TYPOGRAPHY / TASK 1 - TYPE EXPRESSION AND TEXT FORMATTING / EXERCISES

29/08/2022 - 26/09/2022  /  Week 1 - Week 5
Chew Zhi Ern / 0358995
Typography / Bachelor of Design (Honours) in Creative Media / Taylor's University
Task 1 / Type Expression and Text Formatting / Exercises

---

LECTURES

Lecture 1: Introduction and Eportfolio Briefing

Introduction

In this video, Mr. Vinod introduced us to the Typography module and he mentioned it is a subject that is a fundamental aspect of any design studies discipline.  

What is typography?

Typography could be deemed the act of creating letters, is the creation of typefaces or type families.

- Animation

- Website Designs

- App Designs

- Signage Designs 

- Bottle Labels

- Books and posters 

- Logos

- and many more ...

Calligraphy > Lettering > Typography

Calligraphy: Refers to the writing styles

Lettering: Drawing out the circumference of the letter 

Typography: Is the art and technique of arranging type to make written language legible (clear), readable (able to read) and appealing (positive feeling)

Blackletter - Calligraphy (03/09/2022)

Font: Refers to the individual font or weight within a typeface (eg: Georgia Regular, Georgia Italic, Georgia Bold)

Typeface: Refers to the entire family of fonts or weights that share similar characteristics or style (eg: Georgia, Arial, Times New Roman, Futura)

Fonts (03/09/2022)

Typefaces (03/09/2022)

Eportfolio Briefing

What is an e-portfolio?

- It is basically an online document that all works done in the particular module

1. Sign up using a new email that has been specifically created for the studies purpose
2. Title: Full Name + (ID Number)
3. Description: Programme Name
4. Privacy: Leave it as whatever default is 
5. Blog Address: firstname + anydescriptor + blogspot.com
6. Done

How to publish a new post?

1. Click on new post
2. Enter the relevant basic information that has been stated below
3. To have a line break for each section: Go to HTML > Replace the second code to hr instead of br (<hr /> <br />)
4. To embed the instruction: Have the Module Information Booklet in google drive (make sure is viewable and accessible to anyone with the link) > Select it with double click it > Click on the more actions button > Open in new window again > Click on the more actions button > Embed item > Copy the code > Go back to the blog > HTML > Paste the code > Back to compose 
5. Paste the code below the pdf file as well

The basic information must be included in a post:

1. Starting Date & Ending Date followed by the week
2. ID Name & ID Number 
3. Module Name & Programme Name & Institution Name
4. Task Label

Followed by:

• Lectures: The lecture notes or summaries which have been asked to view or have been subjected.
• Instruction: Embed the Module Information Booklet.
• Task: The process and outcome of the exercises.
• Feedback: The feedback that has been given by the facilitator in the particular section. (Need to write it in the google sheet that has been provided too)
• Reflections: Divided into Experience, Observation and Findings. Can be accumulated over all the weeks and placed under Experience, Observation and Findings.
• Further Reading: Online books or online sites that have visited and read. Make some summary on it.

Experience: The knowledge or skill acquired by a period of practical experience of something, especially that gained during a particular session.

Observation: The action or process of closely 'observing' or 'monitoring' something or someone or the ability to 'notice' things, especially significant details.

Findings: Information discovered as the result of an inquiry or investigation.

*Make sure to link all subsequent posts to the relevant module name labels!

Jump link

A jump link known as an anchor link is a link that can direct or address a specific section of the post.

How to create a jump link?

1. Add HTML code : <span id="LIST"></span> on a specific part where you want to jump to in HTML View
2. Change the "LIST" using a keyword 
3. Update it
4. Go back to Compose View
5. Copy the permalink
6. Go to the first point and paste the permalink (Add # and add the keyword that have created before)
7. Update the post again

Lecture 2: Typo 1 - Development

In this pre-recorded lecture video, Mr. Vinod explained the history and the progress of the development of typefaces.

Timeline: 

1. Early letterform Development: Phoenician to Roman

• Initially writing meant scratching into wet clay with a sharp stick or carving into stone with a chisel. The forms of uppercase letterforms (for nearly 2000 years the only letterforms) can be seen to have evolved out of these tools and materials. At their core, uppercase forms are simple combination of straight lines and pieces of circles, as the materials and tools of early writing required.

4th-century B.C.E - Phoenicians votive stele Carthage, Tunisia

 (03/09/2022)

The stele bears a four-line inscription to Tanit and Beal Hammon.

Evolution from the Phoenician letter (03/09/2022)

• The Greeks changed the direction of writing. Phoenicians, like other Semitic peoples, wrote from right to left. The Greeks developed a style of writing called 'boustrophedon' (how the ox ploughs), which meant that the lines of text read alternately from right to left and left to right. As they change the direction of reading they also changed the orientation of the letterforms. 

* Semitic would refer to the people in the Middle East: Jews, Christians, Muslim, ...

Latter or the Greeks would move to strictly left-to-right writing (03/09/2022)

Greeks like the Phoenicians did not use letter space or punctuation.

Greek fragment, Stone engraving (03/09/2022)

• Etruscan (and then Roman) carvers are working in marble-painted letterforms before inscribing them. Certain qualities of their strokes - a change in weight from vertical to horizontal, a broadening of the stroke at start and finish - carried over into the carved letterforms.

Late 1st-century B.C.E - Augustian inscription in the Roman Forum, Rome (03/09/2022)

The development of the early letterform - 'A'

2. Hand Script From 3rd - 10th Century C.E.

• Square Capitals were the written version that can be found in Roman monuments. These letterforms have serifs added to the finish of the main strokes. The variety of stroke width was achieved by the reed pen held at an angle of approximately 60° off the perpendicular.

4th / 5th century:  Square Capitals (03/09/2022)

• A compressed version of square capitals, rustic capitals allowed for twice as many words on a sheet of parchment and took far less time to write. the pen or brush was held at an angle of approximately 30° off the perpendicular. Although rustic capitals were faster and easier to, they were slightly harder to read due to their compressed nature.

Late 3rd - Mid 4th century: Rustic Capitals (03/09/2022)

• Both square and rustic capitals were typically reserved for documents of some intended performance. Everyday transactions, however, were typically written in cursive hand in which forms were simplified for speed. We can see here the beginning of what we refer to as lowercase letterforms.

4th century: Roman Cursive (03/09/2022)

• Uncials incorporated some aspects of the Roman cursive hand, especially in the shape of the A, D, E, H, M, U and Q. 'Uncia' is Latin for a twelfth of anything; as a result, some scholars think that uncials refer to letters that are one inch (one-twelfth of the foot) high. It might, however, be more accurate to think of uncials simply as small letters. The broad forms of uncials are more readable at small sizes than rustic capitals.

4th - 5th century: Uncials (03/09/2022)

• A further formalization of the cursive hand, half-uncials mark the formal beginning of lowercase letterforms, replate with ascenders and descenders, 2000 years after the origin of the Phoenician alphabet.

C. 500: Half-Uncials (03/09/2022)

• Charlemagne, the first unifier of Europe since the Romans, issued an edict in 789 to standardize all ecclesiastical texts. He entrusted this task to Alcuin of York, Abbot of St Martin of Tours. The monks rewrote the texts using both majuscules (uppercase), miniscule, capitalization and punctuation which set the standard for calligraphy for a century. 

C. 925: Caloline miniscule (03/09/2022)

3. Blackletter to Gutenberg's type

• With the dissolution of Charlemagne's empire came regional variations upon Alcuin's script. In northern Europe, a condense strongly vertical letterform know as Blackletter or textura gained popularity. In the south, a rounder more open hard gained popularity, called 'rotunda'. The humanistic script in Italy is based on Alcuin's miniscule.

C. 1300: Blackletter - Textura (03/09/2022) 

• Gutenberg's skills included engineering, metalsmithing and chemistry. He marshaled them all to build pages that accurately mimicked the work of the scribe's hand - Blackletter of northern Europe. His type mold required a different brass matrix or negative impression, for each letterform.

* Gutenberg basically is a guy who introduced printing to Europe with his mechanical movable-type printing press.

C. 1455: 42 line bible, Johann Gutenberg, Mainz

The timeline of type goes 

From humanist script to roman type :

1. C. 1460 Lucius Lactantius, Venice 
2. C. 1471 Quintillian, Nicholas Jenson, Venice
3. C. 1472 Cardinal Jonannes Bessarion, Conrad Sweynheym and Arnold Pannartz, Subiaco Press, Rome

Venetian type from 1500:

1. C. 1499 Colona. Type by Farncesco Griffo
2. C. 1515 Lucretius. Type by Farncesco Griffo

The Golden Age of French printing:

1. C. 1531 Illustrissimae Galliaru reginae Helianorae. Printed by Robert Estianne, Paris; Type cast by Claude Gramond

Dutch printing from 1600:

1. C. 1572 Polygot Bible (Preface). Printed by Christophe Plantin, Antwerp

English type from the eighteen century:

1. C. 1734 William Caslon. Type specimen sheet, London

Baskerville's innovations:

1. C.1761 William Congreve. Typeset and Printed by John Baskerville, Birmingham
2. C. 1818 Giambatista Bodoni, Manuale Tipografico, Parma

19th century types > The first square serifs > Early twentieth-century sans serif (1923 Bauhaus, Moholy-Nagy, 1959 Muller-Brockman) ...

The type classification: Dates of origin approximated to the nearest quarter century

Typeforms have developed in response to prevailing technology, commercial needs and esthetic trends. Certain models have endured well past the cultures that spawned them.

The following typeform classification here, based on one devised by Alexander Lawson only covers the main form of text type.

• 1450 Blackletter
• The earliest printing type, its forms were based upon the hand-copying styles that were then used for books in northern Europe.
• Examples: Cloister Black, Cloudy Text

The 1450 Blackletter (03/09/2022)

• 1475 Oldstyle
• Based upon the lowercase forms used by Italian humanist scholars for book copying (themselves based upon the ninth-century Caroline minisule) and the uppercase letterforms found inscribed on Roman ruins, the forms evolved away from their calligraphic origins over 200 years, as they migrated accross Europe, from Italy to England.
• Examples: Bembo, Caslon, Dante, Garamond, Janson, Jenson, Palatino

The 1475 Oldstyle (03/09/2022)

• 1500 Italic
• Echoing contemporary Italians handwriting, the first italics were condensed and close-set, allowing more words per page. Although originally considered their own class of type, italics were soon cast to complement roman forms. Since the sixteenth century, virtually all text typefaces have been designed with accompanying italic forms.

The 1500 Italic (03/09/2022)

• 1550 Script
• Originally and attempt to replicate engraved calligraphic forms, this class of type is not entirely appropriate in lengthy text settings. In shorter applications, however, it has always enjoyed wide acceptance. Forms now range from the formal and traditional to the casual and contemporary.
• Examples: Kuenstler Script, Mistral, Snell Roundhand

The 1550 Script (03/09/2022)

• 1750 Transitional
• A refinement of oldstyle forms, this style was achieved in part because of advances in casting and printing. Thick to thin relationships were exaggerated and brackets were lightened.
• Examples: Baskerville, Bulmer, Century, Time Roman

The 1750 Transitional (03/09/2022)

• 1775 Modern
• This style represents a further rationalization of oldstyle letterforms. Serifs were unbracketed and the contrast between thick and thin strokes extreme. English versions (like Bell) are also known as Scotch Romans and more closely resemble transitional forms. 
• Examples: Bell, Bodoni, Caledonia, Walbaum

The 1775 Modern (03/09/2022)

• 1825 Square Serif / Slab Serif
• Originally heavily bracketed serif, with little variation between thick and thin strokes, these faces responded to the newly developed needs of advertising for heavy type in commersial printing. As they evolved, the brackets were dropped. 
• Examples: Clarendon, Memphis, Rockwell, Serifa

The 1825 Square Serif/Slab Serif (03/09/2022)

• 1900 Sans Serif
• As their name implies, these typefaces eliminated serifs alltogether. Although the forms were first introduced by William Caslon IV in 1816, its use did not become wide-spread until the beginning of the twentieth century. Variation tended toward either humanist forms (Gill Sans) or rigidly geometric (Futura). Occasionally, strokes were flared to suggest the calligraphic origins of the form (Optima). Sans serif is also referred to as grotesque (from the German word grotesk) and Gothic.
• Examples: Akzidenz Grotesk, Grotesk, Gill Sans, Franklin Gothic, Frutiger, Futura, Helvetica, Meta, News Gothic, Optima, Syntax, Trade Gothic, Univers

The 1900 Sans Serif (03/09/2022)

• 1990 Serif / Sans Serif 
• A recent development, this style enlarges the notion of a family of typefaces to include both serif and sans serif alphabets (and often stages between the two)
• Examples: Rotis, Scala, Stone

The 1990 Serif/Sans Serif (03/09/2022) 

Lecture 3: Typo 2 - Basic

Describing letterforms:

As with any craft that has evolved over 500 years, typography employs a number of technical terms. These mostly describe specific parts of the letterforms. It is a good idea to familiarize yourself with the lexicon (terminologies).

Knowing a letterform's component parts make it much easier to identify specific typefaces. 

• Baseline: The imaginary line the visual base of the letterforms
• Median: The imaginary line defining the x-height of letterforms
• X-height: The height in any typeface of the lowercase 'x'

Basic typography terms (04/09/2022) 

* The capital letters are smaller than the ascending strokes

* Letters that have an ascent (lowercase that has a stem stroke that reaches towards the ascender height) are larger than the capital letters - Capital letters are generally wider and have more surface area on the top whereas ascending letters with a single stroke center all over case letters have a lesser real estate touching the top section.

• Stroke: Any line that defines the basic letterform

Stroke (04/09/2022)

• Apex/Vertex: The point created by joining two diagonal stems (Apex - Above; Vertex - Below)

Apex and Vertex (04/09/2022)

• Arm: Short strokes off the stem of the letterform, either horizontal (E, F, L) or inclined upward (K, Y)

Arm (04/09/2022)

• Ascender: The portion of the stem of a lowercase letterform that projects above the median

Ascender (04/09/2022)

• Descender: The portion of the stem of a lowercase letterform that projects below the baseline

Descender (04/09/2022)

• Barb: The half-serif finish on some curved stroke

Barb (04/09/2022)

• Beak: The half-serif finish on some horizontal arms

Beak (04/09/2022)

• Bowl: The rounded form that describes a counter. The bowl may be either open or closed

Bowl (04/09/2022)

• Bracket: The transition between the serif and the stem

Bracket (04/09/2022)

• Cross Bar: The horizontal stroke in a letterform that joins two stems together 

Cross Bar (04/09/2022)

• Cross Stroke: The horizontal stroke in a letterform that joins two stems together

Cross Stroke (04/09/2022)

• Crotch: The interior space where two strokes meet

Crotch (04/09/2022)

• Ear: The stroke extending out from the main stem or body of the letterform

Ear (04/09/2022)

• Em/En: Originally referring to the width of an uppercase M, and em is now the distance equal to the size of the typeface (an em in 48 points, for example). An en is half the size of an em. Most often used to describe em/en spaces and em/en dashes.

Em/En (04/09/2022)

• Finial: The rounded non-serif terminal to a stroke

Finial (04/09/2022)

• Leg: Short stroke off the stem of the letterform, either at the bottom of the stroke (L) or inclined downward (K, R)

Leg (04/09/2022)

• Ligature: The character formed by the combination of two or more letterforms

Ligature - before (04/09/2022)

Ligature - after (04/09/2022)

• Link: The stroke that connects the bowl and the loop of a lowercase G 

Link (04/09/2022)

• Loop: In some typefaces, the bowl created in the descender of the lowercase G

Loop (04/09/2022)

• Serif: The right-angled or oblique foot at the end of the stroke

Serif (04/09/2022)

• Shoulder: The curved stroke that is not part of a bowl

Shoulder (04/09/2022)

• Spine: The curved stem of the S

Spine (04/09/2022)

• Spur: The extension the articulates the junction of the curved and rectilinear stroke

Spur (04/09/2022)

• Stem: The significant vertical or oblique stroke

Stem (04/09/2022)

• Stress: The orientation of the letterform, indicated by the thin stroke in round forms

Stress (04/09/2022)

• Swash: The flourish that extends the stroke of the letterform 

Swash (04/09/2022)

• Tail: The curved diagonal stroke at the finish of certain letterforms

Tail (04/09/2022)

• Terminal: The self-contained finish of a stroke without a serif. This is something of a catch-all term. Terminals may be flat ('T' above), flared, acute ('t' above), grave, concave, convex or rounded as a ball or a teardrop (see finial)

Terminal (04/09/2022)

The Font:

The full font of a typeface contains much more than 26 letters, to numerals and a few punctuation marks. 

To work successfully with type, you should make sure that you are working with a full font and you should know how to use it.

• Uppercase: Capital letters, including certain accented vowels, the c cedilla and n tilde and the a/e and o/e ligatures

Uppercase (04/09/2022)

• Lowercase: Lowercase letters include the same characters as uppercase

Lowercase (04/09/2022)

• Small Capitals: Uppercase letterforms draw to the x-height of the typeface. Small Caps are primarily found in serif fonts as part of what is often called expert set.

* Most type software includes a style command that generates a small cap based on uppercase forms. Do not confuse real small caps with those artificially generated.

Small Capitals (04/09/2022)

Example of a small capital letter against in comparison to a lowercase letter - almost the same height (04/09/2022)

• Uppercase Numerals (Lining Figures): These numerals are the same height as uppercase letters and are all set to the same kerning width. They are most successfully used with tabular material or in any situation that calls for uppercase letters

Uppercase Numerals/Lining Figures (04/09/2022)

• Lowercase Numerals (Old Style Figures / Text Figures): These numerals are set to x-height with ascenders and descenders. They are best used when ever you would use upper and lowercase letterforms. Lowercase numerals are far less common in sans serif type-faces than in serif

Lowercase Numerals/Old Style Figures/Text Figures (04/09/2022)

• Italic: Most fonts today are produced with a matching italic. Small caps, however, are almost always only roman. The forms in a italic refer back to fifteenth century Italian cursive handwriting. Oblique are typically based on the roman form of the typeface

Italic (04/09/2022)

Left: Italic VS Right: Roman (04/09/2022)

• Punctuation & Miscellaneous Characters: Although all fonts contain standard punctuation marks, miscellaneous characters can change from typeface to typeface. It’s important to be acquainted with all the characters available in a typeface before you choose the appropriate type for a particular job

Punctuation/Miscellaneous Characters (04/09/2022)

• Ornaments: Used as flourishes in invitations or certificates. They usually are provided as a font in a larger typeface family. Only a few traditional or classical typefaces contain ornamental fonts as part of the entire typeface family (Adobe Caslon Pro)

Ornaments (04/09/2022)

Describing Typefaces:

Once you can recognize the parts of a letterform, you can apply what you know to identify different type-faces. Keep in mind that some, all, or combinations of these styles may be found within one type family.

• Roman: The letterform is so called because the uppercase forms are derived from inscriptions of Roman monuments. A slightly lighter stroke in roman is known as ‘Book’

Roman (04/09/2022)

• Italic: Named for fifteenth century Italian handwriting on which the forms are based
• Oblique: Conversely are based on roman form of typeface

Italic & Oblique (04/09/2022)

• Boldface: Characterized by a thicker stroke than a roman form. Depending upon the relative stroke widths within the typeface, it can also be called 'semibold', 'medium', 'black', 'extra bold', or super. In some typefaces (notably Bodoni), the boldest rendition of the typeface is referred to as 'Poster'

Boldface (04/09/2022)

• Light: A lighter stroke than the roman form. Even lighter strokes are called 'thin'

Light (04/09/2022)

• Condense: A version of the roman form, and extremely condense styles are often called 'compressed'

Condense (04/09/2022)

• Extended: An extended variation of a roman font

Extended (04/09/2022)

Roman Typeface (04/09/2022)

Comparing Typefaces:

The 10 typefaces mentioned in the following slide represent 500 years of type design. The men and women who rendered them all sought to achieve two goals: easy readability and an appropriate expression of contemporary esthetics.

These typefaces (and there are others) have surpassed the latter goal. They have remained in use for decades – in some cases, centuries – after they were first designed, still considered successful expressions of how we think, how we read and write, and how we print.

As a beginning typographer, you should study these ten faces carefully. For almost any early projects in your design programme, these are you will need to develop your skills. Once you understand how to use these faces appropriately and effectively, you’ll be well prepared to understand and appreciate other typefaces as you encounter them.

The typefaces that will be given (04/09/2022)

What is worth nothing isn't the similarities but rather the differences - the accumulation of choices that renders each unique.

Beyond the gross differences in x-height, the forms display a wealth of variety, in line weight, relative stroke widths and in feeling. For any typographer, these feelings connote specific use and expression.

The Rs display a range of attitudes, some whimsical, some stately, some mechanical, others calligraphic some harmonious and some awkward.

As much as anything, what this examination tells you is how you feel about type and specific typeface. It tells you what you bring to the discussion of appropriateness in type choices.

As you study other designers’ work, you’ll notice that many people who work seriously with type employ a limited palette of typefaces. Some, in fact, go through their entire careers using only one or two.

Comparing Typefaces (04/09/2022)

* You can't be a good typographer if you aren't a good reader. -- Stephen Cole

Lecture 4: Typo 3 & 4 - Text

Part 1

• Kerning is the automatic space adjustment between letters. Letterspacing is to add space between letters and is separate from kerning. The addition and removal of space in a word or a sentence is called tracking.
• Kerning is appropriate for small amounts of text such as headlines. Letterspacing is used to give breathing room to uppercase text in headlines.
• Adobe InDesign is good for handling large amounts of text.
• In text sizing we use the point (pt.) system.
• Adding letterspacing to a text reduces the readability of that text. The human brain recognizes a specific pattern of text, and too much letterspacing decreases the recognizability of those patterns. This is why adding letterspacing to lowercase text is disliked by designers.
• Uppercase letterforms are drawn to be able to stand on their own whereas lowercase letterforms require the counter-form created between letters to maintain the line of reading.
• The counter-form is the negative space between the actual text.
• In text formatting, flush left mirrors the asymmetrical experience of handwriting. Each line starts at the same point but ends wherever the last word of the line ends. Spaces between words are consistent throughout the text, allowing the type to create an even gray value. Flush left is the most natural way to align text. This also creates ragging on the right.
• Centered text is symmetrical, assigning equal value and weight to both ends of any line. It transforms fields of text into shapes, thereby adding a pictorial quality to non-pictorial text. Centered text creates a strong shape on the page, making it important to amend line breaks so that the text does not appear too jagged. Due to the irregular starting point, this is often difficult to read and should be used sparingly.
• Flush right places emphasis to the end of the line and has ragging on the left. It can be useful in situations where the relationship between text and image might be ambiguous without a strong orientation to the light, such as captions. It is difficult to read in English or similar languages where the direction of reading is from left to right. This is more appropriate for small amounts of text.
• Justified imposes a symmetrical shape on the text by expanding or reducing the space between words and letters. It has no ragging. The gray value is not very even and creates a lot of negative space throughout the text. Careful attention to line breaks and hyphenation is required to amend this problem whenever possible.
• Generally, flush left is the most readable format.
• The format depends on many factors such as personal preference, culture, and the need for expression. However, the typographer's first job is present the author's message clearly and appropriately before making it creative.
• A type that calls attention to itself before the reader can get to the actual words is distracting and should be avoided.
• Script typefaces are not designed to use capital letters in a row and doing that decreases readability. Sometimes using secondary typefaces helps.
• Different typefaces suit different moods and messages. Textures affect the mood too. A large x-height or heavy stroke produces a darker mass on the page than a small x-height or a lighter stroke.
• Some typefaces are designed for print and are not very readable on screens.
• The goal in setting text type is to allow for easy, prolonged reading, and a field of type should occupy the page as much as a photograph does.
• Text should be large enough to read easily at arm's length.
• The leading should be appropriate. Text that is set too tightly encourages vertical eye movement, causing a reader to easily lose track of what they are reading. Type that is set too loosely creates striped patterns that are distracting.
• The line length should be appropriate. Shorter lines require less reading, and longer lines need more. A good rule of thumb is to keep the line length between 55-65 characters. Extremely long or short line lengths are difficult to read.
• A type specimen book shows samples of typefaces in different sizes. Without printed pages showing samples of typefaces at different sizes, it is difficult to make a reasonable choice of type. If the final version to read is on screen, only then can you determine the size on screen.
• A type specimen book provides an accurate reference for type, size, leading, line length, etc.
• Text should create a field that can occupy a page or a screen. Ideally, text should have a middle gray value, not a series of stripes. This leads to a good composition.
• It can be useful to enlarge type to 400% on the screen to get a clear sense of the relationship between descenders on one line and ascenders on the line below. Even a one-point difference in leading can make a big difference. However, the best way to gauge the format and composition of a type is by looking closely at an actual print (if it is designed to be printed).

Part 2

• There are several options for indicating paragraphs. One is the pilcrow (⁋) used in medieval times to fill in more information per piece of parchment as parchment was expensive to produce.
• A line space between two bodies of text is another way to indicate paragraphs. This is dependent on the leading, so if the line space is 12pt, so is the paragraph space. This ensures cross-alignment across columns of text.
• Leading is the space between two lines of text. Line spacing is the space occupied by the leading and the line of the text itself.
• Indentation is another way to indicate paragraphs without using a paragraph space. The indent is the same size as the line spacing or the same size as the point size of the text. Indentation was used to save space on pages. A justified text format is best suited for indentation-style paragraphs.
• Extended paragraphs leave the first line of the paragraph as it is while indenting the rest of the lines of the paragraph. It creates unusually wide columns of text and is not the best to read, but there can be compositional or functional reasons for choosing this.
• A widow is a short line of the type left alone at the end of a column of text. An orphan is a short line of the type left alone at the start of a new column. These are two things designers, especially those dealing with large amounts of text, must take great care to avoid.
• Widows and orphans are even more noticeable and inappropriate in justified text. Flush right and ragged left text is somewhat more forgiving towards widows, but orphans are still inappropriate.
• The only solution to widows is to rebreak line endings throughout the paragraph so that the last line of any paragraph is not noticeably short.
• Orphans need to be handled more carefully to ensure no column of text starts with the last line of the preceding paragraph.
• There are different ways to highlight certain text within a column of text, such as italics or bold text. Another way is to change the typeface or the colour of the text. Different kinds of emphasis require different kinds of contrast.
• Sometimes it is good to reduce the point size of aligned figures (numbers) or all-capital acronyms in the text by 0.5 to ensure the visual cohesiveness of the text. This is because sometimes, the certain text might look bigger than the other despite having the same point size.
• Another way to highlight text is by placing a field of color behind the text while still maintaining the left reading axis to ensure readability at its best.
• Sometimes it is necessary to place certain elements (eg. bullet points) outside the left margin of a column type to maintain a strong reading axis.
• Quotation marks can also create a clear indent, breaking the left reading axis.
• Primes and quotes are used interchangeably but they are two distinct typographical elements.
• Typographic hierarchy is important. There are many kinds of subdivisions within the text of a chapter, and it is the typographer's task to make sure these heads clearly signify to the reader the relative importance of the text and to their relationship with each other.
• 'A' heads indicate a clear break between the topics within a section and they are typically larger than the text, in small caps or in bold.
• 'B' heads are subordinate to 'A' heads. 'B' heads indicate a new supporting argument/example for the topic at hand. They do not interrupt the text as strongly as 'A' heads do. Typically they use forced line breaks rather than paragraph spaces.
• 'C' heads are uncommon and they highlight specific facets of material within a 'B' head text. They do not materially interrupt the flow of reading. 'C' heads are typically followed by at least an em space for visual separation.
• Putting together a sequence of subheads creates a good hierarchy and there are numerous ways to express a hierarchy.
• Cross-alignment or headlines and captions with the text type reinforce the structure of the page while maintaining complementary vertical rhythms.

Lecture 5: Typo 5 - Understanding 

The uppercase letter form below suggests symmetry, but in fact, it is actually not symmetrical. It is easy to see the two different stroke weights of the Baskervilles stroke form. More noteworthy is the fact that each bracket connecting the serif to the stem has a unique arc.

Baskervilles (10/09/2022)

The uppercase letterforms may appear symmetrical, but a close examination shows that the width of the left slope is thinner than the right stroke. Both Baskervilles and Univers demonstrate the meticulous care a type designer takes to create letterforms that are both internally harmonious and individually expressive.

It again seems like it's symmetrical more or less it is. It may appear asymmetrical but a close examination of the width of the left slope is thinner than the right slope. The stroke on the left and right are not equal in weight.

Univers (10/09/2022)

The complexity of each individual letterform is neatly demonstrated by examining the lowercase 'a' of two seemingly similar sans-serif typefaces - Helvetica and Univers. A comparison of how the stems of the letterforms finish and how the bowls meet the stems quickly reveals the palpable difference in character between the two.

Left - Helvetica, Right - Univers (10/09/2022)

The x-height generally describes the size of the lowercase letterforms. However, should keep in mind that curved strokes, such as in 's', must rise above the median (or sink below the baseline) in order to appear to be the same size as the vertical and horizontal strokes they adjoin.

The x-height (10/09/2022)

A counterform is the space describes and often contained by the strokes of the form when letters are joined to form words. The counterform includes the spaces between them. 

The latter is particularly and important concept when working with letterforms like lowercase 'r' that have no counters per se. How well handle the counters when set type determines how well words hang together. In other words, how easily that can read what is been seat.

An example of counter form (10/09/2022)

One of the most rewarding ways to understand the form and counter of a letter is to examine them in close detail. The examinations also provide a good feel for how the balance between form and counter is achieved and a palpable sense of the letterform's unique characteristics. It also gives you a glimpse into the process of letter-making.

It is worth nothing here that the sense of the 'S' holds at each stage of enlargement, while the 'g' tends to loose its identity, as individual elements are examined without the context of the entire letterform.

Examples (10/09/2022)

The basic principles of graphic design apply directly to typography. The following are some examples of contrast - the most powerful dynamic in design - as applied to the type, based on a format devised by Rudi Ruegg.

The simple contrasts produces numerous variations: 

small + organic / large + machined ; small + dark / large + light

Left - Helvetica; Right - Baskerville (10/09/2022)

Examples (10/09/2022)

Lecture 6: Typo 6 - Screen & Print

Different Medium

• Screen and print are both widely used today and typography has evolved from being designed for print to being designed for a variety of media.
• In the past, typography was viewed as living only when it reached paper. Once a publication was edited, typeset and printed, it could no longer be edited. Good typography and readability were the result of skilled designers.
• Today, typography exists not only on paper but on a multitude on screens. It is subject to many factors such as operating systems, system fonts, the device and screen itself, the viewport, etc. The experience of typography changes based on how the page is rendered, because typesetting happens in the browser.
• Type was primarily designed for print in the past. It is the designer's job to ensure that the text is smooth, flowing and pleasant to read. Good typefaces for print should be highly readable at a small font size. They should be versatile, easy to digest, classic and neutral yet versatile.
• Typefaces intended for use on the web are optimized and modified to enhance readability and performance onscreen in a variety of digital environments. This can include a taller x-height or smaller ascenders/descenders, wider letterforms, more open counters, heavier thin strokes and serifs, reduced stroke contrast as well as modified curves and angles for some designs. This is because in the past, screens were not very high-definition and these typefaces were developed for more clarity.
• Another important adjustment is more open spacing. These factors improve character recognition and overall readability in the non-print environment, which includes the web, e-books, e-readers and mobile devices.
• A hyperlink is a word, phrase or image that can be clicked to jump to a new document or a new section within the current document. Hyperlinks can be found in nearly every web page, allowing users to click their way from one page to another. Text hyperlinks are normally blue and underlined by default. When you move the cursor over a hyperlink, whether it is text or an image, the arrow typically changes to a small hand pointing at the link.
• 16 pixel font size on a screen is about the same size as text printed in a book or magazine while accounting for reading distance. As books are typically read closer to the eyes, they are typically set at about 10 points. At an arm's length, 12 points would be more readable, and this is about the same size as 16 pixels on most screens.
• Each device comes with its own pre-installed fonts, varying between operating systems, which can be an issue. If a designer uses a font for a website that is available on one OS but not on others, the visitor of the side would see a default font such as Times New Roman and can change the whole look of the website. Web safe fonts are available in each operating system.
• Screens on PCs, tablets, phones, TVs, etc. are different sizes and thus the text seen onscreen differs in proportion too. 100 pixels on a laptop is very different from 100 pixels on a large TV.
• Static typography typically has minimal expression. Traditional characteristics such as bold and italic only offer a fraction of the expressive potential of dynamic properties.
• Static typography can be encountered everywhere and the level of impression and impact they leave on the audience is closely knitted to their emotional connection with the viewers.
• Motion typography can dramatize type to make letterforms more fluid and kinetic. Film title credits often animate type to bring it to life. Motion graphics, especially for brand identities, increasingly contain animated type.
• Type is often overlaid onto music videos and advertisements, often set in motion following the rhythm of a soundtrack. Onscreen typography is expressive, establishing the tone of the associated content or expressing a set of brand values. In title sequences in movies, typography evokes a certain mood to prepare the audience for the movie.

Lecture 7: Type Expression Words

This video will demonstrate how to utilise Illustrator to convey the chosen. Mr. Vinod is going to show a couple of tools and things to do in Illustrator that could help us in the process of expressing the words.

First and foremost, is to download all the four type expression frames that are provided.

If intend to unlock the boxes - Object > Unlock All: Alt + Crtl + 2

If inrend to lock it back -  Select the items that want to lock > Lock All: Ctrl + 2

Select multiple objects on the board: Click on the item > Shift > Select different objects on the artboard

Group particular objects: Ctrl + G

Ungroup: Ctrl + Shift + G

Intend to create new artboard: Shift + O (To select and edit artboard) > Click the 'New Artboard' icon on top of left hand corner of the menu bar 

* Can choose to drag that artboard to a different spot by just clicking on it and drag it 

New Artboard Icon (04/09/2022)

Go back to the main artboard that are working on: Ctrl + 0

Zoom in the artboard: Ctrl + '+'

Zoom out the artboard: Ctrl + '-'

Shortcut key: Z (By scrolling the mouse in and out)

Move the artboard around: Spacebar (Then can move the artboard around)

Introduce to the Illustrator's page

- Left side of the page: Toolbars

Toolbars (04/09/2022)

- Right side of the page: Windows  (*If looking for something in a window is not featured in the right window bar > Go to Window on the top > Look for it in there)

Windows (04/09/2022)

 

How to scale an object?

1. Select the type tool (Shortcut key: T)
2. Click on the artboard
3. Click on the selection tool (Shortcut key: V)
4. Go to the corner anchor point > Press Shift (To not distort the text) > Click and drag the anchor point 

*In this class are not allowed to distort the text!

To stretch the text: Choose a typeface that has a condense option

Open the window that is known as the character window: Ctrl + T (To see the type family and the typeface that have selected)

Horizontal scale not 100%: the text is not at a original scale

So make it to 100% if accidentally distorted the text and it is what the text actually supposed to look

Horizontal Scale (04/09/2022)

** Whenever do this exercise, must make sure that the type expression is well placed within the square box

To rotate particular letter: Character window panel > Character Rotation > Click on the up and down icon to rotate

Character Rotation (04/09/2022)

To rotate particular letter: Character window panel > Set the baseline shift > Click on the up and down icon to adjust the letter to go up or down

Baseline shift (04/09/2022)

- This is to manipulate the individual letter by shifting the letter baseline and rotating the letters without having to manipulate them separately 

- Of course, it can be done in another way 

1. Click on the type tool (Shortcut key: T)
2. Type the particular initial letter 
3. Duplicate the other words one by one to get separate individual text boxes
4. Manipulate them separately 

To increase/decrease the space between two letters (kerning): Select the type tool again > Click in between those two letters > Alt + Right arrow key/Left arrow key (To let it moving faster: Ctrl + Alt)

To increase/decrease the spacing of the entire word (letter spacing): Select the whole word > Alt + Right arrow key/Left arrow key

To duplicate whole word: Alt > Drag it 

To rotate whole word: Press R > Shift (To get a special angle)

To brings the object behind to the front/object front to the back: Ctrl > Select the object that want to edit > Ctrl + Shift + Right bracket/Ctrl + Shift + Left bracket

When inadvertently made the text in textual information move outside the boundary box, to ensure taht they are not visible on another artboard:

(To mask it)

1. Create a rectangular box on top of the frame and the text
   
2. Select all the objects
3. Press Ctrl + 7 to craete a mask

(To release the mask)

1. Go to object
2. Clipping mask
3. Release (or just right click the mask to choose the option to release it)

To ensure that the text is in the center of that particular box: Create a rectangular box on top > Fit it same with the frame size >  Change the box fill to transparent (Select None) > Select both square box and the word > Align horizontal and vertical center (Look in window: Window > Align)

Horizontal Align Center (04/09/2022)

Vertical Align Center (04/09/2022)

Different tips on how to use some distortion tools:

1. Create a word with the typefaces that given
2. Create outline (Ctrl + Shift + O or Type > Create Outline)
3. Select Free Transform Tool (Shortcut key: E)
4. Choose Perspective Distort
5. Distort it 

For other distort effect: Effect > Warp > Select the style of distortion > Adjust the Bend level

Lecture 8: Type Expression Animation

Note: It is important to know what it is the intention to do. So, plan it out and make a sketch to make it clear before the actual making.

Here is the process of making a type expression amination:

1. Create an artboard that is 200 by 200 millimeters with the word that wanted to animate
2. Duplicate the artboard to express the particular word (Shift + O > Drag it while pressing Shift + Alt)
3. Plan out what to do in the second artboard
4. Repeat step 2 & change the movement/plan out what to do with the word
5. Repeat step 4 until the entire process is done creating
6. Export it out (File > Export > Export As > ✔ Use Artboards & All > Format: Jpeg > Export > Colour Model: RGB > OK)
7. Open Photoshop and insert the artboards that just created just now (File > Scripts > Load Files into Stack > Browse and look for the locate folder > Select all artboards > Open > Show Timeline in Window setting > Select Create Frame Animation > Click it)
8. Got all the layers in the frame
9. Duplicate the particular timeline and set the visible setting in order to show what you want to show at the specific timeline 
10. Repeat step 9 until the last layer is set in the timeline
11. Adjust the time seconds
12. Lastly, export it when are done (File > Export > Save for Web > Select Preset: GIF 128 Dithered > Save it)

Lecture 9: Text Formatting

1:4

In the beginning of the lectures, Mr. Vinod had introduced us to the InDesign's page.

- The left side of the page: Toolbars

Toolbars (20/09/2022)

- The right side of the page: Windows

Windows (20/09/2022)

 
- Top of the page: Control Bar Section (Which are the locations for Character Formatting Controls & Paragraph Formatting Controls)

Control Bar Sections (20/09/2022)

The objective of this task is to look into kerning and tracking. 

Kerning: adjusts the space between individual letterforms (adjusting the space between two letters)

Tracking / Letter Spacing: adjusts spacing uniformly over a range of characters (doing it across the board for all the letters)

Mr. Vinod has firstly shown us the example of kerning:  

1. We are only allowed to use 10 of the different typefaces that are stated
2. First of all, open the InDesign app (File > New > Document > Click on Print > Choose A4 size > Named it > Turn off Facing Pages setting > Column Gutter: 5 > Create) * Facing Pages: used when designing a book
3. Choose the textbox feature (Shortcut key: T) and just click and drag to draw a text box
4. Type your name and select it (Shortcut key: Ctrl + A)
5. Increase the font size between 50 - 58 pt
6. Kern all letter space, the typeface depending choosing in accordance to the typefaces that have provided
7. After changing the font, zoom in (shortcut key: Ctrl + '+') to see whether there is a need to kern auto letter space
8. Before kerning, centralize the text, instead of it being left aligned (Select the text > Character Formatting Controls & Paragraph Formatting Controls > Center align)
9. Start kerning and tracking (According to the following steps below)
10. After done, work on the next typeface
11. To duplicate the text (Select all: Ctrl + A > Alt + dragging down)
12. Repeat the steps - Kerning & Tracking by using different typefaces that are given
13. Use the eyedropper tool and select the text that wanted to use, so that the text will adopt the values of that particular typeface that have been selected automatically 
14. We are allowed to choose to change the different types of fonts within the typefaces that have been given and also different casings (eg: Uppercase or Lowercase, The different of font weight)

What to look at, when intending to kern or track?

-  Look for awkward shapes or awkward counter spaces that are between the letterforms

    (eg. A large amount of space between two letters or words)

To kern:

1. Click the type to select the area that intends to adjust 
2. To increase the space between the two letters (Alt + right arrow key)
3. To reduce the space between the two letters (Alt +  left arrow key)
4. Reduce the value of kerning/tracking, if the letters are moving too much, and wanted to have more smaller value (Edit > Preferences > Units & Increments > Kerning/Tracking > 5/1000em)
5. Basically done kerning

To tracking:

1. Select all the words
2. To increase tracking/letter spacing (Alt + right arrow key)
3. To reduce tracking/letter spacing (Alt + left arrow key)

Notes: It is important that whenever to create a task or complete a task that considers the presentation of that information

eg in this case (kerning&tracking the name of us): 

1. increase the leading so that it occupies the page from top to bottom with a comfortable margin on all sides
2. introduce the different names of the different typefaces that were used on the left-hand side of the page (may figure out by ourselves)
3. ensuring that are able to let a space and kern as explained and as instructed and demonstrated in the video (Typo_Ex Text Formatting 1:4)

2:4

We expected to learn how the relationship between font size, line length & leading and paragraph spacing in this task. Also, we learned about how to adjust the margin space and been introduce to columns within the page. So, for this exercise, before beginning, we are first going to learn how to manipulate the grid system. Because when dealing with font size, line length & leading and paragraph spacing, we have to understand the space that is working within. 

Grid System: It is essentially a system that allows us to arrange information within a given space. 

The particular margin area is known as the margin space (Where the arrow points).

    Margin Space (20/09/2022)

A good page layout is heavily dependent on an attractive margin space that is allowed. When there has a space equally, it creates no effect on the viewer.

To start off:

1. First, need to introduce a new page (Pages > Select and drag the A-Master blank page down) and it will automatically drop the page under it.
2. Make some settings (Select page 2 > Layout > Magins and Columns > ✔ Preview > Unlocked the margins)
3. Adjust the margin space (Just leave it as it is in this particular case)
4. The number of Columns increased to 4
5. Copy a document that want to edit (Ctrl + C > Ctrl + V)
6. Place it right and increase the width until all the text is within a space
7. Adjust the size of the text to 8-12pt and also select the right typeface from the 10 that have provided earlier *Double click on a sentence, and we are able to see the number of characters (Window > Info) is very small and the point size is too large for the particular column compared to the advice given in lecture -- Line length should always be 55-65. So, need to reduce the font size to 9pt, and the number of characters in one line is about 61, which is comfortable but is still within the bracket of 55-65.
8. Once it is done, have to determine the leading, which is the space between the lines
9. Run with the optimum space with 10.8pt for the leading space
10. Decide the paragraph spacing (Control the Paragraph Spacing Below to 11pt)
11. To review (Shortcut key: W)
12. The line length is very comfortable to read from left to right and it's evenly spaced good there's paragraph spacing that works to the advantage
13. Make some changes to make it look better
14. Between 2-3 points tracking is good for the text

How to determine the right points up font size?

- The point size within A4 & A3 is generally between 8-12pt

How do determine the paragraph spacing?

- First, remember what is the leading, go to Paragraph Formatting Controls and control the paragraph spacing below (as shown in the image below with the blue edit highlight trace that is to be modified) 

The leading (20/09/2022)

Indentations (20/09/2022)

Note: When having a standard margin that is equal on all sides doesn't make the document appealing. An appealing document/layout always has a margin space that is very attractive. (Some it would be 50mm for the bottom margin) It will create some sort of dynamism by allowing the page to look a lot more attractive, due to the white space that is present.

Note: When choosing a point size, have to check the number of characters in that column and make sure it is between 55-65 which are good to go and then can introduce to the leading which generally is about two points larger after which the leading is then used as the unit for the paragraph spacing.

3:4

In this section, going to learn about how to connect text fields, alignment and ragging.

To import a picture into the document:

1. The particular page has a headline and a sub-headline, as well as the body text
2. Before whenever begin to design anything, one must understand the different levels of information that are contained within the document 
3. Import the image (File > Place: Ctrl D > Select the image that wants to bring in)
4. If reduce the external boundary box, doesn't affect the image inside. If want the image inside to be affected, used the direct selection tool (Shortcut key: A) to adjust it.
5. Select the 'Fill Frame Proportionately'  on the control bar so it would fill the entire frame proportionately within the boundary box. (Select other aspects of it, would get different combinations/croppings of the image)

Fill Frame option on the right top of the Control Bar (20/09/2022)

Back to the textual information in the document, have a decent amount of text but that text is smaller than the margin area set presently at 9 point size. (Depends on each font type) In this case, can actually give more space at the bottom. 

What can do?

- Manipulate the particular grid system to increase the margin size on the top or increase the margin size on the bottom.

1. Open the Pages menu
2. Select the right document
3. Go to Margins & Columns
4. Increase/Reduce the bottom margin

After adjusting the margin size:

1. Utilize the entire space for the text at the left / according to own arrangement
2. Click the '+' sign 
3. Click on the other side and the text will automatically it is going to fill that particular column 

* When you're dealing with information (eg: Body Text), can't have different text widths for the type of information as below

Not good!!! (When it comes to reading but also information hierarchy)

Why? 

-Because it implies that there are two separate text boxes or other two separate textual information

Different text width (20/09/2022)

After inserting all the text in the grid, some hyphens are there and the right side of the text is ragged.

Because the right side of the text is ragged, so need to smoothen the section of the text.

How to do so?

-As known as Letter Spacing and Kerning

1. First, make sure the Kerning/Tracking must be 5/1000 em (Edit > Preferences > Units & Agreement > Kerning/Tracking)
2. Look out for the areas that need the Letter Spacing and Kerning
3. Select the whole line of text that need to adjust 
4. Tracking (Alt + Right Arrow Key) *not more than 3 times 
5. Turn off the hyphenation setting (Paragraph Formatting Controls > Turn Off Hyphenation)

Hyphenation Setting (20/09/2022)

Want to see what is the kerning amount over there

1. Character Formatting Controls
2. Basically, adjust all to -10 

* The objective is not to get a straight line, but to get a decent curvature

Set to -10 (20/09/2022)

Alignment

- Because of the amount of text, we can either use left align or left justify 

Sometimes, the problem that left justified is if the kerning is not good that will have an excessive amount of word spacing between the particular sentence

If want to align both texts to the bottom of the page of the margin

1. Select both text boxes 
2. Press Ctrl B
3. Go to Vertical Justification
4. Change the Align options to Bottom 

Note: When using full justify, the column interval needs to be increased from 5-7mm, otherwise the columns of text are too close to each other.

4:4

Upon completion of adjusting alignment or the ragging of the text, can then move on to the next stage which is essentially laying out.

The visual hierarchy, the balance of the layout and the use of the space has created a relatively nice-looking visual. So, the process of doing that, entails moving things around to the right arrangement. 

Initially, have already set the margins and so generally once set the margins it means all textual information is within the given space and mostly it applies to body text and headlines.

1. Move the headline and the visual imagery to the respective right position.
2. Increase size of headline (Triple click > Ctrl + Shift + Greater arrow key)
3. Adjust the leading for the headline text to bigger (Multiples of 2 from the previous setting)

After that, look at the baseline grid to make certain adjustments.

What is a baseline grid?

- A baseline grid is  

The baseline grid extends from the top to the bottom of the page  

View > Guides > turn on Show Baseline Grid > Zoom in the page 

What is the purpose of the baseline grid?

- To ensure that each line of text sits on the baseline grid and by doing so the column of the text on the left and the column of the text on the right will achieve cross alignment. 

How to adjust the baseline grids in order to match the leading that has been determined for the body text?

1. Change the Increment Every setting (Edit > Preferences > Grids > Increment Every > 11pt)
2. Change the Threshold setting (Edit > Preferences > Grids > View Threshold > 50%)
3. Select both text boxes
4. Change the Offset to Leading (Right click > Text Frame Options: Ctrl + B > Baseline Options > First Baseline > Offset > Leading)  
5. Edit the Alignment mode (Right click > Text Frame Options: Ctrl + B > General > Vertical Justification > Align > Top）
6.  Every single line is sitting on the baseline and in doing so has achieved cross alignment and every single line is aligned to the line of the left 
7. Repeat step 4 for the headline
8. Done

4:4A

This video is about shortcuts on how to achieve cross-alignment in an automatic sense.

First, have the text that has been provided and turn on the hidden characters (Alt + Ctrl + I)

Start format the text: 

1. Increase the headline size
2. Increase the leading (must increase it by double amount to maintain cross alignment, eg:11pt, 22pt, 44pt)
3. Now the particular headline and the texts are coordinated and correlated each other
4. Bold/Semi Bold the sub-headline

How to achieve cross-alignment?

1. Select all the text
2. Go to Paragraph Formatting Controls 
3. Click on the 'Align on the Baseline Grid' on the right of the controls
4. Everything will be aligned automatically

Automatic Align magic tool (20/09/2022)

---

INSTRUCTIONS

<iframe src="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Fp8E_JU33w1wNTmWLhLl7bPsgEEQM9Em/preview" width="640" height="480" allow="autoplay"></iframe>

---

Task 1.1: Exercises - Type Expression

WEEK 1

In the very first week, we were asked to join a Facebook group where relevant information and materials would be posted. Then we had a briefing and Mr. Vinod introduced us to the module information. Through that booklet, we were told what to do, the requirements and etc in this module. 

Next, we learned how to create our own new blog for each module's ePortfolio submission through videos on Youtube. Later, Mr. Vinod gave us task 1 also known as exercise 1, and he showed us some examples after a little explanation. 

In the last half hour, we had a self-introduction session to get to know each other better.

In task 1, we were told to choose four out of six words for a simple design composition to express a single word. The given words are tired, freeze, sticky, screech, slam and pain. Hence, the words I chose are:

1. TIRED

2. FREEZE

3. STICKY

4. PAIN   

Begin by sketching out our own ideas. Once the ideas are selected, we will be given a set of 10 typefaces to work within the digitization phase. Through iteration, use the appropriate typeface and compose the letters in a manner that allows the meaning of the word to become visible — still and in motion. 

Following the directions, below are some of my idea sketches:

Figure 1. Sketches of my Type Expression - TIRED (29/08/2022)

Figure 2. Sketches of my Type Expression - FREEZE (29/08/2022)

Figure 3. Sketches of my Type Expression - STICKY (29/08/2022)

Figure 4. Sketches of my Type Expression - PAIN (29/08/2022)

WEEK 2

This week, we were asked to present our sketches via Zoom one by one in the order on the name list. Then, Mr.Vinod gave us some comments and feedback to improve our design. There are some important notes that must be paid attention to, which were: the designs shouldn't contain any colour, do not put all ideas in one design, and also avoid utilizing illustrative elements to help convey the meaning of the four words that have been chosen. Then, the work for this week is to digitalize using Illustrator for one design from each word.

So, here are my digitalised sketches...

Figure 5. Using Adobe Illustrator to digitize the sketches (05/09/2022)

Figure 6. Final Outcome for Type Expression - JPEG format (06/09/2022)

Figure 7. Final Outcome for Type Expression - PDF format (06/09/2022)

WEEK 3

Mr. Vinod checked our changed artwork and gave us some feedback. After that, we were asked to choose one of the four designs to start making a GIF animation with Adobe Illustrator which creates every animation template and Photoshop to merge the figures into animation.

Select one of a design above to make a GIF animation.

Figure 8. Artboards were created using Illustrator (12/09/2022)

Figure 9. The process of converting to animation (12/09/2022)

Figure 10. GIF Animation created from the selected design (12/09/2022)

WEEK 4

Mr. Vinod spot-checked some of the portfolio works. Followed, he has gone through all our animation outcomes which we have posted in the Facebook post comment section. I made a slightly changed to make it better after Mr. Vinod gave me the suggestion. Then, we were totally done with the type expression exercise. Mr. Vinod suggested us to watch the Type Formatting lectures in the Youtube Playlist provided by him and start working on it.

Figure 11. Final Animated Type Expression 'STICKY' - GIF format (19/09/2022)

Task 1.2: Exercises - Type Formatting

WEEK 5

After watching the first text formatting video, titled Typo_Ex Text Formatting 1:4 in Youtube's playlist, the outcome has been attached below. This week, Mr. Vinod has gone through all students' work and feedback is given on it to allow the student to make relevant rectifications to improve the work.

Figure 12. The outcome before kerning and tracking (20/09/2022)

Figure 13. The outcome after kerning and tracking (20/09/2022)

Figure 14. Text Formatting Draft 1 (20/09/2022)

Figure 15. Text Formatting Draft 2 (20/09/2022)

After doing some research, I started to rework it:

Figure 16. Text Formatting Outcome 1 (20/09/2022)

Figure 17. Text Formatting Outcome 2 (20/09/2022)

After some deliberation, I started working on it and here is my final outcome:

Figure 18. Final Outcome with the margins, columns and baseline grid - JPEG format (21/09/2022)

Figure 19. Final Outcome with the margins, columns and baseline grid - PDF format (21/09/2022)

Figure 20. Final Outcome without the margins, columns and baseline grid - JPEG format (21/09/2022)

Figure 20. Final Outcome without the margins, columns and baseline grid - PDF format (21/09/2022)

HEAD

Font/s: Univers Lt Std 67 Bold Condensed 

Type Size/s: 38pt

Leading: 22pt

Paragraph spacing: 22pt

SUB-HEAD

Font/s: Univers Lt Std 67 Bold Condensed Oblique

Type Size/s: 13pt

Leading: 11pt

Paragraph spacing: 11pt

BODY

Font/s: Univers Lt Std 55 Roman

Type Size/s: 9pt

Leading: 11pt

Paragraph spacing: 11pt

Characters per line: 58

Alignment: Align Left

Margins: 12.7mm

Columns: 12.7mm

Gutter: 5

---

FEEDBACK

Week 2

Specific Feedback: 

• The sketches for the word "tired" were good.
• The first sketch of "freeze" can be improved because the font should be the primary focus rather than using an auxiliary feature like the snow effect.
• Figure 3.1 Mr. Vinod said it was cool looking. Although there is kind of like gets distorted a little bit in between but it is still acceptable because there are aspects of the letter that are actually normal. A slightly more italic or curvature effect may be added to the third sketch, which looks too neat and straight.
• Considering Mr. Vinod's inability to feel the sensations that words convey, the design of "Pain" could be improved further.

General Feedback: 

• Overall, everything is good. It would be better to use illustrative components more wisely, and a small addition would be excellent. Sometimes replacing one letter with another element may be OK, but doing it excessively might make the typeface less noticeable and the overall design more confusing and disorganized.

Week 3

Specific Feedback:

• Both 'tired' and 'sticky' are perfect.
• The 'pain' should be reworked because the illustration element should not be relied upon, and while Mr. Vinod likes the idea, it's still not acceptable as it's already against the rules.
• Mr. Vinod also suggested not to crack the 'freeze' and that part should be reconsidered.

General Feedback: 

• My artwork is in a good position. The choice of typefaces is also fine.

Week 4

Specific Feedback: 

• The animation can be tried to slow down when dragging up and down but go faster when rebounding. 

General Feedback:

• Good job and interesting.

Week 5

Specific Feedback:

• Improper placement of the image and the use of colour.
• The paragraph spacing is too wide (should be ‘pt’ instead of ‘mm’)
• The font that was chosen has long ascenders and descenders, so it can’t just use 2pt of leading (need to add at least 3pt leading)
• The text looks too tight

General Feedback:

• Need to readjust and work on it

---

REFLECTIONS

Experience:

In this module, I learned a lot of skills and knowledge about Typography. Not only that but also learned the basic features and tools of Illustrator, Photoshop and Indesign. At first, I was pretty lost and overwhelmed with this class. But later, I get to cope and understand the facilitator's requirements and the way to carry out this class. In the first task, we have just limited to use the only 10 fonts that have been provided and some effects to express the meaning of the cover letter, which is forbidden to use illustration elements and colour to assist convey it. However, these limitations also expand our creativity and imagination. And this happens to be the first condition to be a designer. Later, we were also asked to animate the typeface that has designed. From this, I found it to be very interesting and it was one of my favorite parts. In task 2, how to arrange the layout was the part that I struggled with for a long time, because a good layout and text formatting bring a comfortable reading mode to readers. Nonetheless, the experience was pretty good.

Observations:

Throughout the practice process, I found that this is a seemingly simple course, but is slightly difficult when doing it. Because there are some specific rules that must be followed when creating our own designs. However, I think it is a good opportunity to improve myself in all aspects, especially in terms of creativity and productivity I still have a big step for improvement.

Findings:

Typography is something that takes time to practice and explore. The pre-recorded videos provided by the lecturer were very helpful to me. It made me in some ways clearer and faster to understand. And a great way to improve my skills is to watch more examples for visual reference, besides studying them. Most importantly, be sure to do more practice in order to bring more improvement.

---

FURTHER READING

Below are some articles that I have looked on it: 

Print Screen of the web - A Beginner's Guide

https://careerfoundry.com/en/blog/ui-design/beginners-guide-to-typography/#:~:text=Typography%20is%20the%20art%20of,brings%20the%20text%20to%20life.

This article is an introduction to typography. It briefs the history and the importance of typography, some essential typographical design elements and etc. Typography is often overlooked, but it is an essential part of user interface design because good typography will establish a strong visual hierarchy, provide graphic balance to the page, and set the overall tone of the outcome.

Print Screen of the web - The difference between Typography and Calligraphy

https://www.designyup.com/difference-between-typography-and-calligraphy/#:~:text=Both%20typography%20and%20calligraphy%20are,hand%2C%20calligraphy%20involves%20manual%20handwriting.

Typography: Computer-generated

Calligraphy: Manual handwriting

*Graphic designers do not create fonts (only if they want to specifically)

*Type designers create fonts

Faux Calligraphy also as known as Hand-Lettering - is similar to traditional calligraphy

: It involves manual work and thick/thin lines, but the instrument used for creating this sort of work is not a dip pen but sharpies or gel pens.