DES 115 process manual

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CO N TENT 4

minimal letterforms 6

type hierarchy 14

paul rand 24

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Minimal Letterforms 6

In this assignment I closely studied typefaces and individual letterforms for their salient characteristics, form and function.

My objective was to maintain an overall visual balance between presenting minimal sections from each letterform while also making sure each character was distinguishable and retained their salient characteristics.

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4 characters of the same typeface were to

considerations, I chose to focus on Bodoni as

come together to form a cohesive design.

my choice of typeface. I was very interested in

I started by sampling 4 characters from

the central axis, high contrast in line weight,

10 typefaces and generating thumbnail

and the unique descenders, terminals, and

sketches on tracing paper (above). With each

counters of the Bodoni typeface. I continued

progression in the design process, I narrowed

with more experimental sketches (right) to

down my choices of typefaces. Gestalt

study the typeface and its interaction with

principles and balance between black and

space and composition.

white were integral considerations towards the overall composition of the design. With these

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Experimental sketches

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I wanted to use characters that were

to allow the letterforms to interact with each

representative of Bodoni. In studying the

other. I also experimented with positives versus

typeface, I was drawn to the capitals of ‘G’,

negatives (left) to see which would help bring

‘Q’, ‘R’, and ‘S’. The designs of these four

out the forms. I chose to do white type on

letterforms contained salient characteristics

a black background because more detail

of the typeface. The ‘G’ has the central axis

could be seen and I could allow the type to

unique to the modern typeface, ‘S’ with its

interact with the surrounding white space.

thick spine in contrast to its thin bowls, ‘R’

I chose my favorite configuration (above)

with its unique terminal, and the ‘Q’ with its

based on balance, multiple flows of motion,

iconic descender. I arranged the letters in

and legibility. The final design was generated

two configurations (left) that I felt were able

on Adobe Illustrator.

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Final Design Size: 700pt.

Typeface: Bodoni Bold Program: Adobe Illustrator Dimensions: 4� squares with 1/4� gaps in between 12

QG R

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Type Hierarchy 14

In this assignment I studied different ways of arranging type in a set space to communicate hierarchy of information.

Through a progression of six subset designs – 1A/1B/2A/2B/3A/3B – I explored the relationship between spatial arrangement, line weight, type size, type styles, and use of rules with the conveyance of information to an audience.

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Set 1A drafts

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To get a sense of spatial arrangement, cut-

of each article of information and decided

and-paste method was used for set 1A and

on the spatial arrangement based on their

1B as an experimental approach to explore

hierarchy. For set 1A, I focused on creating

the various arrangements of type. After that,

shapes to increase motion and interest. For

I proceeded onto InDesign to generate more

set 1B I focused on reader eye movement,

draft designs. I considered the importance

logical flow and legibillity through spatial

Set 1B drafts

arrangement. For sets 2A, 2B, 3A and 3B I

easy to read and that hierarchy was properly

worked solely on Adobe InDesign. I integrated

expressed. I chose my final designs based on

more elements with the use of different

how well the hierarchy was communicated

typefaces and rules, and experimented more

through tonal value, size, proximity, and

with shape and perspective. My main focus

orientation.

was to ensure that all the information was 17

Set 2B drafts

Set 2A drafts

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Set 3B drafts

Set 3A drafts

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Final Designs

Program: Adobe InDesign Dimensions: 10” x 10” squares 20

Set 1A Typeface: Univers 45 Size: 15pt.

Set 1B Typeface: Univers 45, 65 Size: 15pt.

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Set 2A Typeface: Univers 45, 65 Size: 9pt., 15pt.

Set 2B Typeface: Univers 45, 46, 65, 66 Size: 9pt., 15pt.

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Set 3A Typeface: Univers 45, 46, 65, 66 Size: 9pt., 15pt.

Set 3B Typeface: Univers 39, 45, 47, 59, 67

Size: 9pt., 12pt., 15pt., 20pt., 24pt., 42pt., 50pt., 100pt.

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Paul Rand 24

In this assignment I was able to explore typography and design on a large scale. Designing this book was a very fun and experimental process, all in the spirit of Paul Rand’s philosophy between ‘Play’ and design.

My main focus was to capture the essence of Paul Rand’s article ‘Design and the Play Instinct’ in visual form. I wanted to play with bright color, contrast, modular shapes, continuation, angles, and achieve a balance between variation and a unified, cohesive design language.

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I began my design process through generating thumbnail sketches. Through pen and paper I was able to experiment more and be more aware of spatial usage. I experimented with rectangular page spreads and square page spreads, keeping my designs more geometrical and simple.

A problem that occured to me during my ideation process was that I did not have a clearly defined direction in which I could develop my designs. I wanted to make a design that clearly reflected the content of the article. To find inspiration, I analysed Paul rand’s article in further detail. While reading the article, I found that a lot of the examples raised had elements that they shared in common. From these elements, I extracted 4 key words that shaped my design direction:

modular simple rearrangeable experiemental

Bearing in mind these 4 key words, I shifted onto Adobe InDesign and continued development of my concept and design for the book.

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I wanted to set the tone of the entire book with the cover design. The design had to be playful but easy to read. I wanted the cover to be strong and bold to capture attention.

Moreover, it had to clearly communicate the overall design scheme and color palette.

I like playing with simple geometric shapes and the size and contrast of letterforms to create movement. Therefore, I played with the Univers type family and created several variations of cover designs with concepts carried over from the previous type hierarchy project.

The typefaces used were as follows:

‘Play’ – Univers 39 ‘Paul Rand’ – Univers 49/55 ‘Design and the’ & ‘instinct’ – Univers 45

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Keeping in mind my 4 key words – modular, simple, rearrangeable, and experimental – I designed a layout scheme that allowed variation to occur while keeping everything as a cohesive whole.

I chose orange as my spot color because it is a loud, warm color and matches the theme of play. The core element in my layout design is rectangles. Orange rectangles are arranged horizontally and diagonally in a way that they all correlate to each other. Rectangles can signify headlines or borders, imply eye movement, or create continuation. They can act as highlights for key points in the text, or act as pure visual cues on page direction or content flow.

My goal was to introduce the element of ‘Play’ by creating a modular space in which shapes can interact and interchage with text as well as each other. However, retaining legibility and organization was also imperative to the overall design.

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Final Design Headings: 200pt. Univers 39 Body: 9pt. Univers 55 Program: Adobe InDesign Dimensions: 8” x 8” x 0.484” 32

Front Cover

Back Cover

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