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FONT STUDY
Teaching someone about a specific typeface. Who designed it, when, its character, how to identify it... You will become the resident expert of your font.

This project focuses on learning to identify fonts, font characteristics and type classifications. Graphic design professionals are expected to recognize an almost infinite number of typefaces; it is essential, therefore, that students begin by learning the parts of the letter (terms), characteristics and to classify typefaces into these major historical, categories (type classifications): Old Style, Transitional, Modern, Slab Serif, Sans Serif.

During this project you will become the resident of your given font. You will need to learn everything there is to know about that font including: its classification, characteristic details, who designed it, when it was designed,...And then visually teach what you know to us in a series of typographic posters.

The Final Artifacts/Deliverables:
Poster Series print out, Animated Gif, Behance page with process and final.

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Mon. Oct 3
_ Introduction to the project (samples)
_ Review Anatomy of Type.pdf
_ In class: examining your font: Remember you are to become an expert of your font...

In small groups: examine your typeface
Use these pages as a guide to examining your typeface:
Letterfountain pages 83-89, 98 - 125
1) present your typeface to the group (group take notes of each others fonts)
2) examine your font/characteristics (see letterfountain)
3) looking at typefaces in your group what are similar characteristic?
4) what a different characteristics

Identify as many (at least 25) characteristics you can about your font...
Identify the characteristic, define it and describe it. You need to decribe it more than this is an ear (what is the shape, why is it distinctive), etc.

*you could use this for help on identifying / describing your font

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HOMEWORK (samples)
you are to become an expert of your font...
How can you teach us (the viewer) about your font. How can we tell your font apart from another? What is distinctive? How can you visually tell the story.

Read: Font Classifications (take notes) | thinking with type: classification

Use these pages as a guide to examining your typeface:
Letterfountain pages 83-89, 98 - 125

Explore 20 different thumbnails/studies/ideas on how you can visually tell the story/ diagrammatically show your font's characteristics. You can focus on 1 - 3 characteristics of your font.

Use these prompts to help guide you to different visual ways to express the visual story:
diagram
scientific
technical
dissect
notation
x-ray
overlap
how to manual...

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Wednesday, Oct 5
_ Present Font Sheets (print outs you had for Wed class)
_ Present 20 ideas, 20 ways to diagrammatically show your font's characteristics

HOMEWORK (samples)
Design 15 different posters showcasing the Characteristics of your font.
Each poster must include the following...
_ diagrammatically show at least 12 characteristics of your font
_ the entire alphabet, punctuation, numbers (how can you show it other than abcdefg...)
_ your font's classification (name and description)

Restrictions
_ Grid: use the provided grid. Lock all elements to a corner of a module.
_ Page: 20 x 30 page
_ Color: Limit your color palette to 3 - 5 colors + black/white kuler.adobe.com or colourlovers.com
_ You may use a secondary font (different classification than your font)

REMEMBER: scale, color, size relationships, how to make it look "technical", mechanical, informational. Big's BIG smalls small. Smallest size can be 5pt. No limit on LARGE.

DO NOT MAKE THE NAME OF YOUR FONT OR THE DESIGNER BIG.
THIS IS NOT ABOUT THAT! THE POSTER IS ABOUT THE CHARACTERISTICS.

Print your 15 posters on the color laser: shrink to fit onto 11 x 17. Not all posters on one 11 x 17 but 10 11 x 17 pages. Yes 11 x 17. Not 8.5 x 11.

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Monday, Oct 10
Fall Break no class

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Wednesday, Oct 12
_ Crit posters
_ Behance Examples

HOMEWORK
Based on class feedback refine 3 different poster directions. Refine hierarchy, scale, tension, color palettes...

Print your 3 posters on the color laser: shrink to fit onto 11 x 17. Not all posters on one 11 x 17 but (3) 11 x 17 pages. Yes 11 x 17. Not 8.5 x 11.

PRINT OUT 1 poster full size, tile it full size and tape it together so you can have a visual of how big this poster is. Remember you can use small type. Smallest type size can be 7pt.

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Monday, Oct 17
_ Crit posters
_ Behance Examples

HOMEWORK
Create on the computer at least 10 Content poster compositions. (would be better to sketch/plan out 15 - 20 ideas then go to the computer) ALL 10 should be COMPLETELY DIFFERENT DESIGNS! Doesn't count if they look the same. Explore variations different ways the poster can look, do not make iterations, explore how these can look, feel, communicate. Think about project 2.

The "Content" poster must include the following...
_ 1000 words (you can shorten your text to 1000 word min)
_ title (come up with a title)
_ name of the designer
_ birth/death
_ one quote (about your font or designer)

No type on curves
No type in shapes
No type fitted curved around letters
No drop shadows
No stacked type (that includes the alphabet.

_ Grid: use the provided grid. Lock all elements to a corner of a module. On the server.
_ Page: 20 x 30 page
_ Color: Limit your color palette to 3 - 5 colors + black/white kuler.adobe.com or colourlovers.com
_ You may use a secondary font (different class if cation than your font)

REMEMBER: scale, color, size relationships, how to make it look "technical", mechanical, informational. Big's BIG smalls small. Smallest size can be 5pt. No limit on LARGE.

PRINT all 10 on 11 x 17 full color, for Monday also have your Characteristic posters with you. *Print one Content poster full size, you can tile it, can be b/w. Or you can print it out on the plotter. IF YOU TILE IT HAVE IT TAPED TOGEHTER BEFORE CLASS STARTS.

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Wednesday, Oct 19
_ crit content posters
_ bring in 3 characteristic posters (and all your previous ones)
_ Which posters will you further explore and create as a set?

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Poster 1. Characteristics
The poster must include the following...
_ diagrammatically show at least 12 characteristics of your font
_ the entire alphabet, punctuation, numbers
_ classification
_ classification description
_ name of the font
_ date it was released

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Poster 2. Content: Information about the designer
The poster must include the following...
_ 1000 - 1500 words (you can shorten your text to 1000 word min)
_ title (come up with a title)
– subheads (optional)
_ name of the designer
_ birth/death of the designer
_ one quote (about your font or designer)
_ pull quote
– characteristics, letters, numbers, punctuation (optional)
– other fonts by your typographer (optional)
– historical event (optional)

*you may use content from poster 1 and vice-versa, between the set ALL text has to be in the series.

HOMEWORK
Explore 3 different design directions. EXPLORE! this is your time to answer the question on what is the best/dynamic/informative design solution for your poster series.. You need 2 posters in a set (poster 1 and poster 2) and you need 3 sets. Total is 6 posters. Print out 11 x 17. Keep reading for tips...

Using what you have done so far, explore how you can create a series. Consider using the same alignments horizontally, color palette (share a palette but maybe change the proportion of color, scale, overlap information from one poster to the next...)

Poster 1: visually and verbally showing the characteristics of the font(content listed below)
Poster 2: history and typographer information (content listed below)

For the characteristic poster how can you organize the alphabet so it is has meaning? form or relationship? (hint think about what you read in LetterFountain. Remember the characteristic poster is to Teach the View the Font. Make sure you are doing that visually and verbally. Dissect, crop, highlight, call out. You are looked at lots of info graphics for VISC 204, how could your Characteristic poster become more informative?

For the content poster: how can text have the same proportion as your characteristics? how can information be locked together? how can content determine alignments? How can you use the same color palette as the characteristic poster but in a different proportion. (hint: a lot of white text could be interesting but it will be difficult to read.)

A series means the 2 posters work together, share the same feeling, color palette (you should consider the use different proportions of the colors but the same palette.) How can the visual language be shared between the 2 posters.

ANSWER / SHOW EXAMPLE ON YOUR BLOG
-- What are small capitals? How are they different than something set in ALL CAPS?
-- Does your font have small caps? If not name a font that does.
-- Ligatures? why are they used? when are they not used? what are common ligatures?
-- Does your font have ligatures? If not name a font that does.
-- Difference between a foot mark and an apostrophe?
-- Difference between an inch mark and a quote mark (smart quote)?
-- Hyphen, en dash and em dashes, what are the differences and when are they used.

Rewatch the History of Typography by Ben Barrett-Forrest. Now that you have learned more about Typography what did you learn from the video?

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Monday, Oct 24
_ crit posters

HOMEWORK
Taking from what you have done so far you need to design/refine 1 direction (1 series).
**IF the grid ins't working for you make your own MODULAR GRID more columns the better but you may want more GUTTER.

Explore 3 different designs/variations of the posters. (this is the time to explore and catch up, if you are on the right track this is the opportunity to make them even better)

A series means they work together, share the same feeling, color palette (you should consider the use different proportions of the colors but the same palette.) How can the visual language be shared between the 2 posters. EXPLORE.

_ Grid: USE a Modular GRID. Lock all elements to any corner of a module.
_ Poster size: 20 x 30 page
_ Color: Limit your color palette to 3 - 5 colors + black/white.

Print the posters 11 x 17 black and white bring files to class. Have your prints with you.

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Wednesday, Oct 26
_ crit posters
_ Test Print
_ Sizing images down in Photoshop
_ Animated Gif

HOMEWORK
Based on the class crit, refine the final direction. Print out 1 set full size version (taped together) of each poster for crit on Wed. Have at least 1 variation for each poster. Print variations at 11 x 17.

Design an animated gif and attempt to animate it. Gif must contain name of the font, classification and 1 characteristic. Make it nice it is the HEADER of your behance page.

Do a test on the epson heavy weight. Print 6 inches by 42. Test your colors, body text and small text.

Please correct things we talked about in class...
Kern when needed
Adjust leading from auto setting. Make it a number not (default)
Indent or space between paragraphs not both
When indenting don't indent the first paragraph
Make sure you are using REAL quotes (smart quotes) not inch marks (check your text)
Hang punctuation
Make sure you are using apostrophes not foot marks
Use en dash (option hyphen between dates 1968 — 2001)
If you are justifying text, use hyphenation and adjust Justification settings

Creating an animated gif in photoshop.
1) open Photoshop file size 1200 x 400 pixels, 72 dpi
2) create your final layout with each element being a different layer (photoshop will animate based on what is turned on in a layer)
3) window: animation
4) use frames not timeline
5) in frame one turn on what you want the viewer to see (change time to .1 sec)
6) duplicate frame and turn next thing on. (repeat 5 and 6 until you are done)
7) add transitions
8) add more time where you want a pause
9) file save for web devices (will create a .gif)
10) test in a browser then upload to behance.
completely lost? google it how to create an animated gif in photoshop: link

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Monday, Oct 31
tutorial: setting up the 42 inch document to print
tutorial: setting up images for behance

HOMEWORK
Please correct things we talked about in class...
Kern when needed
Adjust leading from auto setting. Make it a number not (default)
Indent or space between paragraphs not both
When indenting don't indent the first paragraph
Make sure you are using REAL quotes (smart quotes) not inch marks (check your text)
Hang punctuation
Make sure you are using apostrophes not foot marks
Use en dash (option hyphen between dates 1968 — 2001)
If you are justifying text, use hyphenation and adjust Justification settings
* Refer to Mac is not a Typewriter pdf

MAKE SURE you have all the copy listed on the posters! (some of you had for example the person's birth and death in the body copy... it needs to be called out as an element).
Make sure you have 12 visual/verbal characteristics that identify your font. You are teaching us about your font. That is the goal.

Create/Refine animated gif: Refine your animated gif, content: gif must contain name of the font, classification and 1 characteristic. Make it nice it is the HEADER of your behance page.
examples: sally, voranouth, john

Setting up file to print properly on the 42 inch epson matte heavy weight printer
1) create bleeds and crop marks
2) print
3) trim neatly do not mount on anything
$) bring binder clips and small pieces of scrap paper.

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DUE WEDNESDAY NOV 2

HAND IN
_ 2 posters printed on the epson matte printer and trimmed neatly (no mounting)
_ pdf of final posters onto the server before class starts
_ DUE MONDAY: Spiral Bound Process Book. Bind at the top, the 8.5 x 11 side. (ALL OF YOUR PROCESS) Process is 50% of your grade so make sure you put it all in there. Make a title page. Make it all straight. Make it professional. What you post on behance is just a selection of your process.

Put your 2 final posters on the server as a pdf by the beginning of class. ANY files not on the server by your class time, the project will be counted LATE which drops your letter grade by a full grade. Please name your file yourname.pdf

Posted on your behance.net page (in this order)
_ project description
_ 1 animated gif (at least your fonts name and 1 characteristic)
_ 2 posters (side by side), 600px wide*
_ 2 posters as single 600px*
_ Process on behance: at least 6 posters showing your process (a selection of your process) you can take the process down after I grade if you want.

Project will be graded on..
Process: I did keep track of if you came prepared, effort, range of exploration..
Behance: project uploaded to behance before class starts, followed directions
Animation: followed directions, content and looks like you spent time on it.
Posters work as a series: alignments, color palette, visual language
12 Characteristics are clear and teach us about the font: not just this is an "ear"
Content (all that is listed above is in your series: called out not hidden in text)
Clear Hierarchy, dynamic use of scale: levels of hierarchy
Dynamic use of the page/space, white space
Typographic rules (kern, paragraph rules, quotes, apostrophe, dashes)
Appropriate and consistent type sizes

Craft 10% printed correct size, trimmed neatly no rough edges, use a sharp x-acto, color is legible, if your text isn't legible you will be knock down 1 full grade