Semiotic and Form: Icons and Symbol System by Michelle Lee

DESIGN AND WORDS BY MICHELLE LEE

Graphic Design 2 is an

INTRODUCTION to

informational and branding symbols and systems. The goal is to tell a branding story through the incorporation of symbology and typography, which are essential components to brand building. Another goal is to introduce designers to execute designs that follow a corporate style, which interprets a look and feel prospective employers and clients need to see visually in todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s design market. This 70-page book will showcase the design projects created throughout the course: five logo typologies, a symbol system of nine cohesive icons, and The Noun Project. The book includes a weekly journal from the beginning of the course to the very end.

TABLE OF CONTENTS LOGO TYPOLOGIES-------------------------PAGE 07-19 SYMBOL SYSTEM-----------------------------PAGE 21-41 THE NOUN PROJECT------------------------PAGE 43-49 TECHNICAL SKILLS---------------------------PAGE 50-51 GENRE----------------------------------------------- PAGE 52 VOX SYSTEM -------------------------------------- PAGE 53 50 IMPORTANT FONTS-------------------------- PAGE 54 SUMMARIES------------------------------------PAGE 55-60 COLOPHON--------------------------------------- PAGE 61

The main goal for my rebrand experiment was to explore

LOGO TYPOLOGIES:

five different forms of

wordmark, letterform, emblem, pictorial, and abstract. I chose to experiment on the brand, LOREAL. The task is to reform and reinvent a new brand for the company through each form. The direction, I took for LOREAL, was to go back to its humble beginnings. The first product was a hair dye, so I wanted to new brand to resemble voluminous hair with luscious curls. I chose a script typeface as the swirls mimic flowing hair. A key point is found in the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Oâ&#x20AC;? as a wavy curl is drawy in the form, which makes it the distinguish mark for the new brand. The gold, white and black color palatte is a timeless theme, which elevates the brand logo.

WORDMARK is a font-based logo that focuses on the company name alone.

LETTERFORM consists of letters, usually brand initials, used for brand identification.

EMBLEM consists of font inside a symbol or icon like a badge or seal.

PICTORIAL mark is a graphic-based icon that bring immediate brand recognition.

ABSTRACT is a specific type of pictorial logo. This form uses a conceptual form as an interpretation the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s logo instead of being a recognizable image.

Pictures or graphic symbols are essential because they are a form of visual communication. Symbols can look like the thing they are representing, or they might represent more abstract

SYMBOL SYSTEMS

things. Symb lsystems SymbGol DSsystems are grouped and categorized together to form a comprehensive visual library. The theme of my system is a collection of symbols that represent nine different forms of online communication. They are categorized in three groups, which are distinguished by color: desktop (gray), mobile (blue), and network (red). The art direction is a retro depiction in the icons, but I used the color palette and rounded shapes to bring a modern element to each symbol. I found that sharp corners and outlines made the symbols look dated.

WEBSITE

BLOG

FORUM

PHONE

TEXT MESSAGE

VIDEO MESSAGE

CLOUD SHARING

SOCIAL MEDIA

The objective of

THE NOUN PROJECT is to

create a theme-based system in a black and white color palette. We will have an opporturnity to submit our symbol system to The Noun Project website, which gives us the opportunity to share our symbol system design globally with monetary commission. The theme of my Noun Project is beverages. I created a 3D image of 12 different drinks but connected them through common design themes, like glassware, texture, or accessories.

TECHNICAL CULTURE are important tools to graphic designers. It is crucial to have and utilize a variety of tools in a designerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s arsenal. This array of knowledge is a combination of refining technical and mechanical skillsets and knowing graphic design history and trends. The following section will display three examples: technical exercises in Adobe Illustration, classical genres, and the vox system.

THE CLASSIC CASK CO N

ED D RAUG

MARK

TRADE

TRADITIONAL CASK

THE CLASSIC CASK CO ND I

O TI

NED

D RAU

MARK

TRADE

TRADITIONAL CASK

E R F RO M THE NOR T H

EST D

GT N I D

S 1778 ON

B OD

STRANGEWAYS BREWERY

E R F RO M THE NOR T H

B OD

EST D

S 1778 ON

GT N I D

STRANGEWAYS BREWERY

TRADEWELL M

A R K E T

technical exercisesEXERCISES technical exercises are practices to TECHNICAL sharpen our skills in Adobe Illustrator. Our goal is to take two rasterized images and convert them into a vector artwork: vecto can scale to retain a crisp, sharp edge at any size. Through these exercises, we have practiced with tools and techniques like type on path, the pen tool, outlined type, positioning X & Y number coordinates, and working in layers.

Typography is a most powerful communication tool when integrated with classic iconic layouts which in themselves are loaded with cultural meaning. The following are nine

CLASSIC GENRES

important classic genres genres classic gen that inspire design concepts.

OLDSTYLE 1455 - T.O.C

ART NOUVEAU 1890s - 1910s

CONSTRUCTIVISM 1914s - 1930s

DE STIJL 1917 - 1930s

BAUHAUS 1919 - 1933

ART DECO 1920s - 1930s INTERNATIONAL SWISS 1950s

POSTMODERN 1950s - 1980s

URBAN 1990s 60

HUMANIST 1450 - 1490s

GLYPHIC 107AD

GARALDE 1450 - 1790s

TRANSITIONAL

DIDONE

1690s

1740s

MECHANISTIC 1840s

NEO GROTESQUE

GROTESQUE

1900s

HUMANIST SANS 1920s

GEOMETRIC

SCRIPT

1930s - 1950s

20th century

GRAPHIC 20th century

The

VOX SYSTEM was devised by Maximilien Vox in

1954, it was adopted in 1962 by the Association Typographique Internationale and in 1967 as a British Standard, as British Standards Classification of Typefaces, which is a very basic interpretation of the earlier Vox-ATypI classification.

50 IMPORTANT FONTS

Bodoni | Giambattista Bodoni | 1798 | Didone

Didot | Firmin Didot | 1784â&#x20AC;&#x201C;1811 | Didone

Eurostile | Aldo Novarese | 1962 | Geometric

Interstate | Tobias Frere-Jones | 1993-1999 | Neo-Grotesque

Jenson | Robert Slimbach | 1996 | Humanist

L 62

H J

Letter Gothic | Roger Roberson | 1956-62 | Neo-Grotesque

Mrs Eaves | Zuzana Licko | 1996 | Transitional

Palatino | Hermann Zapf | 1948 | Garalde

Quadraat| Fred Smeijers | 1992 | Transitional

O Q

Rockwell | Frank Hinman Pierpont | 1934 | Slab Serif

Stone Serif | Summer Stone | 1984 | Transitional

Univers | Adrian Frutiger | 1957 | Neo-Grotesque

Verdana | Matthew Carter | 1996 | Neo-Grotesque

Walbaum | Justus Erich Walbaum | 1804 | Didone

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Each week, we are tasked to provide a

SUMMARY

of what happened during our weekly meetings. A good summary is comprised of three criteria: facts, reasons why, and an opinion. This weekly exercise is a way to organize our thoughts. As we strengthen our communication skills, we can articulate our concepts and design process. The summaries also serve as a informant to our instructor of what we learned during our semester together.

Week One started off with introductions of fellow classmates and an overview of the course. The main topic of discussion was the final project of Graphic Design 2, a printed book that will hold a collection of assignments and projects students will build throughout the semester. Professor Kovach challenged us to think of about the purpose of Graphic Design. As designers, we need to ask three questions: 1. Is the concept good? 2. How does it solve the problem? or Is it appropriate? 3. How well is the design executed? He further challenged us by asking what important purpose the design concept needs to have. The answer is the need for the clients to understand the “what and why” behind the concept and for the graphic designers to convert the client’s words and wishes into visuals. Another focus on Week One was the nine genres in Graphic Design: Oldstyle, Constructivism, Art Nouveau, Art Deco, Bauhaus, De Stijl, International/Swiss Style, Postmodern and Urban. Professor Kovach pointed out the significance to know each genre because you can make a good, strong design through combining its history with the appropriation of the concept. There is no need to reinvent the genre; we can take elements that inspires us from the genres and improve upon them by incorporating today’s concepts. Brandmarks will be a featured part in our final project. We looked at five categories of logo typologies: Wordmark, Letterform, Emblem, Pictorial, and Abstract. I discovered that distinguishing some brand logos into these categories can be very tricky. Our final topic was the Modular Grid assignment. This was new to me, but I quickly learned how useful this grid can be for preliminary layout designs, Overall, it was a very informative class with a lot of new information. For me, it ended on a good note because I felt prepared to tackle the week’s assignments.

Class began with an explanation over the importance of well-organized computer file management system. Professor Kovach showed us his file system on his own computer as an example. He advised us to make individual folders for each of class we are taking, and to get in the habit of backing up our files, as a precaution. The goal is to submit our course folder at the end of the semester. Next we moved onto a tutorial of InDesign. Professor Kovach discussed how to maneuver around the program. If we had further questions, video tutorials are uploaded on Canvas. He instructed more building modular grids and how useful the Reference Point tool is. The Reference Point tool assists us in looking for guides so that we can create static designs. Another important tools we are to use is the Layers tool. The Layers tools helps keep the design file organized as it groups backgrounds, texts/copies, and images together. For next hour, we presented our Genre Look #1 and Logo Typologies Brand Example assignments. Professor Kovach suggested that we search in package design for our next Genre Look assignment. We moved onto reporting which brand we were going to redesign for our upcoming project. I chose LOREAL. At the end of class, we watched a short video clip on a 1993 interview of Steve Jobs, one of the founders of Apple. He talked about his experience working with Paul Rand, a graphic designer best known for his corporate logo designs. Steve Jobs described how Paul Rand solved a problem that NEXT had in building their logo design. Jobs said that Rand created a recognizable symbol, which contained the name of the company. Therefore, it saved NEXT millions of dollars and ten plus years of marketing to establish recognition of a symbol that needed to be associated with the brand. This was a good tip or a gem, as Jobs would call it, because I will keep this in mind as go forward into phase one of redesign the brand logo for LOREAL.

In week three, we went over many topics. Printing was first on the agenda. Professor Kovach informed of on the importance of printing layouts during the design process. The tint and shade of color ink can vary due to the mixing process, so it is important to print out a sample before production to check and verify the color and the size of the typography matches what was in the design layout. The first Tips and Tricks discussion was given this week. It was Jairo and Sam’s turn to share. Jairo introduced a new software that could be another alternative to Abode Suites. Affinity Photo, Designer and Publisher are the programs. I thought this was good information to have since they are more cost efficient than Adobe Suites. Sam gave a neat trick in creating your own brushstrokes with the line tool. I haven’t tried it yet, but I think this will come in handy, especially for illustrations that need to be transferred digitally from paper. During our presentation of the logo typologies look #1, I learned that only 50% of people can read signage, like a billboard or storefront sign. The difference between an abstract logo and a pictorial logo lies within the demographic looking at it. So, when we design, we need to focus on the problem and envision a solution for that problem by picking a clear strategy and thinking of a solution. I walked away for some good suggestions for my logo typologies. I was going to go with simpler design for the pictorial symbol and go from there. I was told to watch for scalability because one of my pictorial logos have long lashes that can distort the scale to the rest of the image.

Week four started off with a discussion about our class having face to face meetings or continuing with remote zoom meetings. I feel divided about the subject because I would like to go down to school, maybe once or twice this semester, but I am afraid to at the same time. I know how hard it is to be stuck at home for long periods. There are days where I sit in front of my computer for over fourteen hours. So, it is understandable that there is a strong desire to get out and to bring back some normalcy from the time before the pandemic began. My main takeaways from week four’s class were the tips and tricks, why change the brand, and the symbol system. This week’s tips and tricks were good and informative. I liked Katelynne’s suggestion to create an Instagram account for quick portfolio reference. Through research, the resolution frame for Instagram is 1080px x 1080px for a square frame, 1080px x 1350px for portrait, and 1080px x 608px for landscape. Betsy’s recommendation for the site, are.na, was great. I’m always looking for good resources to build up my library. I was happy when Professor Kovach shared the Noun Project with the class too. I have been trying to find that site for the past two weeks to the point where it was driving me crazy. Michelle’s tip for the Adobe Color Scheme finder, where you can extract the main color palette from an image, was so helpful too. Then we discussed the six reasons why companies are motivated to change the brand. In my last takeaway, I began to think more about symbol systems. Professor Kovach stated that symbols systems need to be consistent, simple, and easy to read.

In week five, we began class with an important announcement. We learned that our class would remain remote for the rest of the semester. Our classroom was not inspected, and therefore, it was classified as unsafe. Today Tips and Tricks were good because I did learn new tricks. I was glad that Colleen spoke about the file management and storage files that can use up so much memory and slow down our computer processes. It never came to mind to delete these files, which I immediately did that same night. Vicky’s tip on swapping color palettes so that two images will match was a tip that I will use as a reference in future projects. The rest of the class were going over our next project and our assignment. We went around and shared the category for our symbol system. I chose to do symbols and icons for a resume or portfolio, as this is a subject matter I am focused on while trying to secure an internship. Afterwards, Professor Kovach gave us some time to finalize our logo typology look #3. He advised us to treat it as a professional document and presentation. We were to make it into an interactive pdf file, try to incorporate transition between each slide and using negative space to guide image placements and label sizing, so that it does not detract from the main design, which is the logo typologies. This was good practice and my next step is to work on the copy for the logo typologies that we will put into our book design.

Week six’s focus was on printing. An important topic that we covered in class was the RGB color process. RGB stands for red, blue, and green colors that are used for digital printing. In the painting world, the primary colors are red, blue, and yellow, but green take the place of yellow in the digital world. Another difference is the digital color process is subtractive, which means color moves to white as more color is added. This is the opposite of offset color printing, which is additive because the color grows darker to black as more color is added. Offset printing uses a four color process, CMYK. C stands for cran, M stands for magenta, Y is yellow, and K is black. We also learned the advantage of offset printing verse digital printing. Offset printing is used for mass printing like magazines, newspapers, books. The offset margins and bleeds need to be accurately set before printing, so there is more labor involved in the beginning stage. However, once the settings are ready, you can print as mush as needed. That is why the cost can go down if you have a large print order. Digital printing is better for small print jobs because the cost is constant, so it would be wiser to go with this form for smaller print orders. Another fact we learned was the perfect black in CMYK is C=0, M=0, Y=0, K=100. There is only one ink setting in this color, that is why it appears lighter in print than on the screen. For this reason, a richer black will have values in all four color settings to give a perfect black in print. Grays are neutral, which does not interfere with other colors. These are all tips that we will need to know when we begin to print out our books.

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Week seven started off differently than the previous weeks. We started class on a different note. Grabbing some inspiration from the CUSP Conference, a two day design thinking conference, Professor Kovach began our session with a time of relaxation and mediation. He played the Harp Twin’s cover of Stairway to Heaven. He encouraged us to breathe slowly and relax as we listened to the music to help us focus during the rest of our meeting. I will be honest and admit that I was watching the video more than breathing/ relaxing. As I was listening to the harpists, I thought of two things: Gilmore Girls, a popular TV series from 2000’s and the Shining. Both thoughts gave me a good laugh, and I enjoyed it. This week’s tips and tricks were things that I already knew how to use, but it was a nice refresher. Renee shared a trick in photoshop in the basics of outline and layer masking. Aki also demonstrated in photoshop a blending tool through the overlay option that allows you to change the tint, shade, and texture of one image with another image or solid color layer. Hannah shared about the pathfinder tool in Illustrator, which allows you to manipulate and create new shapes and objects in vector. My final takeaway came from our discussion over mod grids and how important they are to layouts in book design. I was glad that Professor Kovach took the time to explain the assignment in more detail. He also gave us some tips on text and fonts, which can shape the direction of our layout concept. Another key tip was to go extreme as possible, like in utilizing negative space, to put more emphasis on the symbol designs, which are the stars of our book.

Week 8 started off with discussions about Halloween. Various people had different plans and costumes to dress up in, but covid had put a damper on a lot of the social aspects, which people look forward to on this holiday. Professor Kovach told us to always make plans to keep our spirits up. He said that you should create your own adventures, and whether you do it or not, it’s all about the journey. This motivated me to make plans to go away camping in the springtime. Maybe I will make it a weekend trip or go during spring break, but I’m currently having fun, researching places to go. We watched Patti Garvey’s performance in the opening of the CUSP Conference. It was a cover of Usher’s DJ Got Us Fallin’ in Love, performed on the cello. It was okay, but I liked her next piece where she created a musical composition based on Manuelo the Playing Mantis by Don Freeman. The base of the music was Bach’s Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major, Prelude. She took the tones and sounds of the animals and made a musical narrative that accompanies the story. It was different, and I concluded that you could find inspiration in anything and make it into your own creative design. We had four Tips and Tricks shared by Marius, Bri, Renee and Katelynn. Marius showed us a shortcut to change the opacity of a selected by the number 1-9. Each number is multiplied by 10% opacity, so 1=10%, 8=80%. Bri shared the website, Canva. I am familiar with this site and have used it on many occasions. Renee gave us a list of keyboard shortcuts, which I thought was good to have because it saves time and you do not lose the place where the mouse was. Katelynn demonstrated smart objects, clipping masks and how to apply them with the blending tools. This was a skill that I was already familiar with. If I had to take one thing from today’s class, it would be exporting an INDD file as a package. It makes sense to do this because the recipient may or may not have the necessary fonts and images needed to properly view the document. All in all, I will send INDD files through as a package from this point on. We also learned about storyboards. Storyboard are important because they map out the layout of a book’s content. Professor Kovach emphasize the need to write out and proofread the text copies that will go into our books. Proofreading is necessary because you do not want poorly written content in a professional book. Another reason, for having the copy ready, is to see how it lays in the spread. This will help detect widows and orphans; determine the balance in leading and kerning; and adjusting any other possible formatting principles so it will fit well within the spread.

Week 9 was a good meeting because we went over several things necessary for our book project. We discussed the book style evolution, clarified questions about the storyboard, and we did a critique of our third book print draft. Professor Kovach compiled a PDF file of different examples of style, which past students have made. I benefited from this discussion because it gave me more ideas for my book style. I condensed my color pallet from six colors to four. I saw a book design with mandalas, and that inspired me to use graphic floral prints. I was a little confused on the storyboard because I thought we were restricted to only sixty pages, no more or no less. I was concerned about layouts and spacing, especially with the summaries. I needed more pages, or I would have overcrowded the layouts. Hence, from this point on, I’m going to try and be more direct and try to keep my summaries short and sweet. But they will hold the three criteria of good summary: facts, reason why, and opinions. The critique of third drafts were helpful. I received good input about my book print, but I really appreciated seeing my classmates project because it gave me perspectives on how to design and what I wanted my book print to look like.

Week 10 was filled with lots of highs and lows. We had technical issues with zoom, as Professor Kovach’s internet kept booting him in and out of the zoom meeting. Who would have guessed that something, like internet speed, have such an impact on our learning and education? I had experienced a similar ordeal the following days, as my internet went out. We discovered that the casing on the cable line had eroded and was cut open. Over some time, water had seeped into the land line, and caused a lot of damage to the wiring; therefore, our internet was incredibly slow, but we were able live with it. However, on late Sunday evening, my internet had reached it limit and died. The next days, I used my phone’s hotspot, and it ate up a lot of data, as I had to work on assignments. Thank God for our unlimited data plan, but I still had to go to my brother’s house early Tuesday morning to hijack their internet, so I can join my classes for that day. It’s Wednesday, November 18th and everything is fixed now, but I lost a lot of time. It has put me behind schedule on most of my assignments. As of now, I have no choice but to plow through everything and hope for the best. I am stressed and feeling a little overwhelmed, but I’m staying positive. One lesson I learned is how precious and dependent I am on the internet, and I am not sure if that is a good thing. I learned another valuable lesson this week, and it is a lesson that you are never too old to learn and/or be reminded of. It is a lesson of how powerful our words can be over people, whether it is positive or negative. We should be careful in how and what manner we speak these words. Mistakes were made during this week’s meeting, but I believe that although the delivery was bad, we had a chance to voice our frustrations pertaining to our class and school in general and have an open dialogue with Professor Kovach. I reflected a lot on what happened, and I was able to privately speak to Professor Kovach. Hopefully, our class will be able to move on, and we can enjoy the rest of this semester together.

Week 11 was a good week. Tips and Tricks was presented by Michelle H. and Betsy. Michelle shared Unsplash, a resource site for free stock images. Betsy introduced us to a site called Dribble. It is a site formatted more like Pinterest and a platform for artist to post their work and designs. Betsy recommended it for a site to find inspiration and ideas. Professor Kovach presented a demonstration in how to make a book in InDesign. The title and theme is 100 Things I Learned in School. I thought the book was very interesting. I liked the roles the graphics and typography played in the page layout. I found some of the themes that was depicted in the spread. Design is everything; copying is a tool when learning; creativity is nonlinear; and your work will look like you even if you don’t try to make it look like you were messages that stuck out to me. Finally, we had a critique on our book evolutions and noun project look #2. I received a lot of good feedback that help me my third look for my noun project symbol system. I also received approval on my book evolution from Professor Kovach, which allowed me to move forward and make good progress on my book print assignment. Overall, Thursday was a good class meeting and I felt good at the end of class.

There was no class this week, due to the Thanksgiving break. It was a different event with pandemic. I was able to catch up on my assignments, which was helpful as deadline for finals projects are approaching in three weeks.

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Century Gothic Bold 36pt Century Gothic Bold 18pt Century Gothic Bold 12pt Century Gothic Regular 12pt Century Gothic Regular 9pt Century Gothic Regular 7pt

R=242 G=242 B=242

C=3.71% M=2.76% Y=2.76% K=0%

R=13 G=13 B=13

C=73.80% M=67.38% Y=66.09% K=84.59%

R=220 G=238 B=242

C=12.52% M=0.77% Y=3.48% K=0%

R=163 G=186 B=191

C=36.75% M=17.76% Y=20.81% K=0%