Evaluation

Brief 01—Typeface

With technical ability and skill sets in mind, this has been the most beneficial of briefs this module. It has also calmed me down in times of upmost stress. The idea of designing bespoke type is one of the first reasons I got into graphic design, but is something I haven't really touched on since. The reason for embarking on this brief was to realise the value of typefaces, and to create and be able to use a typeface which either nobody else has or to sell—not for monetary value but to see other people using it. In terms of structure and aesthetic I am incredibly happy with it, but I have definitely learnt a typeface isn't bullet over night. I never did assume it to that extent, but it is still nowhere near ready for the public market. I produced it to a standard where I could be in control of its use, but nothing more than that. Everytime I give the typeface a fresh eye a few days/weeks later I seriously question what I was thinking before. I think this process has to go on for another few months before this typeface is ready for use by another party.

BRIEF 01 ≈ TYPEFACE PRODUCTION
—Final Boards

printed boards are portrait

BRIEF 01 ≈ TYPEFACE
—Development Boards

Chronological development and changes to Typeface specimens and posters.

BRIEF 01 ≈ Typeface Production
—Usage & Context

BRIEF 02 ≈ D&AD MAKE YOUR MARK
—Contact Details

Using the two previously constructed layouts for my work samples and applying them to the Analogue Wbsite.

BRIEF 01 ≈ Typeface Production
—Unexplainable Glitches


BRIEF 02 ≈ D&AD MAKE YOUR MARK
—Layout development


BRIEF 06 ≈ Design Context
— Unexplainable Glitches

BRIEF 01 ≈ TYPEFACE PRODUCTION
—Keming errors

When the typeface was in use, a few errors flagged up that had been missed in the production and kerning.

BRIEF 01 ≈ TYPEFACE PRODUCTION
—Fontographer Glitches

When making modification to the typeface in fontographer, with live text being used in InDesign, the updates often put all of the letters out of sync.

'Grilling toast until I hear the smoke alarm'
-
'Endless cups of coffee'

BRIEF 01 ≈ TYPEFACE PRODUCTION
—Kerning Pairs

                    

BRIEF 01 ≈ TYPEFACE PRODUCTION
—Kerning

Initially I kerned the alphabet from a to z in a linear fashion. Foolishly expecting this to the the only job that needed doing....

...Exported the font file and not only had it seemed to have messed up a few I thought I'd done (a-b, d-e, n-o-p etc) but with a bit of a keyboard bash, I soon realised that when letters are used outside the alphabet there's a whole world of kerning still to do...

BRIEF 01 ≈ TYPEFACE PRODUCTION
—Numerals

Making numerals, based on the previously constructed letterforms. Initially just the numbers from my phone number, but then through to all ten digits.

            

BRIEF 01 ≈ TYPEFACE PRODUCTION
—Fontographer

Everything was going pretty well up til this point. Copy and pasting from Illustrator to Fontographer, produced visuals for each letterform, but actually there was no data present. So to solve this after a few hours of researching and testing, the resolution was to import each letterform as an .eps

I also inserted them with the bounding box shown below, as I found this was the easiest way to keep the x heights in the same location.

BRIEF 01 ≈ TYPEFACE PRODUCTION
—Glyphs!@£$%^&*()_{}[]:"|;'\<>?,./ etc

Making the glyphs using all the previously produced letterforms, and studying glyphs from other typefaces.

BRIEF 01 ≈ TYPEFACE PRODUCTION
—Context

Pretty rad typeface, not sure on its origin, although I have seen James Langdon use it - maybe he poduced it as well...

Big fan of the upper case R and lower case g.

Also interesting take on the oblique.

BRIEF 01 ≈ TYPEFACE PRODUCTION
—Further digital development & fontographer

Taking all of the letters from illustrator to Fontographer. Literally just dropped all of the indivual lower case letters in and then generated the type file to see if it worked on it's most basic function. The third image below shows the live usable type.

                         

BRIEF 01 ≈ TYPEFACE PRODUCTION
—Further digital development & visual accuracy

Upon completion of all upper and lower case, words could then be created. I started with the width of all vertical strokes as the spacing between each letter. I then kerned the words visually.

BRIEF 01 ≈ TYPEFACE PRODUCTION
—Further digital development & visual accuracy

Raising the central points of the the upper case X to create a balance. Similar to having a bottom margin greater than the top.

BRIEF 01 ≈ TYPEFACE PRODUCTION
—Further digital development & consistency

Moving onto the uppercase, I took all the vertical and horizontal strokes from the lowercase and based them around the proportions and point size directed by the lower case. Started with the template below before hand drawing again, and then digitising. Focused on how important it is to keep the width of the letters consistent throughout, so nearly all of the letters fit into three size options.

BRIEF 01 ≈ TYPEFACE PRODUCTION
—Further digital development & weights

Once the basic complete lower case letters were created, (bastardised) versions of possible weights. Simply by adding a keyline. Fully aware this is not the correct way to change weight, but it gave a good enough impression of which weights work at this early stage.