Experimenting with Letterpress

Individual lettering in reverse, trapped into the chase by a mix of furniture and leading. The brackets have been tightened with an Allen key so it is moveable and locked in.

A print that went really wrong. I wanted to see if Red on Red would connote a muted glossy look, but my Chase was slightly too far away from the paper.

Experimenting with printing onto Tracing Paper with the remaining ink. Despite not coming out as a full print, the sections  which have printed have a really rustic and warm ascetic, aided by the chosen typeface. I'm going to stick this onto a piece of messy white card to strengthen the outcome, whilst giving a textural and colourful ascetic. 

Copper mixed Ink, I tried to create an embossed effect by pressing slightly too hard when using the Adana.

When setting type it is essential to write your chosen quote in reverse. As it is a resist technique, the image/ sentence will flip when printed, so plan ahead!. When your lettering is chosen and placed into sequence within the Chase, secure it with furniture so it is fixed in place (either metal or wooden). Naturally, there will be wiggle move, despite being packed in with additional leading. To resolve this, you need to place expanding brackets in tighten with an Allen key to strengthen the structure. Once your Chase is fixed and can pick it up without characters falling out, apply the printing ink to the Adanas printing pallet, roll on, press down the handle and print away! 

These are my second attempt at Letterpress. Initially I chose a much longer quote, which after several hours I still could not lock into place without letters falling out. After coming back the next day to start a fresh, I changed the quote 'Digital processing is the future'. With the quote being ironically created in a juxtaposition with the traditional print method, I wanted to include oversized spacing and slightly off letter heights to emphasise that digital is the future, adding a hint of comedy.

OUDG405// Way finding 01

The start of a new Studio Brief has us looking at signage, pictograms and how they work together. It is interesting to see how clear/ ambiguous signage is in different environments- and wether this is intentional or simply just poor design. Initial research begun by venturing into Leeds City Centre and photographing signage/ infographics in their settings.

Infographics and Symbols are used to create a visual identifier that has no language restrictions, which can be understood by pretty much anyone. These are drilled into society, yet are often shown with text in the native language, possibly to make comprehension clearer or to quicken the reading process.

Infographics //

These are all different in their meanings and visual identity, yet share commonality as well known and understandable symbols. The 'no pram permitted' and christianity symbols may not be spotted within everyday life, yet I feel these are still easily related to their intended meaning despite the increased complexity. The idea of colour and shape informing the design of a symbol/ infographic is outstandingly important for its readability. As humans we subconsciously associate different colours/ shapes with different meanings- it is essential to play on this mental framework in any future design ideas.

Signage// 

The Trinity Shopping centre was an interesting case study where signage and colour are concerned. It seemed each level had a different colour to complement its 'identity' and clarity for shoppers of all ages to understand. The use of arrows and simplistic infographics are easily recognisable as a lift/ escalator, alongside places to eat. However, it seems it is not enough to simply have an infographic without the complementary text so not to arise confusion. 

As Marks and Spencers is aimed at an older demographic, the signage and route planning is very clear from as soon as you enter the door. Not only are the aisles clearly formatted into walk ways and red routes for shoppers, the large overhead signage (complemented with lights) is directly in customers eye line, giving instant directions. This is important for older generations especially to defuse confusion, alongside providing clear, concise information if they just want to go to a specific section. 

In contrast, younger shops such as TOPSHOP or TOPMAN are designed in an entirely different way. Ambiguity seems a key aspect of signage within the shop floors, encouraging shoppers to browse the circumference of the shop floor- ideally to draw them to other items on their travels. Arcadia is a huge fan of the 'red route', meaning shop floors are constructed with 'best sellers' and complementary items in the shoppers direct gaze, yet then other key pieces and basics (such as Denim) slightly off this manufactured route, pulling their attention in a zig-zag motion. With this in mind, the use of signage is slightly surplus (other than 'DOWN TO MORE WOMENSWEAR'/ 'UP TO TOPMAN' as younger people shopping generally want to browse, which is definitely the stores intention.

Leeds Train Station //

The signage throughout Leeds Train Station (and most other rail stations) are very consistent, clear and leave no room for confusion. Despite purposely coming through a smaller exit, from entrance it was clear what way to walk. This may be partly due to the corridor lay out, yet also the fluid use of arrows and complementary type aiding the infographics. Furthermore, as National Rail's guidelines for signage, type and infographics are so consistent with colour, shape and even X-Heights- even someone oblivious to the design could instantly recognise that they all work together- highlighting the necessity of harmony within signage.

Interesting street signage //

76, located on Wellington Road has an extremely unique 'to let' sign, compliment with the composition of the metal door signs. The elongation of the '6' breaches the square surface area, meaning a higher degree of cost would be needed to produce to allow for this overlap by using a larger scale material. The effect it creates is diverse and modern, suggesting that signage and information graphics can come off the page, exploring new realms of life in the outside world. In addition, this sign grabs my attention every time I walk past it through the rounded use of Obliques and a classic typeface, juxtaposed by the contemporary style via the extension. If I remember this sign, in theory other people may too? 

OUGD404// What is a book?

A book can transcend many tangible and intangible forms of documentation. As you can see from the official definitions, the 'book' we think of in our mind, nicely bound with hundreds of pages, can take on several different forms...

The purpose of a book is to deliver information in some way or another. This information can be fact, fiction or purely for design purposes with no real philosophical meaning. With this in mind, the density of pages, the nature of the publication, or even the quantity of information per side does not make one book more than another. The production of the book is equally as important as the content, (especially if ascetic is a number one aim), meaning that thickness of stock/ paper quality/ paper textures/ binding/ layout and scaling all need to be considered in harmony for the creation of an effective 'book'. 

Stock and Binding //

The word Stock is often used when referring to the different types of paper in their finished cut sizes. A4, A5 or B5 are most common for standard books, but we do not not need to stick to these smaller scales. If the purpose is right then stock can be cut as large as A0 and as small as you can get it. Generally paper is measured in GSM (grams per square meter) and explains how many 'grams' (weight) is in a single sheet of paper measuring 1m x 1m

Common weights in cut sheets are: 80gsm, 90gsm, 100gsm, 120gsm, 130gsm, 150gsm and 170gsm. A low quality stock used in photo copiers is often 80gsm, where as a letterhead or better quality publications would commonly be printed on anything from 100gsm to 120gsm. Papers weighing either 130gsm or 150gsm are generally used for leaflets or flyers, yet could be considered too thick for books if there are many pages blinded together tightly.

Example of obtaining thick stock in a verity of textures.

The way you bind a books plays just as much as what stock it is printed on, meaning it is imperative to not only choose an ascetically pleasing method, but the most appropriate for ease of reading and so the pages do not fall apart. For example, if your intention was to create a modernist sleek publication, it wouldn't be appropriate to choose exposed stitching with string or ribbon due to the hand rendered style it conveys. The most common way of book binding through my own personal collection seems to be 'Soft Bound', 'Section Sewn' and 'Lay Flat' binding. Despite creating a similar look, the uses of sewing, (featured in most binding productions) have very traditional routes compared to newer methods of production, such as Lay Flat binding which are 'the next generation in presentation books and photo albums'. 

Various ways of book binding sourced from London Book Binding

Typography and Colour // 

It is a well known fact that Type and Colour should work in harmony to suggest the intended tone. For example, if you are using a really elaborate typeface, don't use a lime green vs neon pink colour scheme if your intention is to create a tranquil visual tone.

In my opinion, minimal type is miles more effective than cramming the page full of information, all fighting for the viewers intention. Below, a calm tone is created by the monochrome minimalistic layout, composed with heavy negative space drawing the eye to the only information they need to know- the structure of the publication.

Check out more on Design Inspiration

In contrast, the use of vivid colours should not be shyed away from if the content/ tone requires this emphasis on playfulness. With this piece a initial observation is that it is wildly experimental, this is not the case. Despite the 'in your face' nature, a clear structure is created using only three colours, adhering in some ways to Dieter Rams 10 principles of design**. By keeping the white as the base tone, not only is a wacky realism maintained through the highlights within the photography- yet a calming presence juxtaposed with the small bright written copy. I personally think this is massively effective and will definitely take inspiration from the ascetic created in later projects. 

Publication created for the Jazz Festival of Strasbourg using only 3 colours, created by French design house 'Helmo'.
See the full project at http://www.creativeideas.today/c/graphic-design/item/jazzdor-3-colors-brochure-design.html

**When looking at Dieter Rams' 10 principles of design, it is imperative not to take them for the be all and end all of 'good' design. In my opinion, design is very subjective and it is rare everybody will all agree on the same set of design decisions. 
I take these the way Jack Sparrow views the Pirates code- more like guide lines than actual rules.

OUDG404// Canons

A Canon in the graphical sense is essentially a grid like structure, created to aid 'perfection' within design and artwork. With this in mind, canons are the principles of page design and layout used to measure and describe proportions, margins and print areas.

Many variations of canons follow the same principles, including Van de Graafs and golden ratios's...

Fibonacci & Golden Ratio

Despite this image being very familiar to me throughout design culture, only today did I find out what it actually means. Working to a ratio of 8:13, it is not only relevant within design but also nature when structuring forms, depicted from Classic Renaissance Masterpieces and Architecture from antiquity.

Within a small debate between some peers and myself, the validity and use of Fibonacci's idea. It was argued that Apple's icons and logo are all created with this principle, and due to their innovative reputation and success it must be doing something right. However, I feel that it may just be a happy coincidence, and if stretched/ manipulated enough then of course it will fit almost any piece of design. To me, it seems that historic restrictions such as this are just used to justify personal design with integrity.

Another famous theorists who applies these principles is Jan Tschichold, who produced his own Golden Canon...

This 'Golden Canon' incorporates a 9:9 grid, created to aid structure and enhance 'quality' design principles, with the 'Octavo' creating rectangles within the space. It seems to be best for modern publication design, within old manuscripts and even type. Often by the creation of rectangles, a border can be created to even aid photo books and more contemporary layout structure.

In short, by using a canon 'perfection' can be acheived due to the relationship between proportionality and beauty. 

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.

OUDG403// Final Letterforms

Throughout this brief I have been envisaging my final outcomes to be huge, tangible and blocky. With this in mind, I had the idea of transforming my final letterforms into thick wooden blocks, which you can physically pick up and play with. In my mind I can imagine them to be 10ft tall and 10ft wide gigantic instillations. I got the idea of a typographic instillation from Andrew Byrom- If H is a Chair, specifically where he manipulates large scale metal shower rails into the word 'Play'. 

Cubic Option I created using Illustrator, based on my final typeface. This is not intended for use when writing sentences, this typeface is called ‘Immense’, the sibling of ‘Obese’, just made cubic.

 I have given this one a different name to reference Berthold which these two typefaces are based on. As Berthold is also called Akzidenz-Grotesk and is available in 'Regular', 'Bold' and 'Black'- with Black being the chunkiest variation.

Visualising 'A' as a large scale instillation. Original image sourced from (http://www.e-architect.co.uk/images/jpgs/london/central_st_giles_aw120910_4.jpg)

Exploring settings for my letterforms to be featured. Here I tried to go for a sculpture park vibe... (Original image from https://s3.amazonaws.com/rapgenius/filepicker%2Fq2H9PgfRTpOMW1JS8W6q_field.jpg)

Further ways of presenting large scale typographic instillations in innovative ways. Mock up of hanging the letters on angles over water (Original Image - https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cf/Roundtanglelake.JPG)

OUGD403// Studio Brief 02- Refining Letterforms

After experimenting with a range of Q's to aid composition and kerning when in sequence, I devised these 'new 4' which the user can switch between dependant of 'Immense's use. As for the standard Q, I feel a happy medium is Option 3 (top left), so a rigidly geometric quality is maintained but it doesn't offset the kerning. Furthermore, all of the typefaces I have analysed have not incorporated the tail to look like a under score, not only highlighting the letter but involving more unique quirks than your standard 'run of the mill' bold typeface.

Responding to the peer feedback looking at 'T', I made the slabs tighter to the stem, whilst taking 2mil off the bottom slab to create a stockier/ condensed ascetic. This is much more relevant to 'immense' and fulfilling my intentions of a tightly compressed letterforms. 

I am in two minds with regards to the adjustments made on the I. Despite being a little 'i' in a sequence of capitals, the increased space between the blocks are so it is definitely visible as an I from a distance- and not perceived as a lowercase 'l' increasing readability.

Another option for 'C'. I don't feel this is effective due to the heavy negative space introduced. I introduced this space between the slabs to make sure the letterform wouldn't look like a G from a distance. However, it is now swaying away from my idea of having the letterform represent a magnet, so this won't be featured in my final outcomes.

When referring back to my intentions of creating a cubic typeface, I envisaged a consistent X-Height fluent throughout each character. By observing each letterform on a perfect square art-board, making sure the top of the little caps and the baseline it has become visually evident what needs to be altered. The G's width needs to be increased to emphasise the blocky ascetic intended. Also, the Tail on the J needs to be made bolder with the Slab-Serif's weight increased as it currently looks unevenly weighted with too much white space creeping into the shape. The Spine of the S could do with being made bolder, mainly to condense the white space within the artificial counters. Most of all, when all X-Heights are consistent the width of the W rapidly exceeds the canvas. This may look effective when shown in the correct setting, however I may need to manipulate the structure further to make it fluent and cubic within a sentence view. Finally, the top slabs of the Y are not filling the space as well as they could be, prompting me to possibly increase the width. On the other hand, if I did increase the top slabs horizontally it may become too top heavy, meaning if I make this adjustment the stem should be increased in weight also to add balance and aid composition. 

ALSO // Through the way my typeface is developing I have chosen to adjust the name from the bland 'Immense' to 'Obese'. This is because the general meaning of the two are the same, yet Obese is more readily known in daily language. As this typeface is coming to be Fat and bulky, I feel Obese is a better classification for the ascetic intentions. 

Experimenting with Pangrams to see if my letters work in sequence. This is by far not the smoothest portrayal of 'The Quick Brown Fox...' as my Illustrator skills let me down when it came to sizing. Some (the R in brown) does look slightly skinny in relation to the B, and the i looks slightly too weighty compared to the curvature of the C. Furthermore, I will look to create an alternative J, by adding a arm (or serif) onto the top of the stem so it will look bolder and more authoritative when used at the start of a sentence. 



Seeing if the letterforms work in different sequences and compositions... this typeface seems to work better for un-linear compositions, highlighting each letterform as its own piece of typographic art and making each letter as impactful as possible.

 

         

OUGD404// Figure, Ground & White Space

This morning had me assessing the relationship between Figure (positive space), ground (generally thought of as background) and how 'white' space effects these two components. I put white space in apostrophes as this doesn't necessarily have to be white. White space (aka Negative Space) can be cast in any colour- the term only applies to the use of emptiness, drawing the eye to the figures accordingly.

I found some interesting examples of this in Vogue May 2014...

Despite Vogues high class reputation for cleanliness and spacious quality, a suffocating layout is often present throughout the magazine. Despite the wide set layout connotating to airiness and openness due to the wide columns and spacial qualities, the sheer amount of copy is overwhelming. Despite being a keen reader, when I came to this article I genuinely thought 'can I be arsed?', so I can imagine that this amount of text would be a huge deterrent for 'flickers', and therefore a waste of time.

Both Negative Space and Suffocating space are shown here as a double page layout. The advertisement from Van Clef & Arpels incorporates shadow below the figure to intersect the negative space, whilst slightly incorporating a 'rule of thirds' style approach and having the top half of the layout very spacious. This is a perfect example of Ground acting as a background, also acting as thoughtfully considered 'white' space- in turquoise. The left article has a much more relaxed, collage feel to the composition engaging the viewer more than the last. However, the tight composition feels too condensed, possibly due to the scale of images and the copies relation too the imagary.

Further examples of 'White Space' within advertisements. This time both luxury brands seem to have a common theme with their use of emptiness- to lead the eye to the figure. In addition, the use of negative space (in any colour) also suggests luxury, as they do not need to cram all the information into one half a page layout- the brand name and open quality speaks for itself.

Contrasting to Vogue's approach on Figure, Ground and White Space; Kerrang take a different approach, possibly more appealing to their target audience. These are the two emptiest pages I could find within Issue 1593. As you can see within the left advertisement, it wasn't enough just to state the band name and 'Kerrang Tour 2016'. The use of reduced opacity showing concert-goers having a good time may entice the audience further and attend this event, even if it wouldn't necessarily be something they'd identify with without this visual iconography. Furthermore, the right hand image looks to be mirroring a 'fashion' style to showcase merchandise, incorporating lots of ground- yet it comes across as ill thought out. The white ground seems to merely acting as background, providing an area of calm highlighting the busy figures. It is interesting to see the ground breach the fold as this is not typical of this genre. It seems this has been done 1) to space out the products to avoid suffocation, and 2) leading the eye towards the 'Patches' section promoting add on sales.

 Overall the tone and target demographic of the two magazines are very very different, emphasised by the price of each magazine and the calm vs busy structure featured within. It is also important to note how many pages each have. As Kerrang is constantly busy it is a thin 63 pages, contrasting with Vogues spacious approach racking in at aprox 265 pages.