We had to choose four different fonts, one of each of the following categories:
Roman - Georgia Regular
Gothic
Block - Haettenschweiler Regular
Script - Chopin Script Regular
We printed out an Upper and Lower-case for each, of just A and B. We then cut them up into their different anatomical features, for example we split the lower case a into the bowl and the stem (which you can clearly see in the following mixture of Haettenschweiler's bowl and Chopin Script's stem...
The next step was to mix and match the different features of each letter, these are shown below:
LOWER CASE A's...
UPPER CASE A's...
LOWER CASE B's...
UPPER CASE B's...
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I came to the conclusion that my original letters were not suitable to work with:
Script: The script font that I chose was far too elaborate and different to the other fonts that I had chosen to go with. This made it difficult to work with, and resulted in really peculiar looking letterforms.
Script: The script font that I chose was far too elaborate and different to the other fonts that I had chosen to go with. This made it difficult to work with, and resulted in really peculiar looking letterforms.
Roman: I kept the same roman font, as I really like this font and I think that it is simple, elegant and easy to work with.
Gothic: For the gothic font, I decided to use something that I preferred generally, and what I thought would work well will the Roman and Script fonts.
Block: I decided to use a bolder and more block looking font, as I considered how well it could work with the other letterforms of the other typefaces.
NEW SELECTION:
Roman - Georgia Regular
Gothic
Block - Poplar Standard Black
Script - Apple Chancery Regular
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After some more experimentation, I came up with my 5 final Typefaces:
Georgia Chancery
I was quite worried about combining a serif font with a script font, however I am really pleased with the outcome and feel that this crossbreed font could work really well for Headings or larger bodycopy. It might be quite hard to read when used at a smaller size...
Hand Rendered Version
Digitally Rendered Version
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Georgill
I knew that combining these two fonts would be quite easy, due to the simplicity of them both. One thing I did find, which I didn't expect, was how bold the final crossbreed seems. It is also pretty quirky and not as simplistic as I first hoped.
Hand Rendered Version
Digitally Rendered Version
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Gill Sansdard Black
I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I started combining these two fonts together, however I found the end result quite interesting. I think that the final crossbreed font is playful and innovative. I like the almost child friendly illustrative feel that it has about it.
Hand Rendered Version
Digitally Rendered Version
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Poplar Chancery
I was really uncertain when it came to combining these two typefaces due to the sheer fact of how different they are to one another. Also, when I tried combining a block and script font with my previous typefaces, it really didn't work out well at all. I think that this final crossbreed font is a whole lot more improved to previous attempts, however I feel as though it would still need a lot of work if it were to become an actual typeface for people to use. The uppercase letters definitely work better than the lowercase....
Hand Rendered Version
Digitally Rendered Version
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Poplar Georgiard Black
Once again I found it quite tricky working with a block font, mainly because it was hard to make the serifs look good next to the bold block typeface that I had chosen. However, I feel that the final crossbreed outcome is both interesting, yet oddly elegant. I like how misshapen it seems and feel that certain letterforms, for example the C and the Y work really well when combined. I think that the other letters probably need a bit more consideration, however I like the outcome.
Hand Rendered Version
Digitally Rendered Version
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In conclusion, I found that block and script fonts were the hardest to work with, especially when it came to using them together as they are such striking fonts on their own. I think that Georgia worked really well whenever it was crossbred with another font, just because the serifs added the elegance to the typeface that it needed, and I feel that without those serifs, most of the typefaces would look a bit jaunty and unbalanced. I think that Gill Sans was harder to work with than originally expected, mainly because the typeface itself is quite irregular and not as structured as I first thought.
However, I am pleased with the final outcomes, especially Georgia Chancery!
Semiotics: sign, symbol, signify
Visual Synecdoche
This term is applied when a part is used to represent the whole, or vise-versa. Quite simply, the main subject is situated for something that is inherently connected to it.
Visual Metaphor
A visual metaphor is used to transfer the meaning from one image to another. A metaphor conveys an impression about something relatively unfamiliar by drawing a comparison between it and something familiar.
Visual Metonym
A visual metonym is a symbolic image that is used to make reference to something with a more literal meaning. For example, a cross might be used to signify a church. Unlike a synecdoche, the 2 images bear a close relationship, but are not intrinsically linked.
- In trying to separate words from pictures, we have to accept that "words are pictures of letters"
- 15 years ago, people wouldn't understand this.
"If you're not failing every now and again, it's a sign that you're not doing anything very innovative"
READABILITY, LEGIBILITY & HIERARCHY
"Type is speech made visible"
- Working with the dynamics of speech in a visual form.
- We can control what is read first through the idea of hierarchy.
- How do you move the eye around the page in a way that is structured and organised?
- Developed through trial and error.
- When the hierarchy is used closer together, it makes it harder to read and make sense of.
- Learn to understand the very basics of hierarchy to create good typography.
- How people read is very systematic, but the interpretation in your head is dynamic.
- What would is sound like if someone is reading it?
- Visual Pace
- Visual Emphasis
- Visual Volume
In preparation for this session, we brought along the phrase 'Who are you?' in a light, regular and bold font in 4 different point sizes. These were then cut up into different words and the question mark separately.
We experimented with the hierarchy of the phrase by changing the positioning of the letters and the variations of point size and line thickness. We then attempted to read the phrase in the way that it was visually portrayed, with comical results.
Here are some of the arrangements created in that session:
We practiced that you can change the order of which we read, and the emotions of the words just by changing the hierarchy through type.
Here are the 11 different accents we were asked to portray:
- Geordie
- Welsh
- Yorkshire
- Irish
- Pirate
- French
- Russian
- Essex
- Scouse
- Jamaican
Through practising in the session that type is simply speech made visible, we were set the task of portraying 11 completely different accents visually. We were asked to in no way label or caption what the accent was meant to be, and that the work should 'speak' for itself.
Here are the 11 different accents we were asked to portray:
- Geordie
- Welsh
- Yorkshire
- Irish
- Pirate
- French
- Russian
- Essex
- Scouse
- Jamaican
- Australian
My portrayal of these 11 accents through type:
Russian:
I decided to use quite a bold font that looked similar to the letterforms in the Cyrillic alphabet, however I didn't want to go straight for something obvious, for example a font with a "backwards R" within it. Since studying Russian at school, it really irritates me when English people just see symbols or backwards letters within the Cyrillic alphabet, so I wanted to stay clear of those stereotypical associations, as the letter that looks like a backwards R is, in fact, a 'ya'.
I decided to make the word 'are' more emphasised, as Russians tend to roll their R's, and I used the colours of the Russian flag in a gradient to help make it feel a bit more soviet.
French:
I chose to use a script font, as the French accent is very elegant and flows really nicely. I didn't want to use anything too flouncy, as some French accents are quite abrupt, depending on the area of France that you are from. I chose to change the colour of the letters to a dark shade of pink, to represent the romanticism that is associated with the French. I decided to emphasise the word 'you?' as I feel like a lot of French sentences are emphasised towards the end.
Irish:
I decided to use a font with a slight Gaelic twist to it, to relate to Ireland's Gaelic routes in typography and language. I also made sure that the 'are' had a slight emphasis to it, as when I hear Irish people talk, they tend to pronounce words with R's in louder, and bolder. I chose to write the sentence in a very stereotypical green, to help make it look Irish.
Geordie:
I decided to play with the fact that Geordie accents originate from Newcastle, so chose a font made up of little castles. I left the letters black, as the accent is quite bold and in your face sometimes. I also made sure that the words 'who' and 'you' were bolder than 'are' to represent the tone of their voices.
Australian:
I decided to focus more on how the sentence would be pronounced by an Australian. I noticed that Australians tend to end their sentences like a question, by raising the tone at the end of a sentence. I portrayed this by increasing the point size gradually in the word 'you?'. I chose that particular font, as I thought it was friendly and a font that you'd probably see being used at a surf shack. I also thought that changing the colour to a greeny-blue would look a bit like the colour of coral in the Great Barrier Reef.
Pirate:
When it came to choosing the typeface to represent a Pirate, I thought that this one suited the bill, due to the medieval kind of feel to it (setting it back to the old days of Pirates) and the fact that the question mark looks quite like a Pirate hook! I chose to emphasise the word 'are' as Pirates are quite well known to say 'AAARRRGGGHHHH'. I left it in black and white, due to the large use of skulls, crossbones and black and white in Pirate flags etc.
Essex:
For the Essex accent, I decided to go with a font that was cheesy, yet signified 'glamorous'. I thought that this font was extremely cheesy, and really did remind me of Essex folk. Like quite a few of the accents, I felt that Essex voices held emphasis on the word 'are', so I made that bolder. The use of the colour purple was literally to add a bit of glam to the typeface, and make it a bit cheesier to look at.
Jamaican:
When choosing the font for the Jamaican accent, I looked for something quite scruffy, as I think that their accent is a bit broken here and there. I also thought that this typeface would work well as it reminded me of dreadlocks in a way! I thought that using the Rasta colours would help to bring the sentence together in a Jamaican way.
Yorkshire:
I don't really know that many people from Yorkshire, so I decided to play on the stereotypical Northern accent that most Southerners associate with Yorkshire. Due to the accent sounding broken (from the shortening of sentences and words like the to t'), I chose a broken yet friendly typeface to use and changed the colour to a mossy colour to suit the Yorkshire Moors. Because we couldn't actually change the grammar or spelling of the words, I stretched the O out in 'who', because I'd imagine a Northerner to pronounce the word who without the W or H.
Welsh:
I chose this typeface, as I wanted to use something that related to the Celtic origins of Wales. I thought that emphasising the word 'you' by use of colour rather than changing the size of it helped to show how subtle and soft the accent is in Wales. I also thought that the font helped to show the Welsh accent due to the lines underneath the Os as they are often pronounced stronger when Welsh are speaking. The colours in general were chosen due to the colours of the Welsh flag.
Scouse:
I find strong Scouse accents quite hard to understand at times, so I decided to use quite a scruffy font that is readable but could be illegible if used at a smaller size. Similarly to Australian accents, the Scouse tend to raise their sentences at the ends like a question, but a lot more subtly, hence the slight enlargement of the letters in 'you?'. I've also noticed that Scouse tend to hold onto their Rs and Cs in words, so I made the R in 'are' a lot bigger so it seemed stretched. I chose to change the colour of the font to something quite friendly, yet a shy colour, as most Scouse voices I have heard are quite high in pitch, so I thought a lighter colour would help represent this.