11/11/2024 - 16/12/2024 (Week 8 - Week 13)
Gabriella Grace
Christyanti / 0371915
Typography / Creative Media / School of
design
Task 3: Type Design and Communication
1. Lectures
2. Instructions
3. Process Work
3.1 Research
3.2 Ideation
3.3 Digitization
3.4 FontLab
3.5 Poster Process
3.6 Final outcome
4. Feedback
5. Reflection
6. Further Reading
1. LECTURES
EXCERSIZE
In Week 8, we were tasked with dissecting one of the letters from the 10 typefaces provided at the start of the course. I selected Bembo Std Regular and used Adobe Illustrator to break down the letters, using the Line Segment Tool and Ellipse Tool.
3.2 Ideation
For our lettering assignment, we were tasked with sketching the letters H, O, G, and B on A4 graph paper using three different sketch pens with nib sizes of 3mm or higher. After sketching, we were to evaluate the pens, select the best one, and write a set of letters and punctuation marks (o, l, e, d, s, n, c, h, t, i, g, , . ! #) in our personal lettering style. The final step involved digitizing our chosen design.
- broad-edge pen
- flexible pointed pen
- pointed pen
After reviewing my work, Mr. Max selected two fonts, design #1 and design #9, as the best fonts. Now, I need to choose one of these to digitize.
3.3 Digitization
In this section, I finished creating the remaining letters and characters (o, l, e, d, s, n, c, h, t, i, g, , . ! #) using Procreate and digitized my sketch in Adobe Illustrator. I set the X-height and adjusted the cap height, ascender height, and descender height to match. Once everything was set, I began digitizing my sketch. To ensure consistent widths, I used the rounded rectangle tool to trace my sketch and then copied and pasted the rounded rectangles.
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| Digitalizing the sketch from Procreate |
Initial characters using rounded rectangle tool, before and after combining them using pathfinder
Final Typeface
After finalizing my typeface design in Illustrator, I followed the process of transferring it into FontLab, guided by a demo video and assistance from Mr. Max. I began by making measurements of the letterforms in Illustrator, then imported them into FontLab. Once the characters were placed, I adjusted the bearings and kerning to ensure there were no awkward spaces between the letters. Finally, I filled in the font information, added measurements, and named my typeface "RAVIER."
Next, I adjusted the Kerning using the chart provided in teams.
This is how the kerning ended up looking in the final design
3.5 Poster Process
The letters we created had to be used in a phrase, so I initially chose "#Cold Nights, Shiny Nights!" but later adjusted it to "#Cold Nights, Shiniest Nights!" to include the letter 'E' I designed. With the final phrase decided, I moved on to creating the poster. I began by typing out the phrase, my font's name, my name, and the year using Univers Ltd Std 8pt. The final details were: JAVIER by Gabriella Grace Christyanti, 2024.
3.6 Final outcome
You can download the font here: JAVIER
4. FEEDBACK
Week 9 General Feedback: Mr.Max explained to us about the rules for task 3 like the anatomy of type and the three brushes we'll use for the task. Specific Feedback: Mr Max came to each table to explain to use one by one on how to use the three brushes to create different types of fonts
Week 10 General feedback: Mr. Max gave us a tutorial on how to dissect letters and provided feedback on our typeface design sketches before we moved on to digitalizing them Specific feedback: he likes two of my design and told me to choose between the two to continue digitalizing with the other letters
Week 11 General feedback: Mr. Max explain to us how to digitalize more efficiently and also save up time Specific feedback: He helped me measure all of the spacing in my font and also measure the size of each stroke to make sure everything is already the same
Week 12 General feedback: Today he explained to us how to use FontLab and what we'll need for our blog. He helps explain to us the basic FontLab tools and also guide the students who don't understand how to download Fontlab Specific feedback: He checked on my finished font and help me fix the Kerning a little bit. He also approved of my final poster design
Week 13 General feedback: He provides feedback on students' fonts to make sure everyone is already finished for task 3 by week 13. Specific feedback: He helps me export my font properly for blogger and also checked my blog to make sure everything is completed
5. REFLECTIONS
Experience
This past week has been a big learning experience for me in our typography assignment. I started by sketching my font in Procreate, then finalized it in Adobe Illustrator before transferring it to FontLab to make it usable for typing. While I had some experience with Illustrator, FontLab was completely new to me and felt difficult to navigate at first. On top of that, designing my own font from scratch was a separate challenge since I had never done it before. Thankfully, with Mr. Max’s guidance and feedback, I was able to understand the tools, refine my design, and adjust the measurements properly. The feedback sessions were particularly helpful, as they showed me areas to improve and helped me make steady progress. In the end, I managed to create a simple yet polished font that I’m proud of.
Observation
Through this module, I’ve learned how important it is to find the right references that match my design goals, instead of just looking for general inspiration. By focusing on references that fit my vision, I was able to improve my ideas more effectively. I also discovered that good typography requires both accurate measurements and a strong eye for what looks right. Small changes to the height, baseline, and spacing can make a big difference in how clean and balanced the font looks. By combining measurements with visual judgment, I was able to create a more polished and consistent design. This experience showed me the importance of planning carefully and paying attention to details throughout the design process.
Findings
I’ve learned that even small mistakes can have a big impact on the overall design. At first, creating fonts seemed really difficult, but I soon realized that simplicity is key in design. This module has given me a deeper understanding of font creation, especially when it comes to spacing and kerning. I now have a better grasp of how to create my own fonts and how to break down and analyze other fonts. Through this process, I’ve gained a new appreciation for the fonts we use every day, as making them is much more complex than I initially thought. This experience has shown me how much care and attention goes into font design, making me respect the process even more.
6. FURTHER READING
Revolution of Digital Typesetting
The Rise of Computers in Typesetting
- Computers, combined with high-resolution cathode ray tubes (CRTs) and lasers, transformed the communications industry.
- Electronic components replaced mechanical ones, enabling unprecedented typesetting speed and quality.
How Digital Typesetting Works
- Digital systems encode letterforms on a grid using x and y coordinates to define strokes, curves, and details.
- Resolution plays a critical role: higher dot density leads to smoother, cleaner curves in letterforms.
- Hinting techniques preserve design details, ensuring optical accuracy for different font sizes.
Scanning and Laser Systems
- Digital-Scanning Systems (1972):
- Photographic characters are scanned, converted to high-resolution grids, and generated onto a CRT.
- Characters are projected onto paper, film, or electrostatic drums, enabling automated adjustments like weight, slant, and spacing.
- Digital-Laser Systems:
- Laser beams expose character dots directly onto photographic paper, guided by stored digital instructions.
- Lasers control font attributes, spacing, paragraph layout, kerning, and hyphenation.
The Designer’s Role in Modern Typography
- Responsibility for typesetting has shifted from compositors to designers, who can edit individual letterforms and entire fonts dynamically.
- Software advancements, such as Adobe’s multiple master typefaces (1991), allow designers to alter fonts along axes like weight, width, and stroke shape.
Innovations in Typeface Design
- Designers have moved beyond traditional methods:
- Matthew Carter’s Walker typeface (1995) introduced modular "snap-on" serifs, giving designers flexibility to customize letterforms.
- Such innovations redefined typography as an adaptive and creative tool for visual communication.
Impact on Visual Communication
- Digital typesetting’s precision and flexibility revolutionized the way type is designed, produced, and utilized.
- The combination of resolution, mathematical precision, and creative control continues to shape modern typography.
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