Brief 8

08 Brief Title

The Brief

Solution

Evaluation

Dotty

Design a system which can be build a typeface to be used on screen, in print and as a hand rendered font.

A display face based around a 5x9 grid using three sizes of circles. The outcome is very simple, but it took an age to come to that solution. The typeface uses separate gridded elements as it offers much freedom of functionality for screen and print.

I attempted something I was completely unqualified to do with this brief. , type design. The brief has been a success and I learnt a lot at every point. Mostly that type design isn’t something I would want to specialise in. In terms of a brief to develop my skills it has been great, learning how to balance legibility at a variety of point sizes, whilst keeping an interesting visual is a tricky game to play. 75% of feedback I have received agrees I succeeded in my ambition of doing that.

Brief Type Self-initiated

Collaborators N/A

Background I have always been interested in how changes the way people interact with typography, and the opportunities this offers to type designers. With more people accessing information via screen-based media type design has to adapt to make the experience more engaging.

In this project I have developed a baseline understanding of type design which has left me in ore of professional type designers. I am amazed at their skill, patience and meticulous nature.

I allowed myself time to experiment with stock, binding methods and format when producing the typeface manual and accomplished the same with the website design. I guess the biggest compliment I can take from the experience is people asking when the font will be available to purchase. To me this solidifies the brief as another success story in the year.

Considerations What function will the typeface serve? How, where and why would people choose to use it?

David M Gaskell

OUGD603

Brief 8

1/6

Noodge — TypeGroup

Noodge — TypeGroup

Research

What I did

Why I did it

How the research informed me

I researched type, not purely the visual of typography but also the function and foundations of typefaces. I was looking for similarities in letterform structure - for example the crossbar height on the ‘A’ and ‘R’, are these consistent or do most typefaces differ slightly. I looked into the function of typefaces, is there any particular quality that makes a typeface more suitable for screen use. I looked into typefaces that are made using strict grids and a combination of smaller elements.

Type design is such a complicated field I knew I had to have a baseline understand of the foundations of it before I could put pencil to paper.

I learnt it is very rare that a typeface is made to be purely visual, or functional. There has to be a balance. I took more of an interest in developing a typeface for screen-use, as this is the way the world of type should be heading.

Research into the format of type manuals was made as that is large element of the brief. I was looking at these examples as more than just formats, I wanted to understand what information was needed in a manual.

Typefaces that are a combination of smaller elements are adaptable and multi-functional, this is the way I approach the typeface design.

I made primary research into type manuals/specimen books. I needed to know the content that is typically found in a manual before I could make one of my own.

David M Gaskell

OUGD603

Brief 8

2/6

Development

Starting point

Development

What changes needed to be made

I started the typeface design by creating a typical solid shape alphabet, an example of which can be seen on the top-left of the page. The starting face has a rigid structure and doesn’t have any curves. This is intentional, as I know curves are difficult to implement smooth curves when making compound shapes using smaller shapes.

I took the starting face I designed, broke it up into separate elements, the first round of the gridded typeface was in a 15 x 24 grid. To give the typeface a medium, light and bold weight three shapes were used.

The typeface I had designed didn’t work, there are too many elements in each letter. This makes the type look messy and confused at a small size, as the shapes become hard to distinguish each weight merges into one. Even though the typeface is to be used as a display face it still needs to work at a small(ish) point size.

Square = bold Circle = regular Triangle = light This method transfered across to the manual, where diecutting can be used to reveal the letterform that lie beneath.

David M Gaskell

OUGD603

Brief 8

I will correct these issues by first simplifying the elements used in the letterforms, reducing the grid from a 24 x 15 to a 9 x 5 grid. The typeface would be helped by keeping one weight, with it being a display face the need for multiple weights in highly reduced.

3/6

Development

Specimen book

Website

How to progress

The specimen book went through an extensive developmental process. Everything from format, content and stock were experimented with. On the previous page I made experiments with die-cut sheets, this was deemed a bit excessive, and wouldn’t fit with the final version of the typeface (seen on the next page).

The website was difficult to design, it had to offer a few functions. Of course it had to show the typeface, it also had to have a download feature and about page. I struggled to format these functions in a aesthetically pleasing and easy to navigate manner for the while, with over 20 versions of the website being made, each missing an important element - usability. I found the development versions of the website to be clunky, ugly to look at and everything I don’t want to represent the typeface with.

The specimen book is heading in the right direction, I need to choose the appropriate stock and binding method to use. The stock needs to be colourful to contrast the solid black type.

I made test versions using separate leaf inserts, held in a containing envelope style sleeve. I didn’t proceed with this direction, I want to be able to structure the order people see the typeface, for this reason binding needed to be used.

David M Gaskell

OUGD603

Brief 8

The website needed a lot of work at this stage, I had to simplify the functions and focus on designing a navigation bar which is engaging. There needs to be a mobile-optimised version of the website, it would be an oversight not to have one.

4/6

Outcome

Concept

Functionality

Audience

Dotty A display face constructed in a 5 x 9 grid, using three variations of dots, resulting in a typeface with a near endless set of letterform variations.

The typeface has benefits for both screen, print and handrendered use.

The audience for this typeface is very limited. It isn’t a face that can be used as a multi-functional font, like Helvetica. It is really a concept typeface that is trying to push the limits of screen use whilst maintaining print functionality. When the functionality of pre-set animations has been developed, I will the principles used in this typeface to create a more multipurpose aesthetic that will interest a wider audience.

The grid system offers a structure to the typeface, whilst the three variations in dot size give it a more playful feel.

Screen The typeface could include preset animations, with the dot sizes changing, allowing for an organic feel.

Print The multiple variations of the letterforms make using the typeface in print equally as interesting as on screen.

Application by hand The letterform being made using grid elements allows for a stencil version of the typeface, perfect for hand-rendering.

David M Gaskell

OUGD603

Brief 8

5/6

DOTTY www.dottyface.co.uk

DOTTY DOWNLOAD B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Outcome

Specimen book

Website

Why it works

The specimen book is fabric-bound, to allow for the manual to be posted without losing the internal stencil. The internal layout is simple, the inner cover explains the typeface, the rest of the book show an example of the letterform, with a small selection of variations on reverse of the page.

The final version of the website is a lot easier to use and aesthetically pleasing than the initial website designs. The navigation bar makes each character easy to access - the characters will be shown as an animation, making each page engaging and allowing for unlimited variations of the letterforms.

The typeface has a simple, adaptable visual whilst it’s function is quite complex. This is the balance I think most typefaces try and achieve. I believe a typeface that has benefits to use onscreen, in-print and as a hand-rendered font is hard to achieve and that I have achieved this with the Dotty typeface.

I chose this layout as I feel the concept of the typeface is simple enough to understand without a wall of explanatory text on each page. A set of three stencils are supplied with each specimen book so the typeface can be applied by hand.

David M Gaskell

OUGD603

The download of the typeface can be paid for with a tweet, a strategy used to share many typefaces.

Brief 8

I will be programming the font over the summer months, with Dotty becoming available to download in early 2015.

6/6