OUGD403 - Muller-Brockmann's Classic Typefaces

Garamond:

Produced by French Renaissance punchcutter, Claude Garamond (1532).

Characterised by large counters in the a and e which have a horizontal crossbar. Long ascenders and descenders. F has a strong hook. Most top serifs are diagonal and lean towards the left.

Caslon:

Designed by William Caslon I (1720 - 1726).

Organic structure to represent handwriting with a pen. Serif font, generally used for extended passages of text. Short ascenders and descenders. W has three terminals and all sides of M are straight. Varied levels of slant in italics, sharp slant on A.

Baskerville:

Designed by English printer and typedesigner, John Baskerville (1757).

Transitional typeface - between modern and old-style. High contrast between thick and thin strokes. Sharp serifs. Generally used in book design. 

Times:

Produced by English typewriter and historian, Stanley Morison (1931).

Commissioned by The Times of London to redesign the newspaper's text typeface. Features sharp serifs and contrast in stroke weights. Short ascenders and descenders.

Bodoni:

Developed by Italian type designer, Giambattista Bodoni (1788).

Thick and thin strokes. Originally characterised by subtly bracketed serifs. Long ascenders and descenders compared to x-height. Narrow M and W, R features a curved leg and Q has a tail that extends vertically. Regarded as a display type.

Clarendon:

Created by Robert Besley (first published in 1845).

Designed for Thorowgood and Co. of London, a letter foundry and named after the Clarendon letterpress. Typically used in display applications, such as posters printed on metal and wood. Characterised by thick, block-like serifs, also known as slab-serifs. 

Berthold:

(Berthold Akzidenz Grotesk) 

Developed by the Berthold typefoundry, established in 1858 by Hermann Berthold. Sans-serif, grotesque originally used for commercial use, such as advertisements, forms and publicity materials. Narrow apertures. Low horizontal stoke on A. 

Helvetica:

Developed by Max Miedinger and Edouard Hoffman (1957).

An attempt to improve the Akzidenz Grotesk typeface. Includes qualities of clarity, precision and objectivity. Rounded sans-serif with large x-height. Oval shaped counters. The a is double-storied and features a tear drop shaped counter. The R stands on a curved leg.

Univers:

Produced by Swiss typedesigner, Adrian Frutiger (1954).

Neo-grotesque, sans-serif typeface, based on the Akzidenz Grotesk typeface. Described by Frutiger himself as "visual sensitivity between thick and thin strokes, avoiding perfect geometry". Used for large bodies of text.

Fig. 1. Helvetica and Garamond.

Fig. 2. Clarendon and Times.

Fig. 3. Baskerville and Berthold (Akzidenz-Grotesk).

Fig. 4. Bodoni and Caslon.

Fig. 5. Univers.

OUGD403 - Studio Brief 01 - Final Designs in Context

Further to my final logotype designs, I decided to put these into context in both digital and hand-sketched formats. To begin with I sketched out a few ideas of how my logotypes could be used on various style of perfume bottles, as well as cosmetics product packaging (which it was suggested during the final crit that they were more suited towards) to see the difference context would make on the designs.

Within the digital context, my idea of using a perfume bottle with a unique design gives the brand character, which was inspired by perfumes such as Marc Jacobs Daisy, after it was also suggested that the logotypes needed more nuonces and unique defining characteristics.



































After this experimentation, I still believe that my final designs are more suited for a women's cosmetics brand rather than a women's perfume, therefore I would need to pick up on what makes it more guided towards cosmetics if I were to continue with the development of this project in the future.

OUGD403 - Studio Brief 01 - Final Crit Evaluation

The main feedback received from this final group crit was that my logotype looked more like a general cosmetics brand rather than a women's perfume, such as Cowshed. I had already critiqued myself on this so therefore came as no shock. It was suggested that this may change once put into context, as this can make a lot of difference to how a typeface looks. To help with this I should research into the unique styles of perfume bottles, such as Marc Jacob's Daisy perfume, and impose one of my final designs onto a bottle. However, it was also suggested that the logotype itself also needs more character and nuonces in order to make it unique and give it a more high-end feel.

The individual ligature was also discussed during this session. The general consensus was that the 'me' ligature worked best, as scents and fragrances are unique to everyone so reflects individuality and self-indulgence the most. Not many people understood what the 'um' ligature stood for, which I agree, as without an explanation it is not very obvious and does not relate much to the characteristics of a perfume.

My decision in adding serifs to Futura was well regarded, however another suggestion was that I should have experimented more with Bodoni before disregarding it for use in my final designs.

OUGD403 - Studio Brief 01 - Final Designs

In all of these designs you can see various elements from my initial design sketches that I have continued to work with, such as the use of Futura, ligatures, and adding serifs to certain letterforms.
Fig. 1 and 2 show my first two designs, both very similar with the only differences being that fig. 2 uses serifs on the me ligature and has a thicker line around the letterforms of the first section, whereas fig. 1 uses thinner line weights and has no serifs added. The decision to cut out the last letter e in the word presume was made in considering how the word is spoken, as typically the last letter isn't pronounced. However, instead I separated the last two letters to create a ligature 'me' to represent the idea of a high-end perfume being self-indulgent and a scent unique to particular individuals. And the use of wide-spread kerning in these designs represents brands such as Tommy Hilfiger, Versace and Bvlgari, suggesting sophistication and a clean layout.

Producing these logotypes in monochrome and avoiding the use of colour was another design decision of mine, as I did not want colour to distract the logotypes away from the idea of being 'classy'. Black and white is quite a clean and neutral colour scheme, with black also suggesting sophistication.

Fig. 1.

Fig. 2.

One piece of feedback I gained from an interim crit of my initial idea sketches recommended that I experiment with using the ligature designs to create a logo in themselves. This idea can be seen incorporated into my other designs shown in Fig. 4 and 5, as well as the logo for Calvin Klein. The kerning in these three designs isn't as wide as that shown in fig. 1 and 2 because I did not want the individual letterforms to seem disjointed where the ligature has been used within the word rather than isolated from it.

Fig. 3.

Fig. 4.

Fig. 5 shows my final chosen design. I chose this design because I felt that it worked more than any of my other designs to represent all the essential characteristics of a perfume brand I have already mentioned previously. Not only this but I feel the ligature is a lot cleaner and smooth than any of the others I had tried, and it is the part of the word in which most emphasis is put on when spoken. I wanted to create a logo for a brand in which people would instantly recognise from a couple of letters rather than the whole brand name, and I feel as though I have achieved this through the use of ligatures. However, if I were to improve on this design I would perhaps use bracketed serifs rather than non-bracketed to create a better sense of luxury, as at the moment it looks more like a general cosmetics brand rather than a high-end perfume.

Fig. 5.

OUGD403 - Studio Brief 01 - Initial sketches

My initial sketches for my logotype experiment with the use of ligatures, accents and diacritics, and two proposed typefaces; Futura and Bodoni.

As a starting point, I decided to experiment with various accents found in different languages, where to place them and how this could potentially put emphasis on certain parts of the word, such as over individual letters as well as between two letters to almost connect them.

Fig. 1. Initial experimentation with Bodoni and the use of accents.

From the sketches displayed in Fig. 1, I decided to focus on the accented u, as I felt that this worked the best in connecting and putting emphasis on individual letters, but also makes reference to the origins of the word presume as coming from the Latin praesumere which typically has an accented u.

Fig. 2. Initial experimentation with Bodoni and Futura, the use of
ligatures and kerning.

I mainly focused on creating ligatures from the letters s, u and m because I felt that these worked well together and were the those letters which have the most emphasis put onto them when the word is spoken. This is also heightened through the use of the accent. (Fig. 2).
Bodoni being a serif font, allowed me to connect words into ligatures through the serifs of individual letterforms. It is also a traditional font in terms of character and suggests class or luxury, therefore making it a suitable typeface for use in a perfume brand. However, Futura also worked well in suggesting cleanliness and a more contemporary look, so with my target audience being young adult females I decided to start focusing more on this typeface rather than Bodoni (Fig. 3).

Fig. 3. Initial experimentation with Futura, incorporating ligatures
and kerning.

The above initial idea sketches were shown during an interim crit session and the feedback I received was largely varied, with some preferring the use of Bodoni whilst others preferred Futura, commenting that they both suggest class and luxury. However, one piece of feedback from this session suggested that I tried adding serifs to Futura in order to combine the two typefaces, as well as to give the font it's own sense of tradition and class. (Fig. 4).

Fig. 4. Experimentation with adding serifs to Futura
and suggested ligatures.

At first glace I felt this design looked more of a cheap brand trying to look sophisticated, however further feedback showed people thought this design suggested a sense of elegance. So I decided to work with this idea, keeping the kerning fairly equally spaced so that the ligature would not look too disjointed. This then went on to form the basis of my final logotype designs.

OUGD403 - Rebrands: Co-op

The Co-op or the Co-operative has recently undergone a major rebrand which returns to the use of their 1960's clover-leaf shaped logo. The project to redesign their logo began in 2014 and after considering an entirely new identity for the company, it was decided that what the company needed was a return to their historic logo and the roots of the company, suggesting that "it is a symbol and a wordmark and that's impossible to beat for a graphic designer. It's never dated".

Fig. 1. Co-op rebrand.

However, many designers believe that returning to a previous identity is something of a radical act, as it brings an element of history back into the present world where it's historic and symbolic meaning could be changed. But some designers think this is a good thing as it suggests a modern brand for younger and future generations to come, whereas 'The C-operative' logo can be seen as too formal.

Fig. 2. Co-op before 2014 rebrand.

I personally feel that the decision to return to it's original logo is a wise one, as I feel it attracts a wider range of customers, starting from those who would be old enough to remember the original logo as well as appealing to a younger audience to whom the logo would look more contemporary than it's previous. The small aperture within the letter C and way in which the bowl of the letter P is not fully enclosed keeps all letterforms in sync with each other. The close kerning and short descender on P links back to it's suggested layout of being a clover leaf but as a result also avoids problems of illegibility if the letterforms were touching. The use of type is more playful and not as serious as 'The Co-operative', but also works better in it's colourful packaging designs, which seems to make the products look more 'fresh'.

Fig. 3.

Fig. 4. 

Fig. 5.

OUGD403 - Studio Brief 01 - Research into Perfume Brands

Looking into existing perfume brands and companies and their logos acted as a starting point for my own logotype. This allowed me to find essential characteristics and elements which are used in such brands. It became evident fairly quickly that many existing perfume brand use serif fonts in their designs due to their traditional, classic elements which can be seen as communicating class and sophistication or luxury; typically what you want from a perfume brand. Such examples include:

Fig. 1. Giorgio Armani.

Fig. 2. Lancome.

Fig. 3. L'Occitane.

The first modern perfume was produced in 1370 especially for Queen Elizabeth of Hungary. This perfume was known as 'Hungary Water'. Therefore, this strengthens the idea of using a traditional, classy serif typeface in order to represent the origins of perfume as produced for royalty. Bodoni would therefore be considered as a suitable typeface for this brief.

However, many other modern perfumes also use sans-serif fonts, such as:

Fig. 4. Calvin Klein.

Fig. 5. Chanel.

Fig. 6. Dolce & Gabbana.

Sans-serif fonts are seen as more contemporary and clean than serif fonts, which are two more essential characteristics of a perfume brand that make it attractive to an audience, although possibly more guided towards a younger audience, whereas serif fonts are suited to an older demographic due to their traditional style and history.
Futura (being a sans-serif font and one of Vignelli's six basic typefaces) was developed in the 1920's, the same time as the Art Deco era came about. This era has provided inspiration for various perfume brands and packaging, therefore could be considered for use in my own perfume logotype.

Another characteristic of some but not all perfume logotypes is the use of accents and diacritics. These would most generally be used when the origin of the perfume comes from a different country and so naturally use accents and diacritics in their language anyway. An example of this can be seen in Fig. 2. However, I potentially use these to change the pronunciation of my given word or put stress on certain parts. The Latin word praesūmere uses an accented 'u' which I can experiment with in the design of my logotype to reflect ideas of exoticness and uniqueness.

OUGD403 - Studio Brief 01 - Logotype

Brief: To produce a series of logotypes for a brand or company of your choice. Working with distinct letterforms, you will use and/or re-purpose a typeface to appropriately represent a brand.

Presume

Definition: To assume or take beforehand esp. to do or undertake without leave or authority previously obtained.

Verb

1. To suppose that something is the case on the basis of probability.

2. Be arrogant or impertinent enough to do something.

• To make unjustified demands; take liberties.
• Unjustifiably regard something as entitling one to privileges.  

Origins:

Comes from two Latin words prae, meaning before and sumere, meaning to take. Later on in history, these words were combined to create the word praesūmere, meaning to anticipate. Then translated into Old French presumer, until eventually also being translated into Late Middle English as presume. (1300 - 1350)

How could this word reflect a brand?

Particularly interested in the Latin word praesūmere, meaning to anticipate. The idea of anticipation reminded me of perfume advertisements in how the majority are sexualised and reflect the idea of seduction. Accents and diacritics are also used a lot in perfume names, to reflect the country of origin of the brand/company, therefore the accented u in praesūmere is also of interest.

Presume Branding:

A form of disruption branding. This is where the company aims to make people realise the presence of a product, achieved by placing products in those places where they are assumed to get a lot of recognition and exposure. For example, product placement in movies and TV shows, as well as online when placing notes or photographs on a website.

(Brand Psychology: Consumer Perceptions, Corporate Reputations - Jonathon Gabay, 2015, page 101).

OUGD403 - Vignelli's Six Basic Typefaces

"Out of thousands of typefaces, all we need are a few basic ones, and trash the rest" - Massimo Vignelli (2015). He believed that there are only six basic typefaces that we should be using for everything. These are:

1. Garamond
2. Bodoni
3. Futura
4. Helvetica
5. Times Roman
6. Century Expanded

Garamond:

Produced by French Renaissance punchcutter, Claude Garamond (1532).

Characterised by large counters in the a and e which have a horizontal crossbar. Long ascenders and descenders. F has a strong hook. Most top serifs are diagonal and lean towards the left.

Bodoni:

Developed by Italian typedesigner, Giambattista Bodoni (1788).
Thick and thin strokes. Originally characterised by subtly bracketed serifs. Long ascenders and descenders compared to x-height. Narrow M and W, R features a curved leg and Q has a tail that extends vertically. Regarded as a display type.

Century:

Developed by Lynn Boyd Benton and Theodore De Vinne, specifically to print Century Magazine (1900).

Carefully determined stroke weights, character heights and spacing of letterforms. Characteristics of each letter are slightly exaggerated. Produced to be a readable typeface.

Futura:

Designed by German designer and educator, Paul Renner (1930).

Inspired by Russian Constructivism movement and elemental geometry. All strokes made of a single line weight. The o is a perfect circle and a, b, d, p and q were designed by adding straight vertical lines to the circle. 

Times Roman:

Produced by English typewriter and historian, Stanley Morison (1931).

Commissioned by The Times of London to redesign the newspaper's text typeface. Features sharp serifs and contrast in stroke weights. Short ascenders and descenders. 

Helvetica:

Developed by Max Miedinger and Edouard Hoffman (1957).

An attempt to improve the Akzidenz Grotesk typeface. Includes qualities of clarity, precision and objectivity. Rounded sans-serif with large x-height. Oval shaped counters. The a is double-storied and features a tear drop shaped counter. The R stands on a curved leg.

Fig. 1. Bodoni and Futura.

Fig. 2. Century Expanded and Garamond.

Fig. 3. Times New Roman and Helvetica.

OUGD403 - The Vignelli Canon, Massimo Vignelli

Vignelli's aim in publishing this book was to better inform young designers of typographic principles in the hope of improving their design skills, as he believed that "creativity needs the support of knowledge to be able to perform at it's best".

Part one focuses on what he calls 'the intangibles', which includes ideas on topics such as appropriateness and discipline, with the most important aspects of design, in his opinion, being semantics, syntactics and pragmatics.

Semantics refers to the search for meaning of whatever it is we have to design. Vignelli believed that this can be achieved in any project through researching the history of the subject to better understand the nature of the project and to find the most appropriate direction for design development. He stated that "design without semantics is shallow and meaningless, but unfortunately ubiquitous". In order to completely understand a subject in all of it's aspects we much relate to the receiver as well as the sender so that it makes sense to both, which means to say the design must have meaning. 

I believe Vignelli is both right and wrong in his opinions of semantics. I believe that for a work to be more informed, it should have a meaning behind it. However, there will always be some form of meaning behind everything we do, even if we may not be aware of it, therefore nothing we ever do is meaningless.

The idea of syntactics is the discipline that controls the proper use of grammar in the construction and articulation of phrases and design language. In graphic design this concerns the use of grids, typefaces, text, and illustrations, for instance. For a design to be consistent there must be an appropriate relationship between various syntactical elements in a project. For example, how type relates to the use of grids and images, and how type sizes relate to each other. 

In terms of pragmatics and discipline, Vignelli believed that "whatever we do, if not understood, fails to communicate and is wasted effort" and "without it [discipline] there is no good design, regardless of style", suggesting that design without discipline is anarchy. These ideas relate back to his ideas of semantics, that if there is no meaning behind a piece of work or the meaning is not communicated effectively, then that piece of work is useless. However, nothing is a wasted effort. Even if a piece of work does not effectively communicate the desired message, through the time and work put into such piece of work so much will have been learnt to help you grow as a designer. It allows you to see where you went wrong and what needs improving, whilst also learning new skills that can help to inform your own practice as a graphic designer.

Part two focuses on 'the tangibles', which includes typefaces, grid systems, colour and layout. In terms of typography, Vignelli's main belief was "I don't believe that when you write dog the type should bark", suggesting he prefers more objective approaches. He believed that there are six typefaces which should only ever be used and these are: Futura, Helvetica, Bodoni, Century Expanded, Times Roman and Garamond. The idea that 'type should not bark', I believe, depends on it's appropriateness and how it is used. If used in an appropriate way, decorative fonts could be quite effective in communication, such as in aid of the teaching of a young child. However, not all type needs to be like this, therefore there should be a balance when considering such elements.

In relation to these ideas of typography, Vignelli also believed that the relationship between type and paper sizes is an important aspect of design. He believed, for instance, that the size of the type should not be increased to make the message louder, and calls this "intellectual vulgarity". White space provides silence amongst a design and this should be the essence of all typographic designs.

Overall, Vignelli is an extremely opinionated designer. In terms of this publication acting as an aid to help young designers in their practice, most of the ideas and principles should be considered but interpreted in an individual way. Otherwise you would not develop your own sense of style and informed design practice, but instead regurgitating Vignelli's own personal opinions. 

OUGD403 - Study Task 03 - Kerndown

Task: Using between four and six letterforms, in groups we had sixty seconds to create a logotype for a specific type of company or brand given to us, where we had to consider the use of kerning and how this represents the brand and the way the type is 'read'.
This task was aimed at showing us the impact of kerning in typography, how we unconsciously recognise certain brands or companies based on their use of kerning and how the brand is represented through this.

(1). Luxury car brand.

The kerning for a luxury car brand was typically identified as wide-spread by most groups, as you would see in examples such as, BMW, Jaguar, Peugeot and Bentley.

The slight rotation of letterforms was another element the group thought would make it distinguishable as a luxury car brand. However others were not sure this would typically be used in this particular context, although adding a character trait which could potentially make a real brand recognisable.

Fig. 1. Luxury car brand.

(2). Budget food brand.

It was recognised that a budget food brand would have very basic kerning and virtually no defining characteristics, therefore the group made no attempt to strategically kern the letterforms. In relation to this, it was agreed that budget food brands rarely use a baseline when setting out their type, therefore we set each letterform within the x-height and took the 'S' below the baseline where it would not normally sit.

Through rotation of the letter 'M' the group created a crown shape that sits on top of the letter 'P' to represent how many budget food brands have a small image above or next to the type, such as Aldi, Morrisons Savers and Lidl, which rotates the 'i' slightly. Similar arrangements can also be seen in company logotypes such as McDonalds, Pizza Hut and Pepsi.

Fig. 2. Budget food brand.

(3). Condom company.

For this particular company, the group made an attempt to keep the kerning of the letterforms fairly equal-spaced, in order to keep the letterforms looking clean and tidy. If this was not the case then the brand may not be perceived as reliable or trustworthy, which is why clean and strategic kerning is particularly important for use in brands such as Durex.

However, the kerning and layout of the letterforms was also seen as generally quite playful in condom brand logotypes so to represent the nature of the brand and company. Therefore, the group attempted to create an image that sits next to the main type using rotation and manipulation of spare letterforms to create a shape of a phallic nature to, again, represent the nature of the brand. However, in the sixty seconds that we had to create this logotype the 'image' extends below the baseline which does not look as clean as it should for this type of brand, therefore next time the group should perhaps move this up slightly so that the 'O' sits on the baseline with the rest of the letterforms.

Fig. 3. Condom company.

(4). IT company.

The purpose of most IT companies is to connect with clients and the services they provide. Therefore the kerning for this logotype should be very tight and close-spaced to represent this 'connecting' connotation of the type of company. The group decided to push the letterforms together so they are practically touching, however the kerning style for most IT companies is close but never touching, as this can cause problems in how the letterforms are read. It also represents a sense of uniformity within the logotype.

Fig. 4. IT company.

(5). Indie band.

The group decided that the branding for an indie band should make use of manipulation and rotation of the letterforms, therefore arranging them into a shape that resembles a square. To do this the letter 'S' was turned onto it's side and the letter 'a' was pushed to a slight angle, sitting between the 'M' and the straight section of the letter 'd'.

Fig. 5. Indie band.

Again, the kerning is close but not quite touching, apart from the spacing between the bottom two letters which is considerably wider than the kerning of rest of the letterforms.
The layout of this type therefore resembles the word 'indie' as being 'independent' and not the typical layout or kerning you would see more typically in big company logotypes.

This task certainly achieved it's aims in showing me the importance of kerning in typography, as it can have a huge impact on the way the brand or company is viewed by an audience of people or clients. It also made me consider how certain companies mostly stick to a specific way of kerning in order to represent themselves in a particular way, and I will be sure to strategically make use of kerning in my own design work.

OUGD403 - Study Task 02 - Ligatures

This task was to design and develop a new character for a typeface of our choice, and should be designed as a response to a pre-identified problem.

In order to decide what our ligature would be used for, we looked into common abbreviations used by ourselves and others in text speech, and decided to focus on 'because' or 'cos' and 'no way'.

Fig. 1. Quick initial idea sketches.

Our initial idea was to create a ligature for these words which would symbolise the shape and form of their original letterforms. For example, using the combination of all letters in the abbreviations, starting with 'cos'. As you can see in Fig. 2, some basic elements of each original letterform remain, such as the C, S and the O, some parts being the whole and others being created out of the negative space of the joining of other letterforms.

Fig. 2. Ligatures for the abbreviation 'cos'.

However, we felt that these were far too obvious and held on too much to the original letterforms. So instead, we started to focus on creating a ligature for the phrase 'no way'.
Again, we began by looking at the original letterforms within this phrase, but this time using these more as a starting point and only focusing on the main letters such as N and W to represent the first letters of each word. Some variations also included elements of the letter Y and an exclamation point to represent the way in which the phrase would be spoken.

Fig. 3. Initial ideas for 'no way' ligature.

After feedback from a group crit, we realised that we had still been too obvious and that to improve, the ligature should look slightly more abstract and that we should perhaps emphasise the letter O a bit more. Another piece of feedback was to experiment with deconstructing the letterforms to be more simplistic, as this ligature would also possibly have to be utilised in everyday handwriting.

Therefore, as developments from this crit we looked more into how the phrase would be spoken and realised that it could be used as both a statement and question, so decided to incorporate this into our design. We did this through the use of curved lines and the deconstruction of the exclamation point to symbolise pitch of voice and to distinguish between the use of the phrase as a question and as a statement, as shown in Fig. 4.

If we were ever to take this task further or re-design our ligature, it was discussed that more research should have been done into the history of the words, phrases and abbreviations themselves as to create more depth and meaning of the ligature rather than just a simpler version of the actual word.

Fig. 4. Final designs for ligature.

OUGD403 - Study Task 01 - Research Trip: YSP and The Hepworth

The task for this trip was to document any examples of negative space, silhouettes and sculptural typographic forms observed on this trip to Yorkshire Sculpture Park and The Hepworth, using photography, sketches and any other appropriate method of documentation.

Working in a small group, we decided to use perspective in order to create a letterform making use of our surroundings in the sculpture park (Fig. 1). This was achieved by wrapping masking tape around various trees at different heights and with this we created the letter Z when looked at a specific angle. However, when looked at different angles this also created a letter X or no letterforms at all. For this, we took inspiration from the work of Stefan Sagmeister. Although, the letterform was fairly compressed due to not being able to reach higher levels on the trees.

Fig. 1. Wrapping masking tape around trees at different levels to create
the letterform Z - inspired by Stefan Sagmeister.

Not only did we create our own letterforms within the sculpture park, but we also found existing letterforms within individual sculptures, such as Henry Moore's 'Large Two Forms' through the use of it's negative space.

Henry Moore - Large Two Forms (1966)

Letterforms O and J created using the negative space of Henry Moore's
sculpture, Large Two Forms.

Letterforms P and r created from the same sculpture.

Letterforms could also be found in Barbara Hepworth's sculpture series 'Family of Man', such as the letters o, l, and i.

Barbara Hepworth - Family of Man (1970)

Barbara Hepworth - Family of Man (1970)

I decided to not only document these sculptures in photographic forms, but also through the use of collage using basic shapes and a minimal colour palette to represent these sculptures, which could then also help in creating a potential typeface.

Example of research trip documentation in sketchbook.

OUGD403 - Study Task 01 - Structural Type: HandMadeFont

HandMadeFont is an Estonian design company, founded in 2008 by Vladimir and Maksim Loginov. These designers specialise in developing untraditional fonts made out of everyday objects and materials, ranging from paperclips, food and even body hair.

The images below show their paperclip font, which takes on a similar style to my own experimentation with creating letterforms out of paperclips. Theirs differs from mine in that they have managed to create each letterform or character out of a single clip. In this way the font can be seen as more standardised, whilst mine made use of multiple clips for particular more tricky letterforms. The bowls and loops of letterforms are more triangular whereas mine are more rounded. This may be the main reason why I found it hard to manipulate the clips into some letterforms due to my approach in making them circular. A paper clip is made of mostly straight lines, therefore it would have been easier to make a triangular shape, as has been done in HandMadeFont's paper clip typeface.

OUGD403 - Study Task 01 - Structural Type

This task was to find letterforms in the environments around us as well manipulating everyday objects to create letterforms.

Experimentation with creating letterforms out of everyday paper clips.

Paper clips photographed in context - e.g. clips typically used to hold things in
place, such as hair.

Typographic paper cutting and fold by scoring the bottom edges of each
letterform - scanned using various methods and movements to
create shadows and manipulate the letterforms.

More experimentation with scanning - using manipulated paperclips to
create the word 'copy'. Moving the letterforms over the surface in
various ways to manipulate them even further.

Further experimentation with scanning - creating the word 'scan' out of
the same paperclips. Quick, sharp movements.