Shad w Typ graphy
The creative process
By: Margot Stevens
Collecting Images
The first step in this project was collecting the raw photos that would then be manipulated later. Careful consideration went into the shape of the silhouettes in the hopes that good form early on would make it easier to unify all the photos into one typeface. Thinking along these lines, I attempted to make all my letters capital and of similar widths. For example, making a T with the cross bar the length between my elbows instead of my entire arm span kept the T relatively proportional to the rest of the letters. The T was also the only letter which ended up lower case but that was edited later. I also attempted to make all letters with just my own body, the G being the only exception because I am not that flexible.
Initial Sketches Step one: I arranged the images on an InDesign document so they all aligned to a baseline and cap height. I spaced them evenly in order to have equal kerning between letters. I also significantly rotated the images because the photos had been taken on a angle and thus the terminals of my M, A, and R were uneven.
Step 2: I printed the document and traced over the letters using a light table. This separated the letters from the background and made me realize my kerning was to large. I also decided to cut tops of letters and accidental serifs. Finally I chose to align sections of the A, R, G, and O to the median and enlarge the letters overall.
Step 3: I enlarged the letters, decreased kerning, and traced the letters again. At this point I decided to trim some of the shape at the top of the A and R as well as extend the corners of the G to reach the baseline. My letter forms had been generally smooth from the beginning so there was minimal tweaks that needed to be done and some jagged edges were smoothed naturally through repeated tracing.
Research Once the form and layout of the letters were established, I began research into typography terminology as well as how other type anatomy charts displayed information. I found most of my vocabulary in the Type A textbook, as well as on charts like those shown to the left. Once I had gathered a list of terms that related to the six letters in my name I began to look into how I would display them. Through my research I found three popular possibilities. The first was numbering each part of the letter and having a reference chart to the side or below the image. While this was organized, it was a nuisance glancing from chart to image and back and sometimes it was unclear which part of the letter the number associated with. Thus I eliminated this option quickly. The second option was color coding the corresponding part of the letter with its label. This solution was significantly more appealing than the last because it was clear and visually engaging. However, I felt it distracted too much from the design of the letters themselves and ultimately decided against this method. The third and most common option was to connect the label and letter with a line. I decided that though this may seem simplistic, it could still be visually engaging though use of color and shape, and worked the best by lending attention to both the labeling and the letter forms.
Labeling
My original label design was simple. It used color to separate the labels from the letter forms as well as build visual interest. I played with a couple different colors, mainly red, yellow, and blue. Red was too intense of a color and made the image feel aggressive. Yellow contrasted with the black but blended in with the white background. Blue was the ideal color because it was relaxed and informative, the mood I was trying to reach. My lines were simply solid with dots at the end to indicate the point on the letter being described.
Once the class held a critique on labeling, I realized that labels that incorporated shape and shading were much more effective than those using just line. I had also seen this while researching and it finally clicked. So I made some quick revisions and used circles instead of dots to more specifically encompass the area being labeled. I also shaded in the bowl and counter areas to specify exactly what area each label is referencing. Thus creating my final design.
Reflection From the beginning of the project I intended to make my first name in all caps. I also always intended to keep most of the bodily proportions from the original photos. I love the way the body morphs from thick to thin and wanted to capture that in my letters. I have also always enjoyed artwork with imperfections and carefully planned sloppiness. Therefore, I was never too concerned about making the “perfect� letter, or even smoothing most of the bumps or distinct human features. However, a part of me worried how the body’s imperfections would fit into typographical formats. I may make a great A with my body, but would it fit from baseline to cap height? Would enlarging it distort it or make it significantly larger proportionally than the rest of the letters? I was concerned how the letters would interact with each other by the time I had finished shaping them into uniform heights and widths. But as I played with the letters throughout the project I found that they were much more malleable than I had expected. They fit together like puzzle pieces and I began to get excited about how the final project would turn out. I discovered that tracing worked very well in isolating the letters from the background and gave me a clear view of what I was working with. If I had small tweaks to make like adjusting the kerning between two letters I would tracing a tracing. However, if there were major changes to make it was best to just go back to the computer for enlarging and adjusting letters. Furthermore, I began to appreciate the value of color and shape in a composition. Once I incorporated more color and circles instead of dots, my project began to look much more professional and conveyed the information in a much clearer way. In the end I am very satisfied with how the project turned out. I greatly enjoyed this project. It was a great exercise in learning the anatomy of letter forms and considering different aspects of a composition. It was good to apply terms memorized in class to actual letters that we had created. I loved the hands on experience of creating a typeface with your body and the creativity that went into labeling the parts. Though it may seem routine, anything can become art if you consider how the color, shape, and text interact. I also felt the timeline for this project was very reasonable and feel I did a complete job without being rushed by a deadline. If I had more time I might smooth over some of the darker areas from coloring in the letters with sharpie and rescan it, but other than that I feel satisfied with the design that I created.