Š 2012 Krohn an original typeface by Kayla Decker Published by Kayla Decker Anderson University Photos courtesy of Flickr.com
Table of Contents INSPIRATION
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LOOKING FOR THE RIGHT FIT
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THE PROBLEM OF THE BOWLS
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NO NONSENSE SERIFS
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OPEN FOR BUSINESS
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BIG RAYS OF SUNSHINE
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LITTLE RAYS OF SUNSHINE
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NOT SO ROMAN NUMERALS
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ALWAYS PUNCTUAL
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KROHN AT WORK
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Inspiration I was challenged to create a new typeface for a specific use. The first difficulty I encountered was what to make my typeface for. We were assigned this problem a few days before spring break so I was determined to find a typeface that I thought did not fit it’s purpose. This itself was a problem. I spent the whole of Spring Break looking for inspiration, but came up empty. Returning to campus after break all I had was a few sketches of ideas and no inspiration. After meeting with my professor, and having nothing to show for my week of searching, he recommended looking at the rebranding of Chattanooga. I looked up the website he gave me and that sent me into a search that would end in my inspiration for Krohn. Chattanooga was listed as one of the top 45 places in the world to visit in 2012. After reading their list I began to wonder where the top places to visit in the United States were. After searching for a reliable source I found a list of the top ten US visiting spots. One that caught my eye was Cincinnati. I had lived in Ohio for several years and I was interested in what was making Cincinnati so desirable to travelers. The most intriguing thing I found in Cincinnati was their flower and butterfly conservatory, the Krohn Conservatory. It is a giant glass and metal structure that was built in the 1880s. The architecture is unique and really made it stand out to me. However, looking at their advertisements and signage I found them lacking cohesiveness. There was nothing that made me look at the advertisements and say “Yes this is obviously for the Krohn Conservatory.� I wanted to change that and so the inspiration for my typeface was found.
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Looking for the Right Fit Due to the fact that the conservatory was built in the 1880s, I wanted to keep part of my typeface rooted in the style of older typefaces, but I wanted to incorporate the younger feel of newer typefaces as well. What I decided to do was flip through a type specimen book and mark the faces that caught my attention. If it caused me pause and inspect it further the typeface was awarded a post-it note and a chance for further inspection. I found about two dozen typefaces that caught my attention, but this list needed elimination. I went back and began to narrow down what I thought would fit well for Krohn Conservatory and not just my personal tastes. The two typefaces that I ended up with were Goudy Old Style and Optima. Goudy has serifs and classic style which reminded me of the great typography of the past. Optima is a san serif typeface with varying weights which has a fresh feel. I wanted to bring the very best of both of these typefaces to my typeface. I decided early that I wanted to keep the serifs of Goudy. For me, serifs have always brought my mind to days of typography past. I wanted the historical feel of serifs to be linked to the conservatory which is filled with history. I also knew that I wanted to keep Optima’s varying weights. Goudy has its share of slight weight shifts, and I felt this was a good link between the two typefaces. Starting in on my own design I knew that I needed to incorporating the serifs and vary weights in a way that would catch the eye, fit a need, and blend seamlessly together.
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Goudy and his classic serifs.
Optima and his slick weight changes and fresh sans serifs.
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The Problem of the Bowls The bowls of the letters posed a particular problem for me. I started building my typeface by designing the miniscule ‘a.’ The first decision I needed to make was whether to have a “classic” ‘a’, such as both my inspiration typefaces had, or to go with a more circular ‘a’. After looking at both of my options, I decided to go with the more circular ‘a’. Something about the circular a seemed to match what I was envisioning for the typeface. After completing my ‘a’ I had the basic shape to apply to many of my other letters. This plan worked until I got to my minuscule ‘o’. After designing my ‘o,’ I took a step back from the computer and looked at it from afar. It was awful. It fit with the design of my other letters, but it was too oval. I went through several changes modifying my ‘o’ until I was finally satisfied. Despite the success with the ‘o’, I was now faced with the task of redoing all of the bowls I had already completed. I ended up tweaking, tilting, and shifting several times which resulted in a more cohesive and sleek looking design that fit with the miniscules and majuscules. The redo also gave my typeface an even younger feeling, which is exactly what I was going for. The main reason this was such a critical process was because a lot of minuscule letters are rotated, flipped, or slightly altered to create other letters. My minuscule ‘b’ is also my minuscule ‘p’, ‘q’, and ‘d’. Another example of this is my minuscule ‘u’. When flipped the ‘u’ turns into an ‘n’. Increase the stem and it is now an ‘h’. The relationship between each of these letters and their relationships to the other letters in my alphabet was crucial since one mistake on one letter could cause a mistake on four other letters. I spent a lot of time perfecting these letters and relationships.
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Minuscule b turns in to q, p, and d with a rotating of the mouse and a quick reflection check.
Minuscule u turns in to n and h with some clever twists and stem growth.
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No Nonsense Serifs The next problem I tackled was the problem of my serifs. One thing I had really liked about Goudy’s serifs was that they did not go completely straight across, but instead they dipped ever so slightly. Before I had gotten to this point, I thought that I wanted to emulate Goudy’s unique serifs, but after designing the body of my letters I decided that Goudy’s style would not fit with the rest of my design. I started to play with the idea of smaller serifs. At one point I tried larger serifs, but they felt awkward like they were trying to pull the letters down, especially on some of the thinner miniscules. After testing a few different designs, both by hand drawing and digital rendering I found a serif that was prominent enough to be seen, light enough so that the letters did not get weighed down, and to glide out of the letters as if they had always been there.
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My quick sketches helped me to narrow down what would and would not work. The real test came when turning my typeface digital. That is where the real refining and serif work came into play.
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Open for Business My typeface is officially ready for use. I have seen Krohn through all the stages of a typeface life: hand sketching, becoming digital, and finally becoming an open typeface ready to enter the world. Here is Krohn in all his glory, ready for the adoring public.
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Krohn Conservatory
Tulip Festival Cincinnati Parks
Spring Floral Show
Butterfly Exhibit 18
Educational Classes from 11 to 3
indoor waterfall “Best conservator y i n Ohi o . � by Ohio Gardener Magazine
Exoti c assort m ent of plants and butterflies 19