D0105 Diploma of Graphic Design

Assessment 3: Presentation

SP5 CUVGRD503A Produce typographic design solutions

By Colleen Sedgwick (E0498336)

OC assessment code: 31188/01

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Assessment overviewIntroduction

You are required to complete Assessment 3: Presentation, which includes• A 500 word article on typography• A visual diary of photographs of the letters T, Y, P and E that

are constructed by nature and/or man-made objects that have been constructed without the intention of being type

• An eNewsletter design utilising the content that you have created in the previous two parts.

Objective

Type can not only be created by the computer but it can also be created through hand-drawing, painting and sculpture. For this assessment, we are going to learn that type can even be constructed by nature and man-made objects that have been constructed without the intention of being type. For instance, we can see the letter O or the number zero when we see a solar eclipse in the sky; we can see the letter ‘P’ when we look at a stair-hand rail at a certain angle.

For more inspiration visit http://www.createsticksandstones.com/letters.aspx

File namingOnce you feel confident that you have covered the learning materials for this unit, you are ready to attempt this assessment. To help Open Colleges manage your assessment, please use the following file-naming convention: [student number]_[assessment]_[assessment number].doc For example, 12345678_21850a_01.docAssessment submissionWhen you are ready to submit your assessment, upload the file in OpenSpace using the Assessment Upload links in the relevant study period of your course. The Student Lounge provides a ‘Quick Guide to Uploading Assessments’ if you need further assistance. Uploading assessments in OpenSpace will

enable Open Colleges to provide you with the fastest feedback and grading on your assessment.It is important that you keep a copy of all assessment materials submitted to Open Colleges.

Tips

We strongly recommend you complete all activities and engage in the student forums throughout the module.

Elements and critical aspects

Assessment for this unit of competency is comprised of:• 31188/01 Assessment 3 Presentation

You will be assessed on your understanding of:• Research of type as visual communication• Analysis of design needs• Development of ideas for typographic solutions• Manipulation and integration of type within the overall design

31188a – Progress Challenge 01

Article on typographyYou are required to:

• Write a 500-word article examining why and how graphic designers use typography resolve a design.

• You must cite at least one example newsletter featuring typography.

• Use research to evaluate how this has been influenced by past and current trends and the implications on your own practice.

• You may also explain a bit about the history of type, fashions and the different typefaces as long as you address that type can also be created by nature and manufactured objects.

NOTE: You will be able to integrate feedback from discussions and self-check submission, for integration into Assessment 3 Part A.

Answer

A Brief History of Typography1

During Pre-historic times, European and Indigenous cave dwellers painted or carved on cave walls. Hieroglyphics (pictographs) followed, and then calligraphy (the art of writing with a fountain pen or quill).

The time-consuming nature of writing gave way letter punches, stamps, seals and other machines used to produce text efficiently and consistently. The Gutenberg Bible, invented in Germany, used a style of lettering called Black letter2.

1 Open Colleges Australia (2014): Research – History, theory and practice in CUV50311, Diploma of Graphic Design, Study Period 5: Establish, negotiate and produce solutions Module 2 Typography basics, https://learning.opencolleges.edu.au/fe/GraphicDesign/studyperiod5/module2-topic1.php; 2 Jones, S (2013): ‘The History of Typography in Five Minutes’, in Web Designer Depot, http://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2013/10/the-history-of-typography-in-5-minutes;

The Rise of PrintRoman script re-emerged during the Renaissance, drawing its inspiration from Roman Times. Its thinner script, clearer, simpler lettering, more harmonious or symmetrical shapes, and contrasting thick and thin strokes and serifs (strokes on the ends of the letters) all made it easier to read.

The Eighteenth and Nineteenth centuries saw the onset of slab serif typefaces – variations of serif typefaces that were taller, wider or bolder than their Roman counterparts, and therefore, more noticeable (all useful in advertising).

Sans serifs, invented before the Twentieth Century, later rose in popularity. Their characteristics - no serifs, even strokes and geometric shapes - made them easier to read and suitable for headings and signage.

Who determines the design?While text is useful for resolving a ‘design problem’ (i.e. enhancing readability, gaining the reader’s attention), one could argue that design layout is also important. So, is the designer, employee or member of the public responsible for this set-up?

You can see an example of layout and typesetting in Gopinath’s account of The Patriot3, an Indian-based newspaper undergoing technological change during the 1980’s. Originally, this broadsheet publication used lead-based typesetting methods and eight-column layouts, which took on the appearance of stepladders.

The Rise of ComputersThe introduction of computers, phototypesetting and photo bromides changed the layout from uneven to even column lengths; and the kind of type used. Moreover, the employees (handling the equipment) were responsible for this change – with no inputs from designers at all.

The increased use of computers in homes and business has meant more fonts and typefaces available. Increased mobile phone (‘smart phone’) or

3 Gopinath, C Y (2016): Design or Get Undesigned, in Smashing Magazine, http://www.smashingmagazne.com/2016/04/design-or-get-undesigned;

tablet (iPad) usage and content-heavy websites and blogs, called for thinner, ‘flat’ typefaces, enabling more content to fit onto smaller screens, and users to read the text.

Meanwhile, the larger screens on desktop computers and digital TV have allowed for more skeuomorphic images and higher definition fonts.

You could argue that modern technology is a ‘game changer’ in text design. Measures in traditional media (grammage, length, width, thickness and colour [CMYK values]) have given way to monitor size, resolution, pixel depth, pixel shape and RGB (red, green and blue) values; and content priorities, previously measured by size, type strength and width, are now measurable by keywords, tags and search-engine optimization.

One may thus argue the need for more information, at a greater speed, while still being ‘presentable’, has given rise to the need for computers; all prompting changes in the means by which designers have tackled the ‘design problem’ itself.

While some might believe that the Internet has ‘killed’ print, David Carson (type designer)4 likened the Internet’s competition with print to that between photography and illustration. We still need print for environmental design, to draw readers to the internet and the public still read newspapers and magazines – so my answer to this is ‘not yet’.

Clockwise from Top Right: RAGE (TV program on the Australian Broadcasting Network, or ABC) - screenshot of the App on my iPod touch; video clip (from the same TV program, this time seen on my TV; and my computer.

4 Carson, D (2003): Design and Discovery, in TED.com, http://www.ted.com/talks/david_carson_on_design/transcript?language=en;

31188a – Progress Challenge 2By Colleen Sedgwick

Visual photo diaryFor each of the following letters in the word ‘type’ (T, Y, P and E), take at least two photos of the letter that have been constructed by nature or a man-made object that does not have the intention of constructing type.

For each image, you are required to write 25 words on why and how you selected these images and how this process could inform future industry practice.

Note: you are not permitted to include letters that have been constructed to be part of signage. Also, you are also not permitted to ‘alter’ nature in order to create the type (e.g. you are not allowed to break a tree branch into separate twigs and then position them together to create a letter).

NOTE: You will be able to integrate feedback from discussions and self-check submission, for integration into Assessment 3 Part B.

AnswerThese are some pictures that I took of some tiles in my bathroom. The reason being is they happen to resemble the letters T-Y-P-E

.

The larger rectangle on top of two squares resembles a ‘T’ – you can see one horizontal line on top of a vertical line.

The square is nested within two rectangles – turned on a 45 degree angle, it resembles the letter ‘Y’

When these same shapes are at right angles, flipped and upright, they resemble the letter ‘P’.

The same shapes used in the letter ‘T’ are also used for the letter ‘E’ when turned at a 90 degree angle.

How could they inform future industry practice?

1. Firstly, they can be used for signage and way finding – especially in places where a lot of tiles are used, like railway stations, pubs, shopping malls and public amenities (toilets). They could add a lot of interest and character to the place.

2. Secondly, they could prove useful for the study of Pareidolia – or the understanding of how one perceives a particular pattern in a stimulus where none actually exists in that stimulus5. For instances, if one sees animals when they are looking at clouds or they see the ‘man in the moon’ when looking at the moon. In this instance, I see letterforms when looking at the tiles in my bathroom, because of the way the tiles are arranged.

5 Wikipedia (2016): Pareidolia, in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pareidolia

31188a – Progress Challenge 03

eNewsletter design

Required• Design an eNewsletter utilising the information that you have produced in the previous two parts.

• The article that you have written in part A will be the content of the newsletter.

• The title of it will be ‘TYPE’, and the letters will be created out of the selection of letters that you have photographed in part B.

• Start by sketching out ideas, and once you have experimented move to using your choice of technology.

• We recommend InDesign to layout your work and manipulate typography in this exercise.

• You will be assessed on how well you can integrate the title ‘TYPE’ with the rest of the copy as well as the overall design.

For that reason, you are required to add other elements such as shape, colour and photos where necessary.

• Dimensions: 600 pixels wide, 600 pixels height (minimum)

• Colour: RGB

• Resolution: 72-144dpi

• Format: JPEG

NOTE: You will be able to integrate feedback from discussions and self-check submission, for integration into Assessment 3 Part C.

AnswerWhile the original colour of my type is a powder pink, I decided to convert it all to black and white so it could be more easily incorporated into a newspaper look.

Here are is a photomontage of the letterforms I have created from the tile layout.

Properly refined, it would probably look like this:

However, I decided to keep the photographic image and, in keeping with the ‘newspaper’ look, I used a newsprint filter so it would look like this:

And with a little colour, it might look like this:

But left alone (and with the letterforms together), it would look like this:

For the overall design, I have sketched out three styles, these can be seen opposite to this text, and on the next page.

The following page has two styles I have designed using InDesign.

31188a – Progress Challenge 04

ENewsletter reflection

RequiredWrite a 200-word reflection on how your research and experimentation informed your work in challenges 1-3, regarding choice of typography and layout for a design.

Include critical analysis of how you used the fundamental elements and principles of design.

NOTE: You will be able to integrate feedback from discussions and self-check submission, for integration into Assessment 3, Part C.

AnswerConcerning experimentation, I saw how the layout of the tiles in my bathroom resembled particular letters – a, x and g for Learning Activity 3 and t, y, p and e for Progress Challenge 2. To get the pictures I needed, I had to focus on the lines between the tiles, and angle my camera accordingly. Other letterforms could be achieved through cutting out some parts in these pictures, or flipping or rotating the pictures.

Other elements in my letterforms included colour (converted from pink to greyscale), pattern (like splattered paint), texture (slightly bumpy) and shape (geometric - squares and right angles).

While I knew about the general history of typography and letterforms6, what I did not know about were specific times in history, where there was a relationship between technological change and design choices. One example was the use of sans-serif type with ‘flat’ design for computer and mobile phone interfaces7. Another is the onset of computers and phototypesetting, 6 Jones, S (2013): ‘The History of Typography in Five Minutes’, in Web Designer Depot, http://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2013/10/the-history-of-typography-in-5-minutes;7 Open Colleges Australia (2014): Research – History, theory and practice in CUV50311, Diploma of Graphic Design, Study Period 5: Establish, negotiate and produce solutions Module 2 Typography basics, https://learning.opencolleges.edu.au/fe/

and its effect on print design8.

I have also learned that not only is there a correlation between type and layout design and technological change, print still exists as long as we read newspapers, flyers signs and packages.

GraphicDesign/studyperiod5/module2-topic1.php; 8 Gopinath, C Y (2016): Design or Get Undesigned, in Smashing Magazine, http://www.smashingmagazne.com/2016/04/design-or-get-undesigned;

ReferencesCarson, D (2003): Design and Discovery, in TED.com, http://www.

ted.com/talks/david_carson_on_design/transcript?language=en;

Gopinath, C Y (2016): Design or Get Undesigned, in Smashing

Magazine, http://www.smashingmagazne.com/2016/04/design-or-

get-undesigned;

Jones, S (2013): ‘The History of Typography in Five Minutes’, in Web

Designer Depot, http://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2013/10/the-

history-of-typography-in-5-minutes;

Open Colleges Australia (2014): Research – History, theory and

practice in CUV50311, Diploma of Graphic Design, Study Period 5:

Establish, negotiate and produce solutions Module 2 Typography

basics, https://learning.opencolleges.edu.au/fe/GraphicDesign/

studyperiod5/module2-topic1.php;

Wikipedia (2016): Pareidolia, in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/

Pareidolia