30 May 2017 - 6 June 2017 (Week 9 - Week 11)
Liam Yue Wei (0327686)
Typography & Hypertextuality
Project 2 : Font Design
Lecture
Week 9
Mr.Vinod showed us the way to use the FontLab Studio, he reminded us that our fonts that we drew on Adobe Illustrator needs to be fill, and no stroke. If our letters have strokes, then on Adobe Illustrator, go to Object > Path > Outline and fill it in with black colour. On Font Lab Studio, go to File > Font Info > Matrix dimension > Key dimension and make sure the numbers are right. Then, copy and paste our letters from Adobe Illustrator into the FontLab Studio.
Week 10
Mr.Vinod has taught us to adjust the kerning of the letters we have in FontLab Studio by going to Window > New Metrics Window, and I selected the sentence "the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog." and start adjusting them. But, we need to adjust the kernings between all the alphabets, numerals and punctuation.
Week 11
We attended a talk given by Lee Kek Feng,a graphic designer who knows Kung Fu. According to him, he likes to draw, and intended to study Fine Art, but he studied Graphic Design due to his parents' opinion. During his college time, he enjoys photography. Kek Feng has successfully become designer > senior designer > art director > creative designer.
Kek Feng used Kung Fu as an inspiration in his design, he has been designing all sorts of posters up till now. He also study abroad and worked in Holland. To him, the most interesting part is studying during internship in a little studio.
The projects he had done included flyers about education, commercial and culture. Besides, he also participated in :
- European Broadcasting Union (EBU)
- Dongseo University (DSU)
- Amsterdan Sinfornietta
- Holland Japanese Film Festival
- NEMO Science Museum
Kek Feng is an artist who loves travelling around, and he encourages us to do so too. Besides, he mentioned that during his working hour, he does not use any social medias or distractions such as Facebook, Whatsapp, Phone calls, TV, computer and even more. Work is work, and play is play.
His website : http://www.kekfeng.com/
"Why Design and Design for What?"
Kek Feng used Kung Fu as an inspiration in his design, he has been designing all sorts of posters up till now. He also study abroad and worked in Holland. To him, the most interesting part is studying during internship in a little studio.
The projects he had done included flyers about education, commercial and culture. Besides, he also participated in :
- European Broadcasting Union (EBU)
- Dongseo University (DSU)
- Amsterdan Sinfornietta
- Holland Japanese Film Festival
- NEMO Science Museum
Kek Feng is an artist who loves travelling around, and he encourages us to do so too. Besides, he mentioned that during his working hour, he does not use any social medias or distractions such as Facebook, Whatsapp, Phone calls, TV, computer and even more. Work is work, and play is play.
His website : http://www.kekfeng.com/
Instructions
Project 2 20%
The Brief
Font Design.
Duration of Assignment
2 Weeks (Briefing on week 8)
Deadline
Week 10 (30 May, 2017)
Description
You will be expected to design a font of 27 western alphabets along with punctuation marks.
To begin with choose an existing font design that adheres to the direction that you would like
to head in. Study the font carefully by analysing its anatomical parts.
Identify a Form (Basic shapes i.e., Square, Circle, Triangle) this shall be the starting point of
your designs. You may also choose shapes that you see around you or that you like (i.e. an
arrow, a face, a building, etc). One of these shapes will form the basis of your font design.
Your font can be designed to also fulfil a specific need.
Start with rough sketches and upon approval begin digitization of the drawings—software for
digitization shall be determined in class. Artworks shall be printed out for critique sessions
followed by refinements. If time permits we shall generate the font for actual use.
Requirements
The student must utilise the accumulated knowledge from the exercises, lectures and from
their own reading (library books and online sources) to guide them and inform them in their
decisions.
The student must document the process (sketches, trial and errors) in their eporfolio and
hardcopy portfolio. The student will be expected to submit the final mock-up in the hardcopy
portfolio and the softcopy PDF (and or JPEG) uploaded or embedded unto the eportfolio.
Create a separate folder in your Google Drive and store all files, artefacts, project
submissions, etc. here.
Ensure all items are logically and chronologically ordered, labelled and dated.
Submission
All gathered information (failures, successes, epiphanies, sketches, visual research,
printouts, websites, images, charts, etc.) documented logically and chronologically in
the A4 Clear Sheet hardcopy portfolio. The works labelled and dated.
All gathered information (failures, successes, epiphanies, sketches, visual research,
printouts, websites, images, charts, etc.) documented logically and chronologically in
the eportfolio for the duration of the project in one post.
Images of all the designed alphabets or glyphs on one A3 printed and uploaded.
All the glyphs transferred to the determined software, formatted for the purpose of
generation.
Objectives
To develop students ability to construct a readable and legible font.
To develop students ability to design a font with consistent characteristics.
To allow students to experience the various phases of font design.
Tutorial
Week 9
In the previous week, which is week 8. We were given briefing by Mr.Vinod and Mr.Shamsul. Till week 9, we were told to download and print out a font (Roman) from Adobe font and Google font, study the curving and the counterform of the font. By knowing the the direction we want to design our font, we may also include some shapes that we are obsessed with, but not too complicated ones. Sketch on graph papers and show them in class in week 9. The lecturers have highlighter that Adobe fonts are more preferable as they are more well-developed.
In week 9, after showing Mr.Vinod and Mr.Shamsul my sketches and getting feedback from them. We were to start digitalising all the font letters in Adobe Illustrator. Then, we were reminded that we need to make sure that the x-height for our letters is 500 pts. After done digitalising, we need to transfer the letters we designed in Adobe Illustrator into Font lab. But we need to make sure that our fonts are not stroke, they need to be fill. However, if we drew it with strokes, we can change it to fill by going to Oject > Path > Outline.
Week 10
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| Sketches page 1 to 2 |
 |
| Sketches page 3 to 4 |
 |
| Illustrating font in Adobe Illustrator |
In this class, we already have our font design done and transferred them into FontLab Studio. We then asked for lecturer's feedback while refining our font in FontLab Studio. We also needed to adjust the kerning of the letters we have in FontLab Studio by going to Window > New Metrics Window, and I selected the sentence "the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog." and start adjusting them.
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| Adjusting kerning of my fonts in FontLab Studio |
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| Final - Vanweida |
Week 11
In today class, we were to refine our font design and then in FontLab Studio, go to File > Font Info > Names&Copyright, type in the Family Name, Weight, Width, Style Name and the rest. Fond Name means foundry name, something like a company, so just type in whatever name I want to use.
For my case, I have chosen 'Vanweida' as my Family Name, and 'LYWei' as Fond Name. Then, go to Font Note to write some description about my font and write copyright, my name and year 2017. When everything is okay, go to File > Generate Font. and the font is created.
Feedback
Week 9
Mr.Vinod said that I need to do more research on the counterform and curvings of the font that I have chosen. Don't do everything blindly. The "5-0" I did was interesting, I can also try studying more fonts and reverse the thickness and thinnes they have in their letters. Be more aware of the thin stroke in my font, if I make them too thin, then it would be extremely hard to see as the stroke might not even be there too.
Week 10
Mr.Shamsul said that my fonts are okay, except for 'c', 'C', 'o', 'r', and 's' which needs more thickness and thinness. Meaning that the thick parts of these letters are not thick enough and the thin parts are not thin enough. The space for my letters in "the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog" was okay.
Week 11
Mr.Vinod said that in terms of consistency, it's good. In terms of designing the font too, is still okay. However, I broke some rules when designing the font, he said that nobody really does the way I designed my font, it might be my own style. The positioning of the thickness and thinness in my font might be a bit weird, but it's still okay.
Reflection
Experience
I had fun looking for the font I want to use as reference, and I also found a lot of fonts which are very interesting. However, I did not pay close attention to the anatomy of the letters when I design my own fonts. Drawing the letters in Adobe Illustrator too was troublesome, but I somehow pulled it off. I spent a lot of time on redoing or fixing my letters. But it was pretty fun when I get to adjust the kerning of my font using "the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.".
Observation
I realized that drawing letters in Adobe Illustrator was extra hard for me as I did not finalize my font designs yet when I started, or more likely I was not able to design "good" letter and before I even finalize it, I started doing them in my laptop right away. This is probably the time where I need the books where I borrowed in past few weeks, so that I can get enough reference on the design and anatomy of the various letters. After I listened to the talk given by Kek Feng, I was amazed at how he manage his time during his working hour.
Findings
In previous weeks, I said something about try not to think too much when I do things as I tend to overthinking and that is not good. But now, I am starting to think that I should think more so that I do not to do things blindly. Also, I think that it would be great if I can do things faster than before so that I can finish my tasks without having to worry about them later. I would like to challenge myself to focus solely on my work when I work on my art and design.
Book of the week
Week 9
Cambridge Library Collection
Specimens of Printing Types and Ornaments
At the University Press, Cambridge
John Willis Clark
First publish in 1901, this is a rich repository of typefaces ( including English, Greek, Latin, Sanskrit, Arabic, Hebrew and Cyrillic}, ornaments, borders and various decorative devices used in books printed at the University Press, Cambridge, until 1900. Highlights of the compilation include a wide range of historical typefaces (including Caslon, Marr, Figgins, Blake, and Miller&Richards), stylish borders, corners and head and tail pieces, university and college shields, and a detailed catalogue of Egyptians hieroglyphs. It also contains sections on accented letters and signs, ‘poster founts’ ad ornately styled initial letters. Prefaced with a brief ‘Historical Sketch’ by J.W.Clark, a noted Cambridge academic and antiquarian, Specimens is a valuable archive of the craft of lettering and design before the advent of the digital age that will delight bibliophiles, typographers and collectors.
In this book, Old Face Series, Old Style Series, Modern Face Series, Accented Letters and Signs, Display Founts, Special Figure Founts, Saxoxs and Domesdays, Foreign Founts, Type Writer, Music, Poster Founts, Head and Tail Pieces, Arms, Shields, Miscellaneous Ornaments , Borders and Corners, Initial Letters, Egyptian Hieroglyphics, Appendix.
We get to observe different typefaces, fonts and the kerning of them.
Week 10
I Love Type Series Volume Four
Every typeface has its own charisma. Not only does its presence in design lend an attribute to the identity of a product or project, but also reflect the taste, personality and attitude of the designer behind. Most designers keep a list of favourties with no more than ten typefaces throughout their trajectory. Some make a statement by sticking to just one typeface in every piece of their work. The choice for typeface is the flag held high by designer.
I Love Type is a collaboration between Viction:ary and TwoPoints.Net. The type collection series, with focus on one specific typeface at a time, documents the fashionable comeback of a selection of time-honored typefaces in a myriad of contemporary designs gathered from around world.
I Love Din is the fourth volume of ILT after I Love Futura, I Love Avant Garde and I Love Bodoni.
This book focuses on the Din typeface and it shows how designers use this typeface to create awesome works. One of the few projects that I like from this book is The Nth Degree Club, 2010- Corporate Identity designed by Ragged Edge Design (Max Ottignon, Luke Woodhouse). While the another one is Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles, 2009 - Season Tickets Book and Box designed by Commune (Ryo Ueda, Minami Mabuchi).
"DIN's confident, rational and highly distinctive characteristics perfectly complement the values of The Nth Degree Club. The typeface's combination of both classical and contemporary qualities make it a perfect fit for a brand that re-imagines the traditional members' club for savvy, discerning consumers."
" The Nth Degree Club is a online members' club offering access to world-class events, money can't buy opportunities and networking events.
The visual identity, created by Ragged Edge Design, communicates the brand's re-imagining of the private members' club concept by combining classical sensibilities with a contemporary aesthetic. The identity centres around a bold, confident "N" marque that can be used with or without the accompanying logotype. Instantly recognizable and authoritative, it is designed to add a layer of mystery and exclusivity to the brand's covetable offer."
"The theme of creation for us is to make something better. Inspired by the will to make something better, our design work may move people or make society work a little better. It's like giving a gift. We choose a gift with the idea of delighting that special someone. It's a pleasure for us to be able to present something the recipient does not expect and truly appreciates. At times, our creations take people by surprise, awake their emotions, or even move them to tears. That's exactly what we're looking for to create."
I Love Type Series Volume Four
Every typeface has its own charisma. Not only does its presence in design lend an attribute to the identity of a product or project, but also reflect the taste, personality and attitude of the designer behind. Most designers keep a list of favourties with no more than ten typefaces throughout their trajectory. Some make a statement by sticking to just one typeface in every piece of their work. The choice for typeface is the flag held high by designer.
I Love Type is a collaboration between Viction:ary and TwoPoints.Net. The type collection series, with focus on one specific typeface at a time, documents the fashionable comeback of a selection of time-honored typefaces in a myriad of contemporary designs gathered from around world.
I Love Din is the fourth volume of ILT after I Love Futura, I Love Avant Garde and I Love Bodoni.
This book focuses on the Din typeface and it shows how designers use this typeface to create awesome works. One of the few projects that I like from this book is The Nth Degree Club, 2010- Corporate Identity designed by Ragged Edge Design (Max Ottignon, Luke Woodhouse). While the another one is Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles, 2009 - Season Tickets Book and Box designed by Commune (Ryo Ueda, Minami Mabuchi).
Typeface in Use : DIN
"DIN's confident, rational and highly distinctive characteristics perfectly complement the values of The Nth Degree Club. The typeface's combination of both classical and contemporary qualities make it a perfect fit for a brand that re-imagines the traditional members' club for savvy, discerning consumers."
" The Nth Degree Club is a online members' club offering access to world-class events, money can't buy opportunities and networking events.
The visual identity, created by Ragged Edge Design, communicates the brand's re-imagining of the private members' club concept by combining classical sensibilities with a contemporary aesthetic. The identity centres around a bold, confident "N" marque that can be used with or without the accompanying logotype. Instantly recognizable and authoritative, it is designed to add a layer of mystery and exclusivity to the brand's covetable offer."
Typeface in Use : DIN, Hiragino Gothic (Japanese character)
"The theme of creation for us is to make something better. Inspired by the will to make something better, our design work may move people or make society work a little better. It's like giving a gift. We choose a gift with the idea of delighting that special someone. It's a pleasure for us to be able to present something the recipient does not expect and truly appreciates. At times, our creations take people by surprise, awake their emotions, or even move them to tears. That's exactly what we're looking for to create."
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