Audrey Gracia Djohari / 0348120
Typography
Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media / Taylor’s University
Task 2: Typographic Exploration & Communication (Text Expression & Formatting)
- Typo_Task2_Process Demo -
On this lecture video, Mr. Vinod teaches us how to make typography editorial layouts. And here are some steps I noted from the lecture video.
- Look at the contextual content within the page size. Understand the texts and, that way we can understand how much texts there are and how much space the texts cover.
- Begin a thumbnail sketch for the layout ideation. Make some possible ideas for the headlines and paragraph placement.
- Create the headline in Adobe Illustrator (200x200 mm document).
- Create a new document in Adobe InDesign. (200x200 mm, 6 pages, 5 mm Column Gutter)
- To make Facing Pages: Select all the Pages > Turn off 'Allowance to Shuffle Selected Spreads' > Select any page and bring it to another page.
- Place the Illustrator headline file into Adobe InDesign document.
- Arrange the text.
- Cover the layout with patches to see the gray and white areas. This will help to see the balance of the layout.
INSTRUCTIONS
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PRACTICAL
- Task 2: Text Formatting & Expression -
WEEK 6:
For this week, Mr. Vinod assigned us to make ideation sketches for our Task 2. For the text, there are three options, I choose this one:
Visual Communicators, Unite! Manifesto 2000
- Headline:
Visual Communicators, Unite!
Manifesto 2000
- Lead-in text:
Thirty-three visual communicators renew the 1964 call for a change of priorities
- Text:
We, the undersigned, are graphic designers, art directors and visual communicators who have been raised in a world in which the techniques and apparatus of advertising have persistently been presented to us as the most lucrative, effective and desirable use of our talents. Many design teachers and mentors promote this belief; the market rewards it; a tide of books and publications reinforces it.
Encouraged in this direction, designers then apply their skill and imagination to sell dog biscuits, designer coffee, diamonds, detergents, hair gel, cigarettes, credit cards, sneakers, butt toners, light beer and heavy-duty recreational vehicles. Commercial work has always paid the bills, but many graphic designers have now let it become, in large measure, what graphic designers do. This, in turn, is how the world perceives design. The profession's time and energy is used up manufacturing demand for things that are inessential at best.
Many of us have grown increasingly uncomfortable with this view of design. Designers who devote their efforts primarily to advertising, marketing and brand development are supporting, and implicitly endorsing, a mental environment so saturated with commercial messages that it is changing the very way citizen-consumers speak, think, feel, respond and interact. To some extent we are all helping draft a reductive and immeasurably harmful code of public discourse.
There are pursuits more worthy of our problem-solving skills. Unprecedented environmental, social and cultural crises demand our attention. Many cultural interventions, social marketing campaigns, books, magazines, exhibitions, educational tools, television programmes, films, charitable causes and other information design projects urgently require our expertise and help.
We propose a reversal of priorities in favour of more useful, lasting and democratic forms of communication - a mindshift away from product marketing and toward the exploration and production of a new kind of meaning. The scope of debate is shrinking; it must expand. Consumerism is running uncontested; it must be challenged by other perspectives expressed, in part, through the visual languages and resources of design.
In 1964, 22 visual communicators signed the original call for our skills to be put to worthwhile use. With the explosive growth of global commercial culture, their message has only grown more urgent. Today, we renew their manifesto in expectation that no more decades will pass before it is taken to heart.
Jonathan Barnbrook
Nick Bell Ling
Andrew Blauvelt
Hans Bockting
Irma Boom
Sheila Levrant de Bretteville
Max Bruinsma
Sian Cook
Linda van Deursen
Chris Dixon
William Drenttel
Gert Dumbar
Simon Esterson
Vince Frost
Ken Garland
Milton Glaser
Jessica Helfand
Steven Heller
Andrew Howard
Tibor Kalman
Jeffery Keedy
Zuzana Licko
Ellen Lupton
Katherine McCoy
Armand Mevis
J. Abbott Miller
Rick Poynor
Lucienne Roberts
Erik Spiekermann
Jan van Toorn
Teal Triggs
Rudy VanderLans
Bob Wilkinson
- Layout Research
I found these designs on Pinterest which in my opinion are very unique. The letters are placed in unusual ways, however, they still manage to create a good hierarchy and they also look harmonious. The typefaces that are used are also readable and elegant. The designs with big texts took my attention, so I planned to recreate the look with different styles.
Figure 1.0, 1.1, 1.2: Visual Research, Pinterest, 09.25.2021
- Sketches
After doing some visual research, I made these 6 thumbnail sketches of my ideas. I tried to apply something new to each design, so I made the headlines as unique as possible. I wanted them to be eye-catching and dynamic.
I like the first one on the top left. I tried making the headline in circle to express the word 'Unite'. I also like another sketch that I made where the text are so big it fits the whole page. I think the big texts really look dynamic and it also emphasize the sense of unity.
For the body text, I experimented with different placements. I like the one that looks like a staircase. It creates a good text flow and at the same time gives such a huge impact on making the design look more appealing and not boring at all.
Figure 1.4 & 1.5: Rough Layout Sketches, 09.29.2021
- Digital Progression
Next, I made the headlines using Adobe Illustrator, then I placed it on Adobe InDesign. It took me quite a long time to readjust the Illustrator file in InDesign, because they seemed to have a minor misplacement whenever it appeared in InDesign. But turns out I didn't do it correctly when I insert the Illustrator file, I should have used "Place" instead of copy and paste. Fortunately I could fix it.
Figure 1.6: Creating Headlines in Illustrator, 09.29.2021
Figure 1.7 : Cross Alignments, 09.29.2021
After I finish the headline, I proceed to arranging the body text. I used different grid style for every design. I also did some improvisation for some body text placement. I always keep the list of visual communicators' names separated from the rest of the text so the viewers can distinguish them as a different element.
Figure 1.8: Layouts, 09.30.2021
Figure 1.9: Layouts Covered with Patches, 09.30.2021
And here are the layout design outcomes that I made using Adobe InDesign. I noticed there are still some designs which have unsuitable leading and paragraph spacing. And there are some line length which still have too many words. I planned to fixed it for the final submission.
Figure 1.10: Layout #1, 09.29.2021
Layout #1
- Fonts: Adobe Caslon Pro (Bold Italic, Bold, Regular)
- Font size: 8 pt (text)
- Leading: 12 pt
- Paragraph spacing: 12 pt
- Line length: 49
Figure 1.11: Layout #2, 09.29.2021
Layout #2
- Fonts: Univers LT Std (Roman, Bold, Black)
- Font size: 9 pt (text)
- Leading: 12 pt
- Paragraph spacing: 12 pt
- Line length: 47
Figure 1.12: Layout #3, 09.29.2021
Layout #3
- Fonts: Univers LT Std (Roman, Extra Black Extended, Black Extended Oblique)
- Font size: 8 pt (text)
- Leading: 12 pt
- Paragraph spacing: 12 pt
- Line length: 44
Figure 1.13: Layout #4, 09.30.2021
Layout #4
- Fonts: Univers LT Std (Roman, Condensed, Black Extended, Black Extended Oblique)
- Font size: 8 pt (text)
- Leading: 10 pt
- Paragraph spacing: 10 pt
- Line length: 51
Figure 1.14: Layout #5, 09.30.2021
Layout #5
- Fonts: Future (Book, Heavy, Bold)
- Font size: 11 pt (text)
- Leading: 13 pt
- Paragraph spacing: 13 pt
- Line length: 40
Figure 1.15: Layout #6, 09.30.2021
Layout #6
- Fonts: Future Std (Heavy), Gill Sans (Regular, Bold)
- Font size: 9 pt (text)
- Leading: 11 pt
- Paragraph spacing: 11 pt
- Line length: 57
- Revised Layouts based on Feedback from Week 6
Based on Mr. Vinod's feedback on Week 6, I decided to eliminate 4 of my designs, and choose either Layout #1 or Layout #2 to be my final submission. But first, I edited them once more to get a better result.
Figure 1.16, 1.17, 1.18: Recreating the Headline & Sub Headline in Adobe Illustrator, 10.06.2021
For Layout #1, I recreated the main headline "Visual Communicators, Unite!" in Adobe Illustrator and added hyphenations in the text to make it more readable and less confusing. I divided the word "Communicators" into com-muni-cators. This is the correct hyphenation of the word, unlike the previous design which was pretty confusing according to Mr. Vinod. I also created a whole new design for the "Manifesto 2000" part to make it look more connected with the rest of the elements. I made the design look pretty similar with the headline and I put it on top right. For the body text, I changed the placement into the staircase style to create flow and dynamic. Lastly, I removed the widows and orphans from the paragraph. After doing all of these changes, I feel more confident with Layout #1.
Figure 1.19: Correct Hyphenation of "Communicator", 10.06.2021
For Layout #3, I added the exclamation mark with the text "Manifesto 2000" in the middle of the circle headline (as Mr. Vinod's suggestions). I also made the body text more neat by rearranging the text placement. Other than that, I edited the font size, I also changed the leading and paragraph spacing (+2 from font size) of Layout #1 and #3.
Here are the revised versions of Layout #1 and #3 in JPG:
Layout #1 (Revised)
- Fonts: Adobe Caslon Pro (Bold Italic, Bold, Regular)
- Font size: 8 pt (text)
- Leading: 10 pt
- Paragraph spacing: 10 pt
- Line length: 57
Layout #3 (Revised)
- Fonts: Univers LT Std (Roman, Extra Black Extended, Black Extended Oblique)
- Font size: 8 pt (text)
- Leading: 10 pt
- Paragraph spacing: 10 pt
- Line length: 46
Figure 1.20: Layout #1 (Revised), 10.06.2021
Figure 1.21: Layout #3 (Revised), 10.06.2021
Figure 1.22: Layouts Covered with Patches, 10.06.2021
Here are the proves of cross-alignment for Layout #1 and #3 (Revised version):
Figure 1.23 & 1.24: Cross-Alignment of Layout # 1 and #3 (Revised), 10.06.2021
After finished doing some changes and revisions. I decided to choose Layout #1 as my final layout submission for this task.
- Final Outcome
Figure 1.25: Final Outcome in JPG, 10.06.2021
Figure 1.26: Final Outcome in PDF, 10.06.2021
FEEDBACK
WEEK 6:
General Feedback
Task 2: The title design should represent the expression of the text's meaning. Make sure there are relationship between the headline, sub-headline and body text. The gray color has to be neat. Do not place the headline (or any other text) in the middle.
E-Portfolio: Document the progress methodically. For task 2, the submission must include:
- Layout Research
- Sketches
- Digital Progression
- JPG submission (300 DPI, grayscale, max quality)
- PDF embedded
Specific Feedback
Mr. Vinod said my #1 layout was interesting. However, it's a bit hard to read the "COMMUNICATORS", it's better to add a hyphen so it makes more sense. And the placement and design of "MANIFESTO 2000" could be better. The color of the body texts are very nice.
For the #3 layout, better to make the "MANIFESTO 2000" more interesting so it connects with the rest of the body texts. Maybe rearrange it and form an exclamation mark and put it in the middle of the circle vertically.
REFLECTION
Experience
I feel like Task 2 is more fun and enjoyable because this time I'm already quite familiar with how Adobe InDesign works thanks to Task 1. This task allows me to explore grids and create many unique editorial layouts, which is challenging but at the same time making me able to dive deep into the typography world. I struggled a bit when it comes to fulfilling the typographic requirements (the point size, leading, line length), but thankfully I could fixed them. I am quite satisfied because the outcomes are exactly as I imagined.
Observations
I observed that understanding the elements (headline, sub-headline, where to divide the text body) is crucial in order to create a good hierarchy and clear communication. That way, I could also make the design more connected to the information and create a better text flow. I also observed that using only one or two typefaces is better, because it would result in a more elegant outcome. Lastly, cross-alignment in layout creates a more balanced and neat result (and it's a must).
Findings
I found that there are so many requirements and rules of Typography that must be fulfilled when creating a professional layout. And I need to pay more attention to details (for example removing the widows and orphans, margins, the ratio of leading and point size). And I found that everything that I do with this typographic editorial layout design must lead to a clearer communication and dynamic experience for the viewers.
FURTHER READING
Fig. 2.0 Typographic design: Form and communication (2015)
Reference:
Carter, R., Day, B., Meggs, P. B., Maxa, S., & Sanders, M.
(2015). Typographic design: Form and communication.
Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
(2015). Typographic design: Form and communication.
Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Chapter 4: The Typographic Grid
Grid plays a huge role in creating proportional harmony and aesthetic beauty of the layout. When it is used effectively, the final result will be clearer and more accessible communication.
The relationship of type and space can create a perpetual motion of the text. For example, when a single letterform is placed in the center, it appears motionless. But, when it is placed off center, it appears to move, gaining velocity as it approaches the outmost boundaries of the space. So, the placement of text in a space is very important in order to create a movement. The kinetic possibilities of typographic elements is endless.
Figure 2.1: Pg. 67, Typographic Design: Form and Communication (2015)
Margins function is to set the typographic stage. And it's crucial to consider the text block and margins of the page as a proportional system. They may be asymmetrical or symmetrical, however they must be proportionally balanced. Below are some layout samples which show the different ways in which text blocks, images, and marginalia are organized to define space.
Figure 2.2: Pg. 71, Typographic Design: Form and Communication (2015)
I like how this book mentions typographic designers as information architects. They build typographic environments for clear and accessible information. Typographic designers must understand which elements are dominant, subdominant and subordinate in order to create visual hierarchies among them. Once the designer have a grasp on these elements, they can create a design with improvisational structures, resulting not only a more flexible construction but also clearer communication.
Below is an example of improvisational typographic poster created by designer David Colley. It provides a dynamic viewing experience based on the language of asymmetrical composition.
Figure 2.2: Pg. 85, Typographic Design: Form and Communication (2015)
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