ADVANCED TYPOGRAPHY// TASK 3: DESIGN EXPLORATION & APPLICATION
18.10.2021 -15.11.2021 (Week 9-Week 13)
Chaw Zhi Ting (0347344)
Bachelor of Design (Hons) Creative Media
Advanced Typography // Task 3: Design Exploration and
Application
LECTURES:
Ad_Typo 0
Ad_Typo 2
Ad_Typo 3
Ad_Typo 4
Ad_Typo 5
INSTRUCTIONS:
INSTRUCTIONS:
TASK 3: DESIGN EXPLORATION & APPLICATION
For Task 3, we are to develop a font that is intended to solve a problem
based on our interests. Example given were: Car plate/ Packaging
Typography/ Font set for movie/ Biscuits Car plate
Explore the use of a typeface in the area of interest, understand the
existing relationship, identify areas that could be improved upon, explore
possible solutions or combinations that may add
value to the existing typeface. We should look at how type is used in the
area and identify potential weaknesses or possible areas of further
exploration and provide a creative solution or add value to existing
use.
An exploratory process that solves a problem or adds value to existing
users. The work can manifest into any kind of format related to the issue
being solved or explored: animation, 3d,
print, ambient, projection, movie title or game title, use of different
material, etc
Figure 1.0 First proposal, 15th Oct 2021
For this project, I decided to continue my task 1(finding type exercise)
to further develop my macaroni font. I think it is pretty fun to generate
a type with food. After searching for some references I did a more
detailed research to propose the use of this type that I intended to come
out with.
The Proposal
Theme: Food typography (To express food art)
Aim:
The Proposal
Theme: Food typography (To express food art)
Aim:
-Reflect characteristics of the food
-Introduce fun and playful element to the existing type that used in the
cafe
-Increase consumer engagement with the food and brand
-Spark customer's creativity to make alphabets with macaroni
The use of type: restaurant signage, food packaging
The use of type: restaurant signage, food packaging
Figure 1.2 Proposal research, 15th Oct 2021
Figure 1.3 Play with macaroni, 15th Oct 2021
Before really starting to design the type, I bought a pack of macaroni
to play with them and study the form. I tried to form letters using only
few macaroni but there are limited letters I can come out. It's a fun
process and I enjoyed it.
Figure 1.4 Previous design, 15th Oct 2021
Looking back on my previous work, I realize the 'a' does not match well
with the other letter. So I decided to improve it by choosing another
relevant reference type which is Futura Std Heavy. Then, I began
sketching Lowercase a-z maintaining the same characteristics.
Figure 1.5 Sketches and reference type, 25th Oct 2021
DIGITISE PROCESS
This part took me the longest time, although I look simple I the type I tend to remain the bent part of the macaroni to show its unique form but after I did all the letters, I seem a little messy. I did not know which part goes wrong until I got feedback from Mr.Vinod, he advised me to make the ascender bend the same direction to keep it consistent.
This part took me the longest time, although I look simple I the type I tend to remain the bent part of the macaroni to show its unique form but after I did all the letters, I seem a little messy. I did not know which part goes wrong until I got feedback from Mr.Vinod, he advised me to make the ascender bend the same direction to keep it consistent.
Figure 1.6 Digitisation process, 1st Nov 2021
Figure 1.7 Digitisation process, 1st Nov 2021
During the digitize process, I use a different colour to indicate
the pattern that I'll use repeatedly for each of the letters to
make them consistent. I find it quite hard to make the bent part
the bent part. It's all about trial and error to get a suitable angle and composition.
Figure 1.8 Macaroni #1 without pattern, 1st Nov 2021
Figure 1.9 Week 11 Feedback, 1st Nov 2021
Feedback note: ascender bend in the same direction, improve 's' and 'g'
Macaroni Type with pattern ——————————————————————
After improving the letters, I consider from Mr. Vinod's feedback is to add macaroni texture to the letters. During the process, I realise the previous design did not portray much of the characteristics of macaroni. So I decided to explore further with the round shapes I shape and place them to make a 3D illusion of macaroni shape.
Figure 2.0 2D/3D macaroni, 1st Nov 2021
Figure 2.1 Ligature f, 1st Nov 2021
Figure 2.2 Macaroni letters, 1st Nov 2021
Figure 2.3 Final Macaroni type with pattern, 1st Nov 2021
Figure 2.3 Macaroni test, 1st Nov 2021
Figure 2.4 Saving SVG files from Ai, 4th Nov 2021
Figure 2.5 Transferring glyphs to Font Forge, 4th Nov 2021
Figure 2.6 All glyphs, 4th Nov 2021
All done, now let's do some kerning to fix the spacing of the letters!
Figure 2.7 Kerning in pairs, 4th Nov 2021
Figure 2.8 Before kerning, 4th Nov 2021
Figure 2.9 After kerning, 4th Nov 2021
It made a huge difference before and after kerning. In this stage, I tried to kern the pairs as much as I could. Then, I used the metric window to type out some of the words.
Figure 2.10 Try with other pairs, 4th Nov 2021
Figure 2.11 Macaroni OpenType, 4th Nov 2021
DOWNLOAD MACARONI TYPE
APPLICATION & COLLATERAL———————————————————
After completing the font design, I proceed to think of the application and collaterals to display the font. The first idea is to make signage as mentioned in the previous proposal. By taking the existing reference I have the idea to make the font glow in dark. I edit the glow effect in Photoshop and added some shadow effects to make it pop out.
Figure 3.0 Macaroni cafe reference, 8th Nov 2021
Figure 3.1 Macaroni Type mock-up (industrial style), 8th Nov 2021
Then I was thinking maybe I can make the fonts into lighting fixtures in the cafe. I edit them hanging on the wall and added some pattern at the counter.
Figure 3.2 Macaroni Type mock up, 8th Nov 2021
Figure 3.3 Macaroni Type wall deco, 8th Nov 2021
To explore more different possibilities, I tried to apply the font to different objects and themes. The flat lay below is more of a minimalist and 'healthy' kind of cafe.
Figure 3.4 Macaroni Type minimalist style, 8th Nov 2021
After the feedback session, there's some part to improve (the smaller word) that has to be consistent and Mr.Vinod suggest I could explore making patterns with the typography. To begin I try placing the pattern or letters repetitive to come out of a print. This process it's about experimenting the placement of the letters.
Figure 3.5 Macaroni pattern, 8th Nov 2021
Figure 3.6 Macaroni 'f' pattern, 8th Nov 2021
Figure 3.7 Macaroni word pattern, 8th Nov 2021
Figure 3.8 Macaroni pattern, 8th Nov 2021
Figure 3.11 Cafe facade #before, 10th Nov 2021
Figure 3.12 Exploring different wall colour, 10th Nov 2021
Figure 3.13 Cafe facade #after, 10th Nov 2021
Figure 3.14 Cafe wall pattern, 10th Nov 2021
Figure 3.5 Macaroni pattern, 8th Nov 2021
After placing all the letters, I expand them and crop it to zoom in the interesting part of the patterns so I can apply in the collateral design.
Figure 3.6 Macaroni 'f' pattern, 8th Nov 2021
Figure 3.7 Macaroni word pattern, 8th Nov 2021
Figure 3.8 Macaroni pattern, 8th Nov 2021
After getting the pattern, I decided to try it on the menu design, I lighten it to make it as a background then place the title in a darker colour. After trying several compositions, I decided to go with this layout. To make it realistic, I apply the design on the mock-up menu, bento box and apron design.
Figure 3.8 Menu design process, 10th Nov 2021
Figure 3.8 Menu design mockup, 10th Nov 2021
Figure 3.9 Amended bento box mockup, 10th Nov 2021
Figure 3.8 Menu design process, 10th Nov 2021
Figure 3.8 Menu design mockup, 10th Nov 2021
Figure 3.9 Amended bento box mockup, 10th Nov 2021
Figure 3.10 Macaroni apron design, 10th Nov 2021
To enhance the concept of the cafe, I decided to apply the font in the interior &exterior of the cafe. I did some color adjustment of the facade of the building and added my Macaroni signage. For the interior, I added repeating 's' to make the pattern on the wall.
Figure 3.11 Cafe facade #before, 10th Nov 2021
Figure 3.12 Exploring different wall colour, 10th Nov 2021
Figure 3.13 Cafe facade #after, 10th Nov 2021
Figure 3.14 Cafe wall pattern, 10th Nov 2021
FINAL SUBMISSION ————————————————————————
Macaroni Type: A type to connect the beauty of food in typography design and enhancing user experience from the café to the menu to the packaging of food.
Figure 4.0 Final Macaroni Type, 13th Nov 2021
Figure 4.1 Final Macaroni Type with baseline, 13th Nov 2021
Figure 4.2 Final Macaroni Type,pdf, 13th Nov 2021
Figure 4.3 Final Macaroni signage & wall feature, 13th Nov 2021
Figure 4.4 Final Macaroni Menu design, 13th Nov 2021
Figure 4.5 Final Macaroni Apron, 13th Nov 2021
Figure 4.6 Final Macaroni Bento box, 13th Nov 2021
Figure 4.6 Final Macaroni Flat Lay, 13th Nov 2021
Figure 4.7 Final Macaroni Collateral.pdf, 13th Nov 2021
HOURS SPENT:
TASK 3 -font design (18 hours) collateral (10 hours)
FEEDBACK:
Week 9
General Feedback:
Remember to write the title of the task in E-portfolio, add the
hour spent for each task before the feedback section.
Specific Feedback:
It's okay to continue Task 1(Macaroni type) to further explore in
the final project. Suggestion: could create a type for a
restaurant that sells multiple types of macaroni.
Week 10
General Feedback:
Make sure the practicality of the typeface (able to solve an
issue). Remain black and one for the design, add only one color
if needed.
Specific Feedback:
The concept and idea is good to go, the experimental part for
letters can be displayed on plates.
Week 11
Specific Feedback:
'S' can be more curve, descender of g need to refine, the
direction of ascender has to be same. Add macaroni texture
(lines) to reflect the character of the macaroni
Week 12
Specific feedback:
3D revised macaroni type looks good. For the signage, the small
letter at the side it's too decorative, can choose another type
and make it consistent in other collateral. Can try to Macaroni
font without lines version. Explore the form of the type to come
out patterns for packaging, apron etc. Visit Pentagram for more
inspiration.
REFLECTION:
Experience:
It was the most challenging task for me, as the task is quite heavy compared to the others. However, I am glad that I tried my best to complete the task within the time given. I struggled quite a lot in the beginning stage although I was a continuation of my previous task. I decided to continue doing macaroni type as the previous outcome was not quite satisfying. Furthermore, given the time constraints as well as the abilities and knowledge I now possess, I anticipate that it will take me longer to complete them, particularly in terms of developing and refining each letter. With that, I have decided on my design direction and I could spend more time working on the design and think of better visuals for the application part. I admire others who can work fast and produce awesome work in a short period but knowing their capabilities is important! I always remind myself to learn from others rather than comparing ourselves to them as we all have different working paces.
Observations:
I was amazed by some of my friends' experimental typography which is interesting. They are extremely courageous in attempting to achieve their goals by experimenting with various mediums. Their spirit encouraged me to be brave in trying new things. A successful piece of art, could stand out from the crowd and elicit a "wow" reaction from the audience. This is something I'll have to work on more, thinking outside the box and pushing myself to new heights.
Findings:
Never give up on the things you are afraid of. You are more capable than you think. Typography subject is always the hardest for me and sometimes it just makes me feel upset about not finishing the task on time. However, I do enjoy the process and especially when I see a problem is solved. Learning from the feedbacks made my work better and learning from others motivates me to strive further. Designing a type wasn't easy at all when every single detail is the backbone of the letters. Salute to all the typography designers out there!
FURTHER READING:
This article is about how the writer explores and had fun with food typography and her shot for still life. She also mentioned how taking still life food typography requires time and effort to prepare for the shooting. There are some useful tips shared and one of them is to make the words short with a tighter frame size, so viewers can see the details and the delicious texture of the materials. This article also highlighted the importance of the connection between the font and the ingredient in storytelling. “Take your time and be patient while putting small objects in the outline of letters. It’s a rather simple and meditative process.”
Figure 5.1 Creative Typography Article by Iveta Pavlova, 1st Nov 2021
This article showcased different cool trends of creative typography. There was awesome artwork using semi-transparency, line art, and outline typography design, and distorted typography. Out of so many types of typography, I am most impressed with the one which imitates textures, materials. It was really interesting to see how the lettering is designed using the inspiration of smoke, cream, and other liquid textures. The different shapes play a great part to make the typography look 'alive' in the composition.
Figure 5.2 Reina takahashi folds and twists paper strips
to form calligraphic character series, 1st Nov 2021
It's an inspiring 36 days type challenge with paper forms. This project aims to let artists, designers, and illustrators imprint their imagination on numbers and letters of the Latin alphabet. The san Francisco-based artist, ReinaTakahashi used techniques like refined lines, soft edges, curves, loops, and conic shapes to complete her project. Moreover, she did create a series of numbers using only one single ribbon which is impressive. By utilizing the lighting and shadow, her creative concept provides a lively touch to the three-dimensional forms.
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