Part 4 typography The Anatomy of a Typeface
What to I think I will be exploring here?
- How a typeface is constructed as a whole but also how individual elements are constructed (letters,symbols and numbers) - How the construction of a typeface influences the way in which it is read. - How the different embellishments on a typeface and the different appearances of it change our perception of the text that is being read.
What skills do I want to develop?
- I want to be able to analyse fonts a lot closer and understand how the small changes can perhaps give off a different perception to the audience. - I want to be able to experiment more with fonts. Previously, I have only experimented with one typeface instead of the ways in which they are combined and the hierarchy that can be created through the varying fonts. - Although I try and avoid copying other people’s designs, I think layouts here are going to be a strong aspect for me to take inspiration from. It is copying them, but identifying the individual elements, the anatomy of the structure as well as the font, to then know how this anatomy can then be adjusted to a purpose. - I want to develop my understanding for different typefaces and how they can be used in different circumstances and for different audiences. Often I overlook fonts and I need to remember that these too have a target audience.
What do I need to make sure that I focus on during my research?
- The way in which the fonts are paired - looking at the weight, spacing, height, if they are the same font family, the different variations of a font family etc. - The way in which the fonts are used to target the specific audience - The way in which each font is constructed and what compliments the font combinations.
Research Point Varying characters within the basic Minion Pro Font: (This is a Serif font)
Focus
- how are the symbols constructed alongside the fonts? Are they easy to read? Have they been considered as much as the lettering? Do they exist at all? Are the embellishments the same? Do the characteristics of the font flow as well in the symbols as it does in the lettering?
{<£%?\€@# How does these characters look in different fonts?
Bebas Neue - Sans serif - { < £ % ? \ € @ # Apple Symbols - Sans Serif- {
<£%?\€@# American Typewriter - Serif -{ < £ % ? \ € @ # Brush Script MT - Serif - { Go Bold extra 1 - Serif - {
<£%?\€@#
<£%?\€@# Myanmar Sangam MN - Sans Serif - { < £ % ? \ € @ # Strongarm - Sans Serif - { < £ % ? \ € @ # Evogria - Sans Serif - { < £ % ? \ € @ # Rosewood Std - Serif - { < £ % ? \ € @ # Copperplate - Serif - { < £ % ? \ € @ #
Exploring more unique characters using the same fonts:
Ω ≈ ç √ ~ µ ¬ π ø ^∆ ¨˙ ¥ © ® ´ß ∂ ∑ å œ - minion pro Ω ≈ ç √ ~ µ ¬ π ø ^∆ ¨˙ ¥ © ® ´ß ∂ ∑ å œ - Bebas Neue Ω ≈ ç √ ~ µ ¬ π ø ^∆ ¨˙ ¥ © ® ´ß ∂ ∑ å œ - Apple Symbols Ω ≈ ç √ ~ µ ¬ π ø ^∆ ¨˙ ¥ © ® ´ß ∂ ∑ å œ -American Typewriter Ω ≈ ç √ ~ µ ¬ π ø ^∆ ¨˙ ¥ © ® ´ß ∂ ∑ å œ - Brush Script MT Ω ≈ ç √ ~ µ ¬ π ø ^∆ ¨˙ ¥ © ® ´ß ∂ ∑ å œ - GoBold Extra 1 Ω ≈ ç √ ~ µ ¬ π ø ^∆ ¨˙ ¥ © ® ´ß ∂ ∑ å œ - Myanmar Sangam MN Ω ≈ ç √ ~ µ ¬ π ø ^∆ ¨˙ ¥ © ® ´ß ∂ ∑ å œ - Strongarm Ω ≈ ç √ ~ µ ¬ π ø ^∆ ¨˙ ¥ © ® ´ß ∂ ∑ å œ - Evogria Ω ≈ ç √ ~ µ ¬ π ø ^∆ ¨˙ ¥ © ® ´ß ∂ ∑ å œ - Rosewood Ω ≈ ç √ ~ µ ¬ π ø ^∆ ¨˙ ¥ © ® ´ß ∂ ∑ å œ - Copperplate How does this correspond to my focus? On some occasions, and this is more evident on the StrongArm font, the symbols have not been considered alongside the typeface as the symbols are incredibly hard to read. Whereas, something like the American Typewriter font, this is still easy to read, the characteristics of the font follow through on all symbols that I have found and the embellishments vary very little. One font that perhaps is successful in some ways and not succcessful in others is Evogria, GoBold Extra 1 also falls in this catefory though. The weight of the lettering means that some symbols have a lot of contrast in terms of how heavy they appear. When they are then placed next to each other, although elements of the typeface are recognisable between each element, loking at it, some of the letters also don’t seem to fit which creates inconsistency in terms of the viewer’s reading experience as it becomes disjointed and harder to read in a smooth line for the eye.
Part 2 of the Research point - identifying magazine fonts
Focus here - identify the fonts that we see on a regular basis. What characteristics make them stand out from the
rest. Perhaps look into the different variations available for each font, how they are paired and what made the designers pick this font over other similar ones (use www.indentifont.com to identify which alternative ones could have been used)
The Vogue logo uses the Didot font, this also features throughout their magazine. What makes this font stand out? The way light and shadow is used in photography to highlight and mask different areas, this font uses pairings of heavily weighted lines and lighter lines in order to ease the eye around the curves. It works well as a title font without being too dominant but it can still demand the attention of the audience and be easily paired with most fonts. What other variations are available? There are 10 variations available within this family. What is it paired with? Vogue also use the Paris font by Moshik Nadav as well as more slightly lighter weighted fonts. I want to explore each combination later on so that I can fully deconstruct this typeface. Why this font? This font will dominate a cover when put at the right size but it will never dominate so much that you wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t read any other information on the cover. It balances well with many fonts as well as images which makes it the ideal font for a logo and then headings further on in the magazine.
What characterises the VOGUE font?
- Strong, straight embellishments, take the Bodoni Book font for example, on the V the lines dip slightly, the Vogue font doesn’t do this. - The G is slightly elongated, it doesn’t form a perfect circle, similar with the O it is more oval than circular. - The G also has a wide descender, it doesn’t just curve, it also then meets the base line of the other letters.
Why didn’t the other fonts work?
As I was noticing the details more and more, I noticed that none of these fonts had fully hit the mark as to what font the magazine uses. The conclusion came that the G was the hardest character to match and the only suggestion that I had found that matched was Didot, the height wasn’t quite right but this is something that could easily be changed (below with a vertical scale of 130%). The weight also wasn’t quite right on the regular version so I used the bold option from the same family and this added the additional weight that was missing from the logo.
VOGUE
A rounded font on this cover wouldn’t work as effectively. Models are known to be tall and designs often highlight this. Using a taller font, instead of a more rounded one like Bodoni URW Regular, helps to elongate the frame even more which is then matched by the other font choices that are made on the cover.
Are these fonts used anywhere else? Do they have a similar purpose?
Various versions of the Didot font exist, VOGUE has been using it since 1955, America’s next top model use it in its regular lettering (compared to the capitalised version in Vogue) and CBS have also had their own version commissioned. The extensive nature of these purposes shows that there is no set way in which a font can be used. Elle Magazine has also used the Didot font yet it manages to estbalish a very different identity to Vogue. How is this done?
Elle uses the same font but elongates it even more, this gives the font quite a different viewing experience. However, I think that really, what makes us perceive the fonts to be completely different is through two things. One, the actual word. The letters that characterise VOGUE are the G and V. The Elle logo is characterised by the L. Because these letters donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t appear in the otherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s name, we arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t able to build these connections between the two magazines. Two, the fonts that each magazine uses around the logo. Elle magazine uses heavier weighted fonts, somthing the VOGUE avoids doing. Instead the VOGUE design uses very minimal fonts, they are all very similar font style but instead they use different sizes, italics and colours to create a hierarchy. Elle, instead of creating a hierarchy through the same font family but using bold and italics, this time just multiple different, regular fonts are used. Your eye darts around the Elle cover more as there is so much information which does confuse the eye more than VOGUE does.
Why does the Didot font work in both magazines?
ELLE
Sarah Hyndman, a writer and typographer, did a survey in order to analyse how we perceive fonts in terms of price. Some fonts we look at will ooze luxury and make you want to own this expensive product, even if it costs £1. Other fonts, can look cheap and you don’t want to spend that £100 because the font doesn’t make it look a luxurious as the other £1 product. Although this isn’t a conscious choice that we make, it is something that we subconsciously do with everything. This is where the importance of visual language comes in. As designers, we need to know what connections people are going to make when they view our designs and this is all part of the research process. As part of the survey, Hyndman asked 368 to rate which font they would suggest looked cheapest and which appeared the most expensive. The conclusions came in that: “bold typefaces with rounder terminals appear cheaper, whereas lighter weights, serifs, and contrasts are rated appear more expensive”. Didot was rated the most expensive and the Cocon Bold font was rated the cheapest. Hyndman commented on her findings: “I think cultural associations have a great deal of impact. We see these styles used repeatedly in a similar context, which reinforces the links...I imagine the delicacy of the detail is also associated with craftsmanship, skill, and quality.” And “I also hadn’t expected VAG Rounded Light to be rated as so cheap, as light weight typefaces generally score as nearer to the expensive end of the scale. Clearly the rounded terminals override the light weight of the typeface.” Quotes taken from https://qz.com/555894/the-worlds-most-expensive-looking-font-might-surprise-you/
Both magazines go on to use very similar fonts by designer Moshik Nadav, they appear very similar however, upon closer ispection of the available tail details, it is clear that in fact Elle magazine uses the Paris typefacae and Vogue uses the Lingerie Typeface.
Elle Magazine
What was the focus of this research point?
Reminder - identify the fonts that we see on a regular basis. What characteristics make them stand out from the rest. Perhaps look into the different variations available for each font, how they are paired and what made the designers pick this font over other similar ones (use www.indentifont.com to identify which alternative ones could have been used)
So what have I learnt from doing this?
- It is the small details that make the differences between fonts. Fonts can appear the same yet be so different in terms of the context they are placed in or the small details on the tails of letters can alter the way we view a font. - There are cultural associations linked to text that we have before even reading the text. Each font gives off itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own identity in terms of what it is paired with but Hyndmanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s study shows that when it is taken back down to basics, some fonts already have the preconceptions that it is cheap or expensive. - A font doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t just have to be changed between bold and italics to look completely different, the vertical scale can completely change the way a font appears. Changing the G from a curved letter to an oval characterised the way the Vogue logo has been established since 1955.
Time to look at another magazine
Now using Identifont.com to identify a font from a magazine instead of using a search engine to find out! What characterises the font I am looking at?
I am yet to identify this typeface but in order to do this, a few questions need to be answered first. What makes this font stand out? The bold strong lines of the logo are mirrored within the rest of the fonts that are on the front cover, because there are only two used and they are the same font family. The way hierarchy is created is through the text size and colour, as well as the individual boxes to separate stories.
What other variations are available? Clearly there are already 2 that I can establish from the front cover, any further variations are not yet clear. What is it paired with? As mentioned above, the cover only uses the one font. This is a bold, capitalised font that is Serif in nature. It doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t try to stylise the stories and instead lets the writing do the talking instead of having too much of a preconception about the font by using something that may look cheaper. In my opinion, this is quite a cheap font but when compared to Didot, the master of expensive fonts, anything will.
The websiteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s suggestions for the main font were as follows:
Futura Condensed Bold
Futura Futuris Bold
Twentieth Century Bold
Twentieth Century Condensed
Futura PT Condensed Bold
Futura PT Condensed
Futura Futuris Extra Bold
OK!
Twentieth Century Condensed Bold
Futura Condensed Bold
Twentieth Century Condensed Bold
Luckily, having a full magazine meant that I was able to answer the questions accurately for the body text. However, as explained on the next page, I struggled to still find a match.
Interestingly, there are no close matches for trying to find the font for the main chunk of text inside the magazine. However, the closest match is:
Iridium Although the capital J isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t right, this is the closest font I could find.
Other suggestions included:
It is clear that none of these fonts are the right one for the body text of OK magazine. This is where search enginges like this one arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t always helpful as the results can vary so much.
What have I learnt from this so far?
- That although some fonts look very similar, there are minor differences between them and it is these small differences that can make the world of difference between why you pick one font over another. - That when selecting a font it is important to look at the whole font instead of just the letters you think you will use. Because if you fall in love with a font, want to continue using it before finding out that it has very limiting symbols, it can cause issues, especially when a client has also fallen in love with the font. - When pairing fonts, it doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to be two different contrasting ones, a really interesting dynamic is created between the capitals of a font for one line, and the lower case lettering for another line. - Typography is one of the easiest ways to create visual hierarchy. Looking at the magazine covers, your eye is drawn to the size, the different fonts and the different colours. Each one is carefully balanced, something I am sure I will experiment with later on, in order to guide the reader through the text in a specific order.
What other fonts are around me? I mentioned before that fonts can look very similar, but they often have very small differences between them. This is the case with many fonts as commericially they can get copyrighted. The Game of Thrones font for example is one that will have been copyrighted just for the franchise. I do have a version of the font, and it is incredibly close, but to the untrained eye, no one would know any differently. They would think that this is the same font when in fact it isn’t. I was travelling around London and looking at the numerous advertisements that were put in the Underground station. One font that particularly stood out to me was the poster for ‘The Lion King’. This poster isn’t the exact same one that I saw, there were too many people to try and take a photo on the underground! But it started making me think of what other fonts am I aware of that look similar to this? So first off to identify the font...after a little bit of a Google search, someone suggested Lithos. It is similar but not quite the right font, of course this would be copyrighted. I guess this makes Lithos the first similar font though. Another similar font is Perciles Pro.
What fonts do Social Media platforms that I use use?
First off it is important to note that the font changes depending on the platform of the device being use as different devices have different fonts available. - Facebook: MAC is San Francisco and Android is Roboto -Twitter: MAC is Helvetica Neue and Android is Roboto -Instagram: MAC is San Francisco and Android is Roboto. -Snapchat: MAC is Avenir Next and Android is Roboto -Pinterest: Mac is San Francisco and Android is Roboto. I expected a lot more variation! Normally you would expect something different from each platform in order to distinguish themselves from the rest but if they are all the same, what makes us characterise these platforms as different? I am assuming the colours play a large role in this. Album covers often get forgotten about now and I have to say, they have some of the most inspiring designs on them! The balance of typography on the Walk the Moon album shows that you can use 3 different fonts on one cover and they don’t all have to be different styles (eg. light, bold and regular). The closeness in terms of the font family’s between the first two fonts is evident but it isn’t so strong that an element of contrast is created. This serves well in terms of the background image as there is strong contrast here and having more contrast created within the typography would have created something that would have clashed too much. Whereas, through the choice of fonts, the cover works incredibly well. This second cover by Mura Masa is not an album I listened to but the use of typography on it is something that I always enjoy and this isn’t actually because of the fonts chosen but due to the playful nature in the way that they have been displayed. By cutting fonts in unsual proportions and splitting them up, or creating a list at the side of the cover (a list of songs normally goes at the back and not the front) as well as playing with the vertical and horizontal planes on other text elements, it encourages the viwer’s eye to explore every pixel on this page. At first I would have perhaps said that this was a very basic cover without much interest however, after looking at each individual element, I have begun to appreciate that this is all working up to a bigger picture and is actually incredibly successful in what it is doing.
Having spent some time looking closely at typefaces, has your appreciation of them increased? If so in any particular aspect? Do you think that understanding more about how typefaces are constructed will be useful to you in future? Make notes in your learning log.
Reflection After looking quite closely at different fonts in the last few exercises and research points, I think it is safe to say that my appreciation for all the small details has increased. It is really interesting to look at all the small details and see the impact that this has on an overall font. It isn’t just about the individual letters but also how it appears as a whole. Being able to notice these differences helps me understand more about the appearance but to take this a step further, this exercise was perfect. For a few of the letters I originally would think that it would be constructed one way but I quickly realised that this wasn’t the case. Being able to view the font so differently again was an important way of realising how true it is that each individual element needs to be carefully considered even to form the most basic fonts. Being able to do this exercise after noticing these finer details within some lettering has definitely helped and I will begin to look more closely at not the difference in appearances but how each letter is formed. For the more simple fonts it is clear to see that this will play another part in why there are differences between different fonts and their letters. It is weird to see me getting excited over the smallest details with fonts now! It was something that I often didn’t experiment with much or just kept playing around until it looked right and now I can start to see a difference in the way I look at these. I know what a font perhaps needs or takes away so I can start looking closely at the fonts to notice exactly what will or won’t work for my design.
the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog - Didot the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog - Dream Orphans
Vernacular Typography
I wanted to look at examples of vernacular typography that are around me now, but I also wanted to look at examples that perhaps I didn’t take much notice of before. In one article I read about vernacular photography it mentioned that although grafitti is a form of vandalism and is often hidden within cities, it is a really interesting way to look at the culture and trends around a city. Looking back through photos, there are very few photos of shop fronts or any examples of typography but there are more examples of grafitti. This obviously attracts my eye, in Oxford, where I am from, there is very little graffitti and it isn’t the pleasant kind if there is ever any, it isn’t made to look like an art form. The fact that the art work on the Berlin wall is often replaced also allows the audience to see how the work is developing and the styles changing. However, when artwork is only touched up instead of being changed, it is clear that this style still remains. The MIND THE STEP font is something we are all used to seeing as we commute and there isn’t exactly anything special about it. Instead it is just a bold font used to grasp the audience’s attention and try to steer them away from danger. This works for its purpose. However, I do not think that the coffee shop sign works at all. The imperfect nature of the font contradicts what the sign is trying to say. I understand that everyone will have a different interpretation of what the ‘perfect’ font is but they could at least have it on a straight line! It just looks like a poorly informed choice of font that is based upon boldness instead of anything else. What I have noticed through my observations is that my eye is drawn to, or there are a lot of examples around me that are Serif fonts. For the purposes that each one has, it is understandable that Serif fonts are the easiest to read, and on safety instructions, having a clear and bold font is paramont. The Serif font also makes sense on the IKEA posters, the minimalistic characteristics of Swiss design would not encourage any other use of font, something that is straight to the point, a bit like their furniture. However, I expected a more ornate design from the nail bar sign. It is once againvery straight to the point and here, the sign would have probably benefitted from having some scriptted fonts or something to show more detail, to mirror the detail that nail technicians have to pay when doing more ornate designs. I noticed that my eye is drawn to very similar fonts, and it is not the style of font that I usually use, examples that don’t mirror my own designs. This is perhaps a point for me to notice. I often like to complicate my designs, something that I am still doing, and I think noticing the importance of simplified messages within advertising and verancular examples, like this research point has encouraged me to do, is an important development in the way I look at the visual language that is being employed in order to clearly portray a message.
What different areas have I managed to explore here and develop?
- My understanding has developed for how a font is constructed in terms of singular elements and how individual letters are formed, but I have also seen how the anatomy of a font impacts the way it is viewed as a whole when more and more letters are combined. - Coincidentally, I was able to explore one typeface in more depth through my selection of magazines. Unknowingly picking two magazines that use the same font but adapt them differently shows how much an identity can be adapted through small changes. - Equally, I was able to develop my understanding for how to combine fonts and how different fonts with the same typeface can change the perception of what you are reading as an audience. - Instead of just looking at what I see around me and judging it I like it or not, my eye is becoming more refined and deconstructing why these adverts may work better than others. Often it is the font that effects it and this is something that I used to overlook - I am beginning to be able to trace exactly where my eye is going and why it is going here, working out why the hierarchy works in this way or why fonts compliment each other or donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t work for the purpose.
Have I developed the skills that I set out to at the start?
- I want to be able to analyse fonts a lot closer and understand how the small changes can perhaps give off a different perception to the audience. - I want to be able to experiment more with fonts. Previously, I have only experimented with one typeface instead of the ways in which they are combined and the hierarchy that can be created through the varying fonts. - not yet achieved this through the exercises within this part however, I have been able to take note on ways that I can experiment with fonts, not just throuh typefaces but changing vertical heights that will transform the reading. - Although I try and avoid copying other peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s designs, I think layouts here are going to be a strong aspect for me to take inspiration from. It is copying them, but identifying the individual elements, the anatomy of the structure as well as the font, to then know how this anatomy can then be adjusted to a purpose. - I want to develop my understanding for different typefaces and how they can be used in different circumstances and for different audiences. Often I overlook fonts and I need to remember that these too have a target audience. - The potentials shown through the Didot font is definitely something that has helped with this, but I think this can be pushed further throughout the rest of these exercises. I understand the anatomy of the font now but yet to identify how the different anatomys, the small changes, will effect the audience that it is suitable for.
What do I need to make sure that I focus on during my research?
- The way in which the fonts are paired - looking at the weight, spacing, height, if they are the same font family, the different variations of a font family etc. - The way in which the fonts are used to target the specific audience - The way in which each font is constructed and what compliments the font combinations. These pointers all still need some development as these steps taken so far are just small steps in terms of understanding typography as a whole.