/dlog

What is the topic?
Type Design & Personal experience

What is the graphic design context?
Typographic and print design

Harland’s Diagram
Layer 1 is my initial concept and idea generation. I knew from the beginning that I wanted to create something to do with typography. From that I did lots of brainstorming and looked at my own personal interests to help me get where I am currently.

Layer 2 involves word interpretation and media realisation. Image creation will be the shapes which form the typeface, the visual narration and content of the text. Media realisation includes print, screen (motion) and installation/sculpture

Layer 3 is the background context. My project lies within
Communication
Society
Culture
Industry

Propose a research method/activity for your developing project and initiate some aspect of this method with a small sample.
Research method: Literature Review

Bringhurst, Robert. The Elements of Typographic Style. 3.1rd ed. Point Roberts: Hartley & Marks, 2005.
Bringhurst’s ‘The elements of Typographic Style’  has been described by renowned type designer Herman Zapf as the ‘typographers bible’. This book is exceptionally useful as it deals with all aspects of typography, from its history and its uses. It illustrates type and their families, page geometry, philosophies of design, and typesetting rules. The amount of information in this book is often overwhelming, yet overall astounding.

Cheng, Karen. Designing Type. New Haven, CT: Yale UP, 2005.
Designing Type is a very powerful book. It is categories within Serifs, Sans Serifs and then further divides itself between uppercase and lowercase letters. It is a useful resource as it goes through each glyph and lists its attributes, as well as gives examples on how other typographers have previously designed them. It goes to great lengths to give information regarding the correct proportions and anatomy. Unlike any other book I have read, it is also useful in teaching how to correctly space letters together. Unfortunately, it does not contain information regarding true italics or bold type.

Party!

The Good:
design orientated
cmyk use of colour
focus on typography
technical w/ outcome
personal

Needs more explaining:
Written text w/ digital images
Mood not clear

Possibilities for direction
Needs more focus

Keywords and Searches
Typographic design
Anatomy of type

Typeface and anatomy
Grid based design
Culture
Wayfinding
Kinetic type
Ways of reading

Based on tutor feedback the overall response was positive, Kaye stating that I have a clear sense of commitment and purpose in my proposed project, which I believe is true. I have a strong passion for my project idea and am extremely excited about the weeks to come. Suggestions that were given included looking at recent type family designs, in particular Emigre, Stephen Banham etc.

After looking at Banham’s site I was particularly inspired, especially the way in which he takes old examples of type and re-contextualises them for today’s society. I’ve definitely got a lot of work to do.