OUDG403// Typeface Feedback & Evaluation

After presenting my work (in chronological order) to the majority of the year group on Friday, I did not attain as much qualitative feedback as I would have liked. This being said, what I did collect has impacted the brief in a large way.

I asked...

// Do you/ Do you not feel 'Immense' comes across within my Typeface? If so/not then why?...

Everybody asked said yes to this question, saying it is "simple and straight to the point", whilst "communicating the adjective clearly". Furthermore the "use of ultra-bold slab serif immediately connotes weight and immensity"- so I definitely feel I have achieved my intentions.

// Do you think I chose the most appropriate names for my typeface- 2D is 'Obese' and the 3D    version is 'Immense' due to visible scale?

As I have always been slightly unsure on the name 'Obese', I thought this was a great opportunity to resolve this before publishing. The majority thought that 'Obese' was the wrong name for the typeface, and everybody preferred sticking to 'Immense' overall. A good idea raised was to incorporate Obese into the weight counter, such as "light, regular, Obese"- if extended further. A idea I feel is really appropriate for conveying ideas's and intentions.

// Do you feel my typeface could have been extended in any way to make it more Immense?

The majority said No for this question, saying it was "very intense", but it was raised that I could have "[developed] by looking at more complexed characteristics which would also communicate this" but "don't make it any thicker". In addition, by making the slab serifs more "consistently heavy" such as the "M and N serifs" being made thicker to the same width as "the L, T P, [which] are really heavy and bold".

// Do you think I chose the most appropriate idea to develop? What would you have changed?

Everybody agreed I chose the best route for development, commenting that the "slab-serif typeface is really appropriate and effective" whilst being "the strongest of all ideas".

                                           

// Evaluation

When evaluating the success of this brief, my main source of reference will be looking at my adjective and seeing if I have best portrayed it. After quantifying the feedback it seems from a objective point of view, 'Immense' does come across in the typeface. However, with the feedback in mind I would now like to change the name from 'Obese', back to 'Immense' to rid any negative connotations and avoid offence.

 My personal intentions were to communicate a heavy set, unapologetic typeface best intended for "strong and powerful" large scale work, aswell as projecting a body of copy legibly. I feel the typeface is not fully appropriate as yet for copy, due to the unilinear ascetic of some words in sequence. For example, when I experimented with 'The Quick Brown Fox...' and other smaller sentences, huge emphasis was on the tight kerning so not to incorporate too much negative space outside of the curvier letterforms (such as C or J). In contrast, when used large scale (as intended), I feel I have achieved the goals in my manifesto as it looks strong, powerful and communicates many synonyms of 'Immense' in a effective two dimensional way.

If I could extend this brief, I would create two other widths based on this new typeface, with wider kerning and increased white space within letterforms suggesting a 'lighter' feel, but maintaining the thickness and weight. Furthermore, I would also extend the three dimensional Sibling of my typeface to a full alphabet, allowing it not just to be used in a tangible setting- but digitally to transcend the digital age we live in and overall effectiveness.