TYPOGRAPHY / TASK 2 - TYPOGRAPHIC EXPLORATION & COMMUNICATION (TEXT FORMATTING & EXPRESSION)

03/10/2022 - 10/10/2022  /  Week 6 - Week 7
Chew Zhi Ern / 0358995
Typography / Bachelor of Design (Honours) in Creative Media / Taylor's University
Task 2 / Typographic Exploration & Communication (Text Formatting & Expression)

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LECTURES

Lecture 10: Task 2 - Process Demo

Headline Design:

1. Look at the contextual content within the page size
2. Take this information and begin a thumbnail sketch
3. After the sketch, go to Illustrator with an artboard sized 200 x 200
4. Choose the suitable typeface to start designing it

Create the new file:

1. File > New > Document 
2. Turn off the Facing Pages setting
3. Width: 200mm; Height: 200mm; Pages: 6; Columns: 2; Gutter: 5mm
4. Margin - Tops, Bottom, Left, Right: 10mm
5. Create

Insert the thumbnail design:

1. Select all the pages
2. Right click > Turn off 'Allow Selected Spreads to Shuffle'
3. Select any page at the bottom and bring it to the top-hand corner
4. Make it to 6 pages in 3 spreads
5. Bring the Illustrator design file in (File > Place > Detect the file > Import)

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INSTRUCTIONS

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

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Task 2: Exercises - Editorial Text Options

WEEK 6

In week 6, we were asked to give feedback and comment on others' work on the Facebook comment section while Mr. Vinod was checking on our blog. After he checked all of the work, he gave some feedback on some works.

Below are my first drafts and sketches: 

Figure 1. Sketch for the headline (25/09/2022)

Figure 2. The draft of the outline (25/09/2022)

Figure 3. Digitalise the title using Illustrator (28/09/2022)

Figure 4. The first layout draft for Task 2 (28/09/2022)

Figure 5. Second design for the headline (04/10/2022)

Figure 6. The final design for the headline (06/10/2022)

Figure 7. Final Outcome with baseline grid for Task 2 - JPEG Format (08/10/2022)

 Figure 8. Final Outcome with baseline grid for Task 2 - PDF Format (08/10/2022)

Figure 9. Final Outcome without baseline grid for Task 2 - JPEG Format (08/10/2022)

 Figure 10. Final Outcome without baseline grid for Task 2 - PDF Format (08/10/2022)

HEAD

Font/s: Bodoni Std Bold Condensed

Type Size/s: 60pt & 85pt & 135.4pt

SUB-HEAD

Font/s: Adobe Caslon Pro Bold Italic

Type Size/s: 20pt

Leading: 36pt

Paragraph spacing: 36pt

BODY

Font/s: Adobe Caslon Pro Regular

Type Size/s: 10pt

Leading: 12pt

Paragraph spacing: 12pt

Characters per line: 60

Alignment: Align Left

Margins: 12.7mm

Columns: 12.7mm

Gutter: 5

WEEK 7

Public Holiday. No Class!

• Giving some particular feedback for Task 2 and Briefing Task 3 on Zoom

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FEEDBACK

Week 6

Specific Feedback: 

• For the letter 'C' from the word 'code', Mr. Vinod thinks it was a good idea but he thinks that the execution of the idea can be better.
• The typesetting of the text also could be improved as well as the layout too.
  

General Feedback: 

• Long line lengths and horizontal text are difficult to read.

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REFLECTIONS

Experience:

In this task, we need to use the skills learned in the previous task to complete it. I think it's fun to play with the way the text is laid out, but it's also annoying because we have to go through a lot of tweaks to get what I like the best.

Observations:

I found this task more challenging than the previous one. This is mainly because of the integration of the text. This task must ensure that the title and content of the design are properly arranged, not only to have the right sense of space but also to ensure readability at the same time.

Findings:

In a nutshell, definitely there is a lot to gain from this task. How to handle large amounts of text with auxiliary graphic elements will definitely help in what I do in the future. Typography is visual. Therefore, good typography is measured on a utilitarian yardstick. Typography that is aesthetically pleasant, but that doesn’t reinforce the meaning of the text, is a failure.

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FURTHER READING

Print Screen of the web 

https://scribemedia.com/book-typesetting/

The typesetting of a book can directly affect the reader's desire to read. In this article, it will teach us how to distinguish between good and bad typography, and provided some typography guidelines as well. 

One of the super interesting parts they came up with is that they directly attached some image examples to make it easier for the reader to understand. There are also top 4 rules for Typesetting Books mentioned in the article, which are:

1. Leave negative space
2. Choose a legible and comfortable type
3. Select the trim size carefully
4. Watch out for word stacks, widows, and orphans

• Widows and orphans: The first line of a paragraph shouldn’t fall on the last line of a page, and the last line of a paragraph should not go over to the top of the next page. Widowed and orphaned lines make the reader pause, thus impeding reading comprehension.
• Word stacks: Word stacks are when the same word appears in the same position in three or more consecutive lines. These are fixed by adjusting word spacing or rewriting the text.
• Book blocks: The block of text on each facing page of a book should end on the same row.

Typography is the process of arranging physical or numerical types (the letters, symbols, and glyphs that make up a book) onto a page so that it can be printed. This part of the publication process takes place before the manuscript is edited and printed. Good versus bad typesetting is all about reading experience.