Shao Han(0369187)Typography/TASK3

(Week 08 — Week12)14/11/2023-18/12/2023

Shao Han/ 0369187

Typography/ Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media / Taylor's University

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Instructions

2. Feedbacks

3. Reflections

4.Futher reading

INSTRUCTIONS

Task 3 Type Design & Communication (Font Design)  ( 30% ) - Individual Assignment

Exercise : 

• We were tasked to design a limited number of Western alphabets. To begin, choose an existing font design that adheres to the direction that you would like to head in. Study the font carefully by analyzing its anatomical parts. Start with rough sketches, explore various options, and upon approval begin digitization of the drawings—software for digitization is Adobe Illustrator and later FontLab. 
• Artworks shall be printed out for critique sessions followed by refinements. If time permits we shall generate the font for actual use. Watch the video before starting.

Marking Criteria : 

• Evidence of in-depth research and visual analysis is visible. Multiple ideas have been explored with great care and deliberation. The design process showcases knowledge of typographic convention, methodology and production. The designs are extremely well crafted, consistent, and technically sound.

Learning Goals : 

• To develop student’s ability to construct a readable and legible font.
• To develop student’s ability to design a font with consistent characteristics premised on research and analysis.

Timeframe : 

• Week 8 – Week 10 (Deadline on Week 10)

Last week we used three different pen systems to make several font sketches. I tried to highlight the characteristics of each pen, such as the roundness of the whiteboard pen, the sharpness of the oblique pen and the smoothness of the brush pen.

     

Before we begin this task, we need to do some simple research on the evolution of letter forms, or glyphs and their types.

The history of the development of western fonts can be traced back to ancient Greece and Rome. At that time, people used a font called "uncial", which was a round handwriting, often used to write religious documents and manuscripts. Over time, the uncial font evolved into a more square font called the "caroline" font.

In the Middle Ages, the development of writing and printing technology promoted the further evolution of western fonts. During this period, people began to use a font called "blackletter", which is a very decorative font, often used to write religious documents and manuscripts. This font was widely used in Europe and was not gradually replaced until the Renaissance.

The Renaissance is an important period for the development of western fonts. During this period, people began to use a font called "humanist", which is a more beautiful and natural font, often used to print books and documents. This font is characterized by a smoother letter shape, closer to handwriting, and easier to read.

With the advent of the Industrial Revolution, printing technology has been further developed, and Western fonts have also changed. In the 19th century, people began to use a font called "sans-serif", which is a type without serif and is often used to print advertisements and logos. The characteristic of this font is that the letter shape is more concise and easier to recognize.

The 20th century is an important period for the development of western fonts. During this period, people began to use computer and digital technology to design and make fonts. The emergence of this technology makes the design and production of fonts easier and more efficient. At the same time, people began to try to design some new fonts, such as "Helvetica" and "Times New Roman", which have become one of the most commonly used fonts in modern printing and design.

Generally speaking, the development history of western fonts can be traced back to ancient Greece and Rome, and experienced many stages, such as uncial, caroline, blackletter, humanist, sans-serif and so on. With the passage of time, Western fonts continue to evolve and develop and become an indispensable part of modern printing and design.

The following is a rough summary of English font types

1. Serif fonts (Serif Font) serif fonts refer to extra small decorative lines at the ends and intersections of letters, which are called serifs. Serif fonts are usually used in printed matter, such as books, magazines and newspapers. Serif fonts have a strong sense of tradition and formality, and are often used in traditional and formal occasions. Common serif fonts include Times New Roman, Georgia, and Baskerville.

2. Sans serif fonts (Sans-serif Font) sans serif fonts are fonts that do not have extra serif and are usually simpler, modern and cleaner than serif fonts. Sans serif fonts are commonly used in digital products, advertisements, posters and other designs because they are easy to read and recognize. Sans serif fonts are also used in technology, medicine and business. Common sans serif fonts include Arial, Helvetica, and Verdana.

3. Handwritten fonts (Script Font) handwritten fonts are imitating handwritten fonts, which are characterized by smooth curves and changing strokes. Handwritten fonts are usually used for special occasions, such as wedding invitations, holiday cards and business signs. There are many kinds of handwritten fonts, some of which are smooth and beautiful, while others are more casual and natural. Common handwritten fonts include Brush Script, Lucida Calligraphy and Edwardian Script.

4. Decorative fonts (Decorative Font) are artistic and decorative fonts. They are designed in a variety of styles, some with romantic and gorgeous features, while others are more concise and modern. Decorative fonts are usually used for special occasions, such as performance posters, advertisements and commercial signs. There are a variety of decorative font designs, some are very complex, some are very simple. Common decorative fonts include Copperplate, Monotype Corsiva and Old English Text MT.

Then I found that the letters in the above picture can correspond to several English glyphs.

In a word, there are many kinds of English fonts, and each font has its own unique characteristics and uses. In the design, it is very important to choose the appropriate font, which can not only add beauty and artistry to the design, but also provide readers with a better reading experience.

WEEK8+WEEK9

I post my digitised font (Ai) on a baseline x-height, ascender & descender line, cap height, median, + letter widthas 

WEEK10

Start to contact and learn the fontlab software

Watch the video

Improve fonts and adjust parameters

The picture above is the step of my manuscript, but Ms. Low thinks that it doesn't reflect the roundness of my draft, and the white line in the middle is a little strange and superfluous, so I made some changes.

Modify font details

The picture above shows the steps to modify my original font after listening to Ms. Low. I use the Pen tool and some keyboard shortcuts to make sure that the Radian of each letter is the same as possible.

This can be regarded as the final product I made with AI software, which not only retains the round character of the font in my draft, but also has the truncation of the letters, which makes my font look a lot unique.

WEEK11

We downloaded the software fontlab and began to learn more.

The difference between font case

Some parts that need special attention

I imported the font I designed into fontlab7 in the way the teacher told me in the video. Because I designed all lowercase letters, when I imported fontlab7, the corresponding spaces were lowercase letters.

Follow the instructions to export fonts

Successfully saved the font I designed

WEEK12

I used the font I designed to make a text poster and marked the font size and name in the upper left corner of the picture.

This is my current poster design.

FEEDBACKS0

WEEK8+WEEK9

General Feedback:I feel the special character of this font, but the white part in the middle can be improved, and sometimes it looks superfluous.

Specific Feedback:Too many white lines tend to make letters look messy, even if each letter has only one white line, when they are put together, the picture will become blurred because of the white line each letter has.

WEEK10

General Feedback:Learn to import a single letter into fontlab7 to make sure that each letter is relatively consistent in size and position

Specific Feedback:The data of the proofreading line can be identified and used as a reference for your own font. The font as a whole looks much more refreshing and smooth. I hope that parts similar to the sharp corners of the comma can be modified in a little more detail.

WEEK11

General Feedback:Ms. Low told us that we can learn to use fontlab from the video, and we can try to keep the radians of all the letter curves as consistent as possible to make them look neat.

Specific Feedback:The effect of the exported font is good, but the position of the comma in the picture is a little high. This is a flaw. I hope that with a little modification, the picture will look more perfect.

WEEK12

General Feedback:The picture should not use colors other than black, white and gray, avoid using some abrupt line patterns, and appropriately add some shadows to make the picture richer and more stereoscopic.

Specific Feedback:As with general feedback, it would be better to reduce the abrupt lines at the bottom

REFLECTIONS

After more than four weeks of study, the process is full of twists and turns. During this period, I was also lost, and my enthusiasm was high for a time. From full of passion to the final complex feelings, every bit of it makes me have a long aftertaste. Learning is an eternal topic of human survival and life. The process of font design is not hard, unlike those sweaty work, design requires us to make more use of brain and heart perception, to create to imagine, to use the knowledge and skills we have learned, to open up our own updated design field. Font design looks like a task that we have to accomplish, a kind of work, but we can have fun in it, and we can't help but be happy with new ideas, and this time font design can also be a team task to help each other. I am not good at using computer tools, but I can get help from my classmates.

These four weeks of study let me experience the fun of font design, in the process slowly skilled use of computer software, Ms. Low will patiently explain to us when we have problems, I have gained a lot of experience in this process

FURTHER READING

Computer Typography Basics

Ever since the first scribes lettered books by hand centuries ago, the first goal of typography was readability. If the typography makes the information on the page harder to read, it does not matter how "pretty" a page layout is or how "unique" a font selection is, the page has failed in its main duty: to transfer information to the reader in an efficient manner. Jan White, a well-respected publication designer states "..we prefer-logically and visu-ally—a sense of order and structure. These basic ideas can make a reader's life easier, and they can make your job as a designer easier, too." (The Grid Book, Letraset 1987)

Writing a report may not appear to require much design knowledge, but as soon as one chooses a certain font or adjusts the margins to create more white space, that person becomes a designer. By learning about the differences between fonts, how fonts "work" on the computer, and how to use the various computer font options, the "designer" can produce a report that not only contains useful information, but is easy to read, and therefore, easy to understand.

Font Categories

Fonts come in many different designs. Some of these differences are subtle, while others stand out like the proverbial "sore thumb." Many references subdivide type into only two major categories: serif and sans serif. However, these simplified categories are not adequate for the great variety of fonts that one might encounter on today's computers. This report will use these expanded categories to clarify the difference:

•Serif

•Sans Serif

•Mono-Spaced

•Display

•Script

•Text

•Dingbats

Font Styles and Families

Bold and italic versions are available on the computer for many fonts. While this may work for most fonts, not all fonts were designed to be used in bold and italic versions. A common error on the part of the new computer designer is to

"bold-a-bold," or make a bold version of a font extra bold by the style format —or to make a bold or italic version of a font that has no bold or italic version. The problem is that the computer tries to make the font bolder, but only ends up distorting the original characters.

Font Sizes Fonts come in many different sizes, and use a system of measurement called points. Computers use 72 points to one inch; traditional typography used 72.27 points to an inch, but that measurement is hardly used anymore. Two different font designs at the same point size may actually have different physical sizes. The correct size for a font depends on it usage, but is somewhat arbitrary. Generally, body copy should be around 9-12 points, depending on the font used, the audience, and the width of the column. Some fonts are easily read at smaller sizes, while others need to be larger. Audience age should be considered; the older the audience, the larger the type. Also, the longer the column width, the larger the body type size. A column of type usually is about 50 characters across, and no more than 65 char-acters. Type that is too small will "cram" too many letters per line and make the copy hard to read. Remember, type that is hard to read may not be read at all.

Character and Word Spacing

Many times, simply typing in the text and formatting the font, size, and line spacing is enough. However, depending on the program used, extra attention is needed.

Larger type sizes need adjustments to the space between characters; and paragraphs need to be adjusted to eliminate "widows" and "orphans."

Special Glyphs (Characters)

Most computers have an option for using foreign characters and special symbols.

Like most special characters, they can be difficult to access for the beginner, but the user can reference a manual or use the on-screen character locator.

Line Spacing (Leading)

Leading, or line spacing, refers to the amount of space between lines of type. As with type size, there are no set rules for how much line spacing to use; however, there are some major factors to consider:

•The font used —some fonts require more line spacing than others to keep their ascenders and descenders from touching.

•The line length —longer lines require more leading for easier reading.

•The type size— the larger the type size, the more line spacing is required.

This rule mostly refers to body copy; headlines, which are normally set larger, may actually be set with tighter line spacing.

Paragraph Alignment

Alignment refers to the side of the page or column with which the text is even. For example, text that is even with the left side of the page margin or column is said to be "flush left," "aligned left," or sometimes "rag right" since it is uneven (or ragged) on the right side. Other options are: flush right (also called rag left), centered, justified (flush on both left and right sides, except for the last line, which is flush left), and forced justified (which justifies even the last line). Most body text is either flush left or justified. Headlines and subheads are normally flush left or centered; however, centered text should be used with care. Flush right should only be used for design purposes, and then only for small amounts of text. Forced justified is rarely used.

Paragraph Spacing

Paragraph Spacing is an automatic space between each paragraph that is applied

when starting a new paragraph; once set, it can apply space either above the para-

graph or below it. Paragraph spacing is a more elegant way to space out paragraphs

than simply double spacing returns because the settings can be adjusted globally or

by fractional line spaces. More importantly, the space is not inserted when a para-

graph falls at the end of a page, whereas traditional double spacing would leave the

extra paragraph return at the beginning of the next page.

Paragraph Rules Paragraph rules, or in-line rules, are rules that move with the text as it is edited. Most publishing programs have an option for in-line rules, and some word processors even have options for in-line boxes. The usual options include the width, style, and color of the rule; some programs give the option of setting the rule to the width of the column or the length of the text it is attached to. Advanced programs let the user adjust the height of the rule in relation to the sub-head. Additional paragraph spacing is almost always a requirement when using inline rules. Extra space opens up the type and allows the rule to have more impact.

Tabs Tabs are one of the most difficult tools to master, but only because most people do not spend the time to learn to use them properly. The basic tab settings are: • Left Align Tab • Cone Aigr Tal • Decimal Align Tab • Comma Align Tab • User-Defined Align Tab

Paragraph Indents The masterman intereste ali an it gong at pages. bur First-line paragraph indents only should be used if there is no paragraph space because the indents and the paragraph space exist to inform the reader when a paragraph stops and a new one begins. Using both the indent and paragraph space is overkill. The standard amount of indent is equal to the type size. For example, if the type size is 12 points, the indent should be 12 points. (Most programs allow the user to enter sizes in points if typed as "p12" or "12 pt'.) The amount of the first-line indent can be extended for design purposes. Paragraph indent settings also include indents for the entire left and right side of the paragraphs). Indenting on a single side is mostly used for design effect. For example, the left indent for the body copy in this report is set to 8 picas. Often, quotes are indented on both sides to stand out from the normal text.

Widows and Orphans Normally, a widow is a single line of text at the top of a page or column, separated from its paragraph, and an orphan is a single line of text at the bottom of a page or column, separated from its paragraph. By setting the paragraph to require that a minimum number of lines remain either at the beginning or the end of a paragraph, one can effectively solve this problem; however, this will create a "rag bottom," or uneven bottom margins, in the document. Subheads often end up at the bottom of a page, while the text they belong with is at the top of the next page. This can be prevented by requiring the subhead to stay with the next paragraph.

Special Formatting This section gover dome of the moreon fesiating erors that are simple to correct and can give a document a more professional look.

Formatting Styles With styles, also called style tags, the user can incorporate the type settings covered so far into a single format command. Styles have two major benefits: 1) They are a great time saver because they condense 5-30 different settings into one (eliminating the possibility of user error), and 2) A change to a style will affect the applied text throughout the entire docu ment, making "global" edits much easier and quicker.

Conclusion Altiny desatcom thio the rules of spotsholy are coples at this te port ished product. It is not necessary to apply all the rules at once. The user should decide which rules are critical and then scan the work for mistakes. After time, formatting that seemed difficult will become second nature.