Advanced Typography - Task 3 - Type Exploration and Application

18.10.2021 - 15.11.2021 (Week 9 - Week 13)
Aishath Lene Abdulla Amir (0333185)
Bachelors of Design (Hons) in Creative Media / Taylor's University
Task 3 : Type Exploration and Application

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INSTRUCTIONS

Figure 1. 0 - Module Information Booklet - 18/10/2021

Task 3 - Exercises

Week 9

On week 9 most of the time spent was on the ideation process. This included research and brainstorming. I had 3 main ideas.

1. Lego

2. Task 1 experimental typeface

3. Embossed effect 

Figure 1.1 - Lego - 20/10/2021

Figure 1.2 - Typeface from Task 1 - 20/10/2021

Figure 1.3 - Embossed - 20/10/2021

Week 10

After a few considerations I settled on the Lego idea. Based on the feedback given by Mr Vinod. The main idea behind this is inspired by one of our Seniors work who made cookie cutters for their task 3. There are many ways that I can be creative with this idea.  

Figure 1.4 - Proposal - 27/10/2021

Week 11

The first step of this process was to measure the lego bricks. I went online and found the dimensions of the type of lego bricks. 

Figure 1.5 - Lego dimensions - 01/11/2021

Since the finished typeface is going to be flat I only needed to know the measurements of the height and width as well as the parts sticking out. Then I proceeded create the brick on illustrator I created 5 different sizes of the bricks and later attempted to create the letters.

Figure 1.6 - Lego dimensions - 01/11/2021

Figure 1.7 - Letters - 01/11/2021

Figure 1.8 - Letters - 01/11/2021

Final changes to the letters were made by putting the little strokes to define the blocks and show how each letter is built.

Figure 1.9 - Numbers and punctuation - 01/11/2021

Figure 1.10 - Numbers and punctuation - 01/11/2021

Next  I started on the collateral idea. I wanted to keep the colors close to legos original, but for this design i change the tones of the colors.

Figure 1.11 - Colors - 04/11/2021

Week 12

On week 12 the first thing i did was take the final designed letters to font-lab. At first I couldn't figure out how to make the little strokes with in the letter visible. So after some thorough research I was able to figure out how to do this. It was actually quit simple. Because I was still not very used to font lab I didn't realize there was a color panel and with in the color panel you can change the color of the strokes as well. 

Figure 1.12 - Illustrator- 08/11/2021

Figure 1.13 - Font lab - 08/11/2021

Figure 1.14 - Font lab - 08/11/2021

Figure 1.15 - Testing Screenshot - 08/11/2021

Collateral

Next I used the bricks to colour in the letters and make last minute corrections to all the letters such as the lines to to differentiate the brick with the sticking out part. This final design was made as a part of the collateral as a part of the manual booklet that comes with the lego box.

Figure 1.16 - Lego Typeface - 08/11/2021

Then I created the 3D model of the bricks to use in the design of the collateral which will be also displayed in the manual booklet

Figure 1.17 - Collateral bricks - 08/11/2021

Then i proceeded to design the box for legos for the collateral, keeping the same idea from the manual in mind.  I changed the logo and used the lego typeface that I designed.

Figure 1.18 - Lego Box - 09/11/2021

Figure 1.19 - Manual booklet cover - 09/11/2021

Figure 1.20 - Instructions - 09/11/2021

Figure 1.22 - Instructions - 15/11/2021

Figure 1.23 - Instructions - 15/11/2021

The next part of the collateral consisted of making a sticker pack. The idea is that you will receive this sticker pack when you buy the product online. It will consist of 3 types of stickers. One is with the lego alphabet logo and then the other with customised name stickers.

Figure 1.24 - Sticker Pack Screenshot - 13/11/2021

Final Outcome - Type Exploration and Application

Final Outcome - Lego Outline

Figure 1.25 - Lego Outline. PDF - 14/11/2021

Lego Outline Google Drive Link

Final Outcome - Collateral

Figure 1.26 - Lego Box - 14/11/2021

Figure 1.27 - Manual - 14/11/2021

Figure 1.28 - Manual  Inside - 14/11/2021

Figure 1.29 - Manual  Inside - 14/11/2021

Figure 1.30 - Sticker 1.PNG - 14/11/2021

Figure 1.31 - Sticker 2.PNG - 14/11/2021

Figure 1.32 - Separate Letter Sticker 3.PNG - 14/11/2021

Figure 1.33 - Lego box and manual .PDF - 14/11/2021

Figure 1.34 - Sticker Pack.PDF - 14/11/2021

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HOURS SPENT

Task 3 : Type Exploration - 15 hours

Task 3 : Collateral - 15 hours

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FEEDBACK

Week 9

General Feedback: Focus on the feedback and try to learn from that. Put an extra part on the blog labeled hours spent. Mention what the occupation is in the caption of the artwork

Specific Feedback: Good job on Task 2.

Week 10

General Feedback: Take 5 minutes per person in the feedback session.

Specific Feedback: To make a flat board out of a lego piece to get a better idea on how the letter from will work for its specific purpose. should not be too complicated. For the typeface inspired by Task 1, it could relate to something sort of a move, or even make up a fake movie.

Week 11

General Feedback: Check the link provided on how to use Font forge

Specific Feedback: Since legos are already pre determined in their form, theres not much you can do about the outcome of the letterforms, the creativity part of it comes from the concept behind the whole idea and how you make the hype for it. For example, you can use an instagram page as a challenge for the kids to build the letters and then post it on instagram as a challenge, Maybe even by spelling out their name. There are many ways in which you can be creative with this idea. 

Week 12

General Feedback: Task 3 posts need to have the proposal document, details and descriptions of the idea, inspiration, progression and then the final font and collaterals. Task 4 e-portfolio details will be given in next class

Specific Feedback: No Specific Feedback

Week 13

General Feedback: Make sure to be as thorough as possible when you white the reflection part of Task 4 - Final compilation and reflection

Specific feedback: My line breaks weren't. visible in my blog due to an error, so Mr.Vinod commented on that. I made sure to fix it. And he said that I did a good job on using washed out colors. And lastly, to add instructions to build the letters, B and C as well.

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REFLECTION

Experience 

It is always challenging for me to come up with ideas for a design, but since week 9 I kind f knew hat I wanted to experiment on something that would be based on toys and teaching, so I thought why not use legos. It didn't take me a very long time to produce the letters, numbers and the punctuation since, legos are something that is pre existing and it has it own forms. I tried my best to bring my own twist to this idea, with the collateral and the theme of it, and i hope I was able to come through with this as well.

Observation

I observed the form of the blocks really carefully before attempting to built the letters. In my mind, the 2 by 4 bricks were square. But with the help of research I was able to use its correct dimensions in the final work.  When I made the first draft of the alphabet in the letters,  I realised that the I didn't want to use exact colors from the legos original blocks, so i changed up the tones to better match the theme of the design. 

Findings

I found that, with the ideas for collateral, there was many ways that I could be really creative with the ideas, It didn't have to go just one way. Moreover I feel that if I had lego bricks with me, it could've been really helpful, but i did go to a shop just to observe really what kind of different sizes they have. I had to keep my final results simple since the idea is that kids should be able to build it. Other than that, this design looks workable as a pixelated typeface as well, though that isn't really the case in my official proposal. 

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FURTHER READING

Figure 1.35 - Further reading - 12/11/2021

link --> https://www.digitalartsonline.co.uk/features/typography/how-design-typeface-step-by-step-guide/

This articles explains step- by step, about the advice given from typography artists on how to crate a new front from scratch as a new artist. From step 1 being research, step 2a - drawing and calligraphy, Step 2b - tools for sketching and drawing letters, step 3 - tools for digital typeface design, step 4 - testing in context and lastly step 5 - from design to market. 

Figure 1.36 - Further reading - 12/11/2021

link --> https://www.awwwards.com/typography-is-the-new-black-trends-in-web-design.html

This article shows with the use of mostly visual elements how typography has come a long way in the design world, especially in the use of web designing. How it is used as an expressive form of design. This article gives us many on going trends that are and have been used as a method of typographic design. Such as how hero fonts and bold typefaces are used, serifs, expressive typography in broken grid layouts, hero fonts and large letter sizes are used in paragraphs.  This article talks about the evolution of paragraphs throughout the years and lastly shows us some of the trends in typography that were popular in 2020.