Typography Task 3: Type Design & Communication

On week 8 the students have to make a sketch of letters O, D, H, N, G (with 3 different pens) and make a dissection of the letters with 10 preferred fonts provided.

WEEK 9 - 10

We digitize our approved sketch. Mr. Vinod also giving tutorial for digitize our sketch using shape tool and strokes during the tutorial class.

WEEK 11 - 12

We digitize our work on Adobe Illustration and move the digitize font into FontLab7.

🔝

INSTRUCTION

RESEARCH

Fig. 1.1 References

I like aesthetic fonts and fonts that have tails. I was planning to make a font that slim and has tails, for the inspiration I surfed Pinterest and look for some inspiration. Some fonts that I used for making this assignments have serif features.

Fig. 1.2 Font anatomy

In this task, I suppose to know about font anatomy, with previous lecture Mr. Vinod has introduce the font anatomy, and the parts of fonts that we need to know. The font anatomy will be apply for the digitize process of our sketches. Other than that, in this exercise we have to make a dissection of letters H, o, g, b.

FONT DISSECTION

Fig. 2.1 Example of H, o, g, b dissection

by Mr. Vinod

Fig. 2.2 Futura Std

(20/12/2023)

Observations:

- The letter 'H': The crossbar is slightly smaller than the two stems.

- The letter 'o': It has a wide counter.

- The letter 'g': The descender line has similar shape with the 'o' but the inner bowl is slightly wider & the closed counter seems similar to the letter 'b', but it is actually a bit narrow than the letter b.

- The letter 'b': The closed counter has similar shape as the 'o', the stem has the exact same size as the letter 'h' crossbar.

SKETCHES

Fig. 3.1 First attempt (17/11/2023)

For these sketches, I did not hold the pen constantly so I have to redo the sketches.

Fig. 3.2 different sketches rev.

(24/11/2023)

Fig. 3.3 Final Sketch

(24/11/2023)

DIGITIZATION

Fig. 4.1 Digitization progress in AI
(20/12/2023)

Font information:

- Ascender: 762 pt

- Cap line: 698 pt

- Median line: 503 pt

- Base line: 0 pt

- Descender: -229

The progress on the pictures shows my editing drafts from the first attempt to the final result. In progress 1, I uploaded my sketch and use image tracking to make the sketch clearer. I was planned to use the tracing and pen tool to make the whole font, but I did not like the result, so in the second progress I changed my method using shape tool. In progress 3, I got feedback from Mr. Vinod to fix some letters. Finally, in the last progress I add some changes and fix some letters.

For digitizing the font, I mainly used the shape tool. The tools that I have used for doing the digitalization:

- Shape tool (For creating the base shape of the font).

- Direct selection (To create the detail of the font: for adjusting and deleting the anchor point).

- Shape builder (For assembling two shapes or deleting the unnecessary part).

- Pen tool (Making additional shape for the font).

- Unite (To unite the shapes).

- Outline mode (For outline preview).

FONTLAB

Fig. 5.1 Placing and kerning digitized font
(20/12/2023)

Fig. 5.2 Final kerning
(21/12/2023)

After digitizing the font, I copy paste the digitalized font into the FontLab. After placing the font, then I kerning the font using the tutorial from Mr. Vinod's video. On the first attempt, I did not check my kerning and continue to install it on my laptop. Turned out that the kerning is too tight, so i go back to the FontLab and make sure that every letter sit next to each other properly.

POSTER

Fig. 6.1 Posters making
(20/12/2023)

After done with our font, we have to make a poster that showing our font. It must be in A4 size, each words in the same size, and black & white.

FINAL RESULT

Download font: NOIGHT

Fig. 7.1 Font Sketch
(24/11/2023)

Fig. 7.2 Final result poster JPEG
(21/12/2023)

Fig. 7.3 Typeface Final Result PDF
(21/12/2023)

Fig. 7.4 Final result poster JPEG
(21/12/2023)

Fig. 7.5 Final result poster PDF
(21/12/2023)

FONT TESTER

🔝

FEEDBACK

Week 8

General Feedback: -

Specific Feedback: Hold the nib in the constant angle

Week 9

General Feedback: Fix e-portfolio

Week 10

Specific Feedback: The font contrast is very minimum

Week 11

General Feedback: The font size must be the same

Week 12

Specific Feedback: The 'h' does not seem like from the same typeface

🔝

REFLECTION

Experience

Throughout this task, I discovered a beauty (and difficulties) in designing a typeface. For my whole life I just download and easily type on my computer or using fonts for my designs. Getting experience of making it by myself was very challenging and made me dive deeper into typography. Sometimes I just do not know what is wrong with my design (the fact that I still don't get it is frustrating). But when I get it done, I slowly understand how to deal with my problems in this task (even though I have to repeat it over and over again). I realize that I have to train my observing skill, however I am happy that I can learn to design a typeface.

Observations

This part is the hardest among the other lesson, it takes more time than my previous assignments in typography. It turned out that designing a typeface is not just making letters that we can read, but they also have their own characters that we have to pay attention to.

Findings

Research is very important and the best thing to work out this assignment is looking at others work or the font that exist as references, so that we know how to produce a good font. Also the essential of this task is to respect the designer's work, because designing a font is not easy at all.

🔝

FURTHER READING

Fig. Cover book

Reference:

David Creamer (2003)

IDEAS

This book was written in the most understandable way, as the reader I could easily absorb the information. The beginning of the book explain about font categories. It mentions and giving examples of what they are explain. First, its telling about the function of a typography, how the readability is important no matter how pretty and unique the font is, if it is cannot deliver the information then the font is consider failed or did not do the main duty (to transfer the information to the readers). New fact I discovered about Serif, it is easier to read rather than San Serif fonts. This book provide information that can clear my misunderstanding about fonts, so far this is one of my favorite books.

🔝

QUICK LINKS

TASK 1: Type Expression & Text Formatting

TASK 2: Typographic Exploration & Communication

Typography: Final Compilation & Reflection

HOME

🔝