ADVANCED TYPOGRAPHY / TASK 3: TYPE EXPLORATION & APPLICATION

╎Week 9 - Week 13

╎Gwendalyn Firly Bong / 0374580

╎Bachelor of Design (Honours) in Creative Media

╎Task 3: Type Exploration and Application

I. Instructions

II. Lectures

III. Task 3

IV. Feedback

V. Reflection

VI. Further Reading

I. INSTRUCTIONS

II. LECTURES

Completed in Tasks 1 and 2

III. TASK 3

Ideation and Sketches

For this task, we were given 3 prompts we could follow:

Create a font that is intended to solve a larger problem or meant to be part of a solution in the area of your interest, be it graphic design, animation, new media or entertainment design or any other related area not necessarily reflecting your specialisation. End result: a complete generated font (.ttf) with applications.
Explore the use of an existing letterform in an area of interest, understand its existing relationship, identify areas that could be improved upon, explore possible solutions or combinations that may add value to the existing letterform/lettering. End result: a complete generated font (.ttf) with applications.
Experiment. For your idea to qualify as an experiment, it must be novel and unique — working with material that might be 3-dimensional, digitally augmented, edible, unusual, typographic music video, or fine art. End result: defined by student. To be effective, you will need to study your selected area, look at how type is used in the area, and identify potential weaknesses or possible areas of further exploration or experimentation. You can then attempt to provide a creative solution or add value to an existing use.

After reading the MIB, I went to Pinterest to look for ideas first. I was drawn to more minimalistic-looking fonts. So I used that as a basis.

Figure 1.1: Reference Fonts (Week 9)

I then decided to pair up that idea with prompt number 2. I was drawn to the font "Courier". Courier is a monospaced font designed to replicate the appearance of a vintage typewriter. I decided to take on that idea as well, deciding to create a monospaced font that gives off a more handwritten aesthetic. Using that idea, I went on to create some sketches.

Figure 1.2: Early Sketches (Week 9)

After making the sketches, I finalized the idea and transferred it over into Illustrator.

Figure 1.3: Lowercase First Draft (Week 10)

Figure 1.4: Uppercase First Draft (Week 10)

However, shortly after completing the first draft, I realized the spacing didn't look right, so I conducted further research on monospaced fonts. I then found this explanation from this website (link)

Figure 1.5: Monospaced Guide (Week 10)

After figuring that out, I made a guide that I could follow for each of the letters.

Figure 1.6: Grid (Week 10)

Figure 1.7: Process (Week 11)

Figure 1.8: Process (Week 11)

After completing the fonts, I went on to import them into FontForge, since my FontLab has expired.

Figure 1.9: Uppercase Asset Export (Week 11)

I had no issues importing the capital letters; however, the lowercase kept getting warped/stretched. Through my friend's guidance, I tried to export the letters along with the capital counterparts.

Figure 1.10: Lowercase Asset Export (Week 11)

After importing everything into FontForge, I did the kerning. Since this a monospaced font, it was easy and I didn't encounter much problems.

Figure 1.11: Final Lowercase in FontForge (Week 11)

Figure 1.12: Final Uppercase in FontForge (Week 11)

Font Application and Presentation Process

After finishing up the font, I immediately went on to create the font application and presentation. Originally, I had trouble making a set aesthetic for the font, since it was quite versatile. I looked through Pinterest again and tried to browse through different ideas.

Figure 2.1: Monotonous Aesthetic (Week 11)

Figure 2.2: Minimalistic Aesthetic (Week 11)

Figure 2.3: Bright, Retro Aesthetic (Week 11)

I decided on a more retro-esque, old-school supermarket aesthetic for my "brand". It perfectly fit my original idea, so I went along with it. I wanted to find items that gave off vintage vibes, so I ended up creating: supermarket coupons, a shop catalog, and a variety of vintage stickers.

Figure 2.4: Color palette (Week 11)

Figure 2.5: Process (Week 11)

Figure 2.6: Process (Week 11)

Figure 2.7: Process (Week 11)

Figure 2.8: Process (Week 11)

Figure 2.9: Process (Week 11)

Honor Submission Process

After completing the font presentations and applications, I went on to work on the HONOR submission. Mr Vinod advised us to go for the "standby category, which is the clock". Originally, I wanted to go for a more minimalistic-looking clock to complement my font. I tried to experiment with solid colors and bokeh effects, but it felt empty. So I went back to the drawing board and tried to go with a more retro aesthetic.

Figure 3.1: Early Clock Trials (Week 12)

Figure 3.2: Early Clock Trials (Week 12)

Figure 3.3: More Clock Trials with New Aesthetic (Week 13)

Figure 3.4: Process (Week 13)

After creating this design, I realized that I did the format wrong, so I used the base to create a new background.

Figure 3.5: Final Background (Week 13)

Using this background, I added the clock numbers on top and created the final clock face.

Figure 3.6: Process (Week 13)

Final Submission

Figure 4.1: Slant Font PDF (Week 13)

Download OTF here!: Link

Download TTF here!: Link

Figure 4.2: FontForge Screenshot (Week 13)

Figure 4.3: PDF (Week 14)

Figure 4.4: Font Presentation (Week 13)

Figure 4.5: Font Presentation (Week 13)

Figure 4.6: Font Presentation (Week 13)

Figure 4.7: Font Presentation (Week 13)

Figure 4.8: Font Presentation (Week 13)

Figure 4.9: Font Application (Week 13)

Figure 4.10: Font Application (Week 13)

Figure 4.11: Font Application (Week 13)

Figure 4.12: Font Application (Week 13)

Figure 4.13: Compilation PDF (Week 14)


Figure 5.1: Final Standby Clock Design (Week 14)

Figure 5.2: Final Overall Visual Design (Week 14)

Figure 5.3: Final Design Animation (Week 14)

Figure 5.4: Honor Submission (Week 14)

IV. FEEDBACK

Week 13:

General Feedback: Finalize font presentations and application

Specific Feedback: As for the color scheme, anything is ok

Week 12:

General Feedback: Finalize fontforge and start working on presentation

Specific Feedback: Finalize moving font into fontforge

Week 11:

General Feedback: Feedback on font

Specific Feedback: Make sure the tilt of all the fonts are the same, start working on the punctuation

Week 10:

General Feedback: Feedback on font ideas

Specific Feedback: Do a deep dive on monospaced fonts, make sure the width(?) of each letters is similar

Week 9:

General Feedback: Feedback on ideas for final task

Specific Feedback: Explore more on the courier font modernization idea

V. REFLECTION

Experience

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

Designing a complete typeface is far more complex than I initially imagined. Every curve, and proportion matters, even the tiniest inconsistency can disrupt the flow and legibility of the entire font. I learned that type design isn't just about making letters look good individually, but it's more about creating a consistent visual pattern across all the letters.

Findings

While creating this font, I explored monospaced fonts and gained an appreciation for their unique structure. I learned that while monospaced fonts have the advantage of uniform spacing, which makes kerning more straightforward, they also come with creative limitations. Since every letter must occupy the same horizontal space, it was difficult for me to design proportioned letters like "W" or "I". This forced me to find creative ways to design the letters. It made me realize that no type system is perfect; each comes with its own set of compromises, and the key is understanding how to work within those constraints to achieve the intended outcome.

VI . FURTHER READING

Figure 6.1: Voodoo Sans by Jason Antony (Week 14)

Source: Link

Ideation

Created a geometric sans serif font named Voodoo Sans, tailored for UI/UX use
Wanted to craft a modern, minimalist font that’s more exciting than standard ones like Futura, Helvetica, or Montserrat

Process

Skipped manual sketching in favor of digital design from the start
Studied unique letterforms from Futura and incorporated inspiration into Voodoo Sans
Focused on variations and alternate letterforms to add identity and flexibility to the font

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Gwendalyn Firly Bong (0374580)