TYPE CLASSIFICATION POSTER SERIES By Leah Walters | Typography 1 | Fall 2014
BRAINSTORMING:
These are a few of my favorite original thumbnails from my sketch book. I played with a lot of different grids and styles in these compositions before refining three of the options best suited to the poster assignment.
I did a rough sketch of each of my three favorite compositions to present to my peers. I leaned heavily toward the first option becaouse of its symmetry, clean lines and use of white space. The group agreed without protest, so I proceeded with it.
REFINING:
With my composition roughly laid out, I got on InDesign and mocked up ten refined versions. I played with text placement, use of color and hierarchy. The design evolved and I ultimately came up with a modern layout that used color fields to highlight the classification and typeface. The classification on top and the alphabet on bottom frame the letterform and paragraph in the middle.
ITERATION 1: I was quite pleased with my first iteration of posters. I opted to use different letters for each poster because I thought some of them had particularly interesting characteristics. One critique I got was to consider a different way of highlighting the typeface and reserve the color block for the classification. Another idea was to add a colored rule at the bottom to complete a
frame effect. I didn’t use either of these ideas because I liked the repetition of the colored box and I thought the addition of a line along the bottom might detract from the subtlety of the single, thin vertical line. I also altered the colors slightly to tone them down as they printed darker than I anticipated.
GARAMOND MINION PALATINO GOUDY OLD STYLE
Tiamusto que alibustium sequam none re velesequam harum, cuptiorro maximpo repudam natus im etur reiur sum est ad quat qui que perem ad enem. Nam vit que et magnatia ant. Imenditatur? Del molupicatia ipsam fuga. Et aliti dus. Bis eossimil ea cum et, odipidic tem am, omni conseni en axsilibus eumentota quata dolecepti sedi beaque reptaquunt alibusda quam il es. omni conseni enihilibus eumentota quata dolecepti sedi beaque reptaquunt alibus. catia ipsam fuga. Et aliti dus. Bis eossimil ea cum et, odipidic tem am, omni conseni enihilibus eumentota quata dolecepti sedi beaque reptaquunt alibusda quam il es. omni conseni enihilibus eumentota quata dolecepti sedi beaque repquunt beaque reptaquunt alibusda quam il es omni conseni omni conseni omni conseni.
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Transitional CAMBRIA PERPETUA GEORGIA BASKERVILLE
Tiamusto que alibustium sequam none re velesequam harum, cuptiorro maximpo repudam natus im etur reiur sum est ad quat qui que perem ad enem. Nam vit que et magnatia ant.Imenditatur? Del molupicatia ipsam fuga. Et aliti dus. Bis eossimil ea cum et, odipidic tem am, omni conseni en axsilibus eumentota quata dolecepti sedi beaque reptaquunt alibusda quam il es. omni conseni enihilibus eumentota quata dolecepti sedi beaque reptaquunt alibus.catia ipsam fuga. Et aliti dus. Bis eossimil ea cum et, odipidic tem am, omni conseni enihilibus eumentota quata dolecepti sedi beaque reptaquunt alibusda quam il es. omni conseni enihilibus eumentota quata dolecepti sedi beaque repquunt beaque reptaquunt alibusda quam il es omni conseni omni conseni omni conseni enihilibus.
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Decorative LOBSTER
ROSEWOOD
Tiamusto que alibustium sequam none re velesequam harum, cuptiorro maximpo repudam natus im etur reiur sum est ad quat qui que perem ad enem. Nam vit que et magnatia ant.Imenditatur? Del molupicatia ipsam fuga. Et aliti dus. Bis eossimil ea cum et, odipidic tem am, omni conseni en axsilibus eumentota quata dolecepti sedi beaque reptaquunt alibusda quam il es. omni conseni enihilibus eumentota quata dolecepti sedi beaque reptaquunt alibus. catia ipsam fuga. Et aliti dus. Bis eossimil ea cum et, odipidic tem am, omni conseni enihilibus eumentota quata dolecepti sedi beaque reptaquunt alibusda quam il es. omni conseni enihilibus eumentota quata dolecepti sedi beaque repquunt conseni omni conseni omni conseni.
STENCIL
SULLIVAN PLAYBILL
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Modern
Old Style
Sans Serif AVENIR HELVETICA TREBUCHET VERDANA GILL SANS
Tiamusto que alibustium sequam none re velesequam harum, cuptiorro maximpo repudam natus im etur reiur sum est ad quat qui que perem ad enem. Nam vit que et magnatia ant.Imenditatur? Del molupicatia ipsam fuga. Et aliti dus. Bis eossimil ea cum et, odipidic tem am, omni conseni en axsilibus eumentota quata dolecepti sedi beaque reptaquunt alibusda quam il es. omni conseni enihilibus eumentota quata dolecepti sedi beaque reptaquunt alibus.catia ipsam fuga. Et aliti dus. Bis eossimil ea cum et, odipidic tem am, omni conseni enihilibus eumentota quata dolecepti sedi beaque reptaquunt alibusda quam il es. omni conseni enihilibus eumentota quata dolecepti sedi beaque repquunt beaque reptaquunt alibusda quam il es omni conseni omni conseni omni conseni enihilibus.
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BODONI
DIDOT
MODERN NO. 20 CENTURY SCHOOLBOOK
Tiamusto que alibustium sequam none re velesequam harum, cuptiorro maximpo repudam natus im etur reiur sum est ad quat qui que perem ad enem. Nam vit que et magnatia ant.Imenditatur? Del molupicatia ipsam fuga. Et aliti dus. Bis eossimil ea cum et, odipidic tem am, omni conseni en axsilibus eumentota quata dolecepti sedi beaque reptaquunt alibusda quam il es. omni conseni enihilibus eumentota quata dolecepti sedi beaque reptaquunt alibus.catia ipsam fuga. Et aliti dus. Bis eossimil ea cum et, odipidic tem am, omni conseni enihilibus eumentota quata dolecepti sedi beaque reptaquunt alibusda quam il es. omni conseni enihilibus eumentota quata dolecepti sedi beaque repquunt beaque reptaquunt alibusda quam il es omni conseni omni conseni omni conseni.
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Slab Serif ROCKWELL BENTHAM
Tiamusto que alibustium sequam none re velesequam harum, cuptiorro maximpo repudam natus im etur reiur sum est ad quat qui que perem ad enem. Nam vit que et magnatia ant. Imenditatur? Del molupicatia ipsam fuga. Et aliti dus. Bis eossimil ea cum et, odipidic tem am, omni conseni en axsilibus eumentota quata dolecepti sedi beaque reptaquunt alibusda quam il es. omni conseni enihilibus eumentota quata dolecepti sedi beaque reptaquunt alibus.catia ipsam fuga. Et aliti dus. Bis eossimil ea cum et, odipidic tem am, omni conseni enihilibus eumentota quata dolecepti sedi beaque reptaquunt alibusda quam il es. omni conseni enihilibus eumentota quata dolecepti sedi beaque repquunt conseni omni conseni omni conseni.
ARVO
PRESTIGE ELITE
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Old Style GARAMOND MINION PALATINO GOUDY OLD STYLE
Old Style typefaces date back to the 15th century and the advent of the printing press. Since these are some of the first fonts cut and cast as moveable type, the letterforms are reminiscent of the humanist calligraphy that fills manuscript models. These early roman typefaces are characterized by curved strokes with little contrast between thick and thin and a stress that slants to the left. Serifs on Old Style fonts are almost always small and bracketed. The x-heights are typical short and lowercase ascenders often exceed the height of uppercase letters.
Transitional CAMBRIA PERPETUA GEORGIA BASKERVILLE
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Originating in the 18th century, Transitional fonts mark the departure from traditional Old Style typefaces and predate Modern typefaces. They have greater contrast between thin and thick strokes, which gives them a heavier look than their predecessors. Letterforms have a larger x-height, a vertical stress and bracketed serifs. Unlike Old Style typefaces, ascenders are cap-height. Transitional letters are graceful and more legible than Old Style fonts, making them optimal for printing books and pamphlets.
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Modern BODONI
DIDOT
MODERN NO. 20 CENTURY SCHOOLBOOK
Also known as neoclassical or didone, modern fonts are an evolution from written-inspired types, but represent the effort to establish a contemporary typographic style. This attitude toward type was adopted in the late 18th century. Characteristics of modern typefaces include extreme contrast between thick and thin strokes, small x-height, a vertical stress, and thin serifs without bracketing.
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Slab Serif ROCKWELL COURIER
In the 19th century, the Industrial Revolution and advent of mass communication demanded legible and distinctive fonts. Slab serifs were typically bold – reminiscent of old western “Wanted” posters – although some more refined fonts remain popular today. These typefaces were influenced more by commercial popularity than aesthetic evolution. They return to less contrast between thick and thin strokes and are characterized by thick serifs with squared off ends.
ARVO
PRESTIGE ELITE
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Sans Serif AVENIR HELVETICA TREBUCHET VERDANA GILL SANS
After the industrial revolution, the early 20th century saw the proliferation of advertising and printed communications. For designers, type became an expressive element, not merely characters on a page. Sans serif fonts were a new design direction and influenced heavily by European movements such as Bauhaus and De Stijl. They feature little to no variation between thick and thin strokes, no serifs, a larger x-height, and no stress in rounded strokes.
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Decorative LOBSTER
ROSEWOOD
Decorative fonts became prevalent after the late 19th century when bold, eye-catching display type was in demand for advertising. These typefaces are less readable at small sizes because they are designed to be set big and attract attention. Once type foundries realized how commercially successful decorative fonts could be, there was no stopping their development. Characteristics run the gamut, but include ornamentation, extreme weight, outlines, shadows, and other visual tricks.
STENCIL
SULLIVAN PLAYBILL
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