21.04.2025 - 30.05.2025 / Week 1 - Week 6
Zhou Xinyi / 0378623
Typography / Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media
Task 1: Exercises 1 & 2
Table of Content
1.Lecture
2.Instructions
3.Process Work
4.Feedback
5.Reflection
6.Futher Reading
Lecture:
Typo_0_Introduction
Summary: Basic knowledge of Typography, its historical development, and our future learning development - learning how to innovate.
Typo_1_Development
1. This image compares letterforms of Modern Latin with those of Early Latin, Early Greek, Phoenician, Early Aramaic, Nabataean, and Early Arabic. It shows the visual evolution of letters over time and across cultures, highlighting the changes in their shapes from ancient to modern scripts.
2. This part delved deeper into the early letterform development from Phoenician to Roman. The Greeks changed the writing direction. The Phoenicians wrote right - to - left, but the Greeks had this unique 'boustrophedon' style where lines read alternately right - to - left and left - to - right. As they changed the reading direction, they also adjusted the letterform orientation. Eventually, they moved to strict left - to - right writing. It's mind - blowing to think about all these changes in the history of writing.
3. We traced the early development of letterforms from Phoenician (1000 B.C.E.) to Greek (900 B.C.E.) and then to Roman (100 B.C.E.). Seeing the changes in the letter shapes over time is like looking at a historical timeline of writing. It's so fascinating!
4. This section was about text type classification, specifically Italic type which emerged around 1500. The first italics were inspired by contemporary Italian handwriting, being condensed and close - set to fit more words per page. At first, they were a separate type class, but soon they became a complement to roman forms. It's interesting to see how typefaces evolve.
Typo_3_Text_Part1
1. Kerning is the space between two specific letters. Good kerning makes words look more balanced.
2. Letterspacing or tracking is the space between all letters in a word. It can be tight, normal, or loose.
3. The last image shows how different fonts and spacing styles can change the feel of a text, like in a wedding invitation.
Typo_4_Text_Part2
This typography class covered several important aspects:
1. Defined kerning as the automatic adjustment of space between letters, distinguishing it from letterspacing which is adding space between letters, and introduced tracking as the addition and removal of space in words or sentences.
2. Explained the anatomy of a typeface, including terms like cap height, x - height, serif, stem, stroke, ascender, descender, baseline, leading, and aperture.
3. Discussed ways of indicating paragraphs, mentioning the pilcrow (¶), a medieval - holdover rarely used today.
4. Clarified the difference between line space and leading, with leading being like the "jelly" between lines of type and line spacing being leading plus the height of a line of type.
5. Showed how to highlight text, such as adjusting the size of a sans - serif font (Univers) to match the x - height of a serif typeface.
6. Illustrated cross - alignment in typography, where lines of headline type align with lines of text type.
Typo_2_Basic
1. Introduced basic terms for describing letterforms in typography, including baseline (the imaginary base line of letters), median (defining the x - height), and x - height (the height of lowercase 'x'), along with ascender height, cap height, and descender height.
2. Explained the terms "Apex / Vertex", which refer to the point created by joining two diagonal stems, with apex being the upper point and vertex the lower one.
3. Taught about "Em/en" units. Em was originally the width of an uppercase M and now represents a distance equal to the typeface size, while en is half of an em. They are commonly used for em/en spaces and dashes.
4. Defined "Swash" as the decorative flourish that extends the stroke of a letterform.
5. Discussed italic fonts. Mentioned that most modern fonts come with a matching italic, and italic forms are inspired by 15th - century Italian cursive handwriting, while oblique fonts are based on the roman form of the typeface.
6. Showed examples of the word "Radiography" in different typefaces like Garamond, Janson, etc., highlighting the visual differences between them.
7. Concluded with a quote from Stephen Cole, "You can’t be a good typographer, if you aren’t a good reader", emphasizing the importance of reading skills for typographers.
Instructions:
Process work:
Exercise1
For the first draft, I drew on many elements and aimed to convey the meaning of the words through some subtle details.
Final Type Expression
Final Animated Type Expression
Exercise2
Kerning and Tracking Exercise
In this exercise, we begin learning how to use InDesign for layout design.
We were instructed to use the 10 fonts provided by the professor in InDesign to design our names and adjust the letter spacing and line spacing.
Final minor exercise on kerning and tracking
week5
Formatting Details
HEAD LINE
Typeface: Bembo Std
Font/s: Bembo Std Bold
Type Size/s:48 pt
Leading: 57.7 pt
Paragraph spacing: 0
Formatting Details
HEAD LINE
Typeface: Bembo Std
Font/s: Bembo Std Bold
Type Size/s: 36 pt
Leading: 30 pt
Paragraph spacing: 0
BODY
Typeface: Bembo Std
Font/s: Bembo Std
Type Size/s:12 pt
Leading: 13 pt
Paragraph spacing: 13 pt
Characters per-line: 59
Alignment: left justified
Margins: 26 mm top, 30.3mm bottom，13 mm left + right
Columns: 2
Gutter: 8mm
Feedback:
Week 1
General Feedback: This class served as an introduction to our unit, where we reviewed the module information booklet and created our E-Portfolio.
Week 2
General Feedback:In this class, we can use any method to first design the rough draft of the font. We can complete it on the computer or directly draw it on the paper.
Specific Feedback: After Mr. Max's guidance, I revised my "Walk". He also pointed out some minor issues with other fonts and helped me correct them. Because my initial draft was too complicated, with some doodles and paintings included. After the revision, he approved a sketch for each word of mine.
Week 3
General Feedback:In this class, we took turns communicating with the teacher to get our sketches approved. In the last hour, he demonstrated to us how to create an animation with fonts and how to save files.
Specific Feedback: I refined the final four selected sketches. Then, Mr. Max helped me choose the word "Stetch" because what I was doing was in a stepped pattern. So, Mr. Max suggested that I extend it out in the form of a GIF based on the style of the picture I drew. Next, I began the GIF production stage.
Week 4
General Feedback:During this session, we were introduced to the steps required to complete Task 2 and gained a foundational understanding of Adobe InDesign. Mr. Max presented several examples to guide our work and clearly outlined the next objective: to produce eight rough layout sketches for the article we are scheduled to submit in Week 5.
Specific Feedback:Mr. Max reviewed the gif image I had created and approved it, allowing me to proceed with Task 2.
Week 5
General Feedback:Week 5’s class was held online. In this tutorial, we were introduced to the fundamental features of Adobe InDesign and received step-by-step guidance on how to efficiently complete Exercise 2.
Week 6
General Feedback:We were required to create six sketches for Task 2, experimenting with both letterforms and graphic elements.
Reflection:
Experience
Between Weeks 1 and 5 of the course, I participated in two key typography exercises: Type Expression and Text Formatting. These exercises involved both sketching and digital design using Adobe Illustrator and InDesign. The Type Expression task encouraged me to explore how typography alone can communicate meaning and emotion. Meanwhile, the Text Formatting series taught me how to organize large bodies of text effectively and clearly. I documented every step of the process, from early sketches to digital iterations, according to the requirements of my digital portfolio.
Observations Through Type Expression
Through the Type Expression task, I observed how letterforms, spacing, and alignment can dramatically alter the perception of a word. Choosing the most appropriate typeface from a set of ten, and experimenting with scale and placement, helped me understand how design decisions can reinforce or soften the intended tone of a word.
In the Text Formatting exercises, I realized that factors such as line spacing, kerning, and alignment significantly affect readability and visual hierarchy. I became more aware of issues like improper alignment, and how resolving them contributes to a more elegant and professional layout.
Insights
Over the past few weeks, my understanding and appreciation of typography have grown significantly. This course not only introduced me to the fundamental principles of type design and layout but also challenged me to think more critically about how text functions visually.
Although I encountered challenges in mastering the technical tools and achieving consistency between typographic elements, these moments pushed me to be more thoughtful and intentional in my design process. Overall, this project has strengthened my design skills and deepened my interest in the art and discipline of typography.
Futher Reading:
For a deeper understanding of typographic principles and their historical roots, The Elements of Typographic Style by Robert Bringhurst is an essential next read. Combining poetic insight with practical guidance, this book explores the art and craft of typography in both classical and contemporary contexts.
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