Welcome back from break! We'll start off class by introducing course goals and projects. Then there will be a history lecture for the American alphabet and typeface classifications. We’ll spend some time, in class, working on letter anatomy, ways to identify typefaces, and typeface design.
*Lectures: History of Letters (pdf)
Typeface Classifications (pdf)
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Watch:
Setting up business cards in InDesign (Jason video)
Do:
1. Finish the in class assignment. Bring your work to next weeks class.
2. Project 1: Business card
Use your name, address, the main way you would like to be contacted (either phone/text or email) and your top three interests/skills (e.g. drawing, photography, typography)
*If you do not wish your personal information be made public, you may make up an address & contact information.
Business card parameters:
3.5” x 2” — the card can be either vertical or horizontal
The process:
1. Start with one typeface family
2. Choose 1 typeface size and 1 typeface style (e.g. Roman)
3. Solve composition, hierarchy/groupings, and alignment issues
4. Add emphasis: bold or italic
5. Add scale
Work in black, white, and grey for this week. When you are satisfied with your business card design(s), print them out, trim them down to the correct size, and bring them to class next week.
The Secret Life of Fonts (video 35.00)
16th Century Printing & Binding (video)
Identifying typefaces:
What font (Chrome extension to identify type online)
Scanning apps — converting images/sketches to vector:
Letter Shaping Game
The Bézier Game
Plotting Vector Points with Jessica Hische
Letter Building: Scaling & Shaping
Horizontal & Vertical Bézier Handles
Lettering Tutorial
Vector Lettering Techniques
Today we’ll review the in class assignment from last week and we’ll review homework from last week. Afterwards, we’ll be covering modifying/adapting type & techniques for creating lettermarks for your business card.
*Lectures: Modifying Type Lecture (pdf)
Read:
Lettermark sketching ideas (pdf)
The law on fonts and typefaces
Customizing or modifying fonts (Hoefler & Co)
Do:
Part 1: Refine your business card based off in class feedback. Strengthen alignments, hierarchy and visual voice for your text, if needed.
Part 2: Create a custom initial mark for your name. You might chose to adapt/modify a chosen typeface or create your own custom letters. Do a brain dump of 30 sketches exploring letter combinations for 1-2-and/or 3 initials.
The first 10 sketches will probably be your normal sketching process.
For the second 10 sketches you could use descriptive adjectives about yourself to explore ideas, e.g. edgy, whimsical, childlike, etc.
For the last 10 sketches try out the “Forced Connections” technique, where you take your 3 interests (e.g. hiking, baking, fishing) and make a list of visual attributes that can be combined with your initials to make an initial mark.
For example, fishing = fish hook + the letter A.
Sketch your 30 ideas and select your top 3. Click here for a sketch checklist pdf if/when you run out of sketches from your brain dump.
Part 3: When you are satisfied with your business card design(s), place one of your chosen inital marks (either final sketch or a digital rough) into your design for placement only = FPO. Print out your card, trim it to the correct size, and bring it to class next week for a work-in-progress review.
You may use color and imagery, but only after you have solved the typographic layout, grouping/alignments, hierarchy, emphasis (bold & italic), negative space, and scale.
This week there will be a lecture and practice with letterspacing, word spacing, and leading. We will also have peer-to-peer feedback groups and revisions for your projects.
*Lectures:
Microtypography: Letter Spacing (pdf)
Letters to Watch for letterspacing (pdf)
Setting your typographic space in Indesign (pdf)
Kerning/Tracking/Leading Key Commands (pdf)
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*In Class Practice:
Read:
Do:
Part 1: Finish your business card design. Refine your initial mark and place the final mark within your business card design. Finesse your letterspacing and word spacing, if needed. Print out your design in color, trim it out (and if you have a front & back—glue it together—if needed). Your project will be finalized this week and the final design will be due next week.
Part 2: In a separate layer in your file, label what typeface classification just your name belongs to and label aspects of type anatomy listed below. Print out an extra copy of your name with the layer of labels visible.
Label:
Typeface classification
Baseline
Median
X-height
Cap-height
Ascender height
Descender height
Mark the stress
Write up at least 2 aspects of anatomy for each letter in your name.
Part 3: Finish the in-class letter spacing exercise. Print it & bring it to class next week.
Spacing:
Lynda.com: Kerning and Tracking — Entire Chapter 4 (videos)
BRINGING YOUR INITIAL MARK INTO ILLUSTRATOR:
Recommended reading:
1. Shape Type: A letter shaping game
*3. Plotting Vector Points: Jessica Hische (video)
*4. Hand Lettering and vector points steps
*5. How to vectorize hand lettering (video)
6. Bezier Curves in Illustrator
8. Lettering: Logo, Font & Lettering Bible (Look in Jill's Lessons Folder for complete PDF file)
Creating text effects for custom letters (videos):
1. Creating stroke widths in illustrator
2. Text effects: Drop shadows and line patterns within drop shadows
3. How to warp text in Illustrator
5. Decorative text shadowing in Illustrator
6. Creating swirls with variable widths
Recommended videos on logo design:
*George Bokhua—Logo Design with Grids: Timeless Style from Simple Shapes
Project 1 is due this morning.
Today we will be practicing letterspacing, tracking, & kerning in class. Then we discuss typeface combinations and practice combining type for headlines & body text.
*Lectures:
General Overview: Choosing Typefaces (pdf)
A Closer Inspection: Choosing Typefaces (pdf)
Subtle Details for Font combinations (pdf)
Things to look for in Body Text and things to look for in Headlines (pdf)
Read:
Stop Feeling Dumb About Pairing Fonts
Download:
Do:
For the next few weeks you will be working on a type driven design project. You will be designing only the front face and back panel of a package. Please choose one of the following as your topic (to read the text and client summary, click on the Project 2 below):
* Project 2: Body Wash/Shampoo/Conditioner, Coffee, Cocktails in a can, Frozen Fruit Bars
1. Start by creating a Style Board. Print out your style board when done and bring it to class next week.
While creating your mood board, find small visual groupings of text in "bugs", "flags", "stamps", emblems, and/or "nested text", etc. Samples could be found from packaging, posters, ads, books, magazines, etc. Add your samples to your moodboard.
2. Choose one body text typeface for your project, open your InDesign template for your project and copy/place the package text from the PDF file into your InDesign file using your chosen body text typeface.
Focus your attention ONLY on hierarchy, grouping, alignments, scale weight/emphasis and typographic tone. (Similar to the approach you used for your business card).
It doesn't have to look pretty, yet. Bring your style board and your InDesign rough placed text file to class next week.
Today we will be practicing letterspacing, tracking, & kerning in class. Then we will discuss measurements and practice using measurements in a small exercise. The remainder of the class will be reviewing homework from last week.
*Lectures:
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*In Class Practice:
Watch:
Lynda.com: Fractions and numerals (video)
Do:
Part 1:
Continue to design your package. Consider text groupings, hierarchy, alignments, scale, weight/emphasis.
Experiment with creating small visual groupings of text in "bugs", "flags", "stamps", emblems, and/or "nested text", etc.
Part 2:
When you get a layout structure you think is working well, choose a second typeface classification to use as the flavor/emphasis for your design.
Part 3:
You may add color, ornamentation, imagery and/or illustration to your package design face. Bring color print outs of your project to class next week and bring in your digital files for a work-in-progress review.
This week we will be practicing letterspacing, tracking, & kerning in class. Then we will discuss paragraph alignments and spacing issues and practice correcting paragraph spacing issues. The remainder of the class will be reviewing homework from last week.
Project 2 is due next week.
*Lectures:
Paragraph Alignments Checklist (pdf)
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*In Class Practice:
Do:
Part 1: In a separate layer in your file, label what typeface classification your product name belongs to and label the parts of type anatomy listed below. Print out an extra copy of your product name with the layer of labels visible.
Label:
Typeface classification
Baseline
Median
X-height
Cap-height
Ascender height
Descender height
Mark the stress (if your typeface has it. Many sans serif typefaces have no apparent stress)
Label at least TWO aspects of anatomy for EACH letter just in your product name
Part 2: Refine and finish your design. Remember to work on your letter, word and line spacing. Bring color print outs of: Your mood board, your final project, & your typeface classification/anatomy.
Project 2 is due this morning.
Today we’ll be cross critiquing among groups. Then the final project will be introduced: a single or double album design
Download:
Do:
Choose a band or individual artist/album where you can obtain the following material:
1. The band name or individual artist name. The names of the band member(s) and what instrument(s) they play. Then collect your track list of songs titles and the time length for each song.
2. A few paragraphs of marketing copy for the back cover. This text might promote the band/artist or this album, or it might be the history of the band/artist if it's interesting, or it might be an interview snippet, or it might be a write up of the music which influenced the sound of the band/artist.
3. A 30 second sound byte of their music to share with your feedback groups. Please bring a pair of earbuds/head phones to class next week.
4. And create a style board.
5. Choose the single album dieline and place the Illustrator dieline into a 30” x 20” Indesign file. If you would like a bigger challange you may choose the double album: place the double album Illustrator dieline into a 30” x 30” Indesign file.
For next week:
Bring in everything (Steps 1 – 5) in next week.
This morning there will be a demo for the oversized printers. The rest of the day will be spent working on your Zodiac in class exercise (if you have not finished it) and small group feedback sessions.
*In Class:
Download:
Do:
Design your album. Print out a work-in-progress folded comp, scaled to fit on a 12” x 18” paper and bring it to class next week.
Today we’ll be going over typographic sins, punctuation, indents, and the small but important details while reviewing an in class exercise and our Zodiac files. After a break you’ll work with your quadmates and share your mood board, creative brief and 30 second sound clip for your album.
*Lectures:
Microtypography: Punctuation (pdf)
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*In Class Practice:
2. Indent Here Exercise (indd)
3. Open up your Zodiac file from last week. Switch files with a quad mate and discover/fix any typographic sins. Use the typographic sins pdf and the spacing checklist pdf below to help find microtype issues and refine their Zodiac exercise.
Do:
Bring your creative brief, moodboard, sound clip, and print out of your album to class next week. (Use the HPs and the Docucolor. Don’t use the oversized printers for this weeks comps) Possible cross critique with other first year class or second years next week.
CSS KEYFRAMES:
BLEND MODE:
CSS background-blend-mode Property
Advanced effects with CSS Background Blend Modes
CSS CLIPPING PATHS:
CSS Introduction to Clipping Using Clip-path
Wrapping Content around Images Using CSS Shapes
How to make your HTML responsive by adding one line of CSS
In the morning we will be doing a brief typographic sins exercise. After a break, you will be sharing your mood board, creative brief, 30 second sound clip and your design with classmates. Time will be spent giving each other feedback and advice about the tone/look/type choices/design in relation to the creative brief, mood board and sound byte.
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*In Class Practice:
Do:
Finalize your design based off of feedback. Fix any of your microtypography issues. Print out your work — full size — in color and make a folding dummy for next week.
Create a walk through PDF with the following:
Creative brief
Mood Board
The front cover of the album
The inside spread
The back cover
Please prepare your 30 second song sound byte to play for the class as you present your PDF file on the over head projector.
Project 3 is due.
You will be presenting your folding dummy, your 30 second song sound byte and your PDF file on the over head projector to the class.
Hand in your folding dummy and drop your PDF file into my drop folder.
Inspired by this blog:
Make a PDF file of your 7 day typeface combinations and bring in your combinations to the first day of class. We'll have a show & share on the first day.
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Please purchase Kimberly Elam's book: Grid Systems: Principles of Organizing Type
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Bring the following items to the first Type 2 class next quarter:
– Your Elam book
– Tracing paper
– Ruler
– Pencil
– Colored pencils or colored markers or colored crayons
– An issue of your favorite magazine (if you don't have a favorite magazine, you can check out magazines from the public library or I can let you borrow one from the variety of magazines we have on hand at school.)
Recommended Grid Books:
1. Grid Systems in Graphic Design: A Visual Communication Manual for Graphic Designers, Typographers and Three Dimensional Designers by Josef Müller-Brockmann
2. Layout Workbook A Real-World Guide To Building Pages In Graphic Design Layout Workbook by Kristen Cullen
3. Making and Breaking the Grid: A Graphic Design Layout Workshop by Timothy Samara
4. Layout Essentials: 100 Design Principles for Using Grids (Design Essentials) by Beth Tondreau
5. Best Practices for Graphic Designers, Grids and Page Layouts: An Essential Guide for Understanding and Applying Page Design Principles by Amy Graver