31/05/2023 - 05/07/2023 / Week 09 - Week 14 .png)
Advanced Typography / Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media
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Wong Khye Qing / 0361000
Task 3
Links:
Instructions
Task 3: Type Exploration and Application
This assignment requires us to create a whole typeface that consists of complete Uppercase and Lowercase alphabets and some major punctuation. After the completion of the typeface, we were required to create the presentation of the typeface as well as the application of how we use the typeface on mockups.
1. Proposed Ideas
Fig 1.0 The 3 Proposed Ideas
I have proposed three ideas for the task 3 assignment:
- Continuation to my Key artwork
- Exploration of Geometric fonts
- Fonts with bold font weights
The first idea was to continue with the refining of my previous key artwork from Task 2, as I thought why not I continue with my key artwork as I am satisfied the key artwork and creating a full typeface of it might be fun. Mr Vinod also did encouraged me to not limit myself to just my key artwork and do some other research to discover other styles.
The reason for me listing the second and third idea was because I like heavy and geometric fonts, which I think it might be good for the usage in title and headings as it will be easier to be noticed.
After that, I have chosen the first idea to continue refining my key artwork into a typeface.
Before That....
Before we start on the the process, I would like to share on the overall progress of this assignment. There were ups and downs, and the initial stage of style searching has remained stagnant for a few weeks. I was determined that simple fonts might not be special and was trying to proceed with some complicated and difficult styles which led me to stray away from time given.
I have made attempts such as, the Heavy font with small counter and the Traffic cone font. Which both consumed a lot of my time refining and leading to nowhere. I have went through a few amendments with stagnant progress and eventually accepted on which was suggested by Mr Vinod that "sometimes simple does not mean it's bad", I got too caught up with what I was holding on that do not work well and was being unrealistic.
The documentation below were the compilation of my previous and latest style. I have to make some clarifications here in order to not cause any confusions of why there were some progress that does not match up with the final typeface that I have created.
Now, back to where we left.
2. Ideas and sketches
Initial References
Fig 2.1 Initial Idea and styles
The style and idea that I have in mind initially was to create a thick and heavy font with a small counter as it will be great as a header or title that was able to catch the attention or the viewer.
Later References
Fig 2.2 Suggested idea and styles
After a few of my amendments, Mr Vinod has suggested that I try an fun and easier font style which could be done using the round circle grids. They are simple and it works, the small gaps between the crossbars and the stems make it look better and special. Thus, I have started using this style after a few more stagnant progress.
Fig 2.1 Sketching along the process
The first sketching on the left was the first idea that I have in mind which was to be a refining for my current key artwork. I have sketched out the lowercase letters and moved on to the digitalize the sketching.
The second picture was about the sketching of the traffic cone fonts that I have in mind. The top part was one of the few initial sketching for the fonts. After that, I have also completed the sketching of the lowercase fonts to have a clearer image of my direction.
Fig 3.0 Initial digitalization
The refinement from the first one has made the letters look more dynamic and natural from the initial geometric-like fonts. Mr Vinod gave some suggestions to me on making a font that is fun instead of type font as it was suppose to be a display font. Unfortunately, I proceeded in making the traffic cone in Picture 4 which took a lot of my time in refining which was unrealistic for the time I was given.
Fig 3.1 Digitalization process in Adobe Illustrator
I have downloaded the template that allow me to arrange the fonts easier in a straight line and display so that I could get a clearer look at what I am doing. There were also Ascender, Descender and X-height grids that I turn on and off from time to time to be a guideline for myself and to make the letters have consistent measurements.
Fig 3.2 Grid used and Creation of Major fonts, Attempt #1
I have used the grid that was made up of a few circles, most of the letters will have a width of 2 circles and 4 circles. The counters were be created using strokes and expanded to be Minus-front by the Pathfinder tool.
The style that I wanted for the text was to have a flat bottom with rounded head. The first attempt was created using the grids with a total of 52 Uppercase and Lowercase letters and a few numbers with punctuations. At this stage, refinement towards some letters were still required as some did not adhere to the style that I mentioned and some were unable to be identify as certain specific letter as they were mixed up other letters and numbers.
Fig 3.3 Refinement of the Uppercase and Lowercase, Attempt #2
Fig 3.3 Refinement of letters, Attempt #2
A few refinements were done towards some letters. I have some issues with the letter "f" as the first one was to similar to an uppercase version of its own and the bottom of the letter "t" does not adhere too much with the consistency of the font style that I was having, in which I have to make it more blocky for the bottom of the text.
The letter "s" might look too similar with number "5" so I have added terminals to it so that it can be distinct between the two mentioned letters. As for the letter "u" I have rounded the base of it as it looks weird with the sharp edge on the bottom left. Same goes to the the uppercase "E", I have changed the upper left to a sharp corner to that it can be more firm.
Fig 3.4 Refinement of letters, Attempt #2
I have also minded some minor details some letter in the typeface. I have added overshoots for the letter "r" as the terminal height might look shorter than the stem even though it was the same height as the stem. Furthermore, I have adjusted the top arm of the letter "Z" as a minor detail for the text illusion.
Fig 3.5 Addition and refinement of numbers and punctuation, Attempt #3
Fig 3.6 Refinement of numbers and punctuation, Attempt #3
A few punctuations were added to the typography as the basic characters that could be included into the typography. Refinement was made towards the the number "0" by changing it to a Slashed zero, which was suggested by Mr Vinod. This number was easily confused with the letter "O". Additionally, the slash line was adjusted to counter the Poggendorff illusion.
Honorable mentions....
Fig 3.6 Easily confused letters and numbers
These letters might be some of the few letters and numbers that might be get mixed up as the same letters. Terminals were added to differentiate between them and the lowercase "g" does not have a hook terminal to not be the same as number 9.
4. Into the FontLab
Fig 4.0 Importing the vectors into FontLab
I have tried another approach of bulk importing the vectors into the program. I was required to set the position of the descender and ascender by using the Guides panel and adjust the "Thickness" for the height of the ascender. This was just the hassle part of process, once we pass this everything will be easier. Then, I selected the set of letters that I wanted to import, select Element>Place as Glyphs>Selected Elements. After that, the selected letters will be imported into the main file.
Fig 4.1 Kerning adjustments
The kerning for the letters were adjusted using the Edit Kerning tool and the Metrics panel in order to set customized kernings for specific combination of letters. Pengrams were also inputted to identify some missed kernings of between some letters if they were to be in a sentence. Pairs & Phrases panel was also used to check programmed pairs' kerning measurements. I also used a list of Kerning Pairs to find some of the missed letter combinations.
I have used the Pairs & Phrases panel and added a few new pairs and text pangrams, unfortunately, they went missing after I start editing other kerning. Which is why I would prefer the Metrics panel, as I could input the words using the Text tool and adjust the kerning using the Edit kerning tool and Metrics panel that I could adjust the amount of kerning.
Fig 4.2 Before and After kerning adjustments
Some letters such as T, f, j and more needed extra attention during kerning adjustments as some of them were right aligned like. Lowercase that does not have ascenders could almost fit within some uppercase letters which needed adjustment to make it consistent through out the typeface.
Fig 4.3 Punctuation kerning adjustments
The kerning for the punctuations were not neglected and was checked by pasting the some kerning pairings of letters and punctuations together. For example, the kerning between the letter "f" and the period symbol, it was adjusted so that the kerning between them were close and consistent as the other letters.
5. Typeface Name
PACTO
The typeface was named PACTO, as it was a combination of Compact Together. This is because the typeface looks like they are sticking compactly together. Besides, I also wanted a typeface name that was easy to name with 2 syllables, such as Noto sans and Lato. It will be easy to be remember with just 2 syllables in the name.
Link to the font:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vtheR-1-jxAqBfgQ61fWbY6KCwiTCRnt/view?usp=sharing
Fig 6.0 Type presentation #1 - #3
The first page featured the typeface name to the viewers to get to know the name of the typeface. The second and third page was a reference to the Star Wars opening title by showing the movie logo (page 2) and the summary of the movie (page 3). The fourth picture is the reference of the Star Wars logo and movie summary that was mentioned.
Fig 6.1 Type presentation #4 - #5
Two of these pages featured the overall letters, numbers and punctuations. The font sizes were listed down for further references.
Fig 6.3 Type presentation #6 - #8
These few pages showed the some minor facts about the typeface. I added some titles to each explanations so that it can lighten up the context and easy to understand. Titles such as, Sticky Situation, Spot the Differences and Confusion. Each of the pages are trying to convey information by displaying contrasts and comparison with each other for clearer context.
Fig 6.4 Type presentation #9 - #10
The last two pages acted as if the end credits of the presentation. The ninth page was to display the how the typeface would be like if they were in a paragraphs. Meanwhile the tenth page was to display how the punctuation will be like if they were to be in paragraphs or sentences. Punctuations were highlighted to make it more noticeable. Font size were also added for further references.
7. Type Application
a. Poster and Banner
Fig 7.0 Type Application #1 - #2
The application for the type was for an exhibition that was name Pacto. The letters were overlapped with each other which can form a jigsaw like and random layout for the title of the poster. The lines i moving downwards was a way to mimic as if the title was leaking like a water to make it dynamic. Besides the lines were intertwining in between the words and the lines to make it look less flat.
The poster were used to promote the exhibition, poster will be in a small advertisement board and another was a hanging poster. It will be hung at places that has higher passerby, which could be a great way to promote the event.
b. Flyers
Fig 7.1 Type Application #3
The flyers could also be distributed to the passerby and also as a medium that could convey information about the exhibition date and time.
c. Wrist lanyard
Fig 7.1 Type Application #4
This lanyard consist of PE2023 texts which stands for Pacto Exhibition 2023. Only texts were put into the wrist lanyard to not complicate the whole design. Besides, the text were places upside to ease reading of the texts from multiple angles. The tag on the lanyard has the Pacto name on it to label the exhibition name and label that you have enter and visited this exhibition. The lanyard would be distributed during entrance to the exhibition.
Final Task 3 Submission:
Fig 8.14 Final Type Design Presentation #3, JPEG
Link to download font
Fig 8.0 Final Generated Type, Pacto, .TTF
Fig 8.1 Final Type Design Presentation #1, JPEG
Fig 8.2 Final Type Design Presentation #2, JPEG
Fig 8.3 Final Type Design Presentation #3, JPEG
Fig 8.4 Final Type Design Presentation #4, JPEG
Fig 8.5 Final Type Design Presentation #5, JPEG
Fig 8.6 Final Type Design Presentation #6, JPEG
Fig 8.7 Final Type Design Presentation #7, JPEG
Fig 8.8 Final Type Design Presentation #8, JPEG
Fig 8.9 Final Type Design Presentation #9, JPEG
Fig 8.10 Final Type Design Presentation #10, JPEG
Fig 8.11 Final Presentation, PDF
Fig 8.12 Final Type Design Application #1, JPEG
Fig 8.13 Final Type Design Presentation #2, JPEG
Fig 8.15 Final Type Design Presentation #4, JPEG
Fig 8.16 Final Application, PDF
Feedbacks
Week 14
The punctuations are fine. You can add a slash to the zero to make it as a slashed zero and make the slash like the stem of the "X" with the intersection illusion. The presentation is fine, just get over it and be mindful of the time remaining before submission.
Week 13
Add a tail to the comma punctuation.
Week 12
You are making your life difficult. The traffic cones have complicated shape and requires a lot more time to analyze and refine. Sometimes being simple does not mean that it is a bad and boring design.
Week 11
The ascenders look really long and awkward. You need to narrow the contact points of the letter, or else it will not look like an elegant solution, so it needs more thinking. There will always be a stress point on letters, there will have no equal curves on both sides, it will be slightly smaller on one side. Letterforms will move from left to right like writing to right. I would have prefer that you could go on a humanistic direction or else it will be too theoretically geometric.
Week 10
Don't just look at other fonts and think that you wanted to make this as there are meaning behind those styles. Do more research and if you know what you wanted to do just stick with it and move on.
Reflections
Experience
I have experienced the process of creating a set of typeface which is challenging and fun for me. There were a lot of trials and errors that I have went through for this assignment. It was also the first time I used the FontLab program and I tried to find out the easiest ways to use the program in order for me to complete the assignment and kerning adjustments efficiently. I was also enlightened and reminded by this assignment that less is more, as I was too caught up into making something special that I neglected that at times simple does not mean it is boring. As a designer I need to keep in mind about the time that I was given and the estimated time that I can complete the task instead of setting unrealistic goals that would drag out the process.
Observation
I have observed that there were typography illusions that I did not know about, I have learnt about terms such as Tapering, Overshoot and more. The intersection for the letter "x" was also something new to me that I have learnt and I found out that it was never a straight line as we thought. I have observed that this assignment does have many good intentions in setting us to create a typeface. It has reminded us that a typeface should also be presented well to others as well as able to be applied into materials and medium around us to be a functional typeface.
Findings
I have found that it was easier to start creating a typeface from lowercase, as I get to reinforce the style of the typeface. Lowercase letters might sometimes be harder to refine that the uppercase letters which mostly do not have complex shapes and structures as lowercase. Besides I have also found that while Pairs and Phrases panel was useful in FontLabs, but I personally found that the Metrics panel with the combination of Edit kerning tool would be better in the grand scheme of Kerning adjustment. In whole, this assignment was a fulfilling assignment that was able to further spark my interests in typography and I have also able to found the flaws that I have so that I can improve myself.
Further Reading
Fig 9.0 A typography blog written by Piotr Łukaszkiewicz
Blog Link: Typography Illusions: Intersections
This blog post discuss about the intersection for typography that sometimes we might not even notice in our daily lives. Most of the intersections in a lot of typefaces rarely intersect at 90° and will be crossing around 45°. When there were two lines with different widths intersect with each other at any angle besides 90°, the thinner line seems to be discontinuous. Besides, the intersection show most frequently for glyphs /X and /x. The diagonals must be visually adjusted to counteract it.
Fig 9.1 Perception of line covered by a shape
When a line was covered up by a shape, the vision of the human was often distorted by the Poggendorff illusion. We will have difficulties interpreting the shapes that were crossing from angle s starting from 90°. For example, we might perceive that both of the red line on the left was a straight line, but in fact it one of the red line was connected to the black line.
One of the ways to solve it was to diagonally offset the the lines which might vary between different typeface and the degrees of intersection.
Fig 9.2 Other usages of the Illusion
The Poggendorff illusion was not only limited to the /X. It might also appear on occur in /Q and /W, sometimes the italic /p. In most project, if a line was intersecting at angles other than 90°, it was worth keeping in mind of the intersection. If we wanted a smooth and continuous lines transition for the intersections, we will need to slightly offset the lines.