ADVANCED TYPOGRAPHY- TASK 1

August 29, 2022

ADVANCED TYPOGRAPHY- TASK 1

Week 1 (29/8/22)
Student: Tai Ser Yeet (0345798)
Programme: Bachelor of Design (Honours) in Creative Media
Task: Exercise 1 & 2

WEEK 1

PRE-RECORDED LECTURE

TYPOGRAPHIC SYSTEMS

As stated by Elam, "All design is based on a structural system." Now, there are 8 types of systems known as:

Axial
Radial
Dilatational
Random
Grid
Modular
Transitional
Bilateral

Typographic systems also provide a solid framework that guides learners in their exploration while their skills & intuition mature. The understanding of the system's organizations helps us as designers to fray away from the standardized horizontal & vertical grid lines, giving more fluidity in conveying messages.

However, the systems ought to be used appropriately. For example, large amounts of text cannot be placed in a radial system as it will reduce the readability of the audience.

TYPES OF TYPOGRAPHIC SYSTEMS

1. Axial- All elements are organized to the left or right of a single axis.

Fig 1.1 Examples of Axial Systems, Week 1 (31/8/22)

2. Radial- All elements are extended from a point of focus.

Fig 1.1.2 Examples of Radial Systems, Week 1 (31/8/22)

3. Dilatational- All elements expand from a central point in a circular fashion.

Fig 1.1.3 Examples of Dilatational Systems, Week 1 (31/8/22)

4. Random- Elements appear to have no specific pattern or relationship.

Fig 1.1.4 Examples of Random Systems, Week 1 (31/8/22)

5. Grid- A system of vertical and horizontal divisions.

Fig 1.1.5 Examples of Grid Systems, Week 1 (31/8/22)

6. Modular - A series of non-objective elements that are constructed as a standardized unit.

Fig 1.1.6 Examples of Modular Systems, Week 1 (31/8/22)

7. Transitional- An informal system of layered banding.

Fig 1.1.7 Examples of Transitional Systems, Week 1 (31/8/22)

8. Bilateral - All text is arranged symmetrically on a single axis.

Fig 1.1.8 Examples of Bilateral Systems, Week 1 (31/8/22)

WEEK 2

PRE-RECORDED LECTURE

TYPOGRAPHIC COMPOSITION

Principles of Design consist of emphasis, isolation, repetition, symmetry, asymmetry, and alignment to name a few. They may be somewhat hard to notice when used in typographic compositions. Noticeable ones include Emphasis & Symmetry. Repetition & Perspective, on the other hand, is difficult to notice for an untrained eye.

Anyhow, these principles could also be applied to content such as images, textual information & color.

Fig 2.0 Principle of Design-Emphasis, Week 2 (7/9/22)

The Rule of Thirds has intersection points that guide users on where to place the most important information. ROT is generally not used in typographic compositions but still might come in handy for a larger canvas.

Fig 2.1 Rule of Thirds, Week 2 (7/9/22)

In the modernist era, people start to question the notion of order. Thus, the birth of the post-modernist era whereby chaos, randomness & asymmetry was preferred. It was exciting & new for the new generation & also began the implementation of the concept in design works. The beauty is in the balance.

Fig 2.1.2 Post-Modernist Era Design Works, Week 2 (7/9/22)

Environmental Grid is based on the exploration of an existing structure or numerous structures combined. Structures could mean anything from architecture, room, etc. In this case, when you follow an environmental grid, you take any curved/ straight lines from the structure itself & arrange the information according to that manner.

Fig XX 2.1.3 Example of Environmental Grid Process Work, Week 2 (7/9/22)

Form & Movement is based on the exploration of existing Grid Systems. The black color elements on the canvas can be replaced with either text, image, or even graphical elements. This then creates a very interesting layout & increases visual interest. I feel that this is a great method to follow especially since most of us might experience burnout from all the design work we are doing weekly.

Fig 2.1.4 Example of Form & Movement, Week 2 (7/9/22)

WEEK 3

PRE-RECORDED LECTURE

AD_TYPO CONTENT & CREATIVITY

It is important that we acknowledge the importance of handwriting towards the progression of letterforms because letterforms are meant to imitate handwriting. The tools & materials used to write handwritten words are translated into the current letterform's shape and line.

CUNEIFORM

Its distinctive wedge form was the result of pressing the blunt end of a reed stylus into wet clay tablets. It was also written from left to right & moreover derived from pictograms.

Fig 3.1 Cuneiform, Week 3 (14/9/22)

HIEROGLYPHICS

It was the first connection to the future alphabetical system. Hieroglyphics has 3 uses; the first is as ideograms which are the representation of their true meaning without indicating how to pronounce it, the second would be symbols of what they mean & give a general idea of the word, lastly, it is a phonogram that represents sounds of that word.

Fig 3.2 Cuneiform, Week 3 (14/9/22)

The Phoenicians system has 22 letters and is only comprised of capital letters. It was adopted by the Greeks who added the necessary vowels.

1. Early Greek Letters- drawn freehand, no serifs. Over time, thicker strokes were drawn and serifs appeared.

2. Roman Uncials- in the 4th century, Roman letters became more rounded and became curved form. This allowed for fewer strokes & faster writing.

3. English Half Uncials, 8th C - more slanted & condensed form as it evolved.

4. Carolingian Minuscule- Language was standardized in terms o pronunciation & spelling, capitals at the start of a sentence, spaces between words & punctuation. This language was used for all legal and literary works to unify communication between the various regions of the expanding European empire. Not only that, but it is also important for the development of the standard Roman capital.

5. Black Letter - Gothic spirit took hold in France, Germany, and England and so created the pointed arch replacing the round arch of the Romans. Blackletter is are also characterized by tight spacing and condensed lettering, reducing the cost of book production.

6. The Italian Renaissance - Humanist scholars in Italy were slowly reviving the culture of antiquity which spurred a creative phase of Italian art, architecture, and literature design. Humanists admired the Carolingian script which had open handwriting.

MOVABLE TYPE

The introduction of moveable type was introduced in the 1000-1100 CE. This innovation was pioneered in China but achieved in Korea (Diamond Sutra). Several decades before the earliest printing in Europe (Guttenberg’s bible 1439), the Koreans establish a foundry to cast movable type in bronze.

Fig 3.3 Cuneiform, Week 3 (14/9/22)

EASTERN DEVELOPMENTS IN HANDWRITING

In terms of the Middle Eastern Alphabets' evolution, the script itself has been possibly influenced by Egyptian Hieroglyphics and Hieratic Scripts. On the other hand, in terms of the Evolution of the Chinese script, it started off with Oracle bone to Seal Script to Clerical Script, Traditional and Simplified scripts.

Fig 3.4 Eastern Developments in Handwriting, Week 3 (14/9/22)

BRAHMI SCRIPT (450-350 BCE)

The Brahmi script (450–350 BCE) is the earliest form of writing system originated from India after the Indus script and it is amongst the most impactful writing systems to date. All modern Indian scripts and several hundred scripts found in Southeast and East Asia stem from Brahmi.

Fig 3.5 Brahmi Script, Week 3 (14/9/22)

INDIAN SCRIPT

Pallava is one of the Indian Scripts that were more important and influential as it became the basis for writing systems across Southeast Asia. Another Indian script that was popularly used is the Pra-nagari used for writing Sanskrit.

Fig 3.6 Indian Script, Week 3 (14/9/22)

OTHER SCRIPTS

Below are the pictures of other scripts starting from the top left. We have the Rencong script, Rejang script, Batak script., Bugis script & Javanese script.

Fig 3.7 Other Forms of Script, Week 3 (14/9/22)

JAWI SCRIPT

In modern Malaysia, Jawi is of greater importance because it's the script used for all our famous works of literature. Every hikayat and Malay charm book is written in Jawi.

Fig 3.8 Jawi Script, Week 3 (14/9/22)

WHY IS HANDWRITING IMPORTANT?

Handwriting would become the basis or standard that for form, spacing, and conventions mechanical type would try and mimic. For decades, Asia/East has neglected much of its written heritage, and by adapting western printing technologies (letterpress, linotype, Unicode). However with a mild renaissance in the East, with the advent of computer programmers in large numbers, we are starting to see the proliferation of indigenous scripts on phones, tablets, and computers.

More vernacular scripts are being produced by software giants (Google): in their employment a great many Asian programmers and designers.

Fig 3.9 Vernacular Scripts, Week 3 (14/9/22)

WEEK 4

PRE-RECORDED LECTURE

AD_TYPO_DESIGNING TYPE

Studying type design is important as it carries a social responsibility & it is also a form of artistic expression.

As stated by Adrian Frutiger, “The goal of this new typeface was to create a clean, distinctive, and legible typeface that is easy to see from both close-up and far away. Extremely functional.” Letterforms needed to be recognized even in poor light conditions or when the reader was moving quickly past the sign.

Fig 4.0 Vernacular Scripts, Week 3 (14/9/22)

GENERAL PROCESS OF TYPE DESIGN

Research
Sketching
Digitization
Testing
Deploy

RESEARCH

Research should understand type history, type anatomy, and type conventions. We should also know terminologies, side-bearing, metrics, hinting…

It is then important to determine the type’s purpose or what it would be used for, what different applications

SKETCHING

Some designers sketch their typeface using the traditional toolset (brushes/ pens, ink, and paper) and then scan them for the purpose of digitization while others use digital tools. Both methods have their pros & cons.

Fig 4.1 Sketching Process, Week 4 (21/9/22)

DIGITALIZATION

There is professional software that is used in the digitization of typefaces, amongst the leading software are FontLab and Glyphs App. There are designers that also use Adobe Illustrator to design or craft the letterforms and then introduce them to specialized font apps.

TESTING

Testing is an important component in the design thinking process. The results of the testing are part of the process of refining and correcting aspects of the typeface. Prototyping is also part of the testing process and leads to important feedback.

DEPLOY

There are always teething problems that did not come to the fore during the prototyping and testing phases. Thus, the task of revision doesn’t end upon deployment.

TYPEFACE CONSTRUCTION

Roman Capital: The grid consists of a square, and inside it a circle that just touches the lines of the square in four places. Within the square, there is also a rectangle. Using grids (with circular forms) can facilitate the construction of a letterforms and is a possible method to build/create/design your letterform.

Fig 4.2 Construction Grid for Roman Capitals, Week 4 (21/9/22)

CONSTRUCTION AND CONSIDERATIONS

An important visual correction is the extrusion of curved (and protruding) forms past the baseline and cap line. This also applies to vertical alignment between curved and straight forms. The letters must be altered to a uniform ‘visual’ white space. This means that the white space between the letters should appear the same. This is called ‘fitting’ the type.

Fig 4.3 Extrusion of Curved forms, Week 4 (21/9/22)

Fig 4.4 The Letters 'C' & 'E', Week 4 (21/9/22)

WEEK 5

PRE-RECORDED LECTURE

AD_TYPO_PERCEPTION & ORGANISATION

Perception in typography deals with the visual navigation and interpretation of the reader via contrast, form and organisation of the content.

CONTRAST

Fig 4.5 Several Ways to Create Contrast, Week 5 (28/9/22)

If you have a big letter and a small letter you will obviously see the big letter first before small. That is contrast.

Fig 4.6 Several Ways to Create Contrast, Week 5 (28/9/22)

Fig 4.7 Differing Weight for Contrast , Week 5 (28/9/22)

Fig 4.8 Differing Form (Lower & Upper Case) for Contrast , Week 5 (28/9/22)

CONTRAST/ TEXTURE

By putting together the contrasts of size, weight, form, and structure, and applying them to a block of text on a page, you come to the contrast of texture. Texture refers to the way the lines of type look as a whole up close and from a distance.

Fig 4.9 Varifying Texture for Contrast, Week 5 (28/9/22)

CONTRAST/ DIRECTION

Contrast of direction is the opposition between vertical and horizontal, and the angles in between. Turning one word on its side can have a dramatic effect on a layout.

Fig 4.10 Varifying Direction for Contrast, Week 5 (28/9/22)

CONTRAST/ COLOUR

The use of color is suggested that a second color is often less emphatic in values than plain black on white. Therefore it is important to give thought to which element needs to be emphasized and to pay attention to the tonal values of the colors that are used.

Fig 4.11 Varifying Colour for Contrast, Week 5 (28/9/22)

FORM

A good form leads the eye from point to point, it entertains the mind and is most often memorable. When a typeface is perceived as a form, it no longer reads as a letter because it has been manipulated by distortion, texture, enlargement, and has been extruded into a space.

Fig 4.12 Form, Week 5 (28/9/22)

INSTRUCTIONS

Fig 6.1 Image Citations, Week 1 (29/8/22)

TASK 1: EXERCISE 1- TYPOGRAPHIC SYSTEMS

WEEK 1 - PRACTICAL

For this week's class exercise, we must create a few layouts following the typographic systems from this week's lecture. The dummy text given was extracted from the MIB. Mr. Vinod allowed us to choose one more color besides black for our work and add small graphical elements wherever necessary.

ATTEMPT 1

1. AXIAL -

I am pretty proud of both outcomes as both contained elements that had a purpose in the design. For Outcome on the left, I tried to combine the sentence "The Design School" together with the header as they share the same word. In order to differentiate them, I used a gray tone to color the rest of the words from The Design School. This helps the viewers understand that its two different entities despite their close proximity. The outcome on the right even had an interesting movement going on with everything leaning to the bottom right.

Fig 6.1.2 Axial System Attempt 1, Week 1 (29/8/22)

2. RADIAL -

Radial was the hardest systeare m to do out of the 8. For Attempt 1 on the left, I did not know how to make the starting letter follow the path of a shape. Hence, the weird-looking distortion of the subtext. Whereas on the right, I felt that everything was crammed into the middle & gave no visual interest and dynamicity to the composition.

Fig 6.2 Radial System Attempt 1, Week 1 (29/8/22)

3. DILATATIONAL -

Fig 6.3 Dilatational System Attempt 1, Week 1 (29/8/22)

4. RANDOM -

For the design school information, I duplicated many words of 'design' & varied them based on strokes, weight etc so that when overlapped, they look busy & cluttered. Well, thats the whole point of a random system right? Also, I placed the pile on top of a line so that it seems th at the pile is heavy enough to slant it. With the high contrast of the pile with the white background, it easily becomes an emphasis point of the composition.

Fig 6.4 Random System Attempt 1, Week 1 (29/8/22)

5. GRID -

Fig 6.5 Grid System Attempt 1, Week 1 (29/8/22)

6. MODULAR-

PROGRESS

I wanted the word Design to stand out from the rest of the title so I included a black square with stroke only & overlap with my desired word. The red circle placed next to the 'Design School' was to pull the attention away from the main header & lastly to the design school text. This would be the last thing that the audience would see & that will stick with them after., making this poster all the more effective.

Fig 6.6 Progress for Modular, Week 1 (29/8/22)

Fig 6.7 Modular System Attempt 1, Week 1 (29/8/22)

7. TRANSITIONAL-

Since I felt that Attempt 1 was looking very uninteresting, I tried slanting it to the left for more movement, as though everything is sliding towards the left side. Important infos that I would like to highlight are either higher in contrast or place is further proximity from other elements.

Fig 6.8 Transitional System Attempt 1 & 2, Week 1 (29/8/22)

WEEK 2 - PRACTICAL

ATTEMPT 2

INSPIRATION #1

I admire the usage of color to differentiate the letters from the others. Because the letters have a very tight paragraph spacing, they are seen as a group due to the Principle of Proximity. Therefore, having the color yellow in there helps provide visual interest as well as also segregate it from the group.

Fig 7.1 Inspiration for Headline, Week 2 (12/9/22)

INSPIRATION #2

I was running out of ideas while refining my work when I realized something. I totally forgot that I should research the text given by Mr.Vinod instead of designing the layouts blindly. Anyhow, I surfed the web & gathered information regarding the "Punk Influences on Design". Here's what I have compiled:

According to an article by Hyndman, 2019, Punk was a reaction in alias with the Post-Modernist movement beginning in the 1970s. The Sex Pistols band were amongst the first to vocalize their dissatisfaction with Modernism & demanded change. Speaking of the band, they were known for their collage 'ransom note' typography style, ultimately using different type families of various sizes. The concept of Punk uses mostly San Serif

Typefaces

Fig 7.1.2 Inspiration for Punk Typography, Week 2 (12/9/22)

Fig 7.1.3 Inspiration for Punk Typography, Week 2 (12/9/22)

1. RANDOM -

While Mr.Vinod was giving his feedback on the work of my peers, I noticed that he encouraged the strong non-objective elements for the Random Typographic Systems. Then I thought to myself, "Why don't I do whatever Mr.Vinod tells us not to do for regular compositions?". Since Random is chaotic, I could make the non-objective elements as loud as they can be in order to draw the viewer's attention to it first.

For Attempt 2, I had decided on a theme for this design which is more of a mystery poster. Readers would then need to look closely to find the hidden clues beneath the mess so that they are able to solve the "murder" case. On a more technical aspect, I created contrast by incorporating rectangle shapes with different colors & overlap them with each other. Also, in order to prevent the total elimination of legibility, I made sure to leave important pieces of information in plain sight or at least 'broken up.

Overall. I am very pleased with the outcome of attempt 2.

Fig 7.2 Comparison of Attempt 1 & 2, Week 2 (12/9/22)

2. RADIAL -

Mr. Vinod commented that Attempt 1's distortion is bad despite there not being text distortion in the first place. The non-objective element was also too strong. Overall, both Attempts 1 & 2 did not get approved.

PROGRESS

I emphasized the Taylor's University word by placing a red rectangle behind the word & also duplicating the word itself so that it contains a higher contrast with the graphical element. Other than that, the dates of the open lecture were made to stand out using the same method from earlier but this time, with black & white. The lecture theatre number was also chosen to be extra bold. Lastly, I used a fair bit of nonobjective elements varying from light to dark colors & thin to thick strokes. This is to create movement from the left corner while also creating asymmetry in the composition in order to deviate from the conventional radial designs starting from the center page.

Fig 7.3 Progress for Radial, Week 2 (12/9/22)

Fig 7.3.2 Comparison of Radial Attempts 1 & 2, Week 2 (12/9/22)

3. DILATATIONAL -

Mr. Vinod commented that it was a clever use for Attempt 1's title but then legibility suffers as a result.

PROGRESS

After getting the feedback, I mainly tried to mend the contrast of the title by removing the black background entirely & stuck with plain old white color. Then, I also changed the tone of the word 'Design' for emphasis instead of the method used in Attempt 1. As for the subtexts, I increased the line spacing so that it is easier to read.

Fig 7.4 Progress for Dilatational, Week 2 (12/9/22)

Fig 7.4.2 Comparison of Dilatational Attempts 2 & 3, Week 2 (12/9/22)

4. GRID -

After Mr. Vinod's feedback, I aligned everything to the left. Later, to assert a hierarchy of information, I colored the word, 'Influences' with red color. I also increased the leading of the title so it does not look too cramped.

Fig 7.5 Grid System Attempt 2, Week 2 (12/9/22)

5. TRANSITIONAL -

PROGRESS

Fig 7.6 Transitional System Attempt 2, Week 2 (12/9/22)

Fig 7.6.2 Transitional System Attempt 2, Week 2 (12/9/22)

6. BILATERAL -

PROGRESS

I used the typeface Gill Sans MT Ext Condensed Bold for the header. Next, the numbering of the dates was reduced in size so that it does not stand out as much in the overall composition. In the process, I also tried moving the white circle & just changed the color of the header to contrast with the red background. Additionally, circles with dotted strokes were placed near the title to draw the eye toward that important information. A long black rectangle is placed under the main dates for similar purposes.

Fig 7.7 Bilateral Attempt 1 & 2, Week 2 (12/9/22)

Fig 7.7.2 Bilateral Attempt 1 & 2, Week 2 (12/9/22)

FINAL SUBMISSION OF TASK 1

Fig 8.0 Final Axial System Layout 1, Week 2 (7/9/22)

Fig 8.2 Final Axial System Layout 2, Week 2 (7/9/22)

Fig 8.3 Final Radial System Layout, Week 2 (7/9/22)

Fig 8.4 Final Dilatational System Layout, Week 2 (7/9/22)

Fig 8.5 Final Transitional System Layout, Week 2 (7/9/22)

Fig 8.6 Final Modular System Layout, Week 2 (7/9/22)

Fig 8.7 Final Grid System Layout, Week 2 (7/9/22)

Fig 8.8 Final Random System Layout, Week 2 (7/9/22)

Fig 8.9 Final Bilateral System Layout, Week 2 (7/9/22)

Fig 9.1 Final Submission of Typographic Systems (No Guides & Grids), PDF, Week 6 (10/10/22)

Fig 9.2 Final Submission of Typographic Systems (With Guides & Grids), PDF, Week 6 (10/10/22)

TASK 1: EXERCISE 2- TYPE & PLAY

WEEK 2 - PRACTICAL

PART 1- FINDING TYPE

We can choose 2- 3 pictures for reference.
5 letters to extract (u can do 10 and pick5)
Trace out the objects
Choose the part u want to make it a letter
Refine it by standardizing the stroke weight, and gaps if u have any distinct characteristics

STEP 1- CHOOSE THE SUBJECT OF FOCUS

These pictures were taken by me using my Canon M50 Mark 2 camera. Starting off, all the pictures chosen were derived from man-made materials.

Right off the bat, I could extract the letters A, V, S, W & Z (uppercase) from the filament.(See Fig XX)

Fig 10.1 Lightbulb at PhoVietz, Week 2 (7/9/22)

I thought that the structure of the toothpaste after it has been squeezed over the middle was interesting. But after looking at this picture for quite some time, I noticed that it was pretty difficult to find even 2 letterforms from its outline. Hence, I did not follow through with this object.

Fig 10.1.2 Toothpaste, Week 2 (7/9/22)

Lastly, this plastic bag containing huge coils of wire had all these lines converging towards the center of the tie. I could definitely see the letters H, V, U & E in the picture.

Fig 10.1.3 Tied-Up Plastic Bag, Week 2 (7/9/22)

I got this cute teddy bear from the Clubs & Societies Expedition last month & it was hanging on my lamp ever since. Immediately, I could identify the outline of the letters, D, Y, B, and Y on the bear whereas on the roses, it was H, C, Y,

Fig 10.1.4 360-Degree View of Teddy Bear, Week 2 (7/9/22)

WEEK 3 -

STEP 2- EXTRACTING LETTERFORMS

I first traced out the letterforms using a regular drawing app on my tablet called Autodesk Sketchbook. To be frank, when I began tracing, it was pretty tough because of the little details that I had to look out for. Despite the challenges, I persevered through and managed to extract a few letterforms.

A) LIGHTBULB

Fig 11.1 Extracting Letterforms from Image, Week 3 (14/9/22)

B) TEDDY BEAR WITH ROSES

After this activity, I realized that there wasn't much to extract from the teddy bear image as the letterforms I have gotten did not really represent the characteristics of the teddy bear. It was also going to be very time-consuming if I were to digitalize the fur of the soft toy.

Fig 11.2 Extracting Letterforms from Image, Week 3 (14/9/22)

Later, I wanted to experiment with different platforms for the extraction process so I used the pen tool from Adobe Illustrator to do so.

Fig 11.3 Extracting Letterforms from Image, Week 3 (14/9/22)

Fig 11.4 Extracted Letterforms, Week 3 (14/9/22)

Fig 11.5 Following Reference Typeface for 'M', Week 3 (14/9/22)

CHOOSING A EXISTING TYPEFACE AS A REFERENCE

The typeface I went with was Univers (39 Thin Ultra Condensed) because it is thin in strokes & it is a non-serif typeface.

Fig 12.1 Following Reference Typeface for 'J', Week 3 (14/9/22)

Fig 12.2 Making a Gap In Between Two Stems, Week 3 (14/9/22)

Fig 12.3 Adjusting 'S' Letterform, Week 3 (14/9/22)

FINAL TYPEFACE FOR LIGHTBULB PICTURE

Mr.Vinod commented that even though the gap in between the letter's stems was interesting, the picture I chose for extraction was boring so that made my typeface uninteresting as well.

To be honest, I also kind of agree with his statement. There was no way to make Attempt 1 more visually aesthetic & eye-catching.

Fig 12.4 Final Typeface of Attempt 1, Week 3 (21/9/22)

WEEK 4 -

ATTEMPT 2

INSPIRATION

During last week's Typography class, I was very fascinated by how Mr. Vinod transformed a mere image of 'Taugeh' into a very convincing typeface. That raised a thought that maybe I did not have to follow the conventional way of doing the assignment whereby any shape that looks like a letter is extracted. Instead, I could just take the silhouette of an object & transform it into a typeface.

Fig 13.1 Mr. Vinod's Creation Using Taugeh, Week 4 (21/9/22)

The first few items I had in mind were screws, corn & metal safety pins. Later, I began analyzing the Taugeh works again and I came to a conclusion that perhaps using a more organic food would be best for this project as it gives variety to the typeface.

Then the idea of using a carrot popped into my head after my friend & I were just planning to buy a carrot cake for my best friend's birthday celebration. I got the images from Unsplash & proceeded to trace the image.

Fig 13.2 Reference Images, Week 4 (21/9/22)

Fig 13.3 Understanding the Carrot Anatomy, Week 4 (20/9/22)

STEP 2- TRACING

Fig 13.4 Tracing Body of Carrot, Week 4 (21/9/22)

Keeping in mind that the little details matter when distinguishing an object's silhouette, I drew some additional details from the carrot such as the thin lines going across the carrot.

Fig 13.4.2 Tracing Lines on Carrot, Week 4 (21/9/22)

Using the Width Tool, I changed the thickness of the strokes so its not too uniform.

Fig 13.4.3 Adjusting Width of Lines, Week 4 (21/9/22)

Fig 13.4.4 Adding Lines & Small Shoots, Week 4 (21/9/22)

To create the bar for the letter 'T', I cut the carrot illustration in half, took the tapered end & reflected it. Following the typeface reference chosen, I tried to mimic the serifs by including the shoots on both ends.

Fig 13.4.5 Creating Bar of Uppercase 'T', Week 4 (21/9/22)

To create the letter 'O', I had the option of using the carrot & its leaves or the basket carrying the carrots. I chose the latter mainly because naturally, the carrot was unmalleable & it would be unrealistic if it could bend that far.

I then traced the handles of the basket, closely tracing the folds & twists.

Fig 13.4.6 Tracing Basket Handle & Weave Pattern, Week 4 (21/9/22)

I also traced the collar of the carrot to enhance the look & make it more believable.

Fig 13.4.7 Adding Collar of Carrot, Week 4 (21/9/22)

Fig 13.4.8 Adding Extra Leaves, Week 4 (21/9/22)

The basket 'O' felt out of place so I just went with a different letter altogether. I then chose 'N' to replace the 'O' & it turned out beautiful so I chose Attempt 2 as my final outcome.

Fig 13.4.9 Compilation of Reference Typeface, Attempts 1 & 2, Week 4 (21/9/22)

To my surprise, Mr. Vinod gave compliments on my work & did not state to make any changes so I was ready for submission which I was very happy about.

FINAL OUTCOME OF EXERCISE 2-TYPE & PLAY(PART 1)

Fig 14.1 Final Submission of Exercise 2(Part 2)- Type & Play, Week 5 (28/9/22)

Fig 14.2 Final Submission of Exercise 2(Part 2)- Type & Play, PDF, Week 2 (28/9/22)

PART 2- TYPE & PLAY

WEEK 5

THEMES

Fig 15.1 Theme of Competition, Week 5 (28/9/22)

DEFINITIONS (ACCORDING TO CAMBRIDGE DICTIONARY)

1. Cultural Prosperity

Cultural- relating to the habits, traditions, and beliefs of a society

Prosperity- the state of being successful and having a lot of money

Cultural Prosperity explained by the guidelines of the competition was "A Totem of Renewing Festive Culture". According to Cambridge Dictionary, totem meant "an object that is respected by a group of people, especially for religious reasons" or it could also represent a symbol for some people.

2. Renewal of Life

Renewal- the act of starting again or starting to do something again

Life- the period between birth and death, or the experience or state of being alive

From the pdf document of the competition, there was a phrase explaining the meaning of Renewal of Life which is the "contemplation of human beings' relationship with all things". I thought about it & the first thing that popped into my head was the relationship between humans & nature. And when nature popped up, I thought about the growth of a plant; from a seedling to an adult tree.

IDEATION

Since I wasn't entirely sure about the accuracy of my understanding of "Renewal of Life", I have decided to go with "Cultural Prosperity" as my theme for Exercise 2: Part 2. Not only that, but since I have a Buddhist Altar in my home, I could just use that as my point of focus. After that, I had an idea that perhaps I could manipulate the letters to look as though it is the smoke coming from the joss sticks.

Fig 15.1.2 Inspiration on Pinterest, Week 5 (28/9/22)

Fig 15.1.3 Inspiration on Pinterest, Week 5 (28/9/22)

Fig 15.1.4 Inspiration on Pinterest, Week 5 (28/9/22)

INSPIRATION

I was pretty fascinated by one of the senior's works posted on the Taylor's Design School Instagram page. This is because of the fact that this picture in particular was so hard to insert letters into but the designer made it happen. She did not use any of the elements from the picture except for the burger bun. The rest was just individual letters with similar textures & colors of the fillings. AMAZING.

Fig 15.2 Janice Chaw Zhi Ting's Work, Week 5 (28/9/22)

TAKING THE PHOTOGRAPH

Using my Canon M50 Mark 2 Camera, I took a couple of extreme close-up shots with a 55-200mm lens as well as the kit lens for more medium shots. During the shoot, I somehow keep forgetting that I needed to capture in landscape instead of the portrait so I had to re-photograph a couple of times.

Fig 15.2.2 Compiled Pictures I Took, Week 5 (28/9/22)

After that, I began to shortlist a few of my favorite pictures from the bunch. Looking at it now, all my favorite shots were from an extreme close-up angle with a very soft & blur background. The empty blur area provides space for me to place my text & still would not make the picture look too cluttered.

Fig 15.2.3 Shortlisted Pictures, Week 5 (28/9/22)

To add, I also wanted to incorporate the word "prosperity" into the oil. Below are my reference points.

Fig 15.2.4 Learning the Movement of the Oil, Week 5 (28/9/22)

ATTEMPT 1

I was testing the waters on this first try. I would say it is not great because the words do not complement the glass cup & there was just no cohesion between the letters & the point of focus. If I compared it with the senior's work, all of their designs have a very straightforward meaning they would like to convey.

Fig 15.2.5 Cropping the Image, Week 5 (28/9/22)

Fig 15.2.6 Liquifying & Smudging the Letters, Week 5 (28/9/22)

Fig 15.2.7 Warping the Letters, Week 5 (28/9/22)

Fig 15.2.8 Attempt 1, Week 5 (28/9/22)

ATTEMPT 2

For the second attempt, I used a different picture because I felt that the first one did not have any potential in succeeding. Coming back to this, I manipulated the letters to look like smoke & rearranged them in an unaligned sequence.

Fig 15.3 Adjusting Placement & Opacity, Week 5 (28/9/22)

Fig 15.3.2 Adding Tail of Smoke, Week 5 (28/9/22)

Fig 15.3.3 Attempt 2, Week 5 (28/9/22)

ATTEMPT 2.2

After taking a few looks at my peer's work, I noticed that theirs were more noticeable in the picture and my letter integration was too light. So I went back to Attempt 2 & increased the opacity, decreased the brightness of the original picture as well as brought the letter 'S' down closer to the spiral incense. This gives more of a wavy line & movement to the smoke.

Fig 15.4 Attempt 2.2, Week 5 (28/9/22)

After today's feedback session, there were more negative comments than good ones. Not only that, Mr.Vinod showed a lot of good work in class & which motivated me to try once more. One of the artworks showed the integration of cultural items into the layout such as the teapot. The use of colors in culture could also be implemented in your design.

ATTEMPT 3

Before beginning to conduct another round of photography sessions, I remembered to consider whether the composition I am about to take would be used as my wallpaper. It does not have to be very complicated & beautiful. It can be something very simple but the way the letterforms are integrated is most important.

Below is an artwork taken from William Harold-Wong Associates website which I thought was a good example of letter integration.

Fig 15.5 Artwork by William Harold-Wong Associates, Week 5 (28/9/22)

MORE RESEARCH

Malaysia Cultural Customs-

1. People would go for Open House during the festive seasons

2. Taking off the shoes before entering a house

3. Photograph the old plates (white & green) in Kopitiam or Mamak restaurant

4. Traffic Jams all day, every day

5. Article: https://theculturetrip.com/asia/malaysia/articles/11-malaysian-customs-know/

Fig 15.6 Kopitiam Reference Image, Week 5 (28/9/22)

WEEK 6

ATTEMPT 4

I really did not have a clue about what type of picture I wanted to take in order to portray the meaning of "Cultural Prosperity". Hence, I began playing around & experimenting with old pictures I had of cultural activities to get in the flow of designing. In this picture, it was during Cheng Ming Festival when the Chinese gathered to pray & clean the tombstones of their ancestors or deceased family members. Because this picture had a great color scheme, I went ahead and liquify this picture just to see how it would turn out.

Fig 16.1 Experimenting with Old Pictures, Week 6 (5/10/22)

I found this picture of an old-fashion Chinese Calendar from my grandmother's house. The design on the top was what caught my attention. Right off the bat, I could see that the slanted tree resembles the letter "L".

Then, I figured I could take reference from the composition & incorporate the letters at the same time.

Fig 16.1.2 Old Chinese Calendar, Week 6 (5/10/22)

DIGITALISATION

I started by using the Pen Tool to trace the important objects that I want to be included in the wallpaper.

Fig 16.2 Tracing Drawing With Shapes, Week 6 (5/10/22)

After that, I added the letter L from the typeface ITC New Baskerville Std & slicing it at the bottom to separate it. The purpose of doing so is that the L is able to resemble the ground as well as the trees. Other alphabets are also incorporated behind the L in a stacked-up manner.

Fig 16.2.2 Incorporating Letterforms, Week 6 (5/10/22)

I converted the serifs from the L to tiny tree branches so that the letterform blends in better with the theme.

Fig 16.2.4 Adding Branches to the L, Week 6 (5/10/22)

Fig 16.2.5 Changing Position of Bird, Week 6 (5/10/22)

At this point, what I am about to explain is just experimentation. I drew a line and duplicated it several times so it becomes more of a pattern. After converting the lines into outlines, I use the shape builder tool to minus out the actual lines to reveal the background color. I thought this was very cool & gave a Japanese feel to the design so I decided to lean toward that art direction later on.

Fig 16.2.6 Cutting out Lines from the Red Circle, Week 6 (5/10/22)

I had this idea to implement the C from Culture as a lantern that is hung from the tree branches. Initially, the top of the lantern was connected with a web-like string but after that, I searched Japanese Lantern & found that the top was very geometrical.

Fig 16.2.7 Making C into a Lantern, Week 6 (5/10/22)

Fig 16.2.8 Final Lantern, Week 6 (5/10/22)

ADDING TEXTURE

I got the overlay from Freepik & just placed it on top of my design. It gave a very grungy & vintage feel to the ambiance.

Fig 16.3 Texture Overlay to Background, Week 6 (5/10/22)

Since the C was already made big, I needed to make the other letters the same size as well to remain consistency. I tried various versions for the header e.g stroke only, fill & stroke etc.
Fig 16.3.2 Remaining Letters of Title, Week 6 (5/10/22)

Later, I figured that artwork without texture is much better. Besides, wallpapers aren't supposed to have alot of pattern & be very distracting.
Fig 16.3.3 Comparison Between With & Without Texture, Week 6 (5/10/22)

TRANSFORMING TYPE

Instead of a regular letter T, I turned it into a sword as it relates to my theme of the Japanese invasion & how many victims were hurt using weapons similar to this. For the color, I used the Gradient Tool that colors the sword from light to dark gray.

Fig 16.3.4 Creating the Sword, Week 6 (5/10/22)

Last but not least, dirt was added at the bottom of the letters so that it looks more realistic. I created a Japanese, oil-based umbrella called Wagasa to make it easier for the viewers to identify what type of culture of implying.

Fig 16.3.5 Slapping On Dirt, Week 6 (5/10/22)

HONOR COMPETITION SUBMISSION PROGRESS

For the competition, we have to submit four things; wallpaper, phone case design, personalized cards & a rationale for your design. I downloaded the template provided and used a clipping mask for all of the submissions & adjust my original design to fit into the framework given.

Fig 16.3.6 Masking Wallpaper On Template, Week 6 (5/10/22)

Fig 16.4 Exporting the Final Submission on Photoshop, Week 6 (5/10/22)

FINAL SUBMISSION OF TYPE & PLAY PART 2

REGULAR SUBMISSION

Fig 17.1 Final Submission of Type & Play Part 2, JPEG, Week 6 (5/10/22)

Fig 17.2 Final Submission of Type & Play Part 2, PDF, Week 6 (5/10/22)

HONOR TALENTS COMPETITION

Fig 17.3 Final Submission of Type & Play Part 2 (Wallpaper), Week 6 (5/10/22)

Fig 17.3.2 Final Submission of Type & Play Part 2(Phone Case), Week 6 (5/10/22)

Fig 17.3.3 Final Submission of Type & Play Part 2 (Personalized Cards), Week 6 (5/10/22)

Fig 17.3.4 Final Submission of Type & Play Part 2 (Design Exploration), Week 6 (5/10/22)

FEEDBACKS

WEEK 2 - TYPOGRAPHIC SYSTEMS (LAYOUT)

General Feedback:
We can differentiate information through 4 elements; color, point size, different typefaces & space. For random, the more you look at work, you will find a system/ pattern in the way the text is placed. Avoid high contrast in layout (e.g half & half) Must have consistency (e.g all arrangement of dates must be the same) Do not separate the title into two different sections or use different fonts or different colors (it will seem as though they r not together) Never outline the text, lack readability

Specific Feedback:

- Axial- First layout is well composed. However, the use of tone in the text ‘The Design School’ doesn’t communicate the msg. The right one is interesting, both are good.

- Radial- distortion is bad, the non-objective element is too strong, and the second layout is a waste of space

- Dilatational- hard to read

- Random-more random

- Grid alignment on the right (all align to the right/left), TDS and Taylor’s University must be aligned the same

WEEK 3 - TYPE & PLAY

General Feedback:

- Choose either one subject in the picture (tree/leaves)

- Choose a subject that has a distinct characteristic (e.g turtle shell)

- Document process work when creating the letterforms

- Use the outlines of the image, like creating block letters instead of using just line

- Find a letterform and use it as a benchmark

Specific Feedback:

- Not a good image to extract

- Interesting characteristics of the top gap

- “S” is not reflective of the other letters (make it consistent in terms of the stroke)

- Increase the stroke of the weight

- The crossbar of 'A' needs work

WEEK 4 - TYPE & PLAY

General Feedback:

- Incorporate some of the texture into the typeface
- The typeface ought to be consistent
- Decide which characteristics you wanna keep or remove from the picture & implement them into the typeface

Specific Feedback:

- Great job on the letterform
- Typeface cannot be used in a smaller point size because white lines cannot be seen

WEEK 5 - TYPE & PLAY PART 2

General Feedback:

- The image must match with the text you are using (e.g lantern with the word, prosperity doesn’t work)

- Choice of typeface is also important

- Cannot be too direct because then there are no elements of mystery- its so easy to figure out making it boring

- Culture can mean from a societal standpoint (e.g in msia, we take off our shoes when we enter the house)

- Your text must be as important and as strong as the picture (it must share the authority as the subject from the image)

- Text should be low in contrast

- Maybe I could find a monochromatic image and try to blend my word into it.

- The use of colors in culture could also be implemented in your design.

- Do more research on art movements (e.g surrealism, modernism, post-modernism, constructivism) to get an idea of the image.

Specific Feedback:

- Interesting from a textural point of view

- Cannot read the text-low level of legibility

- Mr. Vinod likes the smoke effect

- Crop the bottom part of the image

- Not sure if people want to use this as the wallpaper

- The text needs to have a bigger role in the image

REFLECTIONS

EXPERIENCE

The first task (typographic systems), I found the task very eye-opening. This is because I thought I would dread doing 8 posters but in actual fact, I quite enjoyed it. I believe it was partly due to the maturity I have developed after the Typography class last semester. For Type & Play Part 1, I was extremely pleased with the outcome even though it took a couple of tries and was rather time-consuming. When Mr.Vinod gave a rare compliment to my work, I was over the moon as it felt like my hard work has been acknowledged. Lastly, for Type & Play Part 2, I felt that we should be able to use uncopyrighted stock photos because not everyone has the equipment and photography skills to capture a good photograph. This would then affect the overall result of the task It would also make us stress about it even when that was not what the module aims to teach us.

OBSERVATIONS

I observed that the assignments for Advanced Typography had more freedom in terms of being able to use more graphical elements as well as using color, varying typefaces & creating unique compositions. Maybe this was one of the reasons I actually grew to like this module even though the workload is through the roof. I wished that I had more time to complete the task at my own pace as I do enjoy it.

FINDINGS

One of the most important lessons I have learned while doing Typographic Systems is that we must ensure that the elements command the empty space of the canvas. Without it, it would look as though it is a waste of space.