeface deliverables less intimidating and more interactive, including what many of us had to interact with type properly in our childhood - a stencil!
Contains full breakdown of font development, glyphs, ligatures, with fold out and accetate elements allowing reader to overlay grid and font angles to get a feel for the architecture and process behind making the font.
Deliverable bag also included seperate leafs of participants favourite film dialogue - in this case a scene from = No Country for Old Men typeset in Singular Standard.
Smaller ascender, than descender.55% of x-height, compared to descender being 75% of x-height.
+
14 degree cuts on letterforms, adhering to participants baseline slant.
Each font comes in a specimen bag, full of deliverables, posters, stickers and a variety of contextual products to enjoy your own font and engage with it.
Colour Pallette
Poster for their Favourite Gig - The Stone Roses @ Heaton Park 2012 - typeset in Standard Bold
Ligatures based on human handwriting tendencies. e.g. tt double cross
Extended Practice Submission
Stage 6: Application to Deliverables
Colour pallete is red, white and blue with a touch of neon to create really progressive type specs which aren’t so intimidating, while physically represeting participants favourite colours.
Personality + Tastes = YOU
#08
12/12/13
Brief 02 _ Graphology Collab w/ Sam Lane
Abbas Mushtaq
Deliverables
Type Specimen
Standard Dialogue / Standard Music
Key Features
Along with the usual deliverable of making a type specimen, we’ve tried to make typeface deliverables less intimidating and more interactive, including what many of us had to interact with type properly in our childhood - a stencil!
Contains full breakdown of font development, glyphs, ligatures, with fold out and accetate elements allowing reader to overlay grid and font angles to get a feel for the architecture and process behind making the font.
Deliverable bag also included seperate leafs of participants favourite film dialogue - in this case a scene from = No Country for Old Men typeset in Singular Standard.
Smaller ascender, than descender.55% of x-height, compared to descender being 75% of x-height.
+
14 degree cuts on letterforms, adhering to participants baseline slant.
Each font comes in a specimen bag, full of deliverables, posters, stickers and a variety of contextual products to enjoy your own font and engage with it.
Colour Pallette
Poster for their Favourite Gig - The Stone Roses @ Heaton Park 2012 - typeset in Standard Bold
Ligatures based on human handwriting tendencies. e.g. tt double cross
Extended Practice Submission
Stage 6: Application to Deliverables
Colour pallete is red, white and blue with a touch of neon to create really progressive type specs which aren’t so intimidating, while physically represeting participants favourite colours.
Personality + Tastes = YOU
#09