Flock A Maximum Ride Typeface1
Contents
Concept
2
Basic Anatomy
4
Majuscules
8
Miniscules
9
Numerals
10
Punctuation
11
Meet the Real Flock
12
Concept
After receiving the opportunity to create my very own typeface, I sat down to think about my options with my favorite book. I hadn't imagined the answer would appear in my lap, but there it was. The book series I'd adored since middle school, Maximum Ride, was suffering from a severe case of bad design. I decided to remedy this situation by creating a typeface specifically for the series. The series revolves around a family of six genetically mutated children that are living on their own and are on the run from the scientists that created them. Max, the main character, proved to be my guiding light in this project. Her snarky personality and her strong "fight or flight" instincts got her family out of countless dangers in the books, and she didn't fail me either in my search for inspiration. In honor of Max and her family, which she lovingly refers to as "the flock," I looked at two serifs typefaces, Centaur and Bembo, for inspiration, along with Max's own nature to design Maximum Ride's new typeface: Flock.
2
Nevermore A Final Maximum Ride Adventure
JAMES PATTERSON 3
Anatomy
"Fight or flight" is Max's default reaction to trouble. She will either face her foes with teeth bared and fists balled or get her family out of there before they can get hurt. I used that phrase to help me decide what sort of weight I needed my characters' strokes to have. The "fight" aspect was tied into the heavier strokes, keeping the letterforms weighted and braced on the ground. "Flight" comes into play with the lighter strokes, giving the typeface a lightweight feel as if it might float off if not for the heavy "fight" weights. As for the serifs, I needed something unique. After all, Max and her family have a very unique quality: they have wings. I decided to use them as my basis for the letterforms. Wing anatomy is something I've been studying for years, so it was only natural for me to start seeking wing shapes I could apply to my typeface. I decided that the unfurling wing was perfect. It stretched out to a narrow tip, but had a fairly gentle curve back into the base.
4
M
5
Anatomy
More elaborate shapes had to be applied to some of the trickier characters in my typeface. The O in particular posed a challenge. I couldn't figure out how to form a circle or an oval with a pair of wings. It's not a natural wing position. However, while flipping through the manga of the series, I stumbled upon a pose very similar to what I was looking for. A pair of wings folded tight against Max's back created an interesting oval form. It wasn't quite round enough to be my O, but it was close enough to work with. By making my oval loosely around the wing shape, I was able to form an O. The Q presented a slightly different challenge. The O was resolved, but the tail was something I hadn't had to tackle in any of my other characters. Wings weren't sufficient for that sort of form. I had to start picking apart my wing shape instead. I started drawing feathers, the essence of the wing, to represent the tail as the essence of the Q. An upside down sketch of a falling feather finally provided the shape I required.
6
Q
7
Meet the Flock
8
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
i
j
k
l
m
n
o
p
q
r
s
t
u
v
w
x
y
z 9
Meet the Flock
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
0 10
"
,
.
'
[
&
#
]
(
!
?
)
;
:
11
Meet the Real Flock
Now that the typeface Flock has been introduced, I'd like to relate it directly to Max's family. During creation, I had to be sure that aspects of each child got incorporated into the typeface. It was very important to me that I represent the entire flock. The three oldest kids are Max, Fang, and Iggy. All of them are fourteen years old. Max is the leader of the flock. She's strong, snide, and sassy. As previously mentioned, Flock's personality was designed to suit her with its varying strokes and sharp serifs. It's got a bit of a bite, just like Max. Fang is Max's second in command. He's not much for talking, but he's sleek and powerful in flight, inspiring Flock's elegant appearance, particularly in the majuscule W. Iggy faces a challenge the other kids do not: Iggy is blind. But, Iggy has the other kids there to balance out his senses, or lack thereof. Flock also has a careful balance, but its balance is between light stokes and heavy strokes, and pointed serifs and soft curves.
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13
Meet the Real Flock
The rest of the flock is made up of the younger kids, which vary slightly in age. Nudge is eleven, Gazzy is eight, and little Angel is six. Since the flock is a single unit working together, even the youngest of the kids was included in my plans for Flock. Nudge is the motor mouth of the group. Her endlessly flowing dialogue urged me to make Flock into flowing body text, despite my original plans for keeping it display-only for the book covers. Gazzy is a goofy little prankster with a love of explosives. His quirky impulses went straight into Flock's question mark and exclamation point, which both have a dangerous playfulness to them. And finally, there's little Angel. She is a total sweetheart and is Max's favorite out of the kids. Angel's gentle nature influenced the uplifting curves of Flock to keep it from being too intimidating despite the influence of Max's sharp tongue. The miniscule n is a good example of soft cuves and pointed serifs playing nicely together.
14
15
"Me and my merry band of mutant bird kids." -Max
Manga images from Max-dan-wiz.com
Fight or
Flight 20