Typography: Final Compilation & Reflection
WEEK 01 - WEEK 14 (27/08/2021 - 26/11/2021)
Adena Tan Sue Lynn (0345769) / Bachelor of Design (Honours) in Creative Media
Typography
Final Compilation & Reflection
Instructions
Task 01: Type Expression & Formatting (Exercises)
Task 02: Typographic Exploration & Communication (Text Formatting & Expression)
Task 03(A): Type Design & Communication (Typeface Design)
Task 03(B): Type Design & Communication (Greeting Sticker Design)
Submission
Task 01: Exercise 01 - Type Expression
27/08/2021 - 24/09/2021 / Week 01 - Week 05
Estimated Hours: 10 Hours
Task 01: Exercise 02 - Type Formatting
17/09/2021 - 24/09/2021 / Week 04 - Week 05
Estimated Hours: 3 Hours
Task 02: Typographic Exploration & Communication
24/09/2021 - 08/10/2021 / Week 05 - Week 07
Estimated Hours: 12 Hours
Task 03(A): Type Design & Communication
08/10/2021 - 29/10/2021 / Week 07 - Week 10
Estimated Hours: 14 Hours
Task 03(B): Type Design & Communication
29/10/2021 - 19/11/2021 / Week 10 - Week 13
Estimated Hours: 13 Hours
Reflection
Experience
Personally, Typography has taught me multiple things other than just the information held within this module. In fact, I was taught how important it is as a designer to be responsible, disciplined and to have good time management. I was also taught on how to never give up, and persevere even when I'm struggling with an idea or concept. It is definitely more than I expected when I first joined this class.
I also was given the opportunity to create things that I never thought I would've ever been able to during this class. Younger me would've shook in excitement if she knew I would learn how to create my own typeface and font. Other than that, I've never attempted creating a layout for text or even create my own sticker to be sent on messaging applications. I can say I'm tremendously delighted for what I have learnt.
Finally, I'm grateful for the feedback I get throughout the weeks. Without Mr Vinod's constructive criticism, I would've never known better. I am very grateful to have been taught by him alongside Dr Charles. Both of them have been an interesting duo that make classes feel fun and light, despite having loads of feedback & information being thrown at us.
Observations
With everything I have learnt, I noticed this class forced me to look at the finer details. Before this class, I never cared for how text was placed, as I thought it didn't matter. "If it can be read, that's all that matters, right?" Man... I was so wrong. I never expected for my eyes and my brain to try and work as much as it does now. Observing small things like how many ellipses will it take for me to deconstruct the letter 'O' or even observing the pattern of the ragged right of a flush left text format. These are things most people don't think about!
Just the other day, I was looking through Pinterest, when I came across a text layout. I had looked at it and noticed two widows within the text which made me wince. I would say I have observed in this class more than I ever did in my entire high school life (which is five years!). However, now, I can't stop trying to look for them. Even when I open my magazine, I'm constantly looking and making sure that nothing is out of place. Now, things like widows, orphans, unsuitable typefaces, and more typography crimes make me cringe. Sure, I might make the same mistakes in the future, but I strongly hope my brain decides to remember every single detail of the past few weeks and retain it until my death day.
Findings
Overall, I found Typography to be somewhat challenging, with all the terms, and the different areas of legibility, letterspacing, etc. However, I am someone who likes a challenge, so I had fun whenever I could with this module, especially during Task 03(A) and Task 03(B). Those were definitely my favourites, and I had enjoyed them a lot.
I found out many things throughout this fourteen weeks. Like how typography is deemed legible, and how text can be portrayed with meaning if a suitable typeface is used. These are things I never thought of before. I thought that Typography would just be shoving fonts I thought would look nice on things. However, it's deeper than that and even though this class is jam packed with information, I would learn this class as it is something I thoroughly enjoy rather than a physics class.
