winter 2016 to-do: rules of typography a dialogue elements of style type zine final type 2 journal Name:
Sirena Myint
If lost, return to:
Course:
Art 338 Date: 1/7/16
Sirena Myint
Name:
Sirena Myint
2 TYPOGRAPHY II JOURNAL
Course:
Art 338 Date: 1/7/16
Name:
Sirena Myint
Course:
Art 338 Date: 1/7/16
INTRODUCTION Throughout the course, I’ve learned a lot about typography, both conceptually and technically. This journal is a collection of my project process work, lecture notes, and reading notes from Typography II. I’ve condensed the material from this quarter in these few pages to highlight the important and interesting details I’ve learned.
3
Name:
Sirena Myint
WEEK
1
Course:
Art 338 Date: 1/7/16
Typography Review
READING T YPE IN 10 MINUTES Butterick’s Practical Typography was written in order to teach non-designers the importance and rules of typography. Some key points Butterick mentions are: • body text: 10–12pt. • leading: 120–145% of pt. size • line length: 45–90 characters per line • Use appropriate fonts for your documents. Font choice can make a big difference! • Don’t use “fake” small caps • All caps should have 5–12% extra letter spacing • Use curly quotation marks, not straight ones.
LECTURE THE DETAILS If you’re designing a project that needs a lot of styles, use a workhorse typeface. A workhorse typeface has: • a good regular weight • a contrasting bold weight • an italic version
4
TYPOGRAPHY II JOURNAL
Name:
Sirena Myint
Course:
Art 338 Date: 1/7/16
• easily read numerals • narrow enough to fit lots of copy in given space If you have a large header, kern it! At larger sizes, awkward kerning becomes more noticeable. Also, never use auto leading. It’s always too tight, so manually lead your text instead. Save your text from bad rags! Always avoid widows and orphans. Playing around with the tracking, slightly adjusting the text box size, or manually bumping words down can fix those. Use dynamic spelling. Avoid tipos.
EXERCISE LEGIBILIT Y AND READABILIT Y This type exercise allowed me to view and compare twelve different type settings on a single page. I saw that changing the typeface affected the legibility because some typefaces are larger than others. For example, the sans serif typeface I chose was a lot larger than the serif typeface and therefore was more readable for smaller point sizes (8pt). Changing the leading creates breaks between the lines of text, which makes it easier for your eyes to trail onto the next line. For the given column width, 9 pt looks best because it’s not too big or too small on both sans serif and serif typefaces. The most readable example was Droid Sans, 9/13. Compared to the parallel serif example, this example was more readable because the point size, leading, and column width all complimented each other. The leading didn’t leave the lines squished nor created too much white space between the
5
y display
message may be received.
e helpful.
Name: Sirena Myint DROID SANS, 9/14
nnot not
Course:
Art 338 Date: 1/7/16
ider the
ently com-
Without typography, one could argue, messages will still
lines. The column width was reasonable with the point size, be legible, but if one really wants to communicate rather andthan held a good of words data, per some line. The least readsimply display anumber heap of alphanumeric consideration helpful.Sans, Paul Watzlawick’s first the typeface able examplewould wasbe Droid 10/13. Since of communication—“one cannot not size communiwasaxiom already quite large, the 10 pt was huge in comparcate”—puts it very succinctly. If you fail to consider the ison to the smaller leading and column width.
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effect of your message on the recipient, you may inad-
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onsiderm of coms it very message be legible, that ytedisplay
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BEST
message may be received. Without typography, one could argue, messages will still DROID SANS, 9/15 be legible, but if one really wants to communicate rather than simply display a heap of alphanumeric data, some consideration would becould helpful. Paul Watzlawick’s Without typography, one argue, messages will still first be legaxiom cannot rather not communiible, butofif communication—“one one really wants to communicate than simply cate”—puts very succinctly.data, If you failconsideration to consider would the display a heapitof alphanumeric some effect of your on first the axiom recipient, you may inadbe helpful. Paul message Watzlawick’s of communication— vertently communicate that you do not care how your “one cannot not communicate”—puts it very succinctly. If you message may the be effect received. fail to consider of your message on the recipient, you may inadvertently communicate that you do not care how your DROID SANS, 9/13 message may be received. DROID SANS, 8/13
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Without typography, one could argue, messages will still WORST
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succinctly. If you fail to consider the effect of your DROID SANS, message on9/12 the recipient, you may inadvertently communicate that you do not care how your message may be received.
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be legible,
6 y display
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be legible, but if one really wants to communicate rather than simply display a heap alphanumeric data, some Without typography, oneofcould argue, messages consideration would be helpful. Paul Watzlawick’s first will still be legible, but if one really wants to comaxiom of communication—“one cannot not communimunicate rather than simply display a heap of cate”—puts it very succinctly. If you fail to consider the alphanumeric data, some consideration would be effect of your message on the recipient, you may inadhelpful. Paul Watzlawick’s firstdoaxiom of communicavertently communicate that you not care how your tion—“one cannot not communicate”—puts it very message may be received.
Without typography, one could argue, messages will still
DROID SANS, 10/13 be legible, but if one really wants to communicate rather
than simply display a heap of alphanumeric data, some consideration would be helpful. Paul Watzlawick’s first axiom of communication—“one cannot not communicate”—puts it very succinctly. If you fail to consider the effect of your message on the recipient, you may inadvertently communicate that you do not care how your
TYPOGRAPHY II JOURNAL
message may be received.
Sirena Myint
Name:
Sirena Myint
WEEK
2
Course:
Art 338 Date: 1/12/16
Typesetting Basics
READING WHY T YPOGRAPHY MATTERS Typography isn’t just about making text pretty. Good typography helps engage, guide, and persuade the reader throughout the text. This section mentions the butterfly ballot which was used in Florida for the 2000 presidential election. Why is the design of the butterfly ballot problematic? The arrow for each candidate box points at a bubble, while the lines of the candidate box point towards other bubbles. The ballot was more complicated than it needed to be and probably confused viewers to vote for a different candidate. It’s important to practice good typography to avoid typographic illegibility as seen in the butterfly ballot. Butterick claims that “Good typography reinforces the meaning of the text.” The goal of typography should be to convey a clear message of your text. “One size never fits all.” Understand your text and try new things for different documents. Each document is unique and so the typographic solution should be as well.
7
Name:
Sirena Myint
Course:
Art 338 Date: 1/12/16
In what ways is Trixie’s resumé better than Violet’s? Butterick states that he believes that most readers are looking for reasons to stop looking. As shown in the two resumes, it’s important for your typography to be clear and attention grabbing. Someone would hire Trixie over Violet because her resume has a better typeface selection and visual hierarchy which leads an employer to important qualities. What is the main argument in Beatrice Warde’s essay “The Crystal Goblet”? Why does Matthew Butterick disagree with this? In her essay, “The Crystal Goblet,” Beatrice Warde argues that the best typography is “invisible.” She believes that a reader shouldn’t notice or pay attention to typographic details in a document. Butterick argues otherwise- he believes typography is a form of presentation that “reinforces our core message by adding its own complementary meaning.
PROJECT RULES OF T YPE / #1 The main concern was that it was boring. I’m going to try to play around with color for the next version. Also, don’t use all caps in the same line as regular text. It throws off the leading and makes it appear uneven.
8
TYPOGRAPHY II JOURNAL
Name:
Sirena Myint
Course:
Art 338 Date: 1/7/16
WATCH YOUR
TYPOGRAPHY “While a designer can apply every “rule” or typographic axiom literally, what makes lettering and type design endlessly fascinating is the flexibility to interpret and sometimes even BREAK THESE RULES.” —Bruce Wile and Nolen Strals, Lettering and Type : Creating Letters and Designing Typefaces, 2009, Page ix
“Instead of TORTURING A LETTERFORM, choose a typeface that has the proportions you are looking for, such as condensed, compressed, wide, or extended.” —Ellen Lupton, Thinking with Type : A Critical Guide for Designers, Writers, Editors, and Students, 2010, Page 38
“Legibility relates to letterforms and HOW EASY IT IS TO DISTINGUISH INDIVIDUAL CHARACTERS or alphabets in certain fonts.” —Kathryn Coates and Andy Ellison, Introduction to Information Design, 2014, Page 78
“In your designs, always search for fonts that CONVEY THEMSELVES IN THE BEST POSSIBLE WAY for the logos, headlines, word graphics, and layouts you’re working on.” —Jim Krause, Lessons in Typography, 2015, Page 148
“All visual messages have a hierarchal order to the information presented, that is, an order of reading the information according to importance. It is essential for the designer to DETERMINE A LOGICAL HIERARCHICAL ORDER for all elements within a message before beginning design.” —Kimberly Elam, Grid Systems : Principles of Organizing Type, 2004, Page 114
9
Name:
Sirena Myint
Course:
Art 338 Date: 1/14/16
PROJECT RULES OF T YPE / FINAL During critique, some of the most common problems were: ineligibility of type, floating headlines, and confusing hierarchy of text. Some projects used typefaces that didn’t work well as body text because of the typeface heavy weight and stylized letter forms. Against darker backgrounds, italicized text was often hard to read as well. Several headlines were randomly floating with no alignment to the body text. Some were light, small, and overall unnoticeable. The biggest problem was unclear hierarchy of text. Author names were under emphasized while others were over emphasized. This problem relates back to the previous two. Unclear hierarchy resulted from ineligible type and lost headlines. In my own project, I know there are mainly problems in my body text. Each section could use more spacing in between and more leading all around.
10
TYPOGRAPHY II JOURNAL
Name:
Sirena Myint
Course:
Art 338 Date: 1/14/16
CHECK YOUR TYPE
1 2 3 4 5
CHOOSE A DIVERSE TYPEFACE “Instead of torturing a letterform, choose a typeface that has the proportions you are looking for, such as condensed, compressed, wide, or extended.” —ELLEN LUPTON Thinking with Type : A Critical Guide for Designers, Writers, Editors, and Students, 2010, Page 38
DETERMINE A HIERARCHICAL ORDER “All visual messages have a hierarchal order to the information presented, that is, an order of reading the information according to importance. It is essential for the designer to determine a logical hierarchical order for all elements before beginning design.” —KIMBERLY ELAM Grid Systems : Principles of Organizing Type, 2004, Page 114
USE A TYPEFACE THAT HELPS YOUR DESIGN “In your designs, always search for fonts that convey themselves in the best possible way for the logos, headlines, word graphics, and layouts you’re working on.” —JIM KRAUSE Lessons in Typography, 2015, Page 148
BREAK THE RULES “While a designer can apply every “rule” or typographic axiom literally, what makes lettering and type design endlessly fascinating is the flexibility to interpret and sometimes even break these rules.” —BRUCE WILE AND NOLEN STRALS Lettering and Type: Creating Letters and Designing Typefaces 2009, Page ix
MAKE SURE IT’S LEGIBLE “Legibility relates to letterforms and how easy it is to distinguish individual characters or alphabets in certain fonts.” —KATHRYN COATES AND ANDY ELLISON Introduction to Information Design, 2014, Page 78
11
Name:
Sirena Myint
WEEK
3
Course:
Art 338 Date: 1/19/16
Using Type to Create a Voice
DISCUSSION T YPE COMPOSITION What are three new things you learned from the chapter on type composition? This chapter of Practical Typography listed commonly overlooked typographical errors. One new thing I learned was how to correctly format brackets around parentheses. If the parentheses text is stylized, the brackets around it should remain the same. Another thing I learned was the difference between em and en dashes. En dash is used to show a range in values or contrast between pairs of words. Em dash should be used to make a break between parts of a sentence. The last rule I learned was the difference between curly and straight quotes. I didn’t know it was so important to strictly use curly quotes for quotations marks. Do you think you will use any of the keyboard combinations you learned to create different symbols? Out of all the keyboard combinations, I’ll probably start using shortcuts for em and en dashes, tab, and line break. It’s weird that I find myself using em and en dashes more now in design classes rather than in my English classes. 12
TYPOGRAPHY II JOURNAL
Name:
Sirena Myint
Course:
Art 338 Date: 1/19/16
KE YBOARD COMMANDS
13
Name:
Sirena Myint
Course:
Art 338 Date: 1/21/16
READING USING FONTS Always use a typeface that is appropriate with your text. Don’t use a stylized typeface for your body text and don’t use a small, thin typeface for your header. Check that your point sizes, letter spacing, kerning, and colors are appropriate. When mixing fonts, it’s important to choose two typefaces that complement each other rather than clashing.
LECTURE IMPROVE YOUR FONT LIBRARY Today’s lecture presentation showed a bunch of websites that provide good quality fonts. I have a collection of free fonts myself and appreciate how a lot of them are somewhat similar to purchasable fonts. Prior to the lecture, I didn’t know there were programs dedicated to organizing fonts. The lecture was helpful in showing a few suggestions and how to properly organize your fonts. My current font collection is really messy, so it was helpful to see examples on how to organize fonts into different folders without breaking my computer.
14
TYPOGRAPHY II JOURNAL
Name:
Sirena Myint
Course:
Art 338 Date: 1/21/16
LOST T YPE IS AWESOME .
GOOGLE FONTS TOO.
15
Name:
Sirena Myint
WEEK
4
Course:
Art 338 Date: 1/26/16
Styles + Structure
READING T YPE FAMILIES One thing that determines the appearance of a typeface is the optical size of it. Another important parameter is the weight of the type.
LECTURE DESIGN IN ST YLE(S) InDesign has a bunch of neat features that can make your design experience a lot easier. Always use paragraph styles to make your life easier. Instead of manually changing each paragraph’s leading, tabs, and indents, you can create a paragraph style and apply it on each paragraph that needs the same style. Name your paragraph styles! Use a practical and somewhat informative name that will make sense to you when you look back at your styles later. On Advanced Character Formats, only change your baseline shift. Don’t scale your type! Paragraph Rules can help you make neat lines under your paragraphs. This can be helpful for titles. Bullets and Numbering allows you to create lists with bullet points of your choice. Setting up a bullet/number style is a
16
TYPOGRAPHY II JOURNAL
Name:
Sirena Myint
Course:
Art 338 Date: 1/26/16
lot easier than manually doing it yourself. Character styles are used within paragraph styles. You can use them to identify bold or italicized text. Before the presentation, I’ve never heard of the Export Tagging option. It’s a neat feature that allows you to see the style converted into CSS. If you’re trying to style a table, use Table Styles to set a uniform border, space below or after, or dividing lines of a table. If you want to change the contents within the table, you can create Cell Styles. Increase your efficiency, use styles!
17
Name:
Sirena Myint
Course:
Art 338 Date: 1/28/16
PROJECT A DIALOGUE / FINAL In today’s critique, several works had type problems with small details. Some of these include the misuse of dumb quotes, non italicized book titles, and improper punctuation. There were also visual mistakes, such as lack of kerning in titles and tight leading. In my own project, my typography was too large and my title didn’t stand out. My pull quotes were too showy and conflicted with my title. I also had an incomplete looking illustration that needed further refinement. I’ll probably go back and refine the illustration more by making more defined lines and adding detailed shading. For the rest of the spread, I’m planning to play around with more color combinations. My current light blue background is too close in value with my illustration and title. Hopefully fixing the color palette will improve my spread’s legibility and interest. “These look like butt.” —Charmaine
18
TYPOGRAPHY II JOURNAL
CAMPBELL There’s a certain type of myth which one might call the vision quest, going in quest of a boon, a vision, which has the same form in every mythology. That is the thing that I tried to present in the first book I wrote, The Hero With a Thousand Faces. All these different mythologies give us the same essential quest. You leave the world that you’re in and go into a depth or into a distance or up to a height. There you come to what was missing in your consciousness in the world you formerly inhabited. Then comes the problem either of staying with that, and letting the world drop off, or returning with that boon and trying to hold on to it as you move back into your social world again.
If you have someone who can help you, that’s fine, too. But, ultimately, the last deed has to be done by oneself. Psychologically, the dragon is one’s own binding of oneself to one’s ego. We’re captured in our own dragon cage. The problem of the psychiatrist is to disintegrate that dragon, break him up, so that you may expand to a larger field of relationships. The ultimate dragon is within you, it is your ego clamping you down.
&
MOYERS Does your study of mythology lead you to conclude that a single human quest, a standard pattern of human aspiration and thought, constitutes for all mankind something that we have in common, whether we lived a million years ago or will live a thousand years from now?
CAMPBELL When I take that journey and go down there and slay those dragons, do I have to go alone?
&
PHYSICAL
MOYERS So in all of these cultures, whatever the local costume the hero might be wearing, what is the deed?
CAMPBELL Well, there are two types of deed:
A HERO IS SOMEONE WHO HAS GIVEN HIS OR HER LIFE TO SOMETHING BIGGER THAN ONESELF.
MOYERS If the work that you’re doing is the work that you chose to do because you are enjoying it, that’s it. But if you think, “Oh, no! I couldn’t do that!” that’s the dragon locking you in. “No, no, I couldn’t be a writer,” or “No, no, I couldn’t possibly do what So-and-so is doing.”
is like a lighthouse that says, “There are rocks over here, steer
CAMPBELL Because that’s what’s worth writing about. Even in popular novels, the main character is a hero or heroine who has found or done something beyond the normal range of achievement and experience.
MOYERS Find where it is, and don’t be afraid to follow it. CAMPBELL Is it my work or my life?
But it’s got to be your way, not his. The Buddha can’t tell you exactly how toBut get rid particular fears, example. it’s of gotyour to be your way, notfor his. The Buddha can’t tell you Different teachers mayhow suggest exercises, may not fears, be for example. exactly to get rid of but yourthey particular the ones to work for you. All a teacher can do is suggest. He Different teachers may suggest exercises, but they may not be is like a lighthouse that says, “There are rocks over here, steer the ones to work for you. All a teacher can do is suggest. He clear. There is a channel, however, out there”.
of peace, of the mansion with many rooms. Is that typical of
clear. There is a channel, however, there”. In all of these journeys of mythology, there’s a place out everyone wishes to find. The Buddhists talk of Nirvana, and Jesus talks all of these of mythology, there’s of peace, of theInmansion with journeys many rooms. Is that typical of a place everyone wishes tothere’s find. The Buddhists the hero’s journey - that a place to find? talk of Nirvana, and Jesus talks
action occurs…. There’s a center of quietness within, which has to be known and held. If you lose that center, you are in tension and begin to fall apart.
The place to find withinjourney yourself.- Ithat learned a little about theishero’s there’s a place to find? this in athletics. The athlete who is in top form has a quiet place within himself, and to it’sfind around this, somehow, his The place is within yourself.that I learned a little about action occurs…. There’s a center of quietness within, which this in athletics. The athlete who is in top form has a quiet has to be known and held. If you lose that center, you are in place within himself, and it’s around this, somehow, that his tension and begin to fall apart.
MOYERS
SPIRITUAL
SPIRITUAL
WHY ARE THERE SO MANY STORIES OF THE HERO IN MYTHOLOGY?
One is the physical deed, in which the hero performs a courageous act in battle or saves a life. The other kind is the spiritual deed, in which the hero learns to experience the supernormal range of human spiritual life and then comes back with a message.
DR AF T #1
“FOLLOW YOUR BLISS.”
Art 338 Date: 1/28/16
Course:
MOYERS How do I slay that dragon in me? What’s the journey each of us has to make, what you call “the soul’s high adventure”?
Sirena Myint
CAMPBELL My general formula for my students is
Name:
I like what you say about the old myth of Theseus and Ariadne. Theseus says to Ariadne, “I’ll love you forever if you can show me a way to come out of the labyrinth.” So she gives him a ball of string, which he unwinds as he goes into the labyrinth, and then follows to find the way out. You say, “All he had was the string. That’s all you need.” That’s all you need—an Ariadne thread. Sometimes we look for great wealth to save us, a great power to save us, or great ideas to save us, when all we need is that piece of string. That’s not always easy to find. But it’s nice to have someone who can give you a clue. That’s the teacher’s job, to help you find your Ariadne thread. Like all heroes, the Buddha doesn’t show you the truth itself, he shows you the way to truth.
FINAL DR AF T
why whyare arethere thereso somany many stories storiesofofthe thehero hero ininmythology? mythology? “A hero is someone who a conversation between moyers and campbell M: Why are there so many stories of the hero in mythology? C: Because that’s what’s worth writing about. Even in popular novels, the main character is a hero or heroine who has found or done something beyond the normal range of achievement and experience. A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself. M: So in all of these cultures, whatever the local costume the hero might be wearing, what is the deed? C: Well, there are two types of deed. One is the physical deed, in which the hero performs a courageous act in battle or saves a life. The other kind is the spiritual deed, in which the hero learns to experience the supernormal range of human spiritual life and then comes back with a message. M: Does your study of mythology lead you to conclude that a single human quest, a standard pattern of human aspiration and thought, constitutes for all mankind something that we have in common, whether we lived a million years ago or will live a thousand years from now? C: There’s a certain type of myth which one might call the vision quest, going in quest of a boon, a vision, which has the same form in every mythology. That is the thing that I tried to present in the first book I wrote, The Hero With a Thousand Faces. All these different mythologies give us the same essential quest. You leave the world that you’re in and go into a depth or into a distance or up to a height. There you come to what was missing in your consciousness in the world you formerly inhabited. Then comes the problem either of staying with that, and letting the world drop off, or returning with that boon and trying to hold on to it as you move back into your social world again.
C: My general formula for my students is “Follow your bliss.” Find where it is, and don’t be afraid to follow it. M: Is it my work or my life?
“[He] doesn’t show you the truth itself,
has given his or her life
he shows you the
to something bigger
way to the truth.”
than oneself.”
C: If the work that you’re doing is the work that you chose to do because you are enjoying it, that’s it. But if you think, “Oh, no! I couldn’t do that!” that’s the dragon locking you in. “No, no, I couldn’t be a writer,” or “No, no, I couldn’t possibly do what So-and-so is doing.” M: When I take that journey and go down there and slay those dragons, do I have to go alone? C: If you have someone who can help you, that’s fine, too. But, ultimately, the last deed has to be done by oneself. Psychologically, the dragon is one’s own binding of oneself to one’s ego. We’re captured in our own dragon cage. The problem of the psychiatrist is to disintegrate that dragon, break him up, so that you may expand to a larger field of relationships. The ultimate dragon is within you, it is your ego clamping you down. M: I like what you say about the old myth of Theseus and Ariadne. Theseus says to Ariadne, “I’ll love you forever if you can show me a way to come out of the labyrinth.” So she gives him a ball of string, which he unwinds as he goes into the labyrinth, and then follows to find the way out. You say, “All he had was the string. That’s all you need.” C: That’s all you need—an Ariadne thread. M: Sometimes we look for great wealth to save us, a great power to save us, or great ideas to save us, when all we need is that piece of string. C: That’s not always easy to find. But it’s nice to have someone who can give you a clue. That’s the teacher’s job, to help you find your Ariadne thread. M: Like all heroes, the Buddha doesn’t show you the truth itself, he shows you the way to truth. C: But it’s got to be your way, not his. The Buddha can’t tell you exactly how to get rid of your particular fears, for example. Different teachers may suggest exercises, but they may not be the ones to work for you. All a teacher can do is suggest. He is like a lighthouse that says, “There are rocks over here, steer clear. There is a channel, however, out there.” M: In all of these journeys of mythology, there’s a place everyone wishes to find. The Buddhists talk of Nirvana, and Jesus talks of peace, of the mansion with many rooms. Is that typical of the hero’s journey—that there’s a place to find? C: The place to find is within yourself. I learned a little about this in athletics. The athlete who is in top form has a quiet place within himself, and it’s around this, somehow, that his action occurs. There’s a center of quietness within, which has to be known and held. If you lose that center, you are in tension and begin to fall apart.
M: How do I slay that dragon in me? What’s the journey each of us has to make, what you call “the soul’s high adventure”?
19
Name:
Sirena Myint
Course:
Art 338 Date: 1/28/16
FINAL SPRE AD
DISCOVER YOUR M: Why are there so many stories of the hero in mythology? C: Because that’s what’s worth writing about. Even in popular novels, the main character is a hero or heroine who has found or done something beyond the normal range of achievement and experience. A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself. M: So in all of these cultures, whatever the local costume the hero might be wearing, what is the deed? C: Well, there are two types of deed. One is the physical deed, in which the hero performs a courageous act in battle or saves a life. The other kind is the spiritual deed, in which the hero learns to experience the supernormal range of human spiritual life and then comes back with a message. M: Does your study of mythology lead you to conclude that a single human quest, a standard pattern of human aspiration and thought, constitutes for all mankind something that we have in common, whether we lived a million years ago or will live a thousand years from now? C: There’s a certain type of myth which one might call the vision quest, going in quest of a boon, a vision, which has the same form in every mythology. That is the thing that I tried to present in the first book I wrote, The Hero With a Thousand Faces. All these different mythologies give us the same essential quest. You leave the world that you’re in and go into a depth or into a distance or up to a height. There you come to what was missing in your consciousness in the world you formerly inhabited. Then comes the problem either of staying with that, and letting the world drop off, or returning with that boon and trying to hold on to it as you move back into your social world again.
“HOW DO I SLAY THAT DRAGON IN ME?” —BILL MOYER
20
TYPOGRAPHY II JOURNAL
M: How do I slay that dragon in me? What’s the journey each of us has to make, what you call “the soul’s high adventure”? C: My general formula for my students is “Follow your bliss.” Find where it is, and don’t be afraid to follow it. M: Is it my work or my life? C: If the work that you’re doing is the work that you chose to do because you are enjoying it, that’s it. But if you think, “Oh, no! I couldn’t do that!” that’s the dragon locking you in. “No, no, I couldn’t be a writer,” or “No, no, I couldn’t possibly do what So-and-so is doing.” M: When I take that journey and go down there and slay those dragons, do I have to go alone?
Name:
Sirena Myint
HERO
Course:
Art 338 Date: 1/28/16
A CONVERSATION BETWEEN BILL MOYERS & JOSEPH CAMPBELL
C: If you have someone who can help you, that’s fine, too. But, ultimately, the last deed has to be done by oneself. Psychologically, the dragon is one’s own binding of oneself to one’s ego. We’re captured in our own dragon cage. The problem of the psychiatrist is to disintegrate that dragon, break him up, so that you may expand to a larger field of relationships. The ultimate dragon is within you, it is your ego clamping you down.
C: That’s all you need—an Ariadne thread.
M: I like what you say about the old myth of Theseus and Ariadne. Theseus says to Ariadne, “I’ll love you forever if you can show me a way to come out of the labyrinth.” So she gives him a ball of string, which he unwinds as he goes into the labyrinth, and then follows to find the way out. You say, “All he had was the string. That’s all you need.”
M: Like all heroes, the Buddha doesn’t show you the truth itself, he shows you the way to truth.
M: Sometimes we look for great wealth to save us, a great power to save us, or great ideas to save us, when all we need is that piece of string. C: That’s not always easy to find. But it’s nice to have someone who can give you a clue. That’s the teacher’s job, to help you find your Ariadne thread.
C: But it’s got to be your way, not his. The Buddha can’t tell you exactly how to get rid of your particular fears, for example. Different teachers may suggest exercises, but they may not be the ones to work for you. All a teacher can do is suggest. He is like a lighthouse that says, “There are rocks over here, steer clear. There is a channel, however, out there.” M: In all of these journeys of mythology, there’s a place everyone wishes to find. The Buddhists talk of Nirvana, and Jesus talks of peace, of the mansion with many rooms. Is that typical of the hero’s journey—that there’s a place to find? C: The place to find is within yourself. I learned a little about this in athletics. The athlete who is in top form has a quiet place within himself, and it’s around this, somehow, that his action occurs. There’s a center of quietness within, which has to be known and held. If you lose that center, you are in tension and begin to fall apart.
“[HE] DOESN’T SHOW YOU THE TRUTH ITSELF, HE SHOWS YOU THE WAY TO THE TRUTH.” —JOSEPH CAMPBELL
21
Name:
Sirena Myint
WEEK
5
Course:
Art 338 Date: 2/2/16
Grid Basics
LECTURE GRIDS As someone who doesn’t use grids often, the article about grids was very useful. It’s easy to forget how helpful grids can be in design. The first section of the Thinking with Type section talks about the golden section, a 1:1.618 ratio used in several designs. Although I had learned about it in the past, I never used the ratio in my designs. The same Grid section talks about different types of grids, such as, single column, multi column, and modular grids. I most commonly use multi column grids with baselines, rather than modular grids because I think the amount of lines can get confusing. I think hang lines are useful in limited amounts to determine visual cohesion throughout the layout. Using Layout Grids Effectively talks about a few more pointers when using grids, such as typical and effective layouts, and the golden ratio again.
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TYPOGRAPHY II JOURNAL
Name:
Sirena Myint
Course:
Art 338 Date: 2/4/16
READING T YPE DESIGN PHILOSOPHY As a designer, it’s important that you know how to mix typefaces and do it well. The author, Martin Majoor, believes that mixing serif with sans only works if both typefaces are made with the same “skeleton.” If you cut off the serifs of a serif typeface, it should be the sans serif match. He designed Scala and Scala sans, both identical typefaces asides from the serif detail. “Two typefaces, one form principle.”
23
Name:
Sirena Myint
Course:
Art 338 Date: 2/4/16
PROJECT ELEMENTS OF ST YLE / #1 Make your cover interesting. Giving your series of covers a concept helps with that. There was also a lack of title page. Look over the text and compare it with my designed version. Go back and check all italicized words and italicize them in the design.
MY VERSION NO. 4
Place a comma before and or but introducing an independent clause.
and periodic, and an occasional loose sentence prevents the style from becoming too formal and gives the reader a certain relief. Consequently, loose sentences of the type first quoted are common in easy, unstudied writing. But a writer should be careful not to construct too many of his sentences after this pattern (see Rule 14).
The early records of the city have disappeared, and the story of its first years can no longer be reconstructed.
Two-part sentences of which the second member is introduced by as (in the sense of because), for, or, nor, and while (in the sense of and at the same time) likewise require a comma before the conjunction. If a dependent clause, or an introductory phrase requiring to be set off by
The situation is perilous, but there is still one chance
a comma, precedes the second independent clause, no comma is needed
of escape.
after the conjunction.
Sentences of this type, isolated from their context, may seem to be in need of rewriting. As they make complete sense when the comma is reached, the second clause has the appearance of an after-thought. Further, and, is the least specific of connectives. Used between independent clauses, it
The situation is perilous, but if we are prepared to act promptly, there is still one chance of escape. For two-part sentences connected by an adverb, see the next section.
indicates only that a relation exists between them without defining that relation. In the example above, the relation is that of cause and result. The two sentences might be rewritten: As the early records of the city have disappeared, the story of its first years can no longer be reconstructed. Although the situation is perilous, there is still one chance of escape. Or the subordinate clauses might be replaced by phrases: Owing to the disappearance of the early records of the city, the story of its first years can no longer be reconstructed. In this perilous situation, there is still one chance of escape. But a writer may error by making his sentences too uniformly compact
12 The Elements of Style
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TYPOGRAPHY II JOURNAL
Section One 13
Name:
Sirena Myint
WEEK
6
Course:
Art 338 Date: 2/9/16
Collaboration + Compromise
READING LATIN T YPOGRAPHY The first form of type printing was developed in China. After that, several other countries began using printed type. The author, Peter Bil’ak, states that typography as a discipline is often Euro-centric, and most texts only refer back to Latin typography. Out of our Euro-centric bubble, there’s a ton of interesting typography styles we can explore.
25
Name:
Sirena Myint
Course:
Art 338 Date: 2/11/16
PROJECT ELEMENTS OF ST YLE / FINAL It was interesting to see how the final group books turned out. A lot of them were improved with cohesive themes taken from each book. I definitely learned a lot about typography, grammar, and InDesign while working on this project. I learned some InDesign shortcuts from my group, such as CTRL+numpad ENTER to page break and checking Enable Layout Adjustment on the Margins and Columns settings to quickly set all your text box margins. I think I got a lot better with setting up print settings for booklets too. ALWAYS flip on short edge!! In terms of typography, I got better at hierarchy. Working in such a small format helped me have less text style changes and overall keep a clean and consistent feel. One important thing to keep in mind is to never use gray in black and white prints!! It almost always looks like a printer error. Since I had no choice but to read the text when working on the document, I learned a lot from my section. I realized that I was better at grammar than I thought because I thought all the sections were pretty easy to understand.
26
TYPOGRAPHY II JOURNAL
Name:
Sirena Myint
Course:
Art 338 Date: 2/11/16
FINAL SPRE ADS The following books are recommended for reference or further study: in connection with Chapters II and IV, F. Howard Collins, Author and Printer (Henry Frowde); Chicago University Press, Manual of Style; T. L. De Vinne Correct Composition (The Century Company); Horace Hart, Rules for Compositors and Printers (Oxford University Press); George McLane Wood, Extracts from the Style-Book of the Government Printing Office (United States Geological Survey); in connection with Chapters III and V, Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch, The Art of Writing (Putnams), especially the chapter, Interlude on Jargon; George McLane Wood, Suggestions to Authors (United States Geological Survey); John Leslie Hall, English Usage (Scott, Foresman and Co.); James P. Kelly, Workmanship in Words (Little, Brown and Co.).
SECTION I
Elementary Rules of Usage
It is an old observation that the best writers sometimes disregard the rules of rhetoric. When they do so, however, the reader will usually find in the sentence some compensating merit, attained at the cost of the violation. Unless he is certain of doing as well, he will probably do best to follow the rules. After he has learned, by their guidance, to write plain English adequate for everyday uses, let him look, for the secrets of style, to the study of the masters of literature.
4 The Elements of Style
NO. 6
Section One 5
Do not break sentences in two.
In other words, do not use periods for commas. I met them on a Cunard liner several years ago. Coming home from Liverpool to New York. He was an interesting talker. A man who had traveled all over the world, and lived in half a dozen countries.
In both these examples, the first period should be replaced by a comma, and the following word begun with a small letter. It is permissible to make an emphatic word or expression serve the purpose of a sentence and to punctuate it accordingly: Again and again he called out. No reply.
The writer must, however, be certain that the emphasis is warranted, and that he will not be suspected of a mere blunder in punctuation. Rules 3, 4, 5, and 6 cover the most important principles in the punctuation of ordinary sentences; they should be so thoroughly mastered that their application becomes second nature.
NO. 7
A participial phrase at the beginning of a sentence must refer to the grammatical subject.
Walking slowly down the road, he saw a woman accompanied by two children.
The word walking refers to the subject of the sentence, not to the woman. If the writer wishes to make it refer to the woman, he must recast the sentence: He saw a woman, accompanied by two children, walking slowly down the road.
Participial phrases preceded by a conjunction or by a preposition, nouns in apposition, adjectives, and adjective phrases come under the same rule if they begin the sentence. 2 On arriving in Chicago, his friends met him at the station. 3 When he arrived (or, On his arrival) in Chicago, his friends met him at the station. 2 A soldier of proved valor, they entrusted him with the defense of the city. 3 A soldier of proved valor, he was entrusted with the defense of the city. 2 Young and inexperienced, the task seemed easy to me. 3 Young and inexperienced, I thought the task easy.
16 The Elements of Style
Section One 17
27
Name:
Sirena Myint
WEEK
7
Course:
Art 338 Date: 2/18/16
Planning a Zine
READING GRATUITOUS TYPE Gratuitous Type is an independent magazine started by Elana Schlenker. This magazine launched her design career and led her to several design positions. Elana used the magazine as an outlet to explore editorial design and learn from other designers. With each issue, Elana wanted to change up the layout to match the excitement of the content. The magazine taught her a lot in terms of marketing and design. It was an eye opening experience for her that couldn’t have happened if she didn’t just go for it.
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TYPOGRAPHY II JOURNAL
Name:
Sirena Myint
Course:
Art 338 Date: 2/19/16
DESIGN TALK #ITHOUGHTHISNAMEWASTED When I heard Tad Carpenter was coming to Cal Poly to host a talk and workshop, I knew I couldn’t miss it. Tad is a super illustrative designer who has clients ranging from Target to local Midwest restaurants. His talk on Friday was not only inspiring, but also hilarious. I couldn’t wait for his workshop the next day. And his workshop didn’t disappoint. It was FUN. The assignment was to use a randomly selected animal and city to create a restaurant logo. I got bull and Memphis, Tennessee. Tad was super helpful and encouraging the entire time. Whenever I got excited about an idea, he pushed me to go for it and was excited as well. MY LOGO
29
Name:
Sirena Myint
WEEK
8
Course:
Art 338 Date: 2/23/16
Using Grids to Organize Content
READING GILL SANS Gill Sans is the Helvetica of England. You can find Gill Sans used on several branding logos and posters. Despite the typeface’s fame, it’s flawed. As the typeface’s weight changes, so does the character. The lowercase ‘g’ completely changes from a double story when its set as ultra bold. Although it wasn’t designed originally as a jobbing typeface, Gill Sans can be found being used by several designers.
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TYPOGRAPHY II JOURNAL
Name:
Sirena Myint
Course:
Art 338 Date: 2/25/16
READING BEAUT Y AND THE BEAST The author, Peter Bil’ak, considers Bodoni and Didot as beautiful typefaces. On the other hand, he considers ‘Italian’ from the Industrial Revolution ugly. Bil’ak’s goal was to show how the beautiful and ugly typefaces were related. Both kinds of typefaces have a similar contrast of thick and thin lines. He showed that the beautiful and the ugly typeface combined created a rather neutral typeface. He named this typeface Karloff Neutral.
31
Name:
Sirena Myint
WEEK
9
Course:
Art 338 Date: 3/1/16
The Grid in Use
PROJECT ZINE BOOK MAP So far, I think the hardest part about designing a zine is keeping a cohesive style throughout all the spreads. It’s conflicting when one layout works really well for one spread but not so much for another. Right now I’m trying to find a layout system that leaves breathing room for my spreads. I’m using a twelve column grid in order to maximize my options for each spread. Having several columns gives me more room to play around with different options with my text and images. So far, I’m looking to have 34 pages for my zine. Aside from Letter to the Editor, Typography Personality Quiz, and Rising Type Stars, all content is planned on two page spreads.
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TYPOGRAPHY II JOURNAL
Name:
Sirena Myint
Course:
Art 338 Date: 3/3/16
LECTURE T YPE ON SCREEN Start with an on-screen friendly typeface like Georgia or Verdana when choosing a typeface for your projects. Your typeface should have large counters and high x-heights to be more viable in small sizes. If the type’s x-height is too tall, the letters may start getting difficult to see. Although there are several typefaces that could work on screen, you want to preferably choose one that doesn’t look generic and boring. Don’t pair typefaces that are too similar. If they’re too close in style, they’ll both end up looking like the same typeface.
33
Name:
Sirena Myint
WEEK
10
Course:
Art 338 Date: 3/10/16
Refinement + Details
PROJECT ZINE / FINAL Finishing the zine project was probably one of the most satisfying feelings this quarter. It was a huge project and I definitely underestimated it. If I go back to work on it again, I want to create more diverse layouts. I do have some unique layouts depending on the article type, but most of my text heavy articles have the same two column format. It would be cool to try new solutions for boring layouts. In the end, I was really satisfied with my layouts. Two layouts I liked were the gallery and quiz spreads. I like the pop of color that the yellow quiz page gave to the magazine and wish I incorporated that more throughout the zine. It was a stressful project that I definitely appreciated once I finished it!
34
TYPOGRAPHY II JOURNAL
Name:
Sirena Myint
Course:
Art 338 Date: 3/10/16
FINAL ZINE SPRE ADS
character ISSUE ONE • WINTER 2016
LETTER FROM THE EDTIOR
CONTENTS
8
FEATURE
JON CONTINO
THROWBACK Just Do Type 22
FEATURE
LOUISE FILI
Good typography creates hierarchy,
everyday life? Most people know
which makes clear to the viewer the
nothing about typography, even
differing levels of importance each bit
though they interact with it all day,
of information in the design holds. In
everyday. How can something so prev-
a design problem with a lot of infor-
alent in our everyday life, be so invisi-
mation, typography can make the
ble to so many people? And, if it seem-
information less intimidating and
ingly doesn’t matter to them, then
more easily digested.
why should it matter to designers?
Typography can also convey meaning
Design is a means to communicate
that transcends the literal content of
content and the most straightfor-
the design. Different typefaces and
CULTURE
ward and unambiguous way to com-
ways that type is combined can have
Arabic Typography 33
municate is through words and text.
very specific connotations. As a result,
As a result, typography is the most
designers can use typography in very
powerful tool that designers have at
clever ways to provide the type with
their fingertips. Typography deter-
additional meaning. However, this
Typesetter's Match 7
mines legibility, creates hierarchy,
also means that typography can be
What Typeface Are You 31
and communicates meaning.
misused and create an effect that
Surf Type 38
LIFE
24
Why is typography important to our
TRENDS Best Book Covers 4 Rising Type Stars 6 Mid-Century Modern 18 Graffiti is Art 15
For most design, it is essential that the viewer be able to read text easily.
clashes heavily with content (think Comic Sans for everyday usage.)
The use of great typography is how
While not every viewer may con-
designers can maximize readability,
sciously realize that they are being
and as result communicate literal
influenced by typography, they abso-
content. Text that is too small, too
lutely are. And because of this, typog-
big, too tight, too loose, and so on,
raphy matters.
Hand Lettering 28
creates a barrier between the viewer
King of Beers' New Look 42
and the information. Bad typography can severely hinder a viewer from understanding content.
Ellen Fabini Editor in Chief ISSUE ONE
3
35
Sirena Myint
Name:
1
Course:
Art 338 Date: 3/10/16
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
2015 BEST BOOK COVERS 1. Voices in the Night Designed by: Janet Hansen 2. Almost Famous Women Designed by: Na Kim 3. The Capitalist Unconscious Designed by: Keetra Dean Dixon 4. The Dismantling Designed by: Zoe Norvell 5. Drinking in America Designed by: Rex Bonomelli
4
6. The Early Stories of Truman Capote Designed by: David Pearson 7. Etta and Otto and Russell and James Designed by: Gray318 8. How to Run a Government Designed by: Barnbrook
10. KL Designed by: Alex Merto 11. One Day in the Life of English Language Designed by: Chris Ferrante 12. Syriza Designed by: Jaimie Keenan
12
9. The Italians Designed by: Nicholas Misani
CHARACTER
Source: Casual Optimist
ISSUE ONE
5
ISSUE ONE
9
Don't call this ADC Young Guns winner a "letterer"
T
he first week of ADC and Monotype‘s Typography Month has been cruis-
ing along, giving love to the type addicts and lettering geeks within the ADC community (we know there’s a lot of you!) Just like last year’s Photography Month and Illustration Month, ADC Typography Month features a daily Typography Spotlight, highlighting ADC Members and Young Guns who love working with words and letters. Some of the names are already famous within the design community, while others will be new for you to discover,
JON CONTINO 8
36
CHARACTER
TYPOGRAPHY II JOURNAL
but all of them are card-carrying ADC Members from around the world. The next designer to step into the Typography Spotlight definitely falls into the “already famous within the design community”: the ‘New Yawk’ alphastructaesthetitologist and ADC Young Guns 9 winner.
Source: ADC YOUNG GUNS. “Typography spotlight: Jon Contino.” ADC Global. 2015.
Name:
Sirena Myint
Course:
Art 338 Date: 3/10/16
MID-CENTURY MODERN An Ode to Charles and Ray Eames by House Industries
C
harles and Ray Eames did not
at the Library of Congress. We took
design a typeface. They did,
every opportunity to learn even more
however, leave a philosophical
through our nearly constant interac-
template for a font collection worthy
tion with the Eames family and Eames
of their name. Extensive research and
Office employees of past and present.
close correspondence with the Eames family clarified our mission to honor their aesthetic while maintaining the timeless relevance and functionality that characterizes their legacy.
Only then did we pick up our flexible pointed pens and begin to draw, employing a hint of nostalgia and a set of blinders (so as to ignore the typographic fads of the last three decades).
Before drawing a single letterform
The goal was to create practical text
we embarked on a journey that took
fonts in medium “workhorse” weights,
us far beyond the low-hanging fruit
then incorporate more playful traits
of published material and internet searches. Our process of building a foundation for Eames Century Modern started with breakfast meetings at the kitchen table of the Eames House and took us through in-depth tours of their studio and living space, visits to the archives of Herman Miller in Michigan and Vitra in Weil am Rhein, and quality time in a cramped carrel
ISSUE ONE
Artist: Big Meas
QUIZ WHICH TYPEFACE ARE YOU?
A. Piano B. Guitar C. Drums D. Singer 7. What’s your favorite color?
A. A Warm Croissant with Tea
A. Lavender
B. Eggs, Bacon, and Toast
B. Turquoise
C. Eggs Benedict
C. Indigo
D. Black Coffee
D. Red
2. If you could only bring 1 item on a plane, what would it be?
8. Where is your dream vacation destination?
good enough. They’re paying for it,
A. Journal
A. Paris
and it’s your job. Take some pride in
B. Your phone
B. Australia
what you’re doing and treat this let-
C. Headphones
C. Taiwan
tering with the same attention that
D. A snack and a neck pillow
D. New York
3. Pick your favorite song: A. Hello by Adele
9. What genre of music can you usually be found listening to?
B. Blank Space by Taylor Swift
A. Jazz
C. Hotline Bling by Drake
B. Country
D. Me Myself & I by G-Eazy
C. Alternative
you would a large tattoo. Trust me, if the customer is happy with some lettering, they’ll definitely be coming back for their next tattoo, and more than likely will be sending people your way.
4. Where do you fall in your family’s birth order?
I’ve also mentioned treating lettering the same as you would a “normal” tattoo. Draw the lettering. Draw it the same way you would draw a rose or panther or whatever. If your handwriting sucks, that’s definitely one way to get around that, is to draw those letters. And this applies to not only script, but with every font. Yeah, it’s easy to trace it, and most of the
30
6. If you could instantly master one instrument, what would it be?
1. What would you choose for breakfast?
Artist: Big Meas
CHARACTER
time, it usually works out just fine, but with script, you need to have some sort of flow to it. And you probably won’t achieve that with just tracing it.
19
D. Classic Rock 10. What type of dog would you adopt?
A. Only child
A. I’m more of a cat person
B. Middle
B. A yellow lab
C. Youngest
C. A rescue from a shelter
D. Oldest
D. A Great Dane
5. How often do you swear?
11. What is your favorite fruit?
A. Never
A. Raspberry
B. Sometimes
B. Tangerine
C. Often, but I can control myself
C. Avocado
D. Rarely
D. Apple Results on the next page31> ISSUE ONE
37
Name:
Sirena Myint
Course:
Art 338 Date: 1/7/16
SIRENA MYINT T YPOGRAPHY II WINTER 2016 T YPEFACES USED COURIER NEW CHAPARRAL PRO
38 TYPOGRAPHY II JOURNAL