To guide the common theme of my jobs, I thought of using the four natural elements: Water, Earth, Fire, and Air, as the main component of each job.
Then, I combined it with jobs that I have worked before which adds a twist/special element to the original jobs.
Initial job ideas/sketches:
1. Burnt Toast Scrapper
I combined the element of Fire and the job of working at a bubble tea shop that also sells toast.
2. Frozen Sushi Chef
I combined the element of Water (Ice) and the job of working at a sushi restaurant.
3. Cloud Curator
I combined the element of Air and a job that I have never worked as.
4. Floriculturist
I combined the element of Earth and the job of working at a florist.
However, I did not manage to follow the theme of using the four elements as it didn’t work out as well as I thought it would be. I will be explaining the ideation and thought process below.
Cloud Curator
I decided to use the elements of a pictureframe, glass display, and clouds in my typeface.
As mentioned in the research post, I wanted to use the style of this typeface for my Cloud Curator font. Initially, I was choosing between Times New Roman, Times New Roman (Bold), and Bodoni URW. Serif fonts look professional and stable which reflects the job of a curator. I decided on Times New Roman in the end and adjusted the width of the stern/stroke of the font according to my preference.
The glass tutorial which I used for 3 of my typefaces.
I decided to cut off a small part of the “A” and “H”, and the pedestal using the principle of gestalt (closure). The viewer will perceive the letter as a whole by filling in the information.
I decided to use a darker tone of sky blue to show that the environment is darker, to show that the light is only shone on the displays. The colour of the frame is also yellow-toned to complement the blue background.
Sweet Sushi Chef
I decided to use the elements of rice, sweets, and jelly in my typeface.
I decided to place the letters in the centre to emphasise on the fonts, and to balance out the three letters. Referring to version 5, I tried to put the A in front of S, and S in front of H to create distance between the letters. Even though it does guide the viewer’s eye from A to H, I feel that it does not balance out as a whole as A is too big compared to H. Another solution to that is to add more elements on the right side of the image, where H is placed at, to balance out the image.
I used a mixture of bright colours with saturated hues to signify playfulness and evoke a childlike feeling.
Genealogist
I decided to use the elements of a petri dish and DNA (genes) in my typeface.
I changed my initial idea of being a Burnt Toast Scrapper to a Genealogist as I wanted to see how I can create a typeface about a job that I am completely unfamiliar with.
I decided to place the letters on the right, leaving negative space on the left. Cutting off my name at “h” gives the viewer a feeling that there could be more to the letters presented here. (Gestalt)
I decided to increase the tonal value of red from the bottom up to show the relation of the ancestry component of the job. The gradient symbolises the decrease of DNA inherited from their ancestors.
Floriculturist
I decided to use the elements of flowers growing, soil, and greenhouse in my typeface.
Contrast is shown in this image in terms of the bright colour of the flowers and the dull soil base. The shadow is also used to show contrast.
It is also dynamic as perspective is shown by tilting the angle, leading the viewer’s eye from a nearer point to a further point
An anagalous colour scheme is used for this image. Red, orange and pink flowers with red toned soil. It looks more natural as a whole.
Reflection
Although this project is challenging in terms of the ideation and executing it, I feel that I have learned a lot in terms of how I think (deconstructing objects to their basic elements) and also improving my technical skills. My greatest takeaway is to always ask for feedback and accept positive criticism to improve your work. Sometimes we are so drawn into our own work that we don’t see it objectively. For example, I was thrilled to learn about creating rice using the scatter brush. However, I did not realise that the letter that I have created is not as realistic as I thought. Feedback from a friend made me improve on my work, and I am always grateful for that.
Typography is the visual art of creating written words.
5 types of typefaces
Serif | Traditional, respectable, stable
Serif fonts carry a distinguished feeling of heritage and pedigree. They make a brand feel respectable and reliable, instilling the audience with a sense of comfort that they’re in the hands of someone reputable and stable.
Serifs are super easy to read because those little feet create a subtle visual connection between the letters. This readability makes them great for paragraphs of text.
Sans serif | Simple, straightforward, sensible
Audiences perceive sans-serif fonts as clean and simplistic in a modern way. They allow the message to speak for itself without hiding behind a façade—straight and to the point in an objective way. Designers for the web often use sans serif fonts. They carry a reputation for being contemporary and current no matter what decade you use them in.
Sans Serifs are usually clean and geometric, which makes them easiest to read when they are either really large or really small. Sans serifs are often used for headlines, captions, and short descriptive texts.
Display | Friendly, quirky, unconventional
Display fonts are meant to be displayed at a large size (generally 14 pts. or higher). So, display fonts tend to have big personalities in order to draw an audience. Display fonts have to be a little on the loud side, so they’re often friendly or amusing and grab people’s curiosity.
A display typeface is a typeface that is intended for use at large sizes for headings, rather than for extended passages of body text. Display typefaces will often have more eccentric and variable designs than the simple, relatively restrained typefaces generally used for body text.
Script | Personal, feminine, fancy
Script fonts (and by extension most handwritten fonts) inspire feelings of elegance, grace, and femininity. We often use handwriting in expressions of affection. Because of this, audiences perceive these typefaces as personal, creative and genuinely heartfelt.
These typefaces have lots of swoops and curls and sometimes even look handwritten. Script typefaces look awesome for logos, large headlines, and for little details to give something a nice handmade touch.
I thought that the type for this image was very interesting as it acts as both “H” and “h”. The letter “I” is also seen at the side. Even though the type is a little confusing to understand (to see “H”, “h”, and the element of “I” at the side), I feel that this is what makes the typeface more complex, inviting the viewer to “solve” the puzzle of finding the different sides. I was intrigued to the design of this type which influenced my design for my Cloud Curator job typeface.
I thought warping/liquifying of typefaces was a really cool idea so I added this two photo sets as reference.
Job research
Cloud Curator
Cloud: a visible mass of condensed water vapour floating in the atmosphere, typically high above the general level of the ground.
Elements: Cloud, Sunny, Rainy, Lightning?
Curator: a keeper or custodian of a museum or other collection. (According to the video below, a curator is someone who 1. cares for something, 2. is a specialist, and 3. is presenting a collection. They bridge the gap between the material they are presenting to the person they are presenting it to.)
Sushi: a Japanese dish consisting of small balls or rolls of vinegar-flavoured cold rice served with a garnish of vegetables, egg, or raw seafood.
Elements: Fish, Rice, Seaweed, Tamago, Soy sauce
Chef: a professional cook, typically the chief cook in a restaurant or hotel.
Elements: Sushi knife, Sushi rice bucket
Genealogist
Genealogist: a person who traces or studies lines of family descent.
Elements: Anything related to chemistry (Microscope, Petri dish, Flasks, Test tubes, Pipette, etc.), Family tree, DNA (genes)
Floriculturist
Floriculturist: focuses on the cultivation of flowering and ornamental plants for gardens, floral industry and for export. They also develop new varieties. (Grows, cares, maintains, manages, harvests flowers.)