TYPOGRAPHY - PROJECT 1
Neoh Kar Yan (0339338)
Typography
Project 1 - Text Formatting and Expression
LECTURE NOTES
LECTURE 5: Letters/ Understanding Letterforms
3/5/19 (Week 5)
From today's lecture, I understood that even though letters suggests symmetry, it might not be the case. Close examination can see that one stroke is actually thicker than the other.
Curved strokes like the letter s or r must rise above the median (or sink below the baseline) in order to appear the same as the vertical and horizontal strokes they adjoin. On the other hand, if it is the same, it can be the same size but optically it may not look the same.
Counter form is the form in the negative space and it has a vital role to play when letters form a word.
Contrast can happen by creating a hierarchy of content as it arranges what needs to be read first before the rest. We can also make the letters bold/ italic and roman/ condense/ add colours/ serif and sans serif to create contrast. Contrast is important when we deal with a large amount of information.
To analyse design, we must compare, contrast, disect and understand. We have to view design in the eyes of a designer, to analyse critically.
" On the streets, you look at girls. I look at type. " - Hannes von Dohren
After the lecture, Mr Vinod gave us a brief introduction to Adobe Indesign and taught us some basics to get around with our first project.
LECTURE 6: -
10/5/19 (Week 6)
There was no lecture conducted as we used the time to update our e-portfolios and to work on project 1. Mr. Vinod emphasized that our ideas are really important as we are designers, not decorators.
LECTURE 7: Text/ Tracking, Kerning & Letterspacing
17/5/19 (Week 7)
Today's lecture started off a little different than usual. Mr. Vinod taught us how to deconstruct and analyze layouts by adding boxes to the circumference of each text. 100% opacity boxes for the headings, 70% opacity on the subheadings as well as 30% opacity on body text. After making our layouts into boxes, we were required to showcase it on our laptops then walk around to analyze others and stand in front of the one that we think is a good layout.
There were three people standing in front of my layout. The reasons they've decided to choose mine is because even though my layout looks messy, it looks balanced. One of them also commented that the headline looked like it is interacting with the text. Meanwhile, the ones that did not choose mine said that my layout looked messy and complex, alignment is bothering. Mr. Vinod said that the reason it looked messy is due to its complexity and yes, there is still balance in the midst of the complexity. However, to further improve the layout, I have to simplify and only take the core elements of the layout. Eye movement and alignment can be improved as well.
Here was my initial attempt on the article:
Initially, I felt really lost towards the aim of this project. I couldn't seem to figure out an idea and a theme that I wanted to convey. I did some research online and still couldn't seem to develop an idea. Nevertheless, I tried to make a few layouts the best that I can. Here are the second and third attempts I did on week 5.
For my new 3 attempts, I finally had a solid idea and expression behind this article. I wanted to emphasize the message of a change in priority from this article towards my design. As one can see, there are different directions and arrangement to how I've designed the text to be. They require a change of perspective of the eye to view the text. I've also included the number 1 in every layout because I wanted to portray the importance of the manifesto.
After getting feedback from Mr. Vinod, Mr. Shamsul and the class, I went back and modify my layout. My changes this time was to improve eye movement and to simplify the complexity of my layout. I've adjusted the spacing and alignment of text properly, everything seemed to be formatted the right way. Here is my final attempt.
The final layout in PDF:
General feedback: Mr. Shamsul mentioned that our e-blogs should showcase the correct format, use high-quality images, include instructions that are public. Mr. Vinod also said that we should have a clear typeface which follows the theme of our blog. Our e-blogs should be updated by next week.
Week 6
General feedback: Mr. Vinod mentioned that our e-blog backgrounds should be set to the default colours (white) and not colours like pink, gray or dark colours. We are supposed to follow the reference blog given. Secondly, our personality should be included in our captions below the picture. If our e-blog fails to meet the standard, we will get a fail for the module.
Experiences
Week 5: We were introduced to Adobe Indesign which is new for me and our very first project. I've also learned that as designers, we have to think about the idea and purpose behind a design, it is not merely decorating for the sake of aesthetics.
Week 6: I finally understood the aim of this project and as I spent more time designing layouts, I've become more familiar with Indesign and I've understood more about text formatting.
Observations
Week 5: Everyone looked lost while having a new project with a higher difficulty to work on and a new software to learn.
Week 6: I realized that when text is aligned properly with the help of the grid system in Indesign, it makes formatting easier and the overall design looked more balanced.
Findings
Week 5: I couldn't pay my full attention during lecture because I had been sleep deprived for the whole week.
Week 6: I found that by researching and getting inspiration online, my thought process was faster and had more clarity.
3/5/19 (Week 5)
From today's lecture, I understood that even though letters suggests symmetry, it might not be the case. Close examination can see that one stroke is actually thicker than the other.
Curved strokes like the letter s or r must rise above the median (or sink below the baseline) in order to appear the same as the vertical and horizontal strokes they adjoin. On the other hand, if it is the same, it can be the same size but optically it may not look the same.
Counter form is the form in the negative space and it has a vital role to play when letters form a word.
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| Fig.1.1: Example of counter forms |
Contrast can happen by creating a hierarchy of content as it arranges what needs to be read first before the rest. We can also make the letters bold/ italic and roman/ condense/ add colours/ serif and sans serif to create contrast. Contrast is important when we deal with a large amount of information.
To analyse design, we must compare, contrast, disect and understand. We have to view design in the eyes of a designer, to analyse critically.
" On the streets, you look at girls. I look at type. " - Hannes von Dohren
After the lecture, Mr Vinod gave us a brief introduction to Adobe Indesign and taught us some basics to get around with our first project.
LECTURE 6: -
10/5/19 (Week 6)
There was no lecture conducted as we used the time to update our e-portfolios and to work on project 1. Mr. Vinod emphasized that our ideas are really important as we are designers, not decorators.
LECTURE 7: Text/ Tracking, Kerning & Letterspacing
17/5/19 (Week 7)
Today's lecture started off a little different than usual. Mr. Vinod taught us how to deconstruct and analyze layouts by adding boxes to the circumference of each text. 100% opacity boxes for the headings, 70% opacity on the subheadings as well as 30% opacity on body text. After making our layouts into boxes, we were required to showcase it on our laptops then walk around to analyze others and stand in front of the one that we think is a good layout.
 |
| Fig.1.2: Example of my chosen layout with added boxes |
There were three people standing in front of my layout. The reasons they've decided to choose mine is because even though my layout looks messy, it looks balanced. One of them also commented that the headline looked like it is interacting with the text. Meanwhile, the ones that did not choose mine said that my layout looked messy and complex, alignment is bothering. Mr. Vinod said that the reason it looked messy is due to its complexity and yes, there is still balance in the midst of the complexity. However, to further improve the layout, I have to simplify and only take the core elements of the layout. Eye movement and alignment can be improved as well.
INSTRUCTIONS
PROJECT 1
We were required to produce 3 layouts from the article http://www.eyemagazine.com/feature/article/first-things-first-manifesto-2000 in InDesign.Here was my initial attempt on the article:
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| Fig.2.1: First attempt on the article |
Initially, I felt really lost towards the aim of this project. I couldn't seem to figure out an idea and a theme that I wanted to convey. I did some research online and still couldn't seem to develop an idea. Nevertheless, I tried to make a few layouts the best that I can. Here are the second and third attempts I did on week 5.
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| Fig.2.2: Second attempt |
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| Fig.2.3: Third attempt |
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| Fig.2.4: Fourth attempt |
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| Fig.2.5: Fifth attempt |
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Readjustment of final composition:
After the project was done, I went back and made amendments to the kerning of the body text.
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| Fig.2.7: The final adjusted layout (JPEG) |
FEEDBACK
Week 5General feedback: Mr. Shamsul mentioned that our e-blogs should showcase the correct format, use high-quality images, include instructions that are public. Mr. Vinod also said that we should have a clear typeface which follows the theme of our blog. Our e-blogs should be updated by next week.
Specific feedback: Mr Shamsul commented that my design of the article was too plain, one chunk of text was on the first page when it has no relation to the text on the next page.
Week 6
General feedback: Mr. Vinod mentioned that our e-blog backgrounds should be set to the default colours (white) and not colours like pink, gray or dark colours. We are supposed to follow the reference blog given. Secondly, our personality should be included in our captions below the picture. If our e-blog fails to meet the standard, we will get a fail for the module.
Specific feedback: Mr. Vinod approved of my work and commented that my e-portfolio looks okay with just some minor spacing errors to adjust. For my project 1, Mr. Vinod said that my layout looks interesting but he doesn't see any idea in it. He also told me that I should do it in 2 pages because that's the challenge of this project and I should only prioritize on one quotation from the article.
Week 5: We were introduced to Adobe Indesign which is new for me and our very first project. I've also learned that as designers, we have to think about the idea and purpose behind a design, it is not merely decorating for the sake of aesthetics.
Week 6: I finally understood the aim of this project and as I spent more time designing layouts, I've become more familiar with Indesign and I've understood more about text formatting.
Observations
Week 5: Everyone looked lost while having a new project with a higher difficulty to work on and a new software to learn.
Week 6: I realized that when text is aligned properly with the help of the grid system in Indesign, it makes formatting easier and the overall design looked more balanced.
Findings
Week 5: I couldn't pay my full attention during lecture because I had been sleep deprived for the whole week.
Week 6: I found that by researching and getting inspiration online, my thought process was faster and had more clarity.
FURTHER READING
The Fundamentals of Creative Design by Gavin Ambrose and Paul Harris
3/5/19 - 10/5/19 (Week 5 - Week 6)
Since project 1 is all about layout designing, I decided to read the chapter that teaches me about layout. From what I've read, I've understood that layout is the positioning of elements of a design in relation to the space it occupies and according to the overall design scheme. How this is done has a dramatic influence on visual impact and how effectively information is communicated to the reader. A layout is influenced by the material that is to be presented, the desires of who it is being produced for and the pure creativity of the designer. Furthermore, a good layout enables a reader to navigate through complex information with minimal effort. I've also learned that most designers use a grid system to assist them in the placement of elements as they ensures a consistent visual identity from page to page.
3/5/19 - 10/5/19 (Week 5 - Week 6)
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| Fig.3.1: The Fundamentals of Creative Design (Cover) |
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| Fig.3.2: The Fundamentals of Creative Design (Content) |
Since project 1 is all about layout designing, I decided to read the chapter that teaches me about layout. From what I've read, I've understood that layout is the positioning of elements of a design in relation to the space it occupies and according to the overall design scheme. How this is done has a dramatic influence on visual impact and how effectively information is communicated to the reader. A layout is influenced by the material that is to be presented, the desires of who it is being produced for and the pure creativity of the designer. Furthermore, a good layout enables a reader to navigate through complex information with minimal effort. I've also learned that most designers use a grid system to assist them in the placement of elements as they ensures a consistent visual identity from page to page.
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