visual communication
VISC 302

 

...... :: syllabus :: p1 (ongoing) :: p2 logo :: p3 redesign :: p4 festival :: google drive

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Professor: Andrea Herstowski
Office hours: by appointment
email: herstow@ku.edu

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:: Research
:- Thinking with Type
:- Typotheque
:- Type Cultur
:- Visual Thesaurus
:- Type Base
:- dailydropcap.com
:- designobserver.com
:- formfiftyfive.com
:- friendsoftype.com
:- ministryoftype.co.uk
:- typographica.org
:- welovetypography.com

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:: Short films :: Audio
:- films by Hillman Curtis
:- Type Radio


 


 

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Personal Logotype

Create a compelling customized logotype using the initials of your name (2 or 3 letters). The logomark must work on its own, work large, small, in print, on screen and and locked up with your name.

A logomark is an identifying mark or symbol that doesn't’t contain the business name. Think of the Nike ‘tick’, Shell, WWF, Mercedes or Adidas for examples.

A logotype refers to words or the name of a business that is designed in a special way. Examples include: Pinterest, eBay, Yahoo, Coca-Cola, Google, CNN, Kodak, FedEx...

You are creating a logotype also could be referred to as a monogram.

________________________________________________________________________________________________
The Problem
How you do create a original, customized logotype for for yourself. The logotype must be easily recognizable and work at multiple sizes.

Your task is to find interesting ways to combine and customize two or three letters—into one (memorable) typographic mark/logotype.

The solution should rely exclusively on typography.

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The letters must be customized you can’t just use letters in a font. You have to customize them. No hand lettering is allowed for this project. Only perfectly crafted letterforms.

Examples: Barto |

*Chances are you will not use this mark when you put your senior portfolio together. It maybe great now but not in the future. This project is based on going through the design process so that when you do have to make a mark this process is second nature.

You must find ways to combine the letters into an original customized monogram. If we find anything on-line or in books that looks like your solution you will fail this project and not pass the review. HOW do you assure that you are not coping? PROCESS you have to do it and you have to show it all. Every step.

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Project Learning Objectives
_ explore the potential of letterform combinations
_ explore how to customized letterforms based on other letterforms
_ explore how to make customized letterforms using a grid
_ understand primary and secondary font combinations
_ understand and create a clear hierarchy when creating a resume

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Project Deliverables
PDF Presentation (final presentation and process)
Design a resume business card and apply your logotype
Applied as your profile image Instagram (circle)+ animated on Instagram (square)
Applied on as your profile image on Behance (it is a circle)

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Calendar Overview
January 30, Wed: intro
February 4, Mon: Monogram Sketches + Resume
February 6, Wed: Monogram Refinement + Resume (design)
February 11, Mon: Monogram + Resume refinement + Business Card + Animation
February 13, Wed: Refine
February 18, Mon: Due PDF Presentation, Resume, Instagram animation, 2 Profiles

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Resources
see the list here

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January 30, Wednesday
_ Project intro
_ Start Sketching Logotypes (work an hour a day on them)

Review: Classification according to form and construction.
Watch: Aaron Draplin Sketching 
Watch: Jessica Hische Magic of Logotype 
Watch: George Bokhua: chapter 5: Gridding Logo on Paper
Examples: Letterform Combinations
* More videos on the resource page the list here

Dallas Competition examples: sophomore portfolio, workbook, icons, packaging
National Student Show Website

Print out your letters it at least 30 fonts/styles at 100pts tall. Try all caps, all lowercase, reg, bold, light, condensed, extended, italic…you need the variety to make 50! label the fonts so you know what you are working with. You need this to sketch from and you may print the letters out a different sizes but be logical: ex. 50pt and 100pt.

Print out the grid here it is! (or make your own)

…………………………………………………………………
Phase 1
Due need to have at least 30 - 40 sketches on Monday to talk about. Working in class on Monday.
ALL 60 sketches due Wednesday Feb 6 plus other things (try to work on these an hour a day every day). You must follow the prompts listed below -- no hand lettering. Hand lettered monogram will not be accepted.

"Looking for opportunities"
Get to know your letters! Classification according to form and construction.

"Getting weird"… Start Sketching:
For this first round of sketches they have to be done by hand. Quick sketches by hand. Working quickly on DIFFEFENT IDEAS -- not the same idea over and over. Use the given font sheets or the grid sheets for all your sketches. You are tracing and manipulating (customizing) the letters based on the font sheets. It should be faster to come up with different ideas by hand. If you work in pencil make sure you trace over your sketches in pen so they are dark enough for everyone to see.

You are expected to create 60 analog (hand drawn/traced) typographic marks. No computer (for this round).

Take risks. There are hundreds of solutions you could do. You are trying to come up with 60 different solutions. Explore. Take risks. Work neatly.. If you work in pencil fill in with a black pen so we can see your ideas clearly.

examples: Anne | Mollie | Kiran | Elia |

…………………………………………………………………
prompt 1: 20 sketches (min)
: parts of other letters
You may only the sheets you printed out with your 2 letters in different fonts / styles. You can print off more if you find you are missing styles, sizes...

Questions you need to answer by your sketches
How can you customize the letters into a logotype?
How can you use one letter to create another letter?
How can you make the round letters more square?
How can you make more square letters look round?

Try to make your round letters more rectilinear
Try to make all your straight letters more round
Try combining letters that are from different styles (what is a style?)
Try combining 2 different fonts.
Try combining using different sizes of letters.

…………………………………………………………………
prompt 2: 20 sketches (min): closure principle

Again using the sheets you printed out of your letters in different fonts/styles.

First make several Closure studies. How much of the letter do we need to see? Use the gestalt principle of closure. In this round also look for the form and counterform/ negative space to work out your solution.

Draw several closure studies out on tracing paper so you can layer and quickly sketch.

How can you customize the letters into a logotype?
How can you lock the letters together?
Can they share parts?
Can one letter need the other letter to form itself?

…………………………………………………………………
prompt 3: 20 sketches: using a grid (min)

Using the sheet with grid. You can sketch onto the grid or use tracing paper. If you work in pencil make sure you go back and trace over with pen.

How can you use the grid to construct your letters?
How can you customize the letters into a logotype using the grid to make the letterforms?
How can you use one letter to create another letter?
How can you make letters out of just lines? Single or repeated.
This is where you get to be really weird. Just go for it. Take risks.

If you need to print out more grids? here it is. Or make your own.

Organize all your sketches onto as many 8.5 x 11 sheets (landscape) as you need. Number and Label each sketch. You may have to cut your sheets apart and tape them back onto a sheet to organize them. You will eventually need to scan them all into the computer to put into your PDF Presentation due at the end of the project.

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February 4 Monday
Continue working on Monogram Sketches
Resume: Lecture
Resume Font Studies (see below)

InClass and HOMEWORK
Finish up your 60 different logotypes, create 12 thoughtful font combination/hierarchy studies and have your resume content written. Organize everything to present in class on Wed.

Have all your resume content written in a word doc so you can copy and paste into InDesign.

Take the TEXT content below and try at least 12 different type/style/color studies. *use InDesign not Illustrator for your resume! *you need 3 - 5 levels of hierarchy. Start with everything at 9pt Reg and then change from form there. Remember basic rules of hierarchy. Can be big, Can be bold. Can be a color but most or the time it doesn't need to be big, bold and in a color to stand out. Do not use more than 2 families per study. Use 1 font family or 2 font families. For the 12 studies you can try try as many fonts as you want (meaning not every study has to use the same font family.) You will pick one of these to use on your resume. It isn't busy work you are looking for a great font combination, size, hierarchy...

—————————————————————————
TEXT..... (use this text for your 12 font/hierarchy studies. Start this in class so you know what you are doing. Label the fonts you are using. Do not use Aral, Geneva, Times, Myriad, ....)

Experience
KU Marketing Communication, Lawrence KS
May 2017 – present
Student Designer
Work with the marking team on the design and production of print and digital content for perspective students of the University of Kansas.

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February 6, Wednesday
_ present and review 60 logotype designs, 12 hierarchy studies and resume content
_ review type studies
_ student example

HOMEWORK FOR MONDAY :)
- - - - - -
Step 1: Put your best 6 logotypes and put build them in Illustrator.

Pick a range of solutions. Range is important. Capture/write down notes on how they are customized and why you think they are the top 6. (should be part of your pdf. Part of the process is you taking notes. Making observations)

- - - - - -
Step 2:
From those 6 pick your top 3. Pick the ones you think are the most successful and interesting. Again RANGE. You want to show people how broad you and think/make.

- - - - - -
Step 3: Create 5 variations of each of the top 3
. *think Draplin
*keep track on what you are doing to customize (make notes)
How can you make the logotype better? More customize, more consistent or more contrast?
reference examples on these steps: Anne | Mollie | Kiran | Elia |

- - - - - -
Resumes Exploration 10 (resume examples)
Hopefully you can choose your type styles: how to create the 3-5 levels of hierchy from your studies that were due today. They were supposed to help you. Create 10 different layouts for your resumes. Think how can you organize it into 1 column, 2, or 3 columns. You can use the same fonts or you can try a couple different ones (the goal is you get a resume that you can use and not have to redo this homework next week). Use your favorite mark so far as a place holder and don't forget your name on the resume.

- - - - - -

Organize everything while you are working.

Save all your explorations in a pdf and put it onto the google drive.

Print your resumes out black and white so we can see type sizes…

Remember how Draplin works (Watch some of Draplin wihle you are working!). You are “looking for opportunities. Drag and Duplicate and make changes. Look at the letters and make a decision and then try another. SAVE a lot.

*Also remmber you will only need to LOVE one mark all the rest of more for the experience of workign in illustrator and showing people you have RANGE. So work to impress.

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February 11, Monday
Monogram context + Resume refinement + Animation + Business Card
WATCH presentation video presenting logo
Review logotypes + 10 resumes
Pick best mark. Refine it
Pick best resume.
Refine it
What typeface(s) are you?

— What typeface are you? Try your name in at least 25 different ways (fonts, styles, case)
— Lock up your name with your logotype at least 10 different ways
— Identify the 3 you like best and why.
— Pick your favorite mongram and refine it least 5 times looking at details. Create Variations.

HOMEWORK
Refine final mark (final tweeks try 5 ideas)
Refine Resume (3 refinements)
Create 3 - 5 different business card designs. (front only)

Business card: mark, your name, cell number, email address, web address and (optional) any social media such as insta, linkedin, dribble...

Start (refine) pdf presentation (don’t wait to start this) see MONDAY Feb 18 for the full list

________________________________________________________________________________________________
February 13, Wednesday
WATCH presentation video presenting logo
Review:
Refined Mark, Resume, Business Card
Test mark on as Behance and Instagram profiles.
Plan animated gif for Instagram and try it out. DIRECTIONS

Animated gif should have some concept /reason to it. Try a few animations ideas before you come up with your final. Focus on showing us how your mark is created. Something interesting. You are not just blurring it or glitching it onto the screen. SIZE IS 640px x 640px

Create animated gif for instagram: !!!!! HERE ARE SOME TIPS !!!!!!
Gif size 640px x640pm (you can do it as a gif or do it in aftereffects hand in as .gif or .mov)

HOMEWORK
Refine and create deliverables for Logotype project: see MONDAY Feb 18

** Start looking for at least 3 different books you could redesign you need only 1 but you need to give yourself choices so we can talk pros and cons of each.

________________________________________________________________________________________________
February 18, Monday

PRINT OUT

Resume
Business Card

POST MONOGRAM
Change your Instagram profile image to your monogram*
Change your Behance profile image to your monogram*
Post animated gif on your instagram page is optional

DIGITAL HAND IN
Presentation pdf. (yourname_presentation.pdf)
You will be presenting your pdf in class on Monday
.
Resume.pdf (yourname_
Business Card (yourname_
Animated gif or .mov 640px x 640px (yourname_
and
Yourname_Logotype.ai: Clean illustrator file with just your mark about 3 in tall or wide. Make sure it is clean. No live stokes the strokes shoudl be paths and you need to use the pathfinder to merge. Will look at your illustrator file for CRAFTand craft will be 10% of your grade.

Create a folder with your name and put your mark in illustrator, presentation pdf, resume pdf, business card pdf and animated gif/mov in the folder and upload it to the google drive.

PRESENTATION + PROCESS (use a grid)
Landscape :: WideScreen 1280 by 720 pixels
01. You name and Story or Challenge
*start with the logotype you went with for the final
02. Logo on White
03. Logo split screen (on white, on black)
04. Logo on white locked up with your name
05. Logotype on a resume + b-card
06. Logo small maybe on your profile
07. Show how your logotype is constructed
08. Storyboard of your animation 3 - 6 frames
09. Next …Logo on White
10. Logo split screen (on white, on black)
11. Next …Logo on White
12. Logo split screen (on white, on black)
13. All three top logos on one screen

Then AFTER those 13 slides in the same presentation you need to move onto process organized!

PROCESS
— 60 different logotypes. Organized. Labeled by prompt.
Identify the ones you think are working. Use as many screens as you need to show this step
— Your name at least 25 different ways (fonts, styles, case)
— Best 6 of your 60 put onto the computer (one screen)/identify which
— Best 3 you think are the strongest and why.
— Read the homework above that is what goes in your pocess. All of it. Leave anything out and it will drop your grade. You are graded on doing the work and how well you explored each prompt/homework. Some of you dial it in and it will be counted against you.

Animated Gif
Show process of your animated gif/mov (you should have at least 2 different ideas you explored)

Resume process
— Resume content written in a word doc and put it in your google drive folder.
— Resume 12 studies looking for 3 - 5 levels of Hierarchy
— 10 Resume Designs
— 3 Resume Refinements

*You will be able to change your icons/profile images back to your photo or whatever after I grade the project. They are on these social media outlets so we can see if it works small on-screen and in print. After I grade you can remove as much process as you want from your pdf when you show it to other people but for me -- now I need to see it all.