Typography winter 2019
tyffany degray
Portfolio
The following pages contain projects of contemporary Typography Fundamentals_
With these peices I aim to show a broad understanding of modern Typography, it’s craft, application, processes and history_
Contents
character set
01_ _02
type anatomy typesetting
03_ 04_ 05_
type composition type classification
_06
swiss design research
01
project_1
character set
Approach_
To create nine unique
I first began developing
letterforms as a sample
these forms by explora-
original prototypeface
tions with paper collage.
that will work together
This gave me the free-
as a strong cohesive set.
dom to manipulate the
Present the set as a
letters in a unique way,
3”x3” grid made of 1.25”
quickly creating multiple
squares, printed as a
viable ideas. The final
standard US postcard.
result is a geometric character set built on a uniform grid. These letters are playful and all benefit from the heavy use of black space, or filled in areas.
02
Objective_
03
process
04
05
project_2
type anatomy
Approach_
To explore the universal
I chose to work with the
elements of modern type-
Goudy font family which
faces and how they create
was developed in 1915.
legibility, character and
After researching the sub-
historical context. This
ject font, my aim was to
foundational knowledge is
highlight the specific ele-
demonstrated by deeply
ments that makes this a
exploring one font family,
beautiful and unique font
and expressing its anat-
family. Also, to present my
omy graphically.
findings in a modern way, that reflects my own design aesthetic.
06
Objective_
07
08
09
project_3
typesetting
Objective_
Approach_
In the following pages
Using multiple typefaces,
various principal ele-
various point sizes, align-
ments and standards of
ment options, tracking
typography fundamentals
and leading, here I aimed
are explored and demon-
to treat these paragraphs
strated by typesetting a
visually, focusing on the
single paragraph in vari-
complete composition.
were designed without the use of hyphenation.
10
ous styles. These pages
LETTERS HAVE A LIFE AND DIGNITY OF THEIR OWN Letterforms that honor and elucidate what humans see and say deserve to be honored in their turn. Well-chosen words deserve well-chosen letters; these in their turn deserve to be set with affection, intelligence, knowledge and skill. Typography is a link, and it ought, as a matter of honor, courtesy and pure delight,to be as strong as others in the chain. Typography is just that: idealized writing. Writers themselves now rarely have the calligraphic skill of earlier scribes, but they evoke countless versions of ideal script by their varying voices and literary styles. To these blind and often invisible visions, the typographer must respond in visible terms.
11
In a badly designed book, the letters mill and stand like starving horses in a field. In a book designed by rote, they sit like stale bread and mutton on the page. In a well-made book, where designer, compositor and printer have all done their jobs, no matter how many thousands of lines and pages they must occupy, the letters are alive. They dance in their seats. Sometimes they rise and dance in the margins and aisles. Simple as it may sound, the task of creative non-interference with letters is a rewarding and difficult calling. In ideal conditions, it is all that typographers are really asked to do and it is enough. —Robert Bringhurst, The Elements of Typographic Style
01 Flush Left / Ragged Right 8/10 Didot +11 Tracking
LETTERS HAVE A LIFE AND DIGNITY OF THEIR OWN Letterforms that honor and elucidate what humans see and say deserve to be honored in their turn. Well-chosen words deserve well-chosen letters; these in their turn deserve to be set with affection, intelligence, knowledge and skill. Typography is a link, and it ought, as a matter of honor, courtesy and pure delight, to be as strong as others in the chain. Typography is just that: idealized writing. Writers themselves now rarely have the calligraphic skill of earlier scribes,but they evoke countless versions of ideal script by their varying voices and literary styles. To these blind and often invisible visions, the typographer must respond in visible terms.
12
In a badly designed book, the letters mill and stand like starving horses in a field. In a book designed by rote, they sit like stale bread and mutton on the page. In a well-made book, where designer, compositor and printer have all done their jobs, no matter how many thousands of lines and pages they must occupy, the letters are alive. They dance in their seats. Sometimes they rise and dance in the margins and aisles. Simple as it may sound, the task of creative non-interference with letters is a rewarding and difficult calling. In ideal conditions, it is all that typographers are really asked to do and it is enough. —Robert Bringhurst, The Elements of Typographic Style
02 Flush Right / Ragged Left 8/12 Baskerville +25 Tracking
LETTERS HAVE A LIFE AND DIGNITY OF THEIR OWN Letterforms that honor and elucidate what humans see and say deserve to be honored in their turn. Well-chosen words deserve well-chosen letters; these in their turn deserve to be set with affection, intelligence, knowledge and skill. Typography is a link, and it ought, as a matter of honor, courtesy and pure delight, to be as strong as others in the chain.
13
Typography is just that: idealized writing. Writers themselves now rarely have the calligraphic skill of earlier scribes, but they evoke countless versions of ideal script by their varying voices and literary styles. To these blind and often invisible visions, the typographer must respond in visible terms. In a badly designed book, the letters mill and stand like starving horses in a field. In a book designed by rote, they sit like stale bread and mutton on the page. In a well-made book, where designer, compositor and printer have all done their jobs, no matter how many thousands of lines and pages they must occupy, the letters are alive. They dance in their seats. Sometimes they rise and dance in the margins and aisles. Simple as it may sound, the task of creative non-interference with letters is a rewarding and difficult calling. In ideal conditions, it is all that typographers are really asked to do and it is enough.
—Robert Bringhurst, The Elements of Typographic Style
03 Left Justify 8/12 Helvetica Neue Lite +50 Tracking
LETTERS HAVE A LIFE AND DIGNITY OF THEIR OWN Letterforms that honor and elucidate what humans see and say deserve to be honored in their turn. Well-chosen words deserve well-chosen letters; these in their turn deserve to be set with affection, intelligence, knowledge and skill. Typography is a link, and it ought, as a matter of honor, courtesy and pure delight, to be as strong as others in the chain. Typography is just that: idealized writing. Writers themselves now rarely have the calligraphic skill of earlier scribes, but they evoke countless versionsof ideal script by their varying voices and literary styles. To these blind and often invisible visions, the typographer must respond in visible terms. In a badly designed book, the letters mill and stand like starving horses in a field. In a book designed by rote, they sit like stale bread and mutton on the page. In a well-made book, where designer, compositor and printer have all done their jobs, no matter how many thousands of lines and pages they must occupy, the letters are alive. They dance in their seats. Sometimes they rise and dance in the margins and aisles.
14
Simple as it may sound, the task of creative non-interference with letters isa rewarding and difficult calling. In ideal conditions, it is all that typographers are really asked to do and it is enough.
—Robert Bringhurst, The Elements of Typographic Style
04 Center Align 8/10 Minion Pro +15 Tracking
15
project_3.5
type composition
setting exploration through the examination of type composition, and its various applications. Working with paragraph indicators and grid styles to consider multiple ideas for the visual composition of a single piece of type.
16
...Continuation of this type-
17
Karl Marx had one. The Unibomber had one. When Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence in 1776, he drafted the manifesto that launched the American Revolution. Graphic design would not exist as we know it today if F. T. Marinetti hadn’t published his manifestos and instigated Futurism. By inventing the idea of art as a branded public enter-prise, Marinetti compelled many poets, painters and designers after him to state their principles in compact, incendiary speech. A manifesto is a short document that “manifests” or makes public a set of ideas and goals. A manifesto is passionate, personal and vivid. Such calls to action went out of fashion during the mid-20th century, replaced by more businesslike, professionally oriented statements of purpose and principle. But at the turn of the new century, just as at the turn of the old one, manifestos came back. Businesses started using “brand manifestos” to spell out the def ining features of their products, and software companies and design f irms started posting manifestos to publicize their approach in an edgy, direct way. Designers seem especially drawn to manifestos. A well-written manifesto is like a well designed product. It communicates directly, it is broken into functional parts, and it has elements of poetry and surprise. And drafting one is more like writing an ad than writing a novel. Manifestos typically have a social function—they serve to bring together members of a group. Ten years ago, Bruce Mau published his “Incomplete Manifesto,” written as a list of commandments. These principles became the established creed of Mau’s own design off ice, but they can be used by anyone. Other designers with intriguing and inf luential personal manifestos include product designer Karim Rashid and the infamous post-typographers Bruce Willen and Nolen Strals. Bruce Sterling’s “Manifesto of January 3, 2000” helped galvanize the con-temporary green movement, which is the epicenter of manifesto-writing today. Sterling, in addition to demanding an overhaul of all social, political and military systems, pushed designers to create “intensely glamorous environmentally sound products; entirely new objects of entirely new mate-rials; replacing material substance with information; a new relationship between the cybernetic and the material” (iPhone, anyone?). Also in 2000, Rick Poynor published the “First Things First 2000” manifesto, based on a text written by Ken Garland in 1964, a controversial document that called for designers to use their skills to improve environmental, social and cultural life rather than to sell hair gel and dog biscuits. —excerpted from Manifesto Mania by Ellen and Julia Lupton
05 Paragraph Indicators: Indent 8/12 Baskerville +30 Tracking
—excerpted from Manifesto Mania by Ellen and Julia Lupton
18
Karl Marx had one. The Unibomber had one. When Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence in 1776, he drafted the manifesto that launched the American Revolution. Graphic design would not exist as we know it today if F. T. Marinti hadn’t published his manifestos and instigated Futurism. By inventing the idea of art as a branded public enterprise, Marinetti compelled many poets, painters and designers after him to state their principles in compact, incendiary speech. A manifesto is a short document that “manifests” or makes public a set of ideas and goals. A manifesto is passionate, personal and vivid. Such calls to action went out of fashion during the mid-20th century, replaced by more businesslike, professionally oriented statements of purpose and principle. But at the turn of the new century, just as at the turn of the old one, manifestos came back. Businesses started using “brand manifestos” to spell out the defining features of their products, and software companies and design firms started posting manifestos to publicize their approach in an edgy, direct way. Designers seem especially drawn to manifestos. A well-written manifesto is like a well designed product. It communicates directly, it is broken into functional parts, and it has elements of poetry and surprise. And drafting one is more like writing an ad than writing a novel. Manifestos typically have a social function—they serve to bring together members of a group. Ten years ago, Bruce Mau published his “Incomplete Manifesto,” written as a list of commandments. These principles became the established creed of Mau’s own design office, but they can be used by anyone. Other designers with intriguing and influential personal manifestos include product designer Karim Rashid and the infamous post typographers Bruce Willen and Nolen Strals Bruce Sterling’s “Manifesto of January 3, 2000” helped galvanize the contemporary green movement, which is the epicenter of manifesto-writing today. Sterling, in addition to demanding an overhaul of all social, political and military systems, pushed designers to create “intensely glamorous environmentally sound products; entirely new objects of entirely new material s; replaci ng material substa nce wit h information; a new relation-ship between the cybernetic and the material” (iPhone, anyone?). Also in 2000, Rick Poynor published the “First Things First 2000” manifesto, based on a text written by Ken Garland in 1964, a controversial document that called for designers to use their skills to improve environmental, social and cultural life rather than to sell hair gel and dog biscuits.
06 Paragraph Indicators: Exdent 8/11 Goudy +30Tracking
Karl Marx had one. The Unibomber had one. When Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence in 1776, he drafted the manifesto that launched the American Revolution. Graphic design would not exist as we know it today if F. T. Marinetti hadn’t published his manifestos and instigated Futurism. By inventing the idea of art as a branded public enter-prise, Marinetti compelled many poets, painters and designers after him to state their principles in compact, incendiary speech. A manifesto is a short document that “manifests” or makes public a set of ideas and goals. A manifesto is passionate, personal and vivid. Such calls to action went out of fashion during the mid-20th century, replaced by more businesslike, professionally oriented statements of purpose and principle. But at the turn of the new century, just as at the turn of the old one, manifestos came back. Businesses started using “brand manifestos” to spell out the defining features of their products, and software companies and design firms started posting manifestos to publicize their approach in an edgy, direct way.
19
Designers seem especially drawn to manifestos. A well-written manifesto is like a well designed product. It communicates directly, it is broken into functional parts, and it has elements of poetry and surprise. And drafting one is more like writing an ad than writing a novel. Manifestos typically have a social function—they serve to bring together members of a group. Ten years ago, Bruce Mau published his “Incomplete Manifesto,” written as a list of commandments. These principles became the established creed of Mau’s own design office, but they can be used by anyone. Other designers with intriguing and influential personal manifestos include product designer Karim Rashid and the infamous post-typographers Bruce Willen and Nolen Strals. Bruce Sterling’s “Manifesto of January 3, 2000” helped galvanize the contemporary green movement, which is the epicenter of manifesto-writing today. Sterling, in addition to demanding an overhaul of all social, political and military systems, pushed designers to create “intensely glamorous environmentally sound products; entirely new objects of entirely new mate-rials; replacing material substance with information; a new relationship between the cybernetic and the material” (iPhone, anyone?). Also in 2000, Rick Poynor published the “First Things First 2000” manifesto, based on a text written by Ken Garland in 1964, a controversial document that called for designers to use their skills to improve environmental, social and cultural life rather than to sell hair gel and dog biscuits.
—excerpted from Manifesto Mania by Ellen and Julia Lupton
07 Paragraph Indicators: Extra Leading 8/11 Goudy +15 Tracking Space After 1.25”
Karl Marx had one. The Unibomber had one. When Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence in 1776, he drafted the manifesto that launched the American Revolution. Graphic design would not exist as we know it today if F. T. Marinetti hadn’t published his manifestos and instigated Futurism. By inventing the idea of art as a branded public enterprise, Marinetti compelled many poets, painters and designers after him to state their principles in compact, incendiary speech. A manifesto is a short document that “manifests” or makes public a set of ideas and goals. A manifesto is passionate, personal and vivid. Such calls to action went out of fashion during the mid-20th century, replaced by more businesslike, professionally oriented statements of purpose and principle. But at the turn of the new century, just as at the turn of the old one, manifestos came back. Businesses started using “brand manifestos” to spell out the defining features of their products, and software companies and design firms started posting manifestos to publicize their approach in an edgy, direct way. Designers seem especially drawn to manifestos. A well-written manifesto is like a well designed product. It communicates directly, it is broken into functional parts, and it has elements of poetry and surprise. And drafting one is more like writing an ad than writing a novel. Manifestos typically have a social function—they serve to bring together members of a group. Ten years ago, Bruce Mau published his “Incomplete Manifesto,” written as a list of commandments. These principles became the established creed of Mau’s own design office, but they can be used by 20
anyone. Other designers with intriguing and influential personal manifestos include product designer Karim Rashid and the infamous post-typographers Bruce Willen and Nolen Strals. Bruce Sterling’s “Manifesto of January 3, 2000” helped galvanize the contemporary green movement, which is the epicenter of manifestowriting today. Sterling, in addition to demanding an overhaul of all social, political and military systems, pushed designers to create “intensely glamorous environmentally sound products; entirely new objects of entirely new materials; replacing material substance with information; a new relationship between the cybernetic and the material” (iPhone, anyone?). Also in 2000, Rick Poynor published the “First Things First 2000” manifesto, based on a text written by Ken Garland in 1964, a controversial document that called for designers to use their skills to improve environmental, social and cultural life rather than to sell hair gel and dog biscuits. —excerpted from Manifesto Mania by Ellen and Julia Lupton
08 Paragraph Indicators: First Word 8/13 Baskerville +30Tracking
21
Karl Marx had one. The Unibomber had one. When Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence in 1776, he drafted the manifesto that launched the American Revolution. Graphic design would not exist as we know it today if F. T. Marinetti hadn’t published his manifestos and instigated Futurism. By inventing the idea of art as a branded public enter-prise, Marinetti compelled many poets, painters and designers after him to state their principles in compact, incendiary speech. A manifesto is a short document that “manifests” or makes public a set of ideas and goals. A manifesto is passionate, personal and vivid. Such calls to action went out of fashion during the mid-20th century, replaced by more businesslike, professionally oriented statements of purpose and principle. But at the turn of the new century, just as at the turn of the old one, manifestos came back. Businesses started using “brand manifestos” to spell out the defining features of their products, and software companies and design firms started posting manifestos to publicize their approach in an edgy, direct way. Designers seem especially drawn to manifestos. A well-written manifesto is like a well designed product. It communicates directly, it is broken into functional parts, and it has elements of poetry and surprise. And drafting one is more like writing an ad than writing a novel. Manifestos typically have a social function—they serve to bring together members of a group. Ten years ago, Bruce Mau published his “Incomplete Manifesto,” written as a list of commandments. These principles became the established creed of Mau’s own design office, but they can be used by anyone. Other designers with intriguing and influential personal manifestos include product designer Karim Rashid and the infamous post-typographers Bruce Willen and Nolen Strals. Bruce Sterling’s “Manifesto of January 3, 2000” helped galvanize the contemporary green movement, which is the epicenter of manifesto-writing today. Sterling, in addition to demanding an overhaul of all social, political and military systems, pushed designers to create “intensely glamorous environmentally sound products; entirely new objects of entirely new mate-rials; replacing material substance with information; a new relationship between the cybernetic and the material” (iPhone, anyone?). Also in 2000, Rick Poynor published the “First Things First 2000” manifesto, based on a text written by Ken Garland in 1964, a controversial document that called for designers to use their skills to improve environmental, social and cultural life rather than to sell hair gel and dog biscuits. —excerpted from Manifesto Mania by Ellen and Julia Lupton
09 Paragraph Indicators: First Phrase 9/12 Helvitica Neue +30 Tracking
K
arl Marx had one. The Unibomber had one. When Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence in 1776, he drafted the manifesto that launched the American Revolution. Graphic design would not exist as we know it today if F. T. Marinti hadn’t published his manifestos and instigated Futurism. By inventing the idea of art as a branded public enter-prise, Marinetti compelled many poets, painters and designers after him to state their principles in compact, incendiary speech. A manifesto is a short document that “manifests” or makes public a set of ideas and goals. A manifesto is passionate, personal and vivid. Such calls to action went out of fashion during the mid-20th century, replaced by more businesslike, professionally oriented statements of purpose and principle. But at the turn of the new century, just as at the turn of the old one, manifestos came back. Businesses started using “brand manifestos” to spell out the def ining features of their products, and software companies and design f irms started posting manifestos to publicize their approach in an edgy, direct way.
Bruce Sterling’s “Manifesto of January 3, 2000” helped galvanize the con-temporary green movement, which is the epicenter of manifesto-writing today. Sterling, in addition to demanding an overhaul of all social, political and military systems, pushed desigers to create “intensely glamorous environmentally sound products; entirely new objects of entirely new mate-rials; replacing material substance with information; a new relationship between the cybernetic and the material” (iPhone, anyone?). Also in 2000, Rick Poynor published the “First Things First 2000” manifesto, based on a text written by Ken Galand in 1964, a controversial document that called for designers to use their skills to improve environmental, social and cultural life rather than to sell hair gel and dog biscuits. —excerpted from Manifesto Mania by Ellen and Julia Lupton
22
Designers seem especially drawn to manifestos. A well-written manifesto is like a well designed product. It communicates directly, it is broken into functional parts, and it has elements of poetry and surprise. And drafting one is more like writing an ad than writing a novel. Manifestos typically have a social function—they serve to bring together membersof a group. Ten years ago, Bruce Mau published his “Incomplete Manifesto,” written as a list of commandments. These principles became the established creed of Mau’s own design off ice, but they can be used by anyone. Other designers with intruging and inf luential personal manifestos include product designer Karim Rashid and the infamous post-typographers Bruce Willen and Nolen Strals.
10 Initial Cap @ 30pt 8/11 Baskerville +30Tracking
K
arl Marx had one. The Unibomber had one. When Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence in 1776, he drafted the manifesto that launched the American Revolution. Graphic design would not exist as we know it today if F. T. Marinti hadn’t published his manifestos and instigated Futurism. By inventing the idea of art as a branded public enter-prise, Marinetti compelled many poets, painters and designers after him to state their principles in compact, incendiary speech.
23
A manifesto is a short document that “manifests” or makes public a set of ideas and goals. A manifesto is passionate, personal and vivid. Such calls to action went out of fashion during the mid-20th century, replaced by more businesslike, professionally oriented statements of purpose and principle. But at the turn of the new century, just as at the turn of the old one, manifestos came back. Businesses started using “brand manifestos” to spell out the def ining features of their products, and software companies and design f irms started posting manifestos to publicize their approach in an edgy, direct way. Designers seem especially drawn to manifestos. A well-written manifesto is like a well designed product. It communicates directly, it is broken into functional parts, and it has elements of poetry and surprise. And drafting one is more like writing an ad thanwriting a novel. Manifestos typically have a social function—they serve to bring togethermembers of a group. Ten years ago, Bruce Mau published his “Incomplete Maifesto,” written as a list of commandments. These principles became the established creed of Mau’s own design off ice, but they can be used by anyone. Other designers with intriguing and inf luential personal manifestos include product designer Karim Rashid and the infamous post-typographers Bruce Willen and Nolen Strals. Bruce Sterling’s “Manifesto of January 3, 2000” helped galvanize the con-temporary green movement, which is the epicenter of manifesto-writing today. Sterling, in addition to demanding an overhaul of all social, political and military systems, pushed designers to create “intensely glamorous environmentally sound products; entirely new objects of entirely new mate-rials; replacing material substance with information; a new relationship between the cybernetic and the material” (iPhone, anyone?). Also in 2000, Rick Poynor published the “First Things First 2000” manifesto, based on a text written by Ken Galand in 1964, a controversial document that called for designers to use their skills to improve environmental, social and cultural life rather than to sell hair gel and dog biscuits. —excerpted from Manifesto Mania by Ellen and Julia Lupton
11 Drop Cap @ 4 lines 8/11 Baskerville +40 Tracking
Karl Marx had one. The Unibomber had one. When Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence in 1776, he drafted the manifesto that launched the American Revolution. Graphic design would not exist as we know it today if F. T. Marinti hadn’t published his manifestos and instigated Futurism. By inventing the idea of art as a branded public enter-prise, Marinetti compelled many poets, painters and designers after him to state their principles in compact, incendiary speech.
Designers seem especially drawn to manifestos. A we l l -w r it t e n m a n i fe s t o i s l i k e a we l l designed product. It communicates direct ly, it is broken into functional parts, and it has elements of poetry and surprise. And drafting one is more like writing an ad than writing a novel. Manifestos t y pica l ly have a socia l function—they serve to bring together members of a group. Ten years ago, Bruce Mau published his “Incomplete Manifesto,” written as a list of commandments. These principles became the established creed of Mau’s own design office, but
they can be used by anyone. Other designers with intriguing and inf luential personal manifestos include product designer Karim Rashid and the infamous post-typographers Bruce Willen and Nolen Strals. Bruce Sterling’s “Manifesto of January 3, 2000” helped ga lvanize t he con-temporar y g reen movement, which is the epicenter of manifestowriting today. Sterling, in addition to demanding an overhaul of all social, political and military systems, pushed designers to create “intensely glamorous env ironmenta l ly sound products entirely new objects of entirely new materials replacing material substance with information; a new relationship between the cybernetic and the material” (iPhone, anyone?). Also in 2000, Rick Poynor published the “First Things First 2000” manifesto, based on a text written by Ken Garland in 1964, a controversial document that called for designers to use their skills to improve environmental, social and cultural life rather than to sell hair gel and dog biscuits.
24
A manifesto is a short document that “manifests” or makes public a set of ideas and goals. A manifesto is passionate, personal and vivid. Such calls to action went out of fashion during the mid-20th century, replaced by more businesslike, professionally oriented statements of purpose and principle. But at the turn of the new century, just as at the turn of the old one, manifestos came back. Businesses started using “ brand manifestos” to spell out the def ining features of t heir products, and soft ware compan ies and design f irms started posting manifestos to publicize their approach in an edgy, direct way.
—excerpted from Manifesto Mania by Ellen and Julia Lupton
12 Intro Paragraph 10/12 Baskerville 8/11 Baskerville +30Tracking
Verbal and Visual Equations An examination of interactive signs excerpted from Typographic Design: Form and Communication By Ben Day and Philip Meggs
25
Language, in any of its many forms, is a self-contained system of interactive signs that communicate side as. Just as elocution and diction enhance a nd c l a r i f y t he mea n i n g of ou r spoken words, t y pog raph ic sig ns can be manipulated by a designer to achieve more lucid and expressive typographic communication. Signs operate in t wo dimensions: sy ntactic and semantic. When t he mind is concerned with the form of a sign, it is involved with typographic syntax. When it associates a particular meaning with a sign, it is operating in the semantic dimension. All objects in the environment can potentially function as signs, representing any number of concepts. A smog-filled city s i g n i f y i n g p ol lut ion , a b e ac he d whale representing extinction, and confet t i imply ing a celebrat ion — each functions as a sign relating a specific concept.
Signs may exist at various levels of abstraction. A simple example will illustrate this point. Let us consider something as elemental as a red dot. It is a sign only if it carries a particular meaning. It can represent any number of things: balloon, ball, or Japanese f lag. The red dot can become a cherry, for example, as the mind is cued by forms more familiar to its experience. T he par t ic u lar sy ntac t ic qualit ies associated w it h t y pographic signs determine a specific meaning. A series of repeated letters, for example, may signify motion or speed, while a small letter in a large void may signify isolation. These qualities, derived from the operating principles of visual hierarchy and ABA form, function as cues, permitting the mind to form concepts. Simple syntactic manipulations, such as the repetition of letters, or the weight change of certain letters, enable words visually to mimic verbal meaning.
In lang uage, signs are joined together to create messages. Words as verbal sign, grouped together in a linear fashion, attain their value vis-Ă -vis other words through opposition and contrast. Words can also evoke meaning through mental association. These associative relations are semant ica l ly der ived . Since t y pog raphy is bot h v isual and verbal, it operates in a linear fashion, with words follow ing each ot her in a specif ic sequence, or in a nonlinear manner, w it h e lement s e x ist i n g i n m a ny syntactic combinations.
13 Scale Change 8/12 Scala Pro +30Tracking
Verbal and Visual Equations An examination of interactive signs excerpted from Typographic Design: Form and Communication By Ben Day and Philip Meggs
Language, in any of its many forms, is a self-contained system of interactive signs that communicate side as. Just as elocution and diction enhance a nd c l a r i f y t he mea n i n g of ou r spoken words, t y pog raph ic sig ns can be manipulated by a designer to achieve more lucid and expressive typographic communication.
T he par t ic u lar sy ntac t ic qualit ies associated w it h t y pographic signs determine a specific meaning. A series of repeated letters, for example, may signify motion or speed, while a small letter in a large void may signify isolation. These qualities, derived from the operating principles of visual hierarchy and ABA form, function as cues, permitting the mind to form concepts. Simple syntactic manipulations, such as the repetition of letters, or the weight change of certain letters, enable words visually to mimic verbal meaning.
In lang uage, signs are joined together to create messages. Words as verbal sign, grouped together in a linear fashion, attain their value vis-Ă -vis other words through opposition and contrast. Words can also evoke meaning through mental association. These associative relations are semant ica l ly der ived . Since t y pog raphy is bot h v isual and verbal, it operates in a linear fashion, with words follow ing each ot her in a specif ic sequence, or in a nonlinear manner, w it h e lement s e x ist i n g i n m a ny syntactic combinations.
14 Style + Scale Change 8/12 Scala Pro +30Tracking
26
Signs operate in t wo dimensions: sy ntactic and semantic. When t he mind is concerned with the form of a sign, it is involved with typographic syntax. When it associates a particular meaning with a sign, it is operating in the semantic dimension. All objects in the environment can potentially function as signs, representing any number of concepts. A smog-filled city s i g n i f y i n g p ol lut ion , a b e ac he d whale representing extinction, and confet t i imply ing a celebrat ion — each functions as a sign relating a specific concept.
Signs may exist at various levels of abstraction. A simple example will illustrate this point. Let us consider something as elemental as a red dot. It is a sign only if it carries a particular meaning. It can represent any number of things: balloon, ball, or Japanese f lag. The red dot can become a cherry, for example, as the mind is cued by forms more familiar to its experience.
Verbal and Visual Equations An examination of interactive signs excerpted from Typographic Design: Form and Communication
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By Ben Day and Philip Meggs
Language, in any of its many forms, is a self-contained system of interactive signs that communicate side as. Just as elocution and diction enhance a nd c l a r i f y t he mea n i n g of ou r spoken words, t y pog raph ic sig ns can be manipulated by a designer to achieve more lucid and expressive typographic communication. Signs operate in t wo dimensions: sy ntactic and semantic. When t he mind is concerned with the form of a sign, it is involved with typographic syntax. When it associates a particular meaning with a sign, it is operating in the semantic dimension. All objects in the environment can potentially function as signs, representing any number of concepts. A smog-filled city s i g n i f y i n g p ol lut ion , a b e ac he d whale representing extinction, and confet t i imply ing a celebrat ion — each functions as a sign relating a specific concept.
Signs may exist at various levels of abstraction. A simple example will illustrate this point. Let us consider something as elemental as a red dot. It is a sign only if it carries a particular meaning. It can represent any number of things: balloon, ball, or Japanese f lag. The red dot can become a cherry, for example, as the mind is cued by forms more familiar to its experience. T he par t ic u lar sy ntac t ic qualit ies associated w it h t y pographic signs determine a specific meaning. A series of repeated letters, for example, may signify motion or speed, while a small letter in a large void may signify isolation. These qualities, derived from the operating principles of visual hierarchy and ABA form, function as cues, permitting the mind to form concepts. Simple syntactic manipulations, such as the repetition of letters, or the weight change of certain letters, enable words visually to mimic verbal meaning.
In lang uage, signs are joined together to create messages. Words as verbal sign, grouped together in a linear fashion, attain their value vis-Ă -vis other words through opposition and contrast. Words can also evoke meaning through mental association. These associative relations are semant ica l ly der ived . Since t y pog raphy is bot h v isual and verbal, it operates in a linear fashion, with words follow ing each ot her in a specif ic sequence, or in a nonlinear manner, w it h e lement s e x ist i n g i n m a ny syntactic combinations.
15 Style + Scale Change + Graphic Element Gill Sans Nova 9/11 Scala Pro +30Tracking
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project_4
type classification
Approach_
Research and visually
To begin with a grid, and
represent three type clas-
draw on Modern Swiss
sifications from the Vox
D esign e rs as inspira -
System. Visually display
tion on how to breach the
these classifications in the
grid interesting ways. To
form of a poster through a
take classic typefaces
deep exploration of a font
and modernize them in a
belonging to distinct cat-
graphic form with using
egories.
my own design aesthetic. E xamine the Vox sys tem and generate several sketches, exploring layout and specific features of chosen typefaces.
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Objective_
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project_5
swiss design research
Rosmarie Tissi
Rosmarie Tissi is an acclaimed Swiss graphic designer. In 1953 Tissi took the preliminary course at the Kunstgewerbechule Zürich (School of Arts and Crafts), After finishing, Tissi joined a design consultancy, but this job didn’t offer much of a creative challenge. She started looking around for a new studio and that is how she met Sigi Odermatt, who was known for his bold style and rebellious attitude towards industry rules. He had his own studio and hired Tissi as an apprentice.
Rosmarie Tissi’s style has been evolving throughout her career: from pure functionality of the grid-based Modernist design, to a very individualistic aesthetic with vivid colors, peculiar proportions and experimental layouts. Her work was often much more abstract than other Swiss designs of the time, but still remained unmistakably Swiss. Her best projects offer an interesting and original contribution to the Swiss graphic design heritage. She is also a type desinger and created the font Sinaloa.
Tissi has visited about 70 countries with lectures and workshops, and has taught at Yale University and the Rhode Island School of Design. Her posters have been exhibited across the world, in Tokyo, Essen, New York, Warsaw and many more.
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After joining Odermatt, Tissi didn’t become an extension of his style. They were very different designers, and their collaboration was based on mutual criticism rather than mutual work. They created things separately and exchanged feedback in the process. They were doing print and type design, mostly for cultural institutes and publishing houses. After a decade, she became a partner and the studio was renamed to O&T. Over time Tissi and Odermatt also became life partners.
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Tyffany DeGray Typography Fundamentals, Winter 2019 Instructed by Ayca Kilicoglu University of California Berkeley Extension Graphic Design Professional Program Typefaces—PT Serif /Heebo