31st Oct 2023 - 17th Nov 2023 (Week 6-7)
Sin Jun Ming (0364638)
Typography / Design in Creative Media / Taylor's University
Task 2 / Typographic Exploration & Communication
LECTURES
Week 6 - Typography / Different Medium
In the past, typography existed only on paper. However, in this modern era,
typography exists not only on paper but on a multitude of screens. It is
subject to many unknown and fluctuating parameters, such as operating system,
system fonts, the device and screen itself, the viewport and more.
Print type vs. Screen type
Print type
Caslon, Garamond, Baskerville are the most common typefaces that is used for
print because they are elegant and intellectual but also highly readable
when set at small font size.
Fig 1.6.1 Print type
Screen Type
Typefaces intended for use on the web are optimized and often modified
to enhance readability and performance onscreen. This can include a
taller x-height, reduced ascenders and descenders, wider letterforms,
more open counters, heavier thin strokes and serifs, reduced stroke
contrast, as well as modified curves and angles for some designs.
1.Font Size for screen - 16-pixel text on a screen is
about the same size as text printed in a book or magazine; this is
accounting for reading distance.
Fig 1.6.2 Font size between Screen (left) and Print (right)
2.System Fonts for Screen/ Web Safe Fonts - Open Sans,
Lato, Arial, Helvetica, Times New Roman, Times, Courier New, Courier,
Verdana, Georgia, Palatino, Garamond
3.Pixel Differential Between Devices - The screens used by
our PCs, tablets, phones and TVs are not only different sizes, but
they also have different sized pixels too.
Fig 1.6.3 Pixel Differential Between Devices
Static vs. Motion
Static typography has minimal characteristic in expressing words.
However, temporal media offer opportunities to typographers
to “dramatize” type, for letterforms to become “fluid” and
“kinetic”. On-screen typography has developed to become
expressive, helping to establish the tone of associated content or
express a set of brand values.
INSTRUCTIONS
TASK 2 / Typographic Exploration & Communication
In this task, we are assigned to edit a text formatting layout (200mm x 200mm of double page spread) typographically with content provided by Mr. Vinod and Ms. Low. We can now design the letters of the headline of the text using the techniques that we had learnt when we were doing Task 1/ exercise 1: Type Expression.
Research
At first, I searched online for examples of editorial layout to seek for inspirations and ideas to aid my sketching progress.
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Fig 1.1.1 Examples of Editorial Layout (31st Oct 2023 - Week 6)
Sketches
In the very first progress, I started to sketch out my idea on arranging the letters of the headline of the text to determine the best way to express the meaning. Since the headline gives a sense of order and regularization, and somewhat computerization, hence I want to create a frame using the letters to show presence of order.
Fig 1.2.1 Sketch of head page (1) (1 Nov 2023 - Week 6)
Fig 1.2.2 Sketch of head page (2) (1 Nov 2023 - Week 6)
Fig 1.2.3 Sketch of head page (3) (1 Nov 2023 - Week 6)
For the word "CODE", I want to do some illustration on it because it is the
keyword in the headline. Hence, I began to sketch on my word "CODE" with the
idea that came up to my mind.
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Fig 1.2.4 Sketch on type expression of word "CODE" (1 Nov 2023 - Week 6)
After sketching, I started to digitised it on Adobe Illustrator. I also found
a suitable typeface which is Serifa Std 55 Roman for this word.
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Fig 1.2.5 The digitized illustration of my type expression "CODE" (1 Nov 2023 - Week 6)
After deep consideration and getting suggestion from Ms. Low, I chose my
second sketch to be digitised. Hence, I began to sketch the whole editorial
layout with the content of passage.
Fig 1.2.6 Sketch of my Editorial Layout (4th Nov 2023 - Week 6)
After sketches on my editorial layout, I started to design it on Adobe InDesign. I decided to divide the headline and the passage into two pages because I do not want to mix them together and create chaos that is against the concept of my design which is the presence of order.
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With the suggestions from Ms. Low, I applied bold font on every first sentences of each
paragraph to show the important messages of each paragraph. I prefer justified alignment for this passage as it creates clean visual experience to the reader so that the messages can be sent from the writer effectively. I also divided the passage into two columns with sufficient margin between them to increase the readability of it.
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Fig 1.3.1 Bold font on first sentences (7th Nov 2023 - Week 7)
There is an important quote in the passage -
Your job is a choice. Please do it right. I think this is a
strong message that writer wanted to send to the reader, so I move it
from the passage to the headline page and place it in the center of my
head design to show its importance in this content. I also chose a
suitable typeface for it and added bold font on keywords "choice" and
"right".
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Fig 1.3.2 Enhancement of design on the head page (7th Nov 2023 - Week 7)
Fig 1.3.3 Final Outcome of my Editorial Layout (jpeg without grid
visible) (8th Nov 2023 - Week 7)
Fig 1.3.4 Final Outcome of my Editorial Layout (jpeg with grid
visible) (8th Nov 2023 - Week 7)
Fig 1.3.5 Final Outcome of my Editorial Layout (pdf without
grid visible) (8th Nov 2023 - Week 7)
Fig 1.3.6 Final Outcome of my Editorial Layout (pdf with grid visible) (8th Nov 2023 - Week 7)
Details of my Editorial Layout
Margins: 10 mm
Gutter: 5 mm
Head
Font: Univers LT Std 47 Light Condensed, Janson Text LT Std 75 Bold,
Janson Text LT Std 55 Roman and Serifa Std 55 Roman
Body
Font: Adobe Caslon Pro Regular and Bodoni Std Italic
Type Size: 10pt
Leading: 12pt
Paragraph spacing: 12pt
Characters per-line: 59
Alignment: justified
FEEDBACK
Week 6
General Feedback:
We need to finalize our E-portfolio for Task 1 / Exercises and done
it by 3rd Nov 2023. We also need to update new lectures summary at
E-portfolio for Task 2 and upload our work to it.
Specific Feedback:
To create a stronger presence of order, Ms. Low suggested me to use
the same typeface and type size for the letters of headline except
for the word "CODE" since it was specially illustrated. It is also
better the make the first sentences of each paragraph bold to show
the topics of each paragraph.
Week 7
General Feedback:
We need to make sure the pdf files in our blog are accessible to be
viewed by others. We can double check our own blog in private window
mode.
Specific Feedback:
Ms. Low checked on my e-portfolio of task 1 and overall it is fine
and complete. I can now move on to update e-portfolio of task 2.
REFLECTIONS
Experience
I personally really like this task which we got to create editorial
layout in our own desired style. Overall experience was fun as I was
brainstorming about the design on the text of the headline, and I
really like the outcome of it. Although this task is only with one
exercise which is the editorial layout exercise, I think it is a
further exercise that require some skills that we had learnt back in
task 1 exercise 2, and this is what makes learning so fun, because
we actually practice on what we have learnt.
Observation
In this task, I observed that design of headline determines the
attraction towards audience's eyes. To get attraction from audience
effectively, we need to create a headline that express easy messages
that are easy to be understand by the audience for further willing
on reading the passage.
Findings
Editorial layout design is common and important in this era, with
the rising and spreading of media messages on screen, the quality of
design on the editorial layout is getting better and more
competitive among designers to create editorial layouts that attract
readers' eyes in this fast-paced era.
FURTHER READING
Fig 1.4.1 'Just My Type' by Simon Garfield
I found the part where the writer wrote about Legibility vs. Readability interesting, so I decided to write some of my opinions on it.
The writer mentioned: Legibility is defined by a less formal characteristic, taste. This is not the same as trendiness; rather it is popularity demonstrated by mass consumption. He also mentioned that that we are simply worn down by over-exposure.
He pointed out a popular theory by the radical Californian type designer Zuzana Licko, 'you read best what you read most'. For example, the writer mentioned this - When those typefaces like Times Roman first came out, they were not what people were used to either. But because they got used, they have become extremely legible.
This is quite accurate to my understanding towards taste, when people get used to see or use the same thing over a period of time, people tend to get attached to those things or things with the same style. For instance, a person will prefer the things that he or she is familiar with because this action provides security to the user.
After reading this book, I now think that it is the same as typeface, when we get used to see and use a particular decent typeface everyday, we will automatically prefer it in the future.
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