FORM & CONTENT
FORM CONTENT WHAT IS SHOWN IS WHAT IS SAID
sam bidwell
sam bidwell
FORM & CONTENT
FORM & CONTENT WHAT IS SHOWN IS WHAT IS SAID
sam bidwell
contents Introduction
vii
1
Historical Synopsis of Helvetica Neue
2
Space
13
3
Structure
17
4
Form and Counterform
21
9
vi
h e lv e t i c a neue
25 Ultra Light 26 Ultra Light Italic 27 Ultra Light Condensed 27 Ultra Light Condensed Italic 23 Ultra Light Extended 23 Ultra Light Extended Italic 35 Thin 36 Thin Italic 37. Thin Condensed 37. Thin Condenced Oblique 33 Light Extended 33 Light Extended Oblique
45 Light 46 Light Italic 47 Light Condensed 47 Light Condensed Italic 43 Light Extended 43 Light Extended Oblique 55 Roman 56 Italic 57 Condensed 57 Condensed Oblique 53 EWxtended 53 Extended Oblique
65 Medium 66 Medium Italic 67 Medium Condensed 67 Medium Condensed Italic 63 Medium Extended 63 Medium Extended Italic 75 Bold 76 Bold Italic 77 Bold Condensed 77 Bold Condensed Italic 73 Bold Extended
75 Bold 76 Bold Italic 77 Bold Condensed 77 Bold Condensed Italic 73 Bold Extended 73 Bold Extended Oblique 85 Heavy 86 Heavy Italic 87 Heacy Condensed 87 Heacy Condensed Italic 83 Heavy Extended 83 Heavy Extended Italic
95 Black 96 Black Italic 97 Black Condensed 97 Black Condensed Oblique 93 Black Extended 93 Black Extended Oblique
vii
introduction Without rhythm there would be no life, there would be no creation at all. Each creature passes rhythmically through its stages of growth; under the wind’s influence, forests, corn fields and the shifting sands move in rhythm. The advent of the machine has brought home to us again the value of a working rhythm, and we know that the health of the worker, his mental equilibrium, depends on his working in rhythm. Every shade of rhythmic awareness can be seen reflected in works of art down the ages. And in the twentieth century in particular, artists have again become alive to the significance and power of rhythm in design. In typography there are many opportunities of working with rhythmic values. Take a typeface for instance. The straights and curves, verticals and horizontals, sloping elements, starts and finishes work together to produce a rhythmic patter n. There is an abundance of rhythmic values in an ordinary piece of composition: ascenders and descenders, round and pointed forms, symmetry and asymmetry. The word spaces divide the line and type matter into words of unequal size, into a rhythmic interplay of varying lengths and values of different weight. Break and blank lines also add accents of their own to the pattern of composition, and finally the graded sizes of the type are another excellent means of bringing rhythm into the typographer’s work. If a simple piece of text
is well composed, it will of its own accord give the work a rhythmic appeal. The format of the paper is another rhythmic pattern, whether it is the symmetry of the equilateral square, or the stressed rhythm of the edges and sides of the rectangle. The typographer has endless possibilities of creating rhythms by the way he disposes his composition on the page. The shape of the composition can harmonize or contrast in its rhythm with the format of the paper. In designing composition, the typographer should examine every possible means of getting away from the rigid systems of dull repetition, not merely for the sake of vitalizing the form but also in the interests of legibility
Emil Ruder Typographie 1967
1
chapter one
10
h i s to r i c a l sy n o p s i s o f h e lv e t i c a n e u e In the 1950s, Max Meidinger, who was an in-house designer working for the Hass Foundry in Munchenstein, Switerland, began to create his most famous typeface. Meidenger collaborating with Edouard Hoffman of the Hass Foundry as well in an effort to improve the Akzidenz-Groseque fonts. The result was developed over the next 7 years and was given the name Neue Hass Grotesk when it was finished in 1957. This typeface, created by Miedinger’s china-ink drawings, had a unique look of its own, rather than a minor retouching of a previous face. Two years later, in 1961, the face was introduced as Helvetica, the traditional Latin name for Switzerland and was produced in Germany by D. Stemple AG. Despite the name change, the face was an immediate success. Helvetica became the predominant typeface of most practitioners of the International Typographic Style, or Swiss Style. In 1983 Linotype introduced an updated version of Helvetica called Neue Helvetica. This typeface has many improvement to it predecessor. Neue Helvetica is based on a numerical system that allows one to distinguish the difference between faces within the family. It also includes refinement of characters, improved punctuation, and additional weights such as ultra thin and heavy. Neue Helvetica is put into the classification of a Neo-Grotesque typeface. This is as a result of the combination of many aspects within the face. A classic Neo-Grotesque typeface has derived from the earlier grotesque faces, but generally have less stroke contrast and a more regular design. Any neo-grotesque faces have a large of suvtlety
Capline
Cap Height X-Height
Helvetica Neue 11
Stress
Meanline Baseline
date different means of production Helvetica is a rounded sans-serif typeface with a large x-height. The counterforms that create the O, Q, and C are ovals. The g posseses a spur and the R stands on a curved leg. The dots on the i and j are square, the a is two-stories, and the Q has a straight angled tail.
MAX MEIDENGER
Leading
Although it was not originally planned as a family of many weights, the helv etica family has been continually added to over the previous 30 years. Separate faces including a full ranges of weights, widths, and italics. Other aspects of the face family include outline, double outline, and rou nded terminals. With the advent of desktop publishing, Helvetica has become a household name. It is a typeface that is widely used in publishing as a result of its cleanness and simplicity. Helvetica remains to this day the best selling sans-serif typeface of all time.
chap ter two
2
s p a c e
TRACKING
Space can be imagined without elements, but elements exist without space. Space provides the frame of reference for typographic elements. In space, the size of the elements becomes relative: two identical elements appear differently depending on the size of the space they are placed in.
In typographic design, typographic elements and two-dimensional space interact with one another in a figure/ground relationship. This relationship between typographic form and its background is fundamental to design. Equal consideration must be given to each: the interaction between them is mutual and mutable.
AV
NO KERNING
Space is the common ground for all elements; it provides a frame of reference and significantly affects the expressive qualities of the elements placed within it. Dependeing on their placement within a given space, the same elements will assume different visual aspects of weight and movement. The visual expression of space is deteremined by both the characteristics and the placement of elements within it.
helvetica neue 0 h e lv e t i c a n e u e 1 0 0 h e l v e t i c a n e u e 300 h e l v e t i c a n e u e
400
15
Space is visually subdivided by the tension that develops between an element and the boundaries of space. Inherent in every text, typeset or handwritten, is a basic shape that is determined by the size, spaceing, and organization of elements. The shape of the negative space always develops from the composition of these elements.
KERNING
AV
Space has two fundamental characteristics: size and proportion. Rectangular space and square space are delineated by two horizontals and two verticals, which determine its size and proportion. A square, because of its equal horizontal and vertical delineations, is visually neutral. A rectang ular space has specific visual forces—horizontal space is passive, vertical space is active.
Willi Kunz Typography: Macro- and Microaesthetics 1998
In typographic design, space is defined by two horizontals and two verticals, which may be the edges of a page or a frame.
3
chapter three
18
s t u c t u r e A fundamental structure is inherent in all typography. Even a single word or line of type placed on a blank sheet of paper subdivides the space and creates a simple visual structure. Because a structure is always present to some degree, it serves as a powerful element in design. Typographic design can proceed from two types of structure: an optically improvised visual structure, or a predetermined structure—the grid system. An optically improvised visual structure results from arranging typographic elements according to aesthetic criteria. The size and shape of letters, words, and lines of type deteremine the subdivision of space. Like building blocks, the individual elements are highly dependent on each other: if one element is changed, other elements need to be adjusted, either in placement or size, to balance the composition. Since there are virtually no limitations to the arrangement of a given set of typographic elements, this visual structure is essentially on open system. Typographic design based on empirical crieteria is a personal expression of the designer, and demands creativity, sensititvy, intuition and judgement. To maintain design integrity, the designer must be constantly involved throughout the entire design and production process. This improvised visual approach can yield interesting and unique solutions. For complex, extensive assignments, a pre-determined structure—the grid system—is necessary. In contrast to the optically improvised
V
Grid System
V
19
structure, the grid is a closed system that is implemented consistently once the structure has been developed. Modular grids consist of a series of modules separated by a consistent space and organized into columns and rows. Modules determine the dimensions and placement of graphic and typographic elements, which may include pictures, headings, text, captions, and page numbers. In this way, the grid serves as a strong organizational device, providing unity between page elements and the pages themselves, while at the same time allowing for a vast number of variations. The grid functions strictly as an organizational device, one that provides order but is itself invisible. Graphic and typographic elements are guided by, but never subordinated to, the grid. Although it facilitates order, using a grid does not necessarily yield unimaginative and ridgid solutions. Like any systematic approach, it can lead to lively results if used with imagination and applied to the right task. Grid systems also make it easier for several individuals to collaborate on a large project. The design of a publication, for instance, is frequently a team effort, and benefits from the organized structure a grid system provides. Working with a grid involves two phases: developing a structure that accommodates all the elements, and organizing those elements following that structure. Each phase is equally important. When devising a grid, the designer
The Golden Rectangle
20
Grid System- a series of vertical and horizontal lines that are used to subdivide a page vertically and horizontally into margins, columns, inter-column spaces, lines of type and spaces between blocks of type and images.
must not only take into account the idiosyncrasies of the typographic material but also aniticipate all the possible problems of working with the material, for example the cropping of photographs. For this reason, the development of a grid must always proceed from an analysis of all the visual material that will be included in the design: the more thoroughly the structure is related to the given material, the more rigorous the visual solution will be.
Willi Kunz Typography: Macro- and Microaesthetics 1998
The Golden Rectangleis one in which the ratio of the longer side to the shorter is the golden ratio. Many graphic designers would choose to use this because it is found in nature and would make images more realistic, and also would use it because this proportion is known to be aesthetically pleasing.
chapter four
4
22
Form & C o u n t erf o r m The most fundamental aspect of typographic design is the interplay between letterform and background. Against its background, every letterform defines a particular counterform. Form and counterform are interdependent, reciprocal values, each integral to a letter’s design. The counterform is not simply the reversal of the form: it is a new entity, the part of the background that emerges through interaction with the form.
The red is indicating where the counterforms rest in regards to the letterform.
ac og
k k k k
When combined, letterforms create new counterforms between them. Tight spacing intensifies the counterforms between letters, while open spacing emphasizes those in the individual letter. The counterforms created by varying line lengths, make ragged right composition visually lighter and more playful than justified type. Typographic design depends on the synergy of form and counterform. Elements must be arranged so that counterforms are clearly defined. The qualities of the background—its size and shape—are vital for expression of any design. In judging design, evaluations must consider not only form but also counterform.
Willi Kunz Typography: Macro- and Microaesthetics 1998
23
In the counterforms of letters there exists a fascinating new world of forms. Some counterforms are clear and simple, immediately revealing the character of a particular letter, while others are ambiguous or mysterious.
When letterforms are combined, new counterforms emerge between them. The background now becomes the form as the letter’s original form submerges. The counterforms between letters are a rich vocabulary of new visual signs that are ultimately determined by the structure of language and grammar.