EARLY LETTERFORM

Project 1: Early Letterform
Assignment:
Select a letter from the Phoenician or Greek alphabet, research the letter, and write approximately 100 words.

Create four two-color designs, each distinctively different, using black and red as shown in the examples. Incorporate your copy into each design. In the first design make the symbol the most prominent element. In the second make the display type the most prominent element. In the third make the text type the most prominent element. All design elements should be two-dimensional with flat color. In the final comp make the symbol the most prominent element again.


Each design should be 8" x 8" and printed on an 8.5" x 11" sheet of paper with marks and bleed.
It is your choice which of the colors, red, black, or white is used for the page, for the symbol, for the text and display type.
For your text and display type, use one of the 5 typefaces we have been working with thus far:
Garamond
Baskerville
Didot
Century Schoolbook
Helvetica
Consider the following issues:
Colors and textures created through letter, word, and line spacing.
Legibility based upon tracking and leading.
Shape created by counterform and the influence on the perception of the composition.
These will be among the topics discussed in critique.

The Original Project Brief

EXAMPLES:
The Cooper Union
Hong-ik University

1. Symbol Prominent

2. Display Type Prominent

3. Text Type Prominent

4. Symbol Prominent

PARAGRAPH INDICATIONS:

Use each of our five typefaces once to create five different designs demonstrating five different ways of indicating paragraphs as shown in the examples: Conservative, Moderate, Adventurous, Experimental, Outrageous:

Conservative = Garamond
Moderate = Baskerville
Adventurous = Bodoni
Experimental = Century Expanded
Outrageous = Helvetica

Use the text provided by the link below:

Paragraph Indications Text

Please view all 30 examples before beginning. Do not copy the examples, but rather come up with your own new and creative way based upon them:

Examples

(Unlike two of the examples, you cannot distort the typefaces)

You will make a total of 5 designs, again each on 10" x 10" squares.
1. Conservative = Garamond
2. Moderate = Baskerville
3. Adventurous = Bodoni
4. Experimental = Century Expanded
5. Outrageous = Helvetica
Your exercises should be posted to your blog and to the wall by the end of class on Thursday, September 15th.

TYPE ARRANGEMENTS

Begin by creating five pages to match the specifics found here:
http://www.designingwithtype.com/5/fiveclassic.php?whatImage=3
Post these 5 pages to your blog.

Next conform your designs to the specifications found here:
http://www.designingwithtype.com/5/Proj_text_arrangements.php?whatImage=1
Garamond = Justified
Baskerville = Flush Left, Ragged Right
Bodoni = Flush Right, Ragged Left
Century Expanded = Centered
Helvetica = Random
Post these 5 pages to your blog, print and trim them.

NOTES ON DISPLAY...

The way in which you display your work is of paramount importance and figures significantly in the way it will be received. Treat your work as if it is important, as if you care about it, and the viewer just might be convinced. Translation: All work must be hung straight. Side edges must be parallel to the side of the bulletin board. Top and bottom edges must be parallel to the floor. All four edges must be tacked down. There should be an inch of space around all four edges of the design. Work that does not meet the above basic criterion is work that looks as if the designer does not care about it, and therefore is work the instructor will not care to grade. Translation: fix the sloppy way your work is hanging or you will get a failing grade on the exercise.

Next Set of Digital Designs...for TH 09/08

Foregrounding Typeface:
You will create two designs, each 6"x 6" printed on 8.5 x 11 paper on the color laser printer.
These designs should be trimmed to 6" x 6" and posted to the wall in the glass hallway by midnight Wednesday, September 8th. This is also the first digital design for which you must save the original .ai file as part of your your Typography portfolio, turned in on CD at the end of the semester in a folder called "Foregrounding Typeface".

1.Create a 6" x 6" design using a single typeface in 4 point sizes.
Two point sizes must be under 200 and two point sizes must be over 200.
The design must use on of our classic typefaces, three flat colors, and black.
Use no transparency and no filters.
The only word that can appear on the design is the name of the typeface, and this word must appear on the design a minimum of one time.
The entire alphabet must appear on the design in either upper or lower case.
All letterforms must be on a 0-180 degree horizontal baseline.
The background must be white.

2.Create a 6" x 6" design using Helvetica in 4 point sizes.
Two point sizes must be under 200 and two point sizes must be over 200.
The design must use on of our classic typefaces, three flat colors, and black.
Use no transparency and no filters.
The only word that can appear on the design is the name of the typeface, and this word must appear on the design a minimum of one time.
The entire alphabet must appear on the design in either upper or lower case.
All letterforms must be on a 0-180 degree horizontal baseline.
The background must be white.

Next Set of Drawings....for TU 09/13

For our next set of sketches, you will do a total of five drawings, each drawing on sheet of legal size paper. You will draw the name of each typeface in the roman or regular version of the typeface:
1. Garamond
2. Baskerville
3. Bodoni
4. Century Expanded
5. Helvetica
These drawings will be due on TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13th