ADVANCED TYPOGRAPHY / TASK 1: EXERCISES

╎Week 1 - Week 4

╎Gwendalyn Firly Bong / 0374580

╎Bachelor of Design (Honours) in Creative Media

╎Task 1: Exercises: Typographic Systems & Type & Play

I. Instructions

II. Lectures

III. Exercises

IV. Feedback

V. Reflection

VI. Further Reading

I. INSTRUCTIONS

II. LECTURES

Week 1: AdTypo_1_Typographic Systems

Typographic Systems

"All design is based on a structural system"
8 major variations:

Axial System: All variations are organized to the left or right of a single axis
Radial System: All elements are extended from a point of focus
Dilational System: All elements expand from a center point in circular fashion
Random System: Elements appear to not have no specific pattern or relationship
Grid System: A system of vertical and horizontal divisions
Modular System: A series of non-objective elements that are constructed in as a standardised units
Transitional System: An informal system of layered banding
Bilateral System: All text is arranged symmetrically on a single axis

Typographical organization is complex because the elements are dependent on communication in order to function

Other criteria include hierarchy, order of reading, legibility, and contrast

Figure 1.1: Typographic Systems, Week 1 (22/04/25)

Week 2: AdTypo_2_Typographic Composition

The rule of thirds

A photographic guide to composition
A frame divided into 3 columns and 3 rows
The intersecting lines are used as a guide to place the points of interest within the space
The intersecting points become the focal point of the layout

Additional Typographic Systems

Environmental Grid

Based on the exploration of an existing structure(s) combined
The information is organized around the structure

Form and Movement

An exploration of an existing Grid Systems

Week 3: AdTypo_3_Context & Creativity

Handwriting

Why is handwriting important in the study of type/typography?

The first mechanically produced letterforms were designed to imitate handwriting
It became the standard for form, spacing, and conventions

Evolution of Letters

Cuneiform (3000 B.C.E.)

The earliest system of writing, and was used in several languages

Hieroglyphics (2613 - 2160 B.C.E)

An Egyptian writing system that is a mixture of both rebus and phonetic characters, the first link to a future alphabetic system. Can be used as ideograms, determinatives, and as phonograms

Early Greek (5th C. B.C.E.)

Built on the Egyptian logo-consonantal system, and developed a phonetic alphabet consisting of 22 letters

Roman Uncials (4th C.)

Roman letters became more rounded, which allowed for fewer strokes and faster writing speeds

English Half Uncials (8th C.)

The uncials evolved into a more slanted and condensed form

Emperor Charlemagne (8 C. CE)

After the fall of the Roman Empire, handwriting broke down into several regional styles.

Carolingian Minuscule

A court school established under the direction of Alcuin of York. Book production increased and language was standardized.

Black Letter (12 - 15 C. CE)

Gothic was the culminating artistic expression of the Middle Ages. It is characterized by tight spacing and condensed lettering

The Italian Renaissance

Humanist scholars in Italy slowly revived the culture of antiquity. They renamed the newly discovered font (Carolingian script) to Antica

Movable Type (11 C. - 14 C.)

Printing had already been practiced in China, Korea, and Japan. The innovation was pioneered in China but achieved in Korea.

Figure 1.2: Evolution of Letters, Week 3 (6/05/25)

Evolution of Middle Eastern Alphabets

Phoenician letter marks a turning point in written language, but the script itself has been influenced by the Egyptian Hieroglyphics and Hieratic Scripts

Evolution of the Chinese Script

From the Oracle bone to the Seal script to the Clerical script, traditional and simplified scripts

Brahmi script (450 - 350 BCE)

The earliest writing system developed in India after the Indus script. All modern Indian scripts and hundreds from Southeast and East Asia are derived from Brahmi

Evolution of Southeast Asian Type

Pallava

A South Indian script originally used for writing Sanskrit and Tamil
Became the basis for writing systems across Southeast Asia

Pra-nagari

Another early form of the Nagari script, used in India for writing Sanskrit

Kawi

Based on Nagari, but is indigenous to Java
Comes from the Sanskrit term kavya, meaning poet
Became the basis of other scripts in both Indonesia and the Philippines

Incung

The original writing system in Kampung Kerinci, not Jawi

Jawi

The Arabic-based alphabet, introduced along with Islam

Week 4: AdTypo_4_Designing Type

Adrian Frutiger

A renowned twentieth-century Swiss graphic designer
Responsible for the advancement of typography into digital typography
Created the fonts Univers and Frutiger

Frutiger: A Sans-Serif typeface designed for the newly built Charles de Gaulle International airport in France

Purpose: The goal of the typeface was to create a clean, distinctive, and legible typeface that is easy to see from both close up and far away
Limitations/Considerations: Since letterforms need to be recognized even in poor light conditions, he tested with unfocused letters to see which letterforms could still be identified

Figure 1.3: Frutiger Font, Week 4 (13/05/25)

Matthew Carter

Son of Harry Carter, the royal designer for industry, a contemporary British type designer
Many of his fonts were created to address specific technical challenges
Created Verdana (1996) for Microsoft

Purpose: The font was tuned to be extremely legible even at very small sizes on the screen, due in part to the popularity of the internet and electronic devices
Limitations/Considerations: The Verdana fonts exhibit characteristics derived from the pixel rather than the pen, the brush, or the chisel

Figure 1.4: Verdana Font, Week 4 (13/05/25)

Edward Johnston

Created the London "Underground" typeface, later known as Johnston Sans (1916)

He was told to create a typeface with "bold simplicity", that was modern yet rooted in tradition. His design combined both classical Roman proportions and humanist warmth
Purpose: London's Underground railway ordered a new typeface for its posters and signage.
Limitations/Considerations: His goal was to unite the London Underground Group, the different companies all using the same rails and tunnels. (All the advertising, all the signage was all different)

Figure 1.5: Underground Font, Week 4 (13/05/25)

Process of Type Design

Research

It is important to determine the type's purpose or what it should be used for, and what different applications it will be used in
We should understand type history, type anatomy, and type conventions, along with terminologies, sidebearings, metrics, and hinting

Sketching

Some designers first sketch their typeface using traditional tools, then scan it for digitization, and some immediately sketch using digital tool sets. Both methods have their positives and negatives

Digitization

Leading software used in the digitization of typefaces includes: FontLab and Glyphs
Some designers also use Adobe Illustrator to design the letterforms, then introduce them into the specialized font apps
Attention should be given both to the whole form and counterform at this stage, as the readability of the typeface is heavily dependent on it

Testing

An important component in the design thinking process
Prototyping is also part of the testing process and leads to important feedback

Deploy

Even after deploying a completed typeface, there are always problems
Testing is important so that issues remain minor

Typeface Construction

Roman Capital

The grid consists of a square, and inside it a circle that touches the lines of the square in four places. Within the square, there is a rectangle that is 3 quarters the size of the square and is positioned in the centre.

Using grids can facilitate the construction of letterforms

Construction and Considerations

An important visual correction is the extrusion of curved and protruding forms past the baseline and cap line

III. EXERCISES

Exercise 1: Typographic Systems

Contents:

The Design School,

Taylor’s University

The ABCs of Bauhaus Design Theory

June 24, 2021

Lew Pik Svonn, 9AM-10AM

Ezrena Mohd., 10AM-11AM

Suzy Sulaiman, 11AM-12PM

June 25, 2021

Lim Whay Yin, 9AM-10AM

Fahmi Reza, 10AM-11AM

Manish Acharia, 11AM-12PM

Lecture Theatre 12

Process Work

Figure 2.1: Sketches (Week 1)

Figure 2.2: Trials (Week 1)

Figure 2.3: First Draft Before Consultation (Week 1)

After the consultation, Mr Vinod gave several comments:

He advised me to use fewer graphical elements overall
For the bilateral system, mine seemed to be more like a multilateral system, so try make it one line
The random system isn't random enough

Figure 2.4: After Consultation (Week 2)

I ended up changing almost all of the systems, mostly removing the graphical elements and changing the accent color to pink.

Final Results

Figure 2.5: Axial System (Week 2)

Figure 2.6: Radial System Final (Week 2)

Figure 2.7: Dilational System Final (Week 2)

Figure 2.8: Bilateral System Final (Week 2)

Figure 2.9: Random System Final (Week 2)

Figure 2.10: Transitional System Final (Week 2)

Figure 2.11: Modular System Final (Week 2)

Figure 2.12: Grid System Final (Week 2)

Without Grids

Figure 2.13: PDF without grids (Week 2)

With Grids

Figure 2.14: PDF with grids (Week 2)

Exercise 2: Type & Play Part 1

To begin, we were instructed to pick an image that has potential letters that could be extracted. I chose a tiger print because I noticed several shapes that resembled letters. The image already had strong contrast, so minimal editing was needed to make the letterforms more visible

Figure 3.1: Chosen Image (Week 3)

Source: Here

Below is my extraction of the letters:

Figure 3.2: Letter Extraction (Week 3)

Figure 3.3: Final Extractions (Week 3)

I ended up with a lot of letters, and a lot of word options. I settled with "Vanish" since it sounds cool.

Figure 3.4: Reference Font (Week 3)

I picked this reference font since it has the look I'm kind of going for.

Figure 3.5: Refinement Process (Week 3)

Figure 3.6: First Draft Before Consultation (Week 3)

After getting feedback from Mr Vinod, I changed the letters accordingly. He told me to make the letters less sharp, and to make sure the stroke widths are all the same.

Figure 3.7: Final Font (Week 3)

Figure 3.8: Final Font after adjustments (Week 3)

Final Results

Figure 4.1: Image and Extraction (Week 3)

Figure 4.2: Refinement Process (Week 3)

Figure 4.3: Extracted Letterforms (Week 3)

Figure 4.4: Reference Font (Week 3)

Figure 4.5: Final Letterform (Week 3)

Figure 4.6: Original Extraction (top) and Final Letterform (bottom) comparison (Week 3)

Exercise 2: Type & Play Part 2

After completing the font, I started working on the poster. I first added effects to the original image to act as a background. Since the word I picked is "Vanish", I wanted the movie poster to give off thriller/horror vibes. I changed the image to black and white and added a more sketchy/ rough effect.

Figure 5.1: Edited Image (Week 4)

Figure 5.2: Effects Used (Week 4)

Then, I started working on the font. I used the mask tool and used a vintage texture to add texture to the text, and then I turned it red, and I overlaid it over the black text

Figure 5.3: Process (Week 4)

However, after adding the text on top of the image, I realized that the text blended too much into the image, so I inverted the black and red.

I then added extra elements to the poster, including a slogan, the movie credits, the release date, and some logos. I noticed that it was also blending into the poster too much, so I increased the transparency.

Figure 5.4: Draft 1 (Week 4)

Figure 5.5: Final Draft before Consultation (Week 4)

After consultation with Mr Vinod, he said that the overall poster lacks proper contrast. To make the elements stand out more, I ended up making the text more opaque, and reducing the contrast and transparency of the background.

Final Results

Figure 6.1: Final Poster (Week 4)

Figure 6.2: Final Poster PDF (Week 4)

Exercise 2 Final Compilation

Figure 7.1: Image and Extraction (Week 3)

Figure 7.2: Refinement Process (Week 3)

Figure 7.3: Extracted Letterforms (Week 3)

Figure 7.4: Reference Font (Week 3)

Figure 7.5: Final Letterform (Week 3)

Figure 7.6: Original Extraction (top) and Final Letterform (bottom) comparison (Week 3)

Figure 7.7: Final Poster (Week 4)

Figure 7.8: Final Poster PDF (Week 4)

IV. FEEDBACK

Week 1:

General Feedback: We were briefed on task 1 and were told to watch lecture 1

Week 2:

General Feedback: We were given feedback on the 8 systems we submitted

Specific Feedback: The random system needs more work, and overall use less graphics as it is too distracting

Week 3:

General Feedback: We were given feedback on the font we submitted

Specific Feedback: Overall font is okay, but try to retain some of the organic parts since fur isn't sharp, and fix the stroke weight

Week 4:

General Feedback: Final feedback on poster and font

Specific Feedback: The title isn't clear enough, and needs to have better contrast. Body text also needs to be brighter

V. REFLECTION

Experience

This module is an extension of the typography module, which I really enjoyed. I came into it excited to learn more, and it definitely delivered. The exercises encouraged me to think more deeply about the typefaces I want to create, and I gained valuable insights into the digital tools used in the design process.

Also, Mr. Vinod's feedback gave me deeper insight into my work and helped me identify what was missing. Through those feedback sessions, I gained a stronger understanding of what I'm lacking and learned the importance of being more independent, as he consistently encouraged us to take initiative and think for ourselves.

Observation

This task pushed me to think more deeply about typography, not just on a surface level. I gained a better understanding of how typefaces are created, their historical context, and much more. I also realized that each typeface has its own purpose and is designed with specific goals in mind.

Findings

I also learned that sometimes, simplicity is far more effective. A design is often more impactful when it stands out because of its core structure, rather than relying heavily on decorative or graphical elements.

VI. FURTHER READING

Figure 8: Kreatif Beats

Source: https://kreatifbeats.com/2023/08/06/finding-type-a-novel-typographic-exercise/

Finding Type: A Novel Typographic Exercise

While designing the curriculum for the Advanced Typography module, the writer realised that they needed to design tasks that cultivated transferable skills for the different specialisations that students would select in the future, be it UIUX, graphic design or animation. The result was “Finding Type”. The task involves the extraction of letters from an image to develop a typeface(?). The steps include:

1. Finding an image

The image selected must have a strong and consistent character, preferably a subject matter that is similar or repetitive in nature. If an image has too many different elements, the extraction would have attributes that are inconsistent and varied, and would make the process a lot more time-consuming

2. Deconstructing an image

The student may choose to outline the image or simply outline the identified shapes. What's important is the observation of the constituent shapes and forms of the object in the image being studied.

3. Identifying letterforms

After deconstructing the image, the student would proceed to identify letterforms within the outlined areas

4. Extracting letterforms

The letterforms are then extracted from the deconstructed image and placed on a baseline to be studied as a whole and in comparison to each other. Core characteristics are identified, and a potential direction is determined.

5. Identify a reference typeface

A typeface that suits the type of art direction being pursued is identified as a reference. The reference serves to guide the student toward an overall aesthetic, but also serves as a point of reference when determining the shape or form of a letter according to convention

6. Refining letterforms

At this stage, the design evolves through an iterative process. The objective is to refine the letterform to a point where it is consistent, uniform, and stylistically similar to the other extracted letterforms. All this while retaining the core characteristics of the original subject of the selected image

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Gwendalyn Firly Bong (0374580)