II hy ok r ap o ve 4 gr B s o s 1 r po e 0 c lG 2 Ty o Pr hae ic M
Preface This book details my process of designing and making the projects for the course Typography II, taught by Aki Nurosi at the Rhode Island School of Design. In Type II I was given considerably more freedom to design and be conceptual that in Type I, where we were taught the foundations of typography. As such, the projects I did for Type II were much more personal and interesting to work on. There is a lot to say about the process of the six projects covered in this book, but I tried to pare it down to the most interesting parts. All of the work shown in this process book is at 100% scale unless otherwise stated, or if it is a photograph. I could not have made these projects with the quality they have now without the help of several people. The foremost person I must thank is Aki Nurosi, my Type II professor, who always steered my work in the right direction. The classes teacher assistants Connia Zhao and Ojus Doshi were always available to help and answer any questions I had regarding programs and craft. My peers with whom I made the projects I thank for their honest critique, their support during long nights in the studio, and their fantastic work that drove me to make my best work in the spirit of friendly competition. At the risk of sounding like an Oscar acceptance speech, I lastly thank my parents Stephen and Maureen Grover for paying for my tuition, for my supplies, and their emotional support.
Contents Celestial Calendar Goudy Postcards Thompson vs Tschichold Personal Logotype Stationary Da Vinci in Milan
1 17 27 45 57 71
4
Michael Grover
Chapter Name
Celestial Calendar The first project of Type II was to design a twelve month calendar with a focus on heirarchy and dynamic composition.
1
XII 2
Michael Grover
December
S 1 8 15 22 29
M 2 9 16 23 30
T 3 19 17 24 31
W 4 11 18 25
T 5 12 19 26
F 6 13 20 27
S 7 14 21 28
My first calendar concepts focused on color. During these early experimentsI settled on Univers as the typeface for the calendar, which it has stayed to the final iteration. The table with the dates and days of the week of the concept above has also survived in a heavily modified form to the final version. On the left are explorations of different ways to signify days of the week, and important events. My concept for that calendar was that all of the long tapestry-like calendars would be displayed next to each other, that when looked at form a distance would look like twelve solid strips of color. On the left side of the next spread is a scaled-down version of twelve individual cards that can be arranged to make a pleasing color composition, or displayed individually.
Celestial Calendar
February
Valentine’s Day
President’s Day
S1 S2 M3 T4 W5 T6 F7 S8 S9 M 10 T11 W 12 T13 F14 S15 S16 M 17 T18 W 19 T20 F21 S21 S23 M 24 T25 W 26 T27 F28
3
December 1Su 2M 3Tu 4W 5Th 6F 7Sa 8Su 9Mo 10Tu 11W 12Th 13F 14Sa 15Su 16M 17Tu 18W 19Th 20F 21Sa 21Su 23M 24Tu 25W 26Th 27F 28Sa 29Su 30M 31T
12 Daylight Savings
4
Michael Grover
January
April
July
October
S
M
T
W
T
F
2 9 16 23
3 10 17 24
4 11 18 25
5 12 19 26
6 13 20 27
7 14 21 28
S
M
T
W
T
F
2 9 16 23
3 10 17 24
4 11 18 25
5 12 19 26
6 13 20 27
7 14 21 28
S
M
T
W
T
F
2 9 16 23
3 10 17 24
4 11 18 25
5 12 19 26
6 13 20 27
7 14 21 28
S
M
T
W
T
F
2 9 16 23
3 10 17 24
4 11 18 25
5 12 19 26
6 13 20 27
7 14 21 28
S 1 8 15 22
S 1 8 15 22
S 1 8 15 22
S 1 8 15 22
February
May
August
November
S
M
T
W
T
F
2 9 16 23
3 10 17 24
4 11 18 25
5 12 19 26
6 13 20 27
7 14 21 28
S
M
T
W
T
F
2 9 16 23
3 10 17 24
4 11 18 25
5 12 19 26
6 13 20 27
7 14 21 28
S
M
T
W
T
F
2 9 16 23
3 10 17 24
4 11 18 25
5 12 19 26
6 13 20 27
7 14 21 28
S
M
T
W
T
F
2 9 16 23
3 10 17 24
4 11 18 25
5 12 19 26
6 13 20 27
7 14 21 28
S 1 8 15 22
S 1 8 15 22
S 1 8 15 22
S 1 8 15 22
March
June
S
M
T
W
T
F
2 9 16 23
3 10 17 24
4 11 18 25
5 12 19 26
6 13 20 27
7 14 21 28
S
M
T
W
T
F
2 9 16 23
3 10 17 24
4 11 18 25
5 12 19 26
6 13 20 27
7 14 21 28
S
M
T
W
T
F
2 9 16 23
3 10 17 24
4 11 18 25
5 12 19 26
6 13 20 27
7 14 21 28
S
M
T
W
T
F
2 9 16 23
3 10 17 24
4 11 18 25
5 12 19 26
6 13 20 27
7 14 21 28
September
December
S 1 8 15 22
S 1 8 15 22
S 1 8 15 22
S 1 8 15 22
Celestial Calendar
5
S
le Va
M
ne nt i
4
D ’s
T
ay
11
Ga
5
o lile
W
18
h irt
6
b ’s
12
25
da
T
19
y
13 7 1
26
F
20 8
sid
14
Pr e
15
y
Da
S
21 9 3
28 22
ry
ua
t’s
2
27
en
br Fe
16 10
29 23 17
30 24 31
The concept of this calendar is that it simulates the experience of looking at stars, and also acts as a guide to finding stars. In the calendar there are holes drilled into the paper where the stars are, such that when the calendar is held up to a strong light the holes appear to shimmer like stars in the night sky. The constellation represented by each month is one that is easily visible during that month. I came upon this idea from observing how difficult it is to see the stars in Providence. There are two target audiences for this calendar. One audience is people like me that live urban areas where stars are drowned out by ambient light, who would use the star simulating feature of the calendar but not the star guide feature. The other audience is people that live in rural or suburban areas who would not need to use the calendar to simulate stars, but would be able to make use of the star guide feature of the calendar. In this way the calendar can be used and enjoyed by anyone regardless of whether they can see the stars or not. The original design for this concept was a half-dome that could be held above the viewer’s head, so that the viewer has to look slightly upwards to see the stars. The image on the left is a net of this structure. Above is a design for one panel of the structure, which was later adapted to be for a simpler and more practical desk top calendar. February has thirty-one days because it is a mockup to represent any what any month could look like. Originally I planned for months with thirty-one days to be on a diagonal axis like in the example above, and months of twenty-eight, twenty-nine, or thirty days on a horizontal axis to add variety to the composition of each panel. This idea was scrapped in later iterations, because the relation between number of days and the tilt of the text was not clear.
The page on the left was an important addition to the calendar because it explains how the star simulating and star guide features of the calendar are used. Despite the illustration, holding the calendar up to a lamp does not always achieve the most vivid effect. Using the sun or a window works very well, however in practice people have hurt their eyes by looking at the sun through the holes. It is certainly an interesting experience to see stars as bright and as blinding as the sun, despite the pain. Another thing I noticed when people used this calendar is that they often do not read this page or look at the
Holiday Notable person’s birthday Equinox or Solstice
The constellation represented by each month is visible at 9:00 pm, 25° in the night sky on the fifteenth day of the month.
Michael Grover
To use hold card to lamp or bright light source and look through. Make sure this is the only light source for best results.
6
illustration, so they do not realize that they can shine light through the holes in the calendar. This is possibly because the times I have observed people using the calendar they are in a rush to view several calendars in a short period of time. When a person buys this calendar for their own use I believe this page will be much harder to miss, and as a result people will use it properly.
Beyer, Steven L. The Star Guide: A Unique System for Identifying the Brightest Stars in the Night Sky. Boston: Little, Brown, 1986. Print. Chevalley, Patrick. Cartes Du Ciel. Computer software. Vers. 3.8. “StarDate Online | Your Guide to the Universe.” StarDate Online Your Guide to the Universe. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Feb. 2014.
Celestial Calendar 7
Michael Grover
This is the December spread of the calendar. This page and the page previous represent a spiral bound version of the calendar that can be placed on a desk or hung on a window. Some important changes between this and the earlier iteration is that all months are on a horizontal axis, different types of events are signified with different colored lines, important dates are emboldened, and the name of the month is set in univers narrow. See page five for comparison.
27 26
December
29 28
30
31
25 24 22 21
23
20 19 18 17 15 14
16
13 12 11 10 9 8 7
6 5 4 2 1
3
F T M S
Winter Solstice
W
T
Christmas
New Year’s Eve
S
Kepler’s Birthday
8
Johannes Kepler December 27, 1571–November 15, 1630 German Mathematician, astronomer, and astrologer Known for his laws of planetary motion Assistant to Tycho Brahe
There is a myth in which Apollo charges a crow with bringing him a cup of water. The crow took his time in doing so, and brought a water snake in the cup as an excuse. Apollo in his anger threw the cup, the crow, and the water snake into the sky. They became Crater, Corvus, and Hydra, respectively.
The Cup
Crater
Celestial Calendar 9
10
Michael Grover
Chapter Name
11
11 18
10
17
24
9
16
23
For this version of the calendar, every month is on an individual card. Holding an individual card up to a light to see the star effect is much less cumberson than holding a spiral bound desk calendar. The larger size gives more space to compose the elements and allows the text, the constellation, and the numbers to be together on a single plane. It also eliminates the problem of holes going through the page behind.
26
19
12
5
W
27
20
13
6
T
Galileo Galilei February 15, 1564–January 8, 1642 Italian physicist, astronomer, and philosopher Champion of heliocentrism among geocentrists Made important improvements to the telescope
Hercules is the fifth largest modern constellation. It is named after the Roman mythological hero Hercules who is the son of Zeus and was tasked with completing the Twelve Labors.
February
25
4
3
2
T
M
S
President’s Day
28
22
15
14 21
8
1
S
7
F
Galileo’s Birthday
Valentine’s Day
12 Michael Grover
22
29
21
28
30
23
16
31
24
17
10
3
W
25
18
11
4
T
Johannes Kepler December 27, 1571–November 15, 1630 German Mathematician, astronomer, and astrologer Known for his laws of planetary motion Assistant to Tycho Brahe
26
19
12
5
F
Christmas
There is a myth in which Apollo charges a crow with bringing him a cup of water. The crow took his time in doing so, and brought a water snake in the cup as an excuse. Apollo in his anger threw the cup, the crow, and the water snake into the sky. They became Crater, Corvus, and Hydra, respectively.
December
15
14
9
2
1
8
T
M
7
S
Winter Solstice
New Year’s Eve
27
20
13
6
S
Kepler’s Birthday
Celestial Calendar 13
14
Michael Grover
Chapter Name
15
16
Michael Grover
Chapter Name
Goudy Postcards Before this project each member of the class chose a typographer from a pile. I chose Frederic Goudy, an early 20th century American type designer. The task was to design a series of five postcards based on the typographer’s key characteristics, which would also educate the user about the designer’s life and work.
17
18
Michael Grover
Frederic Goudy was a difficult choice for this project. I could not find any examples of his design, however I found a very useful book called Goudy’s Type Designs, His Story And Specimens that contains specimens of over one hundred of his fonts and his commentary on many of them. The book also contained many fleurons, marks, and decorative elements he made. One example can be seen on the opposite page, a logotype Goudy made for himself. I added the red coloring to emphasize his name, and because every card has a red element. These were integral in informing the design of the postcards, and as elements within the postcards, because of the absence of traditional design to draw from. The packaging for the postcards, seen below (2, 3), is a simple envelope based off of the packaging of a series of World War I photographs I found in my house (1). They belonged to my great grandfather who fought in that war. Because the packaging was contemporaneous with Goudy’s work, and also American, it was the perect resource to use.
1
2
3
Goudy Postcards
19
20
1
Michael Grover
2
The is the progression of the first postcard in the series. It serves as an introduction to the rest of the cards. The final version establishes the subject of these postcards, Frederic Goudy, when he lived, what he did, and some notable typefaces he made. The first version was printed on white cardstock paper; the seashell white background color was produced by ink, and not actually the color of the paper (1). This is obvious when looking at the card closely, as the sides are white and the background has the unmistakable pattern of printer ink. After changing the design by adding red to make it consistent with the other cards and emphasizing Goudy’s name more, I chose a textured yellow paper to print on (2). This paper did not agree with the printer, and even after running the paper through the printer
3 twice the blacks were still not dark enough. Furthermore the paper was much more yellow than I wanted. For the final cards I found a paper that had the color I originally chose for the cards (3). The texture of this paper is much less pronounced than the yellow paper, and is a happy balance between the textures of the first and second papers. For the final design I added a short timeline of typefaces designed by Goudy to demonstrate how prolific he is (4). The back of each card has three variables (5), the brackets indicating where the stamp goes, the ends of the center dividing line, and the short colophon in the lower left corner.
Goudy Postcards 4
FREDERIC GOUDY 1865 – 1937 Designer of over 100 types such as Camelot Copperplate Gothics Kennerly Old Style Goudy Old Style Hadriano Goudy Modern Deepdene Goudy Sans Bulmer
5
Goudy Old Style, 1915
1896 1905 1911 1915 1918 1918 1927 1929 1939
21
22
e Michael Grover
‘‘On the night of January 10, 1908, the Village Press, the Village Type, the books and sheets completed and in the process of printing, drawings, sketches, everything that I had accumulated in five years, was entirely wiped out by the fire that partially destroyed the Parker Building at 19th Street and Fourth Avenue.’’
Frederic Goudy’s typefaces ranged many classifications, such as humanist, old style, transitional, and blackletter.
Goudy Modern Goudy Old Style
Goudy Postcards
Gaudi Text
ABCDEFGHIJKLM NOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz “Any man who would letterspace blackletter would shag sheep.”
P
Y HADRIANO TITLE
ABCDEFGHIJKLMN OPQRSTUVWXYZ 1234567890& ‘‘I caught the word ‘‘Hadriano,’’ and asking Bertha to watch for a guard, I tore a leaf out of my notebook and made a rubbing of three letters which I thought were characteristic. The letters were P, E, and R, and I still have the rubbing.’’
23
24
Michael Grover
Chapter Name
25
26
Michael Grover
Chapter Name
Tschichold & Thompson The goal of this assignment was to examine the readibility of a given body of text by studying paper size, typeface, type size, leading, and justifications. These examinations were applied to quotes by Bradbury Thompson and Jan Tschichold, and made into a short book.
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28
Michael Grover
The book we were tasked with composing required one page of both quotes set in flush left rag right, flush right rag left, justified, and centered, for a total of eight pages, or four spreads. In addition there must be one spread where one quote is set to look explosive, and the other quote set to look calm. Another spread is the same but with congested and dispersed instead. The last page the book required is one where the two quotes have a conversation with each other. The project began with experiments with page sizes, margin sizes, typefaces for each voice, etc.
“Good taste and perfect typography are suprapersonal. Today, good taste is often erroneously rejected as old - fashioned because the ordinary man, seeking approval
“Good taste and perfect typography are suprapersonal. Today,
of his so-called personality, prefers
good taste is often erroneously rejected as old - fashioned
to follow the dictates of his own
painting, architecture, and
“Type is a thing of constant
because the ordinary man, seeking approval of his so-called literature — and even
interest to me. It is
peculiar style rather than submit to
personality, prefers business to followand thepolitics. dictates of his own peculiar style sometimes a serious and
any objective criterion of taste.”
rather than submit toInany objective of taste.” useful tool, employed to short, Type cancriterion be a tool,
—Jan Tschichold
—Jan Tschichold a toy, a teacher; it can
deliver a message, or give life to an idea. At other times it is a
provide a means of livelihood, a hobby for
plaything that affords
relaxation, an intellectual
personal amusement and
stimulant, and a spiritual
recreation. An interest in Type
satisfaction. An interest in Type
provides a broader
necessarily includes a zest
knowledge of history,
for everyday life.”
including the appreciation of such related arts as
— Bradbury Thompson “Good taste and perfect typography are suprapersonal. Today, good taste is often erroneously rejected as old - fashioned because the ordinary man, seeking approval of his so-called personality, prefers to follow the dictates of his own peculiar style rather than submit to any objective criterion of taste.”
“Good taste and perfect typography are suprapersonal. Today, good taste is often erroneously rejected as old - fashioned because the ordinary man, seeking approval of his so-called personality, prefers to follow the dictates of his own peculiar style rather than submit to any objective criterion of taste.”
—Jan Tschichold
—Jan Tschichold
Tschichold & Thompson
“Type is a thing of constant interest to me. It is sometimes a serious and useful tool, employed to deliver a message, or give life to an idea. At other times it is a plaything that affords personal amusement and recreation. An interest in Type provides a broader knowledge of history, including the appreciation of such related arts as painting, architecture, and literature — and even business and politics. In short, Type can be a tool, a toy, a teacher; it can provide a means of livelihood, a hobby for relaxation, an intellectual stimulant, and a spiritual satisfaction. An interest in Type necessarily includes a zest for everyday life.” —Bradbury Thompson
29
30
Michael Grover
“Type is a thing of constant interest to me. It is sometimes a serious and useful tool, employed to deliver a message, or give life to an idea. At other times it is a plaything that affords personal amusement and recreation. An interest in Type provides a broader knowledge of history, including the appreciation of such related arts as painting, architecture, and literature — and even business and politics. In short, Type can be a tool, a toy, a teacher; it can provide a means of livelihood, a hobby for relaxation, an intellectual stimulant, and a spiritual satisfaction. An interest in Type necessarily includes a zest for everyday life.” — Bradbury Thompson
Tschichold & Thompson
“Type is a thing of constant
architecture, and literature — and
interest to me. It is sometimes a
even business and politics. In
serious and useful tool, employed
short, Type can be a tool, a toy, a
to deliver a message, or give life
teacher; it can provide a means of
to an idea. At other times it is a
livelihood, a hobby for relaxation,
plaything that affords personal
an intellectual stimulant, and a
amusement and recreation. An
spiritual satisfaction. An interest
interest in Type provides a
in Type necessarily includes a zest
broader knowledge of history,
for everyday life.”
including the appreciation of such related arts as painting,
— Bradbury Thompson
31
32
Michael Grover
These are the page size and margins I settled on. They are based on the Van de Graaf canon of page proportions which was often used by Jan Tschichold and is detailed in Robert Bringhurt’s book Elements of Typographic Style. The margins are loosely followed throughout the entire book. Even the cover uses the margin. One example of where they are bent is on the right spread of the next page, where the text is so long it expands beyond the bottom border of the margin.
Tschichold & Thompson
9"
4.5"
2.7"
10.8" 5.4"
33
34
Michael Grover
“Type is a thing of constant interest to me. It is sometimes a serious and useful tool, employed to deliver a message, or give life to an idea. At other times it is a plaything that affords personal amusement and recreation. An interest in Type provides a broader knowledge of history, including the appreciation of such related arts as painting, architecture, and literature— and even business and politics. In short, Type can be a tool, a toy, a teacher; it can provide a means of livelihood, a hobby for relaxation, an intellectual stimulant, and a spiritual satisfaction. An interest in Type necessarily includes a zest for everyday life.” — Bradbury Thompson
Tschichold & Thompson
“Type is a thing of constant interest to me. It is sometimes a serious and useful tool, employed to deliver a message, or give life to an idea. At other times it is a plaything that affords personal amusement and recreation. An interest in Type provides a broader knowledge of history, including the appreciation of such related arts as painting, architecture, and literature — and even business and politics. In short, Type can be a tool, a toy, a teacher; it can provide a means of livelihood, a hobby for relaxation, an intellectual stimulant, and a spiritual satisfaction. An interest in Type necessarily includes a zest for everyday life.” — Bradbury Thompson
35
36
Michael Grover
This is a spread for congested/dispered. Originally the congested/ dispersed and explosive/calm spreads were going to be photographic like this iteration, however after seeing some interesting typography at the Whitney Biennial, I decided to make these spreads typographic instead of photographic. The final versions of this spread are on the next page.
Tschichold & Thompson
37
38
Michael Grover
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“Type isaaseri thinogus of const a nt i n t e rest t o me. I t i s sometaaimmessage, es and usef u l t o ol , empl o yed t o del i v er or gi v e l i f e t o an i d ea. ¶ At ot h er t i m es i t i s pl a yt h i n g t h at aff o rds personal amusement and recreat i o n. ¶ An i n t e rest i n Type provi d es a broader knowl e dge of hi s t o ry, i n cl u di n g t h e appreci a t i o n of such rel a t e d art s as pai n t i n g, archi t e ct u re, and l i t e rauofrelivand tcan even busi n ess and pol i t i c s. ¶ I n short , Type be a t o ol , a t o y, a t e acher; i t can provi d e a means elulihanecessari ood, a ahobby f o r rel a xat i o n, an i n t e l e ct u al ilifem stType nt , and spi r i t u al sat i s f a ct i o n. ¶ An i n t e rest i n l y i n cl u des a zest f o r everyday .eolBradbury Thompson ype i s a t h i n g of const a nt itindotea. rest t o me. I t i s somet i m es a seri o us and usef u l , empl o yed t o del i v er a message, or gi v e l i f e t o an ¶ At ot h er t i m es i t i s a pl a yt h i n g t h at aff o rds personal amusement and recreat i o n. ¶ An i n t e rest iipai nnclType provi d es a broader knowl e dge of hi s t o ry, u di n g t h e appreci a t i o n of such rel a t e d art s as n t i n g, archi t e ct u re, and l i t e rat u re and even busi ness and pol i t i c s. ¶ I n short , Type can be a t o ol , a t o y, ahobby t e acher; i t can provi d e a means of l i v el i h ood, a f o r rel a xat i o n, an i n t e l e ct u al st i m ul a nt , and a spi itudes al sat i s f a ct i o n. ¶ An i n t e rest i n Type necessari l y ntimclrues iype a zest f o r everyday l i f e . B radbury Thompson i s a t h i n g of const a nt i n t e rest t o me. I t i s somea seri o us and usef u l t o ol , empl o yed t o del i v er aarecreat message, or gi v e l i f e t o an i d ea. ¶ At ot h er t i m es i t i s pl a yt h i n g t h at aff o rds personal amusement and i o n. ¶ An i n t e rest i n Type provi d es a broader knowl e dge of hi s t o ry, i n cl u di n g t h e appreci a,tioType nra-of such rel a t e d art s as pai n t i n g, archi t e ct u re, and l i t e uofrelivand tcan even busi n ess and pol i t i c s. ¶ I n short be a t o ol , a t o y, a t e acher; i t can provi d e a means el i h ood, a hobby f o r rel a xat i o n, an i n t e l e ct u al iBradbury stType mulanecessari nt,and a spi r i t u al sat i s f a ct i o n. ¶ An i n t e rest i n l y i n cl u des a zest f o r everyday l i f e . Thompson “Type i s a t h i n g of const a nt itindotea. eolrest t o me. I t i s somet i m es a seri o us and usef u l , empl o yed t o del i v er a message, or gi v e l i f e t o an ¶ At ot h er t i m es i t i s a pl a yt h i n g t h at aff o rds personal amusement and recreat i o n. ¶ An i n t e rest iipai nnclType provi d es a broader knowl e dge of hi s t o ry, u di n g t h e appreci a t i o n of such rel a t e d art s as n t i n g, archi t e ct u re, and l i t e rat u re and even busi ness and pol i t i c s. ¶ I n short , Type can be a t o ol , a t o y, ahobby t e acher; i t can provi d e a means of l i v el i h ood, a f o r rel a xat i o n, an i n t e l e ct u al st i m ul a nt , and a spi itudes al sat i s f a ct i o n. ¶ An i n t e rest i n Type necessari l y ntimclrues iype a zest f o r everyday l i f e . Bradbury Thompson i s a t h i n g of const a nt i n t e rest t o me. I t i s somea seri o us and usef u l t o ol , empl o yed t o del i v er aarecreat message, or gi v e l i f e t o an i d ea. ¶ At ot h er t i m es i t i s pl a yt h i n g t h at aff o rds personal amusement and i o n. ¶ An i n t e rest i n Type provi d es a broader knowl e dge of hi s t o ry, i n cl u di n g t h e appreci a t i o n of such rel a t e d art s as pai n t i n g, archi t e ct u re, and l i t e rauofrelivand tcan even busi n ess and pol i t i c s. ¶ I n short , Type be a t o ol , a t o y, a t e acher; i t can provi d e a means ood, a ahobby f o r rel a xat i o n, an i n t e l e ct u al iBradbury stType melulihanecessari nt,and spi r i t u al sat i s f a ct i o n. ¶ An i n t e rest i n l y i n cl u des a zest f o r everyday l i f e . Thompson ype i s a t h i n g of const a nt itindotea. eolrest t o me. I t i s somet i m es a seri o us and usef u l , empl o yed t o del i v er a message, or gi v e l i f e t o an ¶ At ot h er t i m es i t i s a pl a yt h i n g t h at aff o rds personal amusement and recreat i o n. ¶ An i n t e rest iipai nnclType provi d es a broader knowl e dge of hi s t o ry, u di n g t h e appreci a t i o n of such rel a t e d art s as ntinand g,archi and,Type literatucan reand ness polittices.ct¶uInre,short beeven atool,busi atoy,“usef TType thingoofyed constant intearest tome.Itorissomet esidaea. seri¶oAtusotand ulittoisisolaa,plempl toafftodel iver message, givelifeim toan er eo.l,rdspersonalamusementandrecreation. mltoo tinimtees a yt h i n g t h at ¶htAn t s givey-broader knowledge of history, including rest aintioType provi h e tedrees laent usgeefu,oara tinad pd n n e ta a s appreci n of such rel a t e arts as pai n t i n g, archi t e ct u re, and l i t e rat u re and i ns us essesit usenmTyp of f i¶ eInnocshort even busi n ess and pol i c s. , Type can be a t o ol , a t o y, a t e acher; it osfcaosieverioram tinmalaitm g t r g d s e n i e o l l re ti athmeans hsitineessol, ahobbyforrelaxation,anintelectualstimcan d“Tyaepsesoisaspi me d.¶eAtopthersnoof owel c,iiah nteknliv abrcuood, metiediditoetu s Adeiris to fn interestinTypenecessarilyincludesa aordal pnptinrect ulzest antfprovi ,oand eea¶ bn. a thepaafa ff ationb.¶rosat i evgecnaio anns, oaAn Itiemptoloaynr n l a t a a u m d r everyday l i f e . Bradbury Thompson ype i s a t h i n g of constant i n t e rest g t s lifethingdthreceres acludianrts a—atn,Typevidealaxatiospeiricesa-y tmessage, o me. It is somet reshorna neryd and useful tool, employed to deliver a dratues profoseri r rendTyao peus v Atothertimesitisaplaythingthataffords Into y iad lliitfee orapnhrogisisvututoidcrevrhy,,reaepinnlaoditem itcaan nea. r ne¶ litics.¶her;hobblainntet,reesstit pfosrecreat personal amusement interest zom o d teac, al stimAunand a aandge h broader knowl e hi s t o ry, i n cludiniogn.t¶ heAn appreci ationinofType suchprovi relateddes¶ artsIna toey,lihaoeocdtuatiof ¶ . nludesuryT o v i l l c teatict as pai n t i n g, archi t db and literatureand even business and politics. nBcre, sfaily u ine i ra s short ,Type can beiosalaifern,.—toan ol,ainttoey,leactteualacher; proviadspi earitmeans ainthobby forType relaxat stimulaitcan azest nt,and ualsatisliffeofa.ctBliviradbury oeln.ih¶ood, An e rest i n necessari l y i n cl u des f o r everyday Thompson ype i s a t h i n g of constant i n t e rest t o me. I t i s somet i m es a seri o and usefes ultools,aempl orgivelifetoan idea. ¶us At ot plnaType ytohyed inprovi gtthoatddel affivaoerbroader rdsamessage, personal amusement and recreatthieoher n.appreci ¶tim Anintaeittirest i es knowl e dge of hi s t o ry, i n cl u di n iobusi n ofness suchandrelpol ateitdics.arts asisapaithnintingg,ofconstant architectuinre,terest andtolitme. era-g tItuisresomet andeven T ype imidesea.a¶seriAtootusherand oplola,ytempl delivpersonal eramessage, or giment velifeand toan tinimteusef es itisuinaltType hprovi ingotdhyed ataffatoobroader rds amuserecreat i o n. ¶ An rest es knowl e dge hitusre,tory, includinugrethand eappreci ationness ofsuch aspai,Type nting,can archibe tec-ofa evenprovi busi andrelpolaoftieticlivds.el¶arts Inood, short tatoiool,n,aand tan oy,inlitaeterat teleacher; i t can d e a means i h a hobby f o r rel axctuudes alstim ulantfo,rand aspiritulifeal.Bradbury satisfaction.Thompson ¶Aninterestype inType necessari l y i n cl a zest everyday templ hingofoyed constant inertearest tome.Itor issomet im es aidseri oAt usotand usef ulittoiissolaa, t o del i v message, gi v e l i f e t o an ea. ¶ h er t i m es plType aythprovi ingthataffaobroader rdspersonal amusement recreat ¶ Aninteatrest edge tory,and thioen.even appreci nofin such relaitictes.dd¶esarts aspai ntknowl ing,can archi tectauoftore,olhi,sand litineaclratuteudiacher; rengand busiinodess and pol I n short , Type be a t o y, i t can provi means ofilisvfelaihctood, ahobby forinrelaType xation,necessari anintelelyctuinalclustdes imulaantzest ,andefoaar spi r i t u al sat i o n. ¶ An i n t e rest everyday life.es Bradbury isathoinyed goftconstant teresttome. Igitisvsomet im a¶seriAtootushThompson and usef ualtoype ola,ytempl oords delivpersonal erainmessage, or e l i f e t o an i d ea. er t i m es i t i s pl h i n g t h at aff amusement and recreat i o n. ¶ An i n t e rest i n Type provi d es a broader knowl e dge hitusre,tory, inclliteurat dinugrethand eappreci ationness ofsuch relpolatieticds.yarts as pai ngtinofg,constant architec-of and even busi and pe i s a t h i n iantmessage, eresttome.orItisgisomet seri ultiosola,plempl ver velifetoim anesidaea. ¶oAtusiootn.and h¶erAn tiusef mes hionyed gprovi thattoaffddeles oirds personal amusement and recreat inteitrest inaofytType a broader knowl e dge of hi s t o ry, i n cl u di n g t h e appreci a t i o n such rel a t e d arts as pai n t i n g, archi t e ct u re, and l i t e rat u re and even busi n ess and pol i t i c s. ¶ I n short ,Type can beioan,toan ol,ainttoey,leactteualacher; proviadspi earitmeans livioeln.ih¶ood, ainthobby forType relaxat stimulaitcan azest nt,and ualsatislifefofa.ctBradbury An e rest i n necessari l y i n cl u des f o r everyday Thompson ype i s a t h i n g of constant i n t e rest t o me. I t i s somet i m es a seri o and usefes ultools,aempl orgivelifetoan idea. ¶us At ot plnaType ytohyed inprovi gtthoatddel affivaoerbroader rdsamessage, personal amusement and recreatthieoher n.appreci ¶tim Anintaeittirest i es knowl e dge of hi s t o ry, i n cl u di n iobusi n ofness suchand relapol tediticarts asshort pain,tType ing, archi tebe ctuare,toand loitey,ra-ga tteuacher; reandeven s. ¶ I n can ol , a t itcan deaaspi means ofislivfaelctihioood, ahobby axatnecessari ion,anintelyllineclctuudes alstim ulzest antprovi ,foand rituallifsat n.¶Thompson An interestfoinrrelType a r everyday e . B radbury ype i s a thing of constant teresttome.orItgiisvsomet aseri todeliverainmessage, elifetoim anes idea. ¶Atous othand ertimusef esuitisltoaolpl,aempl ythinogyed that
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Michael Grover
For the form of the book I chose a hardcover accordion book, because of it’s versatility and many ways of being viewed. A book from the RISD rare books collection is the model for how I binded mine. On this page are some of the several ways of displaying the book. Another advantage of accordion books is that the pages can lie completely flat when opened, even flatter than a sewn book.
Tschichold & Thompson
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Michael Grover
Chapter Name
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Michael Grover
Chapter Name
Pesonal Logotype This assignment was to design a mark for a company by combining the forms of two glyphs; one in the positive space and one in the negative. We made two alternate versions, one an outline and one textured.
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gi gE g3 g3 g3
Michael Grover
qi m H H m H m H m H m c e e e 8 f f H M M H 7 p p q s q s s 1 D k 4 i A
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v v vA w w v
8 S S 8
8 S 8 S S S8 S8 S8 8 S8 8S 8S
8S 8 S
8 S
S8 S8
Personal Logotype
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Sate Gastronomie
To the left are various early concepts. Above are the concepts for Sate Gastronomie, which I was working on concurrently the MG mark, which you will see on the following pages. The final logo uses the font Palatino bold.
Michael Grover
MG
g
m
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MG MhG
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While making the many other combinations of letters, as seen on the previous page, I decided that it would make sense to make a logo based off of my own name, Michael Grover. Soon I will need to build a brand for my self, so why not start now? In most traditional fonts, M and G do not fit together very well (1). The lowercase M and G can be manouvered to work together, albeit very awkwardly. Using the lowercase characters are also not ideal for signifying the initials of a proper name. The softer letterforms of the typeface Cronos helped a bit, though the letters still did not look quite right together (2). Finding the typeface Kleinn was the breakthrough that made combining M and G viable (3). The geometric nature of Kleinn allowed the G to be comfortably nested in between the M’s stems(4). It was at this point it was clear this direction would work, and I abandoned
the idea of Sate Gastronomie, which until now I had been working on concurrently with the MG mark. I refined and experimented with this discovery (5,6), to make the M and G equally legible. Upon looking at a small, printed version, I realized that the G looks like and H. At first this was very concerning; I thought that this flaw would make the concept I had worked on for so long unusable. In an attempt to allay my fears, I quickly made a version of the logo with an H inside, to see how different it looks (7). To my relief, it looked very different from my version (8). To further distinguish the G from and H, I filled the inside of the G with black (9), and finally made a diagonal notch in the G, suggesting a curve (recto). This became the final version. Pehaps one day I will redesign the logo to be more different from the font Kleinn, so that it is entirely my own mark.
Personal Logotype
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Michael Grover
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The line version of the mark is my least favorite of the three. Most of the versions before the final are pretty cut and dry. While a simple, legible outline is practical for stationary etc. it is a bit boring compared to the possibilities of giving the form a texture. I am most fond of number six (6), however it does not go well with the other two versions of the logo we had to make. The final version is on the recto page. My goal with six was to demonstrate that Michael Grover Design works in both digital, as suggested by the glitchy distortion, and in print media as suggested by the blackletter typeface. It is a fusion of new and old, to show my clients that my company can be versatile. Perhaps I will find a use for number six in the future, or use it as a starting point for something else. It would lend itself well a motion graphics application of the logo.
Personal Logotype
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Michael Grover
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I began experimenting with textures by scanning my thumbprint and applying it to the mark (1, 2, 3) to signify that the company specializes in corporate branding. To give some color to the mark I chose a texture is based on a more tenuous connection to the brand I’m constructing (4). My surname is Grover, so I played with the apple associations that come with it. The texture is an image of a red delicious apple applied to the thumbprint texture as an adjustment layer. Interestingly this texture appears similar to a worn map or carving of a labyrinth, an unintentional association. The direction of the brand was not final at this point. Perhaps the company could be a magazine publisher or printing company? These textures (5, 6) follow the possibility of the company specializing in traditional or print media. They are achieved by spreading the pages
of a magazine, specifically National Geographic, on the face of the scanner. Number six introduces some overlay and photomanipulation to the concept. It could signify that the company is a marriage of traditional and digital media. Articles of clothing were the sources of these three textures (7, 8, 9). They are the outside of a leather glove, the sole of a shoe, and the interior lining of a winter glove, respectively. There is not much concept behind these three, except that they are a small part of my personal identity. Being that the name of the company is my own, it could have some relevance to my brand.
Personal Logotype
This is the final mark. I took my the original idea of using a thumbprint for the texture and polished it by montaging several scans of my thumbprint such that they ridges follow the shape of the mark. This makes the mark look much more organic and natural. During the critiques of previous versions, concerns were raised about the associations blackletter type holds, such as with heavy metal bands and The Third Reich. The softness of the final textured mark erases these unwanted associations.
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Michael Grover
Chapter Name
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Michael Grover
Chapter Name
Stationary After designing the mark, the class designed a set of stationary for the company. This includes a folder, business cards, a letterhead, and an envelope.
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Michael Grover
Michael Grover Design 220 Madison Avenue New York, NY, 10016 Office 201.323.0666 Fax 201.481.5162 mgrover@mgde.com
To Whom It May Concern, Aturiore ssiminc iaerior epudant uritae issi re, sum rem quam, conet la quat ut faccustis doluptat moluptatias andeles rem faccupt aspisci usapiti doloriae occus recus idem que et elestrum venis expelli beruptatem re officias sae volore magnis earciam id que volest, simus et quo earchilisque evellis nonsequae coreium veles adit abore volorro et dem ni con reniassimus quam dem fugitia consent, sinctorentis dunt quiderem fuga. Ed quaest ape se maximagnamus ipsapis assusapide laborecepta aspeliandio velenis enit, untios sed eseque sinihillit voluptius con ra vellendam rereiumquo ellesed ma volori quuntio delluptatur acipsandam et fuga. Aperes dere parum deligendam, isqui reptaec temped quam et rentoreium volupta sperum quae debis magnis ea verum as voluptasit a volores is abo. Ut volestiusda sae cus ipidero diam et odit quam idestis nimi, tem essundantiis aut ut volorro illorepre aut modis sunt eossequae laborest facculp aribusapid quam, unt omnis con persped quaepro vitasitaspe velessitatem qui ipiders pedionet lame pel id quiatemporum reiur? Nuscidenda sint audigna tiisciatur moluptius ea exped quo magnate volenih illique nonesequis doloreiciur, que vende la ditis aut illuptatem que sequisci aliat rerio culpa por sinus dent aceat latis dendigenimus sit expliqui te optur, qui beaquos alibusamet peris doluptatio berunt pre, simperiam, sitas vellabo reprorum restrum quatquiat. Velit a consequam ium, te quo et quaecest inciur, isquiatur modis essequi acepudant et magnatem nones nectiatem ellatem volor sit dolupta tionsequias mi, core, ommo mo volore num volesseque et faccus doluptatem il iliatur sum doluptatque quiaspi ssimi, ut labo. It, cuptasimus reium doluptiis expelenda corepel exeribusam ditas enem ex ex et aut earcipsus sequis eum et reiur? Quis sinctor emperem ulparciis molenis deniate vid quam qui quodi ommo et estrumet quam sa acius sincta pa voles im volendam nesendi taspit venimagnis est voluptaqui con con pa cones nos dolupta el entotaque dis dolo int excest ea derionserum volorepero omnimi, sunt exere sinctotae rest eaturectem quo torerepudam quam is quam haribus nis et fugitaquid este dus sit prem aut auta dolorum volore, ipid unt. Sincerely, Michael Grover
Stationary
Michael Grover Design 220 Madison Avenue New York NY 10016 845 323 0666 mgrover@risd.edu To Whom It May Concern, Aturiore ssiminc iaerior epudant uritae issi re, sum rem quam, conet la quat ut faccustis doluptat moluptatias andeles rem faccupt aspisci usapiti doloriae occus recus idem que et elestrum venis expelli beruptatem re officias sae volore magnis earciam id que volest, simus et quo earchilisque evellis nonsequae coreium veles adit abore volorro et dem ni con reniassimus quam dem fugitia consent, sinctorentis dunt quiderem fuga. Ed quaest ape se maximagnamus ipsapis assusapide laborecepta aspeliandio velenis enit, untios sed eseque sinihillit voluptius con ra vellendam rereiumquo ellesed ma volori quuntio delluptatur acipsandam et fuga. Aperes dere parum deligendam, isqui reptaec temped quam et rentoreium volupta sperum quae debis magnis ea verum as voluptasit a volores is abo. Ut volestiusda sae cus ipidero diam et odit quam idestis nimi, tem essundantiis aut ut volorro illorepre aut modis sunt eossequae laborest facculp aribusapid quam, unt omnis con persped quaepro vitasitaspe velessitatem qui ipiders pedionet lame pel id quiatemporum reiur? Nuscidenda sint audigna tiisciatur moluptius ea exped quo magnate volenih illique nonesequis doloreiciur, que vende la ditis aut illuptatem que sequisci aliat rerio culpa por sinus dent aceat latis dendigenimus sit expliqui te optur, qui beaquos alibusamet peris doluptatio berunt pre, simperiam, sitas vellabo reprorum restrum quatquiat. Velit a consequam ium, te quo et quaecest inciur, isquiatur modis essequi acepudant et magnatem nones nectiatem ellatem volor sit dolupta tionsequias mi, core, ommo mo volore num volesseque et faccus doluptatem il iliatur sum doluptatque quiaspi ssimi, ut labo. It, cuptasimus reium doluptiis expelenda corepel exeribusam ditas enem ex ex et aut earcipsus sequis eum et reiur? Quis sinctor emperem ulparciis molenis deniate vid quam qui quodi ommo et estrumet quam sa acius sincta pa voles im volendam nesendi taspit venimagnis est voluptaqui con con pa cones nos dolupta el entotaque dis dolo int excest ea derionserum volorepero omnimi, sunt exere sinctotae rest eaturectem quo torerepudam quam is quam haribus nis et fugitaquid este dus sit prem aut auta dolorum volore, ipid unt. Sincerely, Michael Grover
Verso: letterhead with dummy text Left: envelope Top: business card front side Bottom: business card left side
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220 Madison Avenue New York NY 10016
Michael Michael Grover Grover Design Design
220 Madison Avenue New York, NY, 10016
Michael Grover Design
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Stationary
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3 On the previous page is a short progression of letterhead designs for Michael Grover Design. I removed the rule and decreased the size of the logo in the second version. I was still struggling between whether to use the thumbprint logo or the solid black version. The progression of the envelope designs was similar, the logo size decrease and the decorative line was removed (1, 2). These trends would continue in the final versions on the next page. I turned the MG logo into a pattern for the back of one early business card design (3). In a later design I decreased the size of the text, and made it more compact, solid block of text (4). In a design very close the the final, The text shrunk smaller still, and so did the logo (5). I seperated different information to make it easier to read.
Michael Grover Design 220 Madison Avenue New York, NY, 10016 845.323.0666 · mgrover@risd.edu Michael Grover, Senior Designer
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Michael Grover Design 220 Madison Avenue New York, NY, 10016 Office 201.323.0666 Fax 201.481.5162 mgrover@mgde.com
Michael Grover Design 220 Madison Avenue New York NY 10016 T F
201 323 0666 201 481 5162
Michael Grover, Founder mgrover@mgde.com
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Michael Grover
Michael Grover Michael Design Grover Design 220 Madison Avenue New York NY 10016 mgrover@mgde.com T 201 323 0666 F 201 481 5162
Stationary
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220 Madison Avenue New York NY 10016
Michael Grover Michael Design Grover Design
The main difference between these and previous versions is the size of the type, which is now 6.3 points. The logos are also a more modest size, and the same size throughout the stationary. In hindsight I regret the choice of type for the title of the company, “Michael Grover Design.” I chose the typeface Neue Haas Grotesk without realizing that it is another name for Helvetica. When I use this logo to promote myself, I will change the typeface to something less generic, but still tasteful and geometric. The choice between using the thumbprint mark and the solid black mark for the stationary was a difficult one, so I chose to use both. The alternate version of the stationary is on the following page. Depending on the client and their values, I can choose either this set of stationary or the other.
Michael Grover Design 220 Madison Avenue New York NY 10016 Michael Grover, Founder mgrover@mgde.com T 201 323 0666 F 201 481 5162
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Michael Grover
Michael Grover Michael Design Grover Design 220 Madison Avenue New York NY 10016 mgrover@mgde.com T 201 323 0666 F 201 481 5162
To Whom It May Concern, Aturiore ssiminc iaerior epudant uritae issi re, sum rem quam, conet la quat ut faccustis doluptat moluptatias andeles rem faccupt aspisci usapiti doloriae occus recus idem que et elestrum venis expelli beruptatem re officias sae volore magnis earciam id que volest, simus et quo earchilisque evellis nonsequae coreium veles adit abore volorro et dem ni con reniassimus quam dem fugitia consent, sinctorentis dunt quiderem fuga. Ed quaest ape se maximagnamus ipsapis assusapide laborecepta aspeliandio velenis enit, untios sed eseque sinihillit voluptius con ra vellendam rereiumquo ellesed ma volori quuntio delluptatur acipsandam et fuga. Aperes dere parum deligendam, isqui reptaec temped quam et rentoreium volupta sperum quae debis magnis ea verum as voluptasit a volores is abo. Ut volestiusda sae cus ipidero diam et odit quam idestis nimi, tem essundantiis aut ut volorro illorepre aut modis sunt eossequae laborest facculp aribusapid quam, unt omnis con persped quaepro vitasitaspe velessitatem qui ipiders pedionet lame pel id quiatemporum reiur? Nuscidenda sint audigna tiisciatur moluptius ea exped quo magnate volenih illique nonesequis doloreiciur, que vende la ditis aut illuptatem que sequisci aliat rerio culpa por sinus dent aceat latis dendigenimus sit expliqui te optur, qui beaquos alibusamet peris doluptatio berunt pre, simperiam, sitas vellabo reprorum restrum quatquiat. Velit a consequam ium, te quo et quaecest inciur, isquiatur modis essequi acepudant et magnatem nones nectiatem ellatem volor sit dolupta tionsequias mi, core, ommo mo volore num volesseque et faccus doluptatem il iliatur sum doluptatque quiaspi ssimi, ut labo. It, cuptasimus reium doluptiis expelenda corepel exeribusam ditas enem ex ex et aut earcipsus sequis eum et reiur? Quis sinctor emperem ulparciis molenis deniate vid quam qui quodi ommo et estrumet quam sa acius sincta pa voles im volendam nesendi taspit venimagnis est voluptaqui con con pa cones nos dolupta el entotaque dis dolo int excest ea derionserum volorepero omnimi, sunt exere sinctotae rest eaturectem quo torerepudam quam is quam haribus nis et fugitaquid este dus sit prem aut auta dolorum volore, ipid unt. Sincerely, Michael Grover
220 Madison Avenue New York NY 10016
Michael Grover Michael Design Grover Design
Stationary
Michael Grover Design 220 Madison Avenue New York NY 10016 Michael Grover, Founder mgrover@mgde.com T 201 323 0666 F 201 481 5162
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Da Vinci in Milan For this project the class was given an excerpt from The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci and tasked with adapting this text into a well designed and bound book.
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10.25"
 14.18" 7.09"
Da Vinci in Milan
0.35"
column guides (there are ten columns within the margins)
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2.23"
Chapter title
page #
hangline
baseline grid 10 pt
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Da Vinci in Milan
basic paragraph
head 1
head 2 pull quote
da Vinci pull quote
Da Vinci body first paragraph Da Vinci body Da Vinci List
Da Vinci big list
narrator body first paragraph narrator body marginalia, footnotes, and captions
Da Vinci in Milan The structure of Da Vinci in Milan is shown on the previous page. The first step I took in making the book’s structure was deciding the page size which is 70.09 by 10.25 inches. I loosely based this on the page sizes of a few books I have, such as The Complete World of Greek Mythology and The Anatomy of Type. After choosing the page size came establishing the margins. I used Tschichold’s model of ideal margin to page proportions to determine them. I began designing the book with only five columns within the margin, and one outside, but this did not give me the flexibility I wanted placing text and images. Ten columns within the margins and two outside for marginalia afforded me much more freedom in designing the spreads. The baseline grid and after that the hangline were the last invisible structural elements to be established. After establishing the structure came making the style sheet, which is graphically represented to the left. To differentiate the voice of da Vinci and the author, different fonts were used. I chose Garamond for da Vinci’s voice because the original Garamond was published only ten years after da Vinci’s death. It seemed appropriate to use a type face from his time for his voice. The typeface Cronos signifies the narrator’s voice. I chose Cronos because it is a humanist sans serif font; the lack of serifs makes it distinguishable from Garamond at a small size and the humanist curves are similar to those of Garamond. A very important factor that led me to chose Cronos is that it has small capitals and oldstyle figures, which are uncommon in sans serif typefaces.
Colophon of Da Vinci in Milan Typefaces: Cronos Pro used for narrator's voice, footnotes, captions, headlines, and marginalia. Garamond Premiere Pro used for Da Vinci's voice, and title page. Paper: Mohawk Superfine, white, 100 lbs, text, smooth Strathmore paper, charcoal Lineco black bookcloth printed with the Epson Artisan 1430 Programs: Adobe InDesign cc v 9.2.1 Adobe Photoshop cc v 14.2.1 x 64 Images: The Unknown Leonardo Leonardo da Vinci Leonardo da Vinci, Painter at the Court of Milan Wikimedia Commons De Divina Proportione risd 2016 Typography 2 Aki Nurosi
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This and the following pages are full size spreads from Da Vinci in Milan. This spread is the beginning of the first chapter. It is the first chapter divide that I designed and was the basis for all of the following ones.
Da Vinci in Milan
Arrival in Milan
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Arrival in Milan October 1481 probable date of Leonardo’s arrival in Milan. At that time Gian Galeazzo Sforza, Duke of Milan, was thirteen years old, and his uncle Ludovico il Moro, Duke of Bari, was virtual ruler. According to the Anonimo Magliabecchiano, Leonardo was thirty when Lorenzo il Magnifico sent him to the Duke of Milan, accompanied by Atalante Migliorotti, to present him with a lyra, as he was unsurpassed in playing that instrument. His companion, then a youth of sixteen, developed into a successful actor, musician, and builder of musical instruments. Also according to Vasari it was Leonardo’s accomplishment in music that was the cause of his summons to Milan. He was greeted with great applause in an assembly of musicians, where he played on a lyra which he had made himself in the shape of a horse’s skull and which produced a sound of great volume and clearness. A description of Leonardo’s appearance is given by the Anonimo. He was a beautiful person, well-proportioned, agreeable and lovely to look at. He wore a short rose-coloured tunic reaching down to his knees, at a time when long clothes were being worn. A fine beard, well arranged in ringlets, descended to the middle of his chest. Soon after his arrival in Milan Leonardo painted the portrait of Cecilia Gallerani, who became the mistress of Ludovico il Moro in 1481. This portrait has been identified with the Lady with an Ermine in the collection of Prince Czartoryski at Cracow. The following note was addressed by the artist to the sitter:
Verso: The Lady with an Ermine Recto: Ermine detail
Cecilia, dearest goddess, having read your most gracious….
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Da Vinci in Milan
While at work on the Sforza monument he was looking out for horses that might serve as models. He found what he liked in the stable of Galeazzo di San Severino, the son-in-law of Ludovico il Moro. The following notes are written beside sketches from horses: • Messer Galeazzo’s big genet. • Messer Galeazzo’s Sicilian horse. • Measurement of the Sicilian horse, the leg from behind, in front lifted and extended.
Da Vinci in Milan is full of images that relate to the text. I found the images present in the original text lacking, so I scanned many images from other books about Leonardo and his notebooks to use. Whenever a specific sketch or painting is mentioned, I did my best to find and include it.
Da Vinci in Milan
The Sforza Monument 35
Various equine studies for the Sforza monument
In the mountains of Parma and Piacenza multitudes of shells and corals filled with wormholes may be seen still adhering to the rocks. When I was making the great horse at Milan a large sack of those shells which had been found in these parts was brought to my workshop by some peasants, and among them were many still in their original condition.
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The Last Supper, completed in 1498. Commisioned by Ludovico Sforza for the Santa Maria delle Grazie
Among the apostles represented in the painting are portraits of courtiers and men in Milan. The following description of Leonardo’s methods of studying is of interest in this connexion.
The image in this spread is off-center so that Jesus does not fall into the gutter of the book. The space between John the Apostle and Jesus seemed appropriate to have in the gutter of the book, because of its relative lack of visual density. The asymmetry of the image’s placement
had the pleasant result of making the spread more dynamic; it is one of my favorite from the book.
Da Vinci in Milan
The Last Supper
Giovanbatista Giraldi, whose father knew Leonardo, writes: When Leonardo wished to paint a figure he first considered what social standing and what nature it was to represent; whether noble or plebeian, gay or severe, troubled or serene, old or young, irate or quiet, good or evil; and when he had made up his mind, he went to places where he knew that people of that kind assembled and observed their faces,
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their manners, dresses, and gestures; and when he found what fitted his purpose, he noted it in a little book which he was always carrying in his belt. After repeating this procedure many times, and being satisfied with the material thus collected for the figure which he wished to paint, he would proceed to give it shape, and he would succeed marvelously.’
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Binding Da Vinci in Milan was one of the most rewarding experiences in Typography II. Before printing the final copy, I perfect bound a dummy book (1, 2) to get an idea of what size the final version would be. perfect binding was surprisingly easy and the result was satisfactory. The experience of perfect binding Da Vinci in Milan influenced my choice to bind the process book you are reading right now this way. I did not put a cover on this dummy book, so the glue is visible. After making the final adjustments to the book’s design, I printed the signatures that would be sewed together to form the text block. I glued a head band to the top and bottom of the text block,made a hard cover of book cloth and book board, and glued it to the text block by the endsheets (3, 4).
Sewing the book allowed the pages to open very easily and be spread flat (5). The final touch was to a dust jacket (6). The text on the jacket serves the important purpose of communicating which side of the book is the front, and which edge is the bottom. Without this the reader would open the book upside down one out of two times.
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Colophon Fonts: Gotham book, book italic, and bold Paper: Mohawk Superfine 80T ultra white Mohwak Superfine 100C ultra white Printed with the Epson Artisan 1430 Programs: Adobe InDesign cc v 9.2.1 Adobe Photoshop cc v 14.2.1 x 64 RISD 2016 Typography 2 Aki Nurosi
Designed by Michael Grover