Part 4 typography Assignment 4
What to I think I will be exploring here?
- I will be bringing together everything that I have learnt about typography with this exercise so I need to explore the anatomy of a typeface and the benefits some choices would have over others, exploring different typefaces in combination with each other, the typesetting that I give my text and the hierarchy that is established between each one.
What skills do I want to develop?
- I want to be able to focus more on designing things from scratch, no layouts to copy or to establish what fonts are used but establish the identity that I want to create for this magazine. - Logo design will be a key thing, it is something that I often struggle with so this could be interesting. - Creating thumbnails and hand drawings is something that I avoid doing but with this I think it will really help. - Layout skills. Trying to keep things simple and making sure it is readable as I always overcomplicate things and I don’t want this to happen here!
What do I need to make sure that I focus on during my research?
- Other magazines and how the covers are designed, how hierarchy is created on these, the text combinations they use and what is the basic information required. - Layout designs. How do different magazines design the inside of their magazines depending on the purpose? - Remember to focus on the purpose and target audience so that everything can be targetted towards them.
What is a type foundary?
Before digital distribution of materials became posible, a type foundary was the place that people would go to buy the parts for their letterpress printing, specifically the typefaces and individual lettering. Now these companies still exist but they generally distribute fonts digitally. The fonts are designed by specific font designers either within the foundary or as a freelancer.
What is a specimen sheet?
A specimen sheet would have the font printed out on to the sheet so that designers could see how it would appear when printed and how each element was constructed. It would show the font at different sizes and with different options in terms of bold and italic. This would be something that a deisgner would receive if they were thinking of purchasing the font. Now this is all done digitally and sometimes you can even download a demo to see how a preview version would look as part of your design.
Milieu Grotesque
Milieu Grotesque displayed their fonts in a very different way to any other type foundaries. When you hover over a font in this list, it shows you all the options that are available and once you click on the font, you are able to see all the fonts close together. This works well as a display method however, as you will see as you go through the next few pages, this is one of the few foundaries that do not offer the ability to change the size and spacing of the fonts. This opportunity to customise the font to see if it would fit your project is an important feature when trying to select a font and instead Milieu Grotesque don’t offer this potentional, or even the ability to see every letter of the alphabet in each font.
The layouts of this website are generally just more interesting than any other I could find.
camelot
This ability to investigate a font more helps someone make the decision about a font. The use of specimen sheets has now decreased and therefore, the websites need to offer the same information. Although a specimen sheet couldn’t be customised or experimented with in this way, this shows the benefits that computer developments have had on typography whereas the other one is even more limiting than a specimen sheet.
I understand that you need to show work to highlight how a font can be used, and displaying it in this manner suggests that the font can still be used on your project. However, again the layout it quite boring and you don’t have the focus of the font whereas, showing the details of each font next to a project with Milieu Grotesque, at least the focus is constantly brought back to the typography.
Grilli Type
The initial interest with these fonts is there in terms of the home page, but one each font is expanded, there is too much going on to be able to visualise how one individual font will look within your own project. Although I do like the idea of type foundaries and their concept, I am unsure whether these websites showcase the font to its full potentional. Obviously you want to show that the font can be applied to any project, but this doesn’t look interesting or appealing. Some designers may like this but I want to be encouraged to be playful with their designs and this doesn’t do that.
Specimen Sheets
interesting to note how different designers all observe the same font and how much the designs vary.
General Magazine Covers
What’s in common between these magazines? -Bold, captivating title. The title doesn’t have to be fully in view though. Sometimes an image will obscure it slightly. What works for these is that they are well known magazines so the style is easy to identify and the title therefore doesn’t always need to be viewed in full but I need to make sure that mine can be. - There isn’t a minimum or maximum amount of surrounding text that should be used. The Billboard magazine uses minimal text whereas Men’s Health uses a lot more. The balance that therefore has to be created between each element is judged differently. - The pairing of the typography is interesting, because previously the information pack said that going above three fonts can get complicated, which I do agree with. However, many of these actually use a lot more. The magazine doesn’t need to be simplified too much however, for a typography based one, it is perhaps best to keep it minimal as there isn’t the same amount of content to put on the cover like the Men’s Health magazine.
typography Magazine Covers and based projects
Pointers that I can take forward:
- Keep it simple. - Only have a few elements and build a strong visual hierarchy between each element. - Engaging colours that elevate the type. - Show the potentional of typography, some people won’t realise how much there is to experiment with it, so won’t buy the magazine and you are trying to encourage them to pick it up. - Have clear positions of where the text should and shouldn’t be placed. - Most of the covers actually have very few elements so keep it this way. Keep it simple, with an interesting layout that showcases information.
Sketches
Not as sleek or strong as the other design.
How do people write about texts? The Designers: A new revolution of type inspired by the fashion in the City of Light like the city it’s named after, is elegant, vibrant, and full of life. Influenced by the Parisian fashion runways, its sleek and stylish design offers styles in different weights: Regular and Bold with 4 styles per weight. In addition to upper and lowercase letters, this luxurious family boasts stunning numerals and symbols that rely on a strong mix of complementary high contrast line strokes. This gives the perfect balance to each form. This typeface is ideal for headlines in fashion publications or luxury brands. Paris Typeface utilizes the traditional Latin letterforms and refashions them with innovative shapes that create a typeface as classic as the city it honors. Moshik Nadav about his Paris Typeface https://moshik.net/pages/paris-typeface-moshik-nadav-fashion-magazines-fonts-typography
After reading this, I’ve realised that perhaps this isn’t what I am supposed to be writing about, instead what makes a font interesting. Therefore, lets start looking at research for this instead.
Research what makes a font interesting? Whether we notice them or not, there are numerous fonts around us. Some look more similar than others, some have a universal connection. But what actually makes this font interesting? The look of a font is one thing, the scientific reasoning behind a font is another and it is this combination that makes a font interesting. How do you view the Sans Serif font used for the LinkedIn logo? Why Sans Serif? The sharp edges are considered professional as it is clean and business like, especially highlighting the characteristics of LinkedIn to connect with other professionals. The Disney font is something completely different. It is a script font that can be universally understood, we know it is the Disney logo and immediately we all connect it to our favourite Disney movie and potentially our childhood. However, if you dissect each element, especially the D (that looks like a G) or the y (which looks like a p), it is actually quite a difficult typeface to read. However, when you look at how we often read words, it becomes clear why this logo actually works. Normally, the way in which your eye naturally reads text is dependent on the pace at which you read, the information that your brain will actually take in is based upon when you pause in a text. Unknowingly your eye will pause slightly after every 7-9 letters and perhaps the most intriguing point is that LinkedIn is 8 letters long. This situates itself perfectly within this limit. Facebook is also 8 letters long. Google is only 6 but does this make a difference that it is presented as a Serif font? And Instagram is also in a Serif font, this is 9 letters long. Disney is also 6 letters long. This means that your eye could pass over the word without really processing it and I think this is exactly what happens when the logo is seen. Because the font is actually quite difficult to read, it is less about reading each letter individually to get the meaning but the movement is traced and universally understood to link to the nostalgic Disney movies. There seems to be no set way in which marketing uses fonts in connection to Serif or Sans Serif fonts, or their letter length. It is purely driven by the identity that the company want to portray, and how each font constructs its lettering.
So how is a font actually constructed?
Each font is made up of several elements. Some will take the more traditional approach to lettering whereby, there will be similar strokes, serifs and bowls that appear on multiple letters (a stereotypical Serif font). Whereas, some others will take a more abstract approach, script lettering is slightly different between each one and some typefaces even just use shapes in order to mimik the forms seen in Serif and Sans Serif fonts. Each one is constructed slightly differently, even if they are in the same category, or look very similar. So how exactly is a typeface constructed? Roman lettering used to use squares in order to form each shape. This doesn’t mean a square was used within each one but each letter had to fit into the same size square (for capitalised letters) so that there was some consistency when it came to hand writing. Metal blocks from the Gutenberg press always had this regular construction and it was something that the Roman’s also wanted to sue as it allowed for an easier read. It wasn’t even as though the shape had to visibly appear. As shown in the illustration by Pacioli, shapes could also be used as erasers to leave serif marks at the bottom of some lettering. The Egyptians constructed their fonts through pictograms, this had no strokes, serifs or bowls as we now see in fonts but this shows that the construction of fonts can take on multiple different methods. However, even with pictograms, there were some forms that overlapped between letters.
What about characters? Question Marks?
The question mark is another one of those universal symbols, like mentioned with the Disney logo. Everyone knows what it means but how did it become a symbol that everyone knew meant that someone was asking a question? There is no evidence to show which theory developed into what we now call the question mark however, there are two theories that vary slightly but both have potential. Theory 1 - the Cat’s tail. Theory 2 - a Latin origin. (I already know which one I would believe). The Egyptians were known to worship cats and the question mark has been linked to the way in which a cat’s tail some times shapes itself. In an inquisitive manner, this shape of the tail was adopted to put at end of sentences when a question was being asked. Similarly, the exclamation mark mirros the shape of a cat’s tail when it is shocked, so this is where the exclamation mark then comes from. But if symbols have derived from cats, how did the @ symbol come about? The second theory appears to have more of a concrete reasoning. It is said, although not confirmed, that in the Middle Ages, to show that a question was being asked ‘quaestio’ (the Latin word for question) would be written at the end of the sentence. As this could get quite tedious, it was then shortened to qo. These two were later placed on top of each other and the development of the question mark appeared.
Without designing the layout, I am unsure of how much text I will actually be able to fit on to the page. For this reason, although this isn’t the final text, I thought it best to transfer on to designing the spread.
Too much to fit on one spread. Needs to be kept short but all of this information is in the brief so will have to put it over two spreads.
The Wired magazine provided a lot of inspiration for the inside information. There was a lot of potentional within these layouts and they showed the information I needed in an interesting way without looking too much. Images weren’t placed within them much though so I struggled trying to get the position of these correct.
What have I learnt from this assignment?
This assignment really helped to enforce what I have learnt about typography. When I now say typography, I am not just meaning the fonts that I select, but also considering the layouts and the way in which the text is displayed in terms of typesetting, font sizes and heights, as well as the columns and indentation of text within this. I would like to think that I was quite comfortable experimenting with fonts before this assignment, however, sometimes I struggled to pick out exactly what I was trying to achieve with a certain typeface or why something wasn’t working. Now, after looking at typography and the anatomy of fonts a lot closer, I am able to understand why certain fonts achieve the desired look more than others. This isn’t to say that I have learnt everything that there is to know, but I am starting to gain a better understanding of how typography works. Before this part of the module, I often over looked the purpose of typography. I hate to admit but I thought that it was more about it looking good with the rest of the design. However, after completing these exercises and the assignment, it is clear that typography plays a much bigger part. The font itself has a purpose and it needs to fit in with the purpose and target audience of the brief. Slowly, I am starting to realise this and how the small changes and combinations made between different fonts can help fulfil the brief more successfully. Pairing fonts was something that I always just did through trial and error. Through the exercises, I have been able to do it with more purpose and focus so that I can establish combinations that work, whether this be by using the same font family or different typefaces. Designing things from scratch was definitely something that I thought I would struggle with, however, by using methods outlined in a previous part of the module, I was able to establish some ideas through the drawing of thumbnails and researching other publications. It was interesting to see how I look at the same covers that I have looked at previously but noticing how I now noticed different elements because my personal focus had shifted.
Did I develop the skills I wanted?
I did, it isn’t just about developing skills but strengthening my knowledge around something as simple but effective as typography. I was able to develop my understanding of how fonts are constructed, both as individual letters but also as a whole typeface and the effect the font choice can have on the reading of a block of text; why we have preconceptions of some fonts over others in terms of some maybe looking more expensive that others; how font combinations can work within a space and what other factors influence the choices of font, for example, colours, column structure, page size; and finally I was able to develop my layout design skills. I always play around with how something should be structured, I would like to say I have quite a strong curatorial eye in terms of photography, however, in this final assignment being able to design a magazine spread tested me in a new way. I enjoyed the fact that it didn’t work and trying to find a solution. Taking inspiration from other magazine pages really helped me with this, especially as I picked magazines that had less stereotypical layouts and they too wanted to push the boundaries, like I enjoy doing. But this time pushing the boundaries is done within the guidelines, it is still clear to understand and it is about making the text more readable. In order to develop this further, I think I need to begin to understand the grid structure more. This is something that came up during a small article I was reading for a different part of this module and I am now realising the importance that it will play within designs like these for creating work with strong senses of hierarchy. What I have found over this module though is that I am beginning to understand that hierarchy isn’t just about what is dominant, it is about using the visual language to guide the eye around the frame and each component is a tool used to do this. Images, text and colour are just some of the ways that hierarchy can be changed and as each part develops, I am designing work that understands this more. I don’t think I am quite there yet though, there are some areas that I need to develop further in order to fully understand the process that I am undertaking. If I can find some additional reading to add this development before the final part of the module, I think I will notice a strong difference in the way I engage with visual language.
Tutor’s Feedback: For the Show Me… assignment you produced a cover and short article for a magazine on typography. - There’s some very good research and reading around the subject. - There’s a good analysis of magazine spreads showing how you identified key points to a successful cover, unfortunately this was not used to inform your ideas for your type magazine design which is a shame. - It’s nice to see your thumbnail sketches, a greater range of ideas would have been helpful to you at this point as you could then chose the strongest idea. - I’m not sure where the symbol logo idea came from as your magazine examples clearly show that usually the magazine has a title at the top. Keep it simple Katie this magazine is called ‘type’ - it’s about typography and this isn’t very clear because the word is hard to read. Going forward to improve your work for the main assignment at the end of each part, you should refer back to your own thinking and research findings so that you can test out the strength of your own designs alongside the (magazine) examples you have gathered. Maybe give yourself more time to generate a range of ideas so that you can select the strongest one.
My Reflection: I quite liked my design for this assignment however, after receiving Melissa’s feedback I became aware that all the pointers I had made during my research were definitely not referred to within my design. I wanted to create a graphic out of the logo but it is clear that this wasn’t successful as it did become difficult to read what the magazine was actually called. As a starting point for my development, I need to look at redesigning the logo and work from here. Graphics can be created for the cover and these can remain simple as long as the focus remains on typography and type.
Type TYPE Type TYPE Type TYPE
None of these graphics were working for the cover and I wasn’t sure on what style graphic would work best so I decided that I need to do some more refined research.
Key features of typography magazines: - There is a combination of different fonts, type is the illustration with this. - The logo always stands out and still asserts a dominance over the rest of the cover. - Strong textures - Size and colour of text being used to create a visual hierarchy. - The text all remains at the right orientation (only one didn’t) so interest is created all at one level. - Less chalkboard, script lettering than I expected. There was a trend of this at one point and it was interesting to find alternative examples that still create a focal point and some impact is made.
What do I need to focus on with my own designs? - Making sure that despite varying text elements, that a visual hierarchy is still established. - Creating a point of interest whether this be through texture within the design (not just a non-block font), depth, an image or a focus on form. - The logo needs to establish a dominance and be clear to read. Don’t want the audience to be questioning what the magazine is actually called.
What have I learnt from this? - That research needs to be a continual development. - Hierarchy establishes itself everywhere and different magazines utilise it in different ways. - A magazine cover doesn’t have to have blank space to process what is going on within the magazine, it can pilled with information, but once again visual hierarchy is important as this will guide your eye around the cover and not make it seem like so much visual noise. - Unlike the card designs before, there doesn’t have to be the distinction between foreground and background, and everything isn’t portraying one single message but each component has to display the magazine’s identity. - Typography is a collection of signs and symbols that we have collectively been able to transfer from different forms into words and a language that we can understand. Some of the covers break this down, only allowing the audience to see parts of words or certain symbols, which takes these signs and symbols back to what they are making the audience just focus on the form. This trick for the eye is clever as it is showing us everything we have seen before and interact with daily but showing it us within a new format.
What about using typography based patterns?
After deciding that the logo needed simplifying, I quickly decided on this font. It is to the point, it is similar to logos from previous magazines that I looked at for typography and it is easy to pair other fonts with it. Because some of the fonts can be quite elaborate on the cover, it works well to have something that contrasts this and it is able to establish some authority within the hierarchy because of this contrast.
Reminder: What characterises a graphic design magazine cover? - Simple logo
- Logo isn’t obscured by anything and positioned at the top (mainly on the left) -Formulaic layout (linear and doesn’t shape round different components) - Minimal text (graphics used to describe what is expected within each issue) - Interesting graphical forms to spark inspiration. - Bold, engaging colours that elevates the other elements. - Very few elements, design kept simple and well constructed.
Developing the magazine cover and achieving this final result made me realise everything that was wrong with the previous cover. - The logo is now clear and easy to read, it isn’t trying to function as both a logo and graphic as these two purposes have very different intents, hence why it didn’t work. - The graphic instead now focuses on form, it is clear that this is some kind of lettering but instead the eye is constantly following the lines whilst being led down to some of the information that will be within the magazine. - I did try putiing the logo at the bottom of the page but previous research shows that it normally features at the top, this is an easy establishment of hierarchy. There wasn’t much other text to try and balance in order to create a hierarchy but by using different text sizes and the overall positioning on the page makes it clear what should be read first. - The original design still reflects that I like to overcomplicate everything and my research is sometimes disregarded for what I think looks good instead of looking at what visual communication techniques are used in order to characterise designs for a certain format. This is something that I have been able to develop since revisiting each assignment and I can see the difference this makes to how successful the designs are.
Evaluation: The focus of this assignment was to collate together everything that I had learnt about typography over the last few exercises but I can’t help to notice how much I focused on the graphics of this. Reflecting on my research and the designs I produced, the focus at each stage was very much about the design of the magazine. Although typography featured within the graphics, and the eye is drawn to the form of each letter, when designing this, my focus was on the contrast and colour choices that I made. This may have been the case towards the later part of the assignment, to begin with there was a focus on typography at least. Whilst trying to visualise my ideas, the sketches played a large part in informing the digital designs that followed. Also, when trying to establish the background typography pattern, I was able to focus on typography in a way that I hadn’t done before. This time, I was looking at the interaction between letters when complied together. This isn’t something that is usually done because everything has to be legible whereas this time, I have been focusing on the forms instead of its readability. Despite all this, when reflecting on how the designs started and the point they achieved by the end, especially the front cover, I cannot be anything but happy with the outcome. Over the course of the experiments I was able to draw on influences from other graphics magazines and work out why some visual communication methods were not applied to graphics magazines but applied to regular magazines. The quantity of text and the bold skyline were something that could be found across most magazines but on graphics magazines there was very little text and no skyline. The use of one main graphic on the cover highlights the focus of the magazine and helps to focus on what each issue is about. Whereas, other magazines rely on the text to inform the audience what to expect whilst also putting a famous face on the front to sell the magazine (just for one interview). Something that I noticed when revisiting my work was the original sources of images that I had used were from very untrustworthy sources. My main source of images was from Google Images and many of the results came from stock magazine template websites. Although this can show some trends in regards to what kind of magazines people are wanting, the graphics themselves do not prove much in terms of reliability. Instead, researching published magazines meant that I was able to emphasise what designs had actually gone through printing and proved successful. The results from both had fairly similar characteristics in terms of what visual pointers they gave me, but these became more refined after looking at published graphics magazines compared to just google images. This is something that I need to be careful of in the future. It is fine to look at google images for some inspiration but there needs to be some consideration for what has made it to publishing and the responses that this has got.