Project 1: Image Making Through Type (Process)

Initial Ideation

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 picture frame, 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.

v1 – Added the frames using a clipping mask to mask wood texture to the shape of the borders.
v2 – Changed the border of S.
v3 – Added in the clouds (tutorial below) + blue background, but doesn’t look realistic and still does not look like a glass display containing clouds. The “frame” looks like a stick-on wallpaper.

v4 – Added in the gallery light. Tried to add in the cloud wooden frame as a brush pictured on the top right-hand corner, but it did not work as a border for the letters at all because the illustration cannot be bent to the curvature of letters. 

 

v5 – While doing the typeface for floriculturist, I learned the 3D > Extrude & Bevel function which created a more accurate isometric perspective for the fonts. Thus, I decided to redo the fonts and removed the extra “I” element by the side. 
v6 I also found a YouTube tutorial which taught me how to make a realistic picture frame using the pre-made wood gradient in the swatches.

v7 – Added in the glass texture to show the font as a glass display, redid the clouds using the Symbols function, the blue background to show relation to the clouds, texture to the wall for more depth, and finally the pedestals with a marbled texture to show context.

The glass tutorial which I used for 3 of my typefaces.

Clouds tutorial: http://www.gtpdesigns.com/design-blog/view/tutorial-create-realistic-clouds-in-adobe-illustrator

v8 (final version) – Added shadows behind the glass displays, changed the lighting for the pedestals, and made the wall background darker to show light focusing on the cloud displays.

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. 

Sketch for initial ideation: Frozen Sushi Chef
v1 – Sketch in vector form
v2 – Tried the texture of rice using the YouTube tutorial shown below. Created my own scatter brush to do this. Also added a translucent layer of blue on top of the rice to see if it looks like ice.

v3 – Changed the colour of the ice to white with a coloured background
v4 – Placement of the letters
v5 – Placement of the letters
v6 – Placement of the letters
v7/8 – Added the texture of the salmon using the clipping mask and gradient tool.
v9 – I received feedback that the rice was not obvious as it is covered by the ice, and the rice looks like confetti. Thus, I decided to remove the ice and improve on the rice texture.
v10 – Added nori (seaweed) textured strips to the letters and also wood texture to the plate by using the clipping mask function.
v11 – Added in rice paper background, as well as shadows to make it more realistic.
v12 (final version) – I received feedback again that being a sushi chef is very common. Therefore, I thought of what other elements I can change to make “my job” more interesting than just a sushi chef. I decided to use sweets as sushi is usually savoury (when dipped in soya sauce), adding a “twist” to my job.

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. 

v1 – Base font
v2 – I wanted to shape my letter into a microscope, but I only remembered that I cannot bend objects into letters when I was already halfway done…so I redid another idea!
v3 (final version) – I decided to incorporate elements of the petri dish and DNA into my typeface. Using knowledge from previous jobs on how to create a glass texture, I was able to complete this the fastest among the other jobs. Used a metal background as grey is a neutral colour.

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. 

v1 – I added in the elements of flowers + soil + greenhouse into this typeface. I followed the YouTube tutorial below to learn how to make an isometric text effect. After going through this tutorial, I also applied and redid my Cloud Curator typeface to make it more accurate than before. The flowers used were masked in photoshop from their original images and exported as PNGs with a transparent background to illustrator. Added the shadows under the flowers as well.

v2 (final version) – Added in the glass texture, soil texture to the sides of the letters, shadow under text, and also a brown gradient background.

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.

My research is shown here:  https://oss.adm.ntu.edu.sg/a180062/project-1-image-making-through-type-research

The final outcome is shown here: https://oss.adm.ntu.edu.sg/a180062/project-1-image-making-through-type-final

 

Project 1: Image Making Through Type (Research)

Typography Research

 Typography is the visual art of creating written words.

basic parts of the anatomy of typographic characters

5 types of typefaces

serif typeface

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 typeface

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 typeface

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 typeface

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.

symbols and dingbats

 

Inspiration/Styles/References

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 the usage of textures of the typefaces in this photo set was quite realistic, therefore used it for reference. 

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🔥

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“Rolfe” by @judithandrolfe for today’s #GoodtypeTuesday with @youbringfire! • In light of our upcoming Austin workshop with @youbringfire, we asked Scott Biersack to host this week’s #GoodtypeTuesday! He wants you to letter the name of a person that you would like to thank for simply anything. Could be saying thanks for the love, the education, paying for lunch, etc. Tag it @goodtype and @youbringfire and hashtag it #GoodtypeTuesday. • As always, we will repost some of our favorites. And remember, this is all for the fun, encouragement and practice of lettering. Only positive comments and constructive feedback welcome. Multiple entries welcome. All skill levels welcome. Please only enter YOUR work. Entering your work does not make it ours. We give credit where credit is due. • This is a 24 hour activity that happens once a week! Join the Goodtype Newsletter to get a head start on the weekly #GoodtypeTuesday prompt. • Know someone who should participate? Tag 'em! 👆 #strengthinletters #goodtype #lettering #handlettering #type #typography

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“Kasi” by @kayturp representing her name with a few things like NYC, her plant friends and her long hair for today’s #GoodtypeTuesday! • This week, we teamed up with @myedeleon! Mye is a freelance lettering artist, designer and workshop leader based in Singapore. And the author of @MasteringHandLettering.  She is giving away a copy of the book to 3 of our #GoodtypeTuesday participants! • Mye believes in the importance of self-promotion because it paves the way for progress and growth through community by building friendships, collaborations and camaraderie that allows conceptualization of new ideas and opportunities to help each other not only for brand growth but for creative skills as well. • Your challenge this week is to letter your name then combine decorative elements that best represent you.

To officially enter your piece into the contest you must post it on your Instagram Feed, tag @goodtype and @myedeleon then hashtag it #GoodtypeTuesday and #GiveMeMyesBook for a chance to win a copy of Mastering Hand Lettering. • Winners will be announced via our Instagram Stories. #strengthinletters #lettering #handlettering #type #typography #art #design #illustration #graphicdesign

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Lettering by @benjohnstondesign . It's me again @ianbarnard guest curating for the @goodtype feed today, and I'm sharing some of my favourite designers and their work that have inspired me or helped me to produce the kind of work I'm doing today. . Ben Johnston is an artist & designer from Toronto, Canada. I've been following Ben's work for a long time now and seeing the progress and development of his lettering murals has been the inspiration behind me wanting to do them too. I love the variety of complex effects he adds to his type work and then goes and applies that to the side of a massive building, still with the quality and consistency that you would see on a sheet of paper. His work often pops up in other people's feeds as they take selfies in front of his murals, which is a sign of just how attractive they are. . Head over to Ben's feed to see his catalog of great work and the well produced process videos of his murals.

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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.)

Elements: Museum, Frames, Exhibitions, Hands? (to care for), Display boxes, Barricades

 

Sweet Sushi Chef

Sweet: a small shaped piece of confectionery made with sugar. (or anything sweet)

Elements: Sweets, Gummy bear, Jelly, Jam, Candy Strips

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.)

Elements: Flowers, Farming, Garden tools (Scissors, Gloves, Watering-pot, etc.), Greenhouse, Irrigation system, Outdoors

 

Colour Harmony

Some research about colour harmony from the previous assignment, Ego.

 

I will cover more on the ideation, process and different versions of these 4 jobs in my process post:  https://oss.adm.ntu.edu.sg/a180062/project-1-image-making-through-type-process

The final outcome is shown here: https://oss.adm.ntu.edu.sg/a180062/project-1-image-making-through-type-final

 

Sources:

https://design.tutsplus.com/articles/a-20-minute-intro-to-typography-basics–psd-3326?utm_source=CMblog&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=what-is-typography

http://westchicagoprinting.com/fonts-feelings/

https://edu.gcfglobal.org/en/beginning-graphic-design/color/1/

Types of Typefaces

Micro-Project 3 – Together Split

left hand v right hand

For micro project 3, we were tasked to create a collaborative performance that involves split-screen video chat features on social media. We decided to use the group video chat feature on Instagram as we were already familiar with the platform. 

Our initial plan was to form a face using parts of our face to perform a series of facial expressions.

Draft for the first idea

This was hard to execute as we were not able to “connect” our faces together on the group chat to form a face. We then decided to tell a narrative about a pair of hands, and how the owner is unable to control them and is more like a spectator instead. 

We performed it in the ADM building at different locations and coordinated our movements based on what we see on our screens. We synced our screens to show the same position before we started the performance. The objective of this performance was to entertain our viewers and also to see if we could coordinate without being physically next to each other. 

Our performance tells the story of the two hands, with one being playful and the other being more obedient. Our groupmate positioned on the top of the screen is the owner of the hands, while the rest of us acted as the hands of the owner. The owner acts as if she is a spectator of her own hands by showing her emotions through her facial expressions. The hands are able to cross boundaries (the screens) as they punch and wrestle each other. Even though we were all in different places, all three of our screens connected as one to form the third space.

The performance was improved with sound effects from the Superzoom feature on Instagram. The combination of sound and the video helps to tell the story in a more entertaining way. 

Our performance had a simple storyline but it is hard to execute as we had a limited amount of time. Even though we had rehearsed multiple times, the video still had mistakes as it was hard to coordinate through the third space. Firstly, we were not able to connect the hands properly as the dimensions of our phone are different, and it was hard to see if we were connected properly through our own screens as we were positioned in an awkward position physically. Secondly, we were only communicating through the screen, so it was hard to direct each other on the positioning of our hands through only verbal instructions. Even though we were not able to connect the hands as expected, we were happy with the outcome as we managed to bring some laughter to the class with our performance. We were still able to tell the story despite the difficulties.

This performance made me think about the possibilities of collaboration with people from all over the world. In this day and age, there is no need for creators to be present physically to collaborate together. We are able to interact with each other through the internet where we can share ideas and create new things that challenge our current outlook of the world, improving our everyday lives. We are now not limited to our locations as we can  all collaborate through the third space online (which can be platforms which are already readily available to us, e.g. social media, online telecommunication platforms)

reflection

Out of all the 3 Micro-Projects, Which project did you feel you had the most creative control? Why?

Personally, I feel that in terms of the intended outcome of the micro-projects, it would be micro-project 3. Our group and I planned, rehearsed, and performed what we set out to do. Even though it was group work, I felt that we had the same vision of performing the final piece together, therefore still being able to control the outcome of our work.

As for micro-project 1, we were not able to control the final outcome of the #1010adm third space, and the final collection of secrets in micro-project 2 which was not contributed from us. 

In terms of creativity, I feel that micro-project 1 gave me the least control as we were only limited to ADM and also had a time limit. Even though the pictures did give us a sense of belonging to the place, the pictures on the #1010adm gives off a feeling that they were rushed. 

Which project had the most unpredictable outcome? Why?

Micro-project 2 has the most unpredictable outcome as there were different creators to the artwork namely, us (the group members), and our respondents (strangers + our followers).  We were not able to control the answers of the participants as it was their own experiences. The outcome for micro-project 1 was predictable because we were all tasked to shoot at the same place where we are all familiar with. Many of the pictures that we have shot are ideas that we have thought of, therefore being able to relate to the third space. The outcome for micro-project 3 was the most predictable as we planned and rehearsed for it.

Which project best illustrates the concepts of DIWO & OpenSource? Why?

Micro-project 1 best illustrates the concepts of DIWO (Do It With Others) and Open-source as it is a collaboration among the ADM students who are using the #1010adm hashtag. It is DIWO as we worked together to create a third space on Instagram posting pictures which are unique to different creators. It is open-source as anyone can create an Instagram account, post a photo hashtagging #1010adm, contributing to the third space. Anyone can also view and comment on the posts, and can alter the entire space just by posting or removing a photo.

Micro-Project 2 – Crowd-Sourced Art

What is the content of the work and who is creating it?

Our work is a collection of people’s secrets.

We asked strangers and our followers on Instagram the same question – what is your deepest, darkest secret? 

Omegle responses:

Instagram responses:

Where does this work take place?

One of the 2 online platforms that we used was Omegle, which is, as quoted on their website:

Omegle (oh·meg·ull) is a great way to meet new friends. When you use Omegle, we pick someone else at random and let you talk one-on-one. To help you stay safe, chats are anonymous unless you tell someone who you are (not suggested!), and you can stop a chat at any time. Predators have been known to use Omegle, so please be careful.

We asked strangers to share with us about their deepest, darkest, secrets. 

We also used the questions sticker on Instagram, which is a photo and video-sharing social networking service where we connect with our friends, families, acquaintances, or even celebrities. The intended audience of using Instagram would be our followers, who could be our friends or acquaintances, or simply, people that we know. The questions sticker on Instagram allows us to ask our followers any question, or vice versa, and post the response on our Instagram Story without their Instagram handle and their profile picture. We did not use the feature of posting the responses on our Instagram Story as they are meant to be “secrets” (but since they are on OSS I guess they’re no longer secrets…….:)…..) We asked them the same question – what is your deepest, darkest secret? and got very different responses.

How does this work involve social interaction?

We ask strangers and friends a question through online platforms and receive answers that add to our collection of secrets. On Omegle, the anonymous people had responses that would include:

1. telling us their deepest darkest secrets (mostly, if not all sexual)
2. asking us back what our secrets were
3. would only tell us their secrets after we shared ours with them
4. ask if we had same/similar secrets as them
5. leaving the chat before answering.

On Instagram, our followers (who knew us) gave us responses that would include:

1. nonsense 
2. inside jokes
3. stories that were funny and disgusting
4. ignore our stories and not respond at all (which could mean that they could have REAL secrets but just unwilling to tell us)

The social interaction that we had were the exchange of information that we and the responders had. We triggered the responders to think about what their secrets were (no matter they answered or not), and in exchange, they gave us a response to contribute to our collection. 

How is your crowd-sourced project different from one that is created by a single artist/creator?

The different responses we got from this project were a result of different experiences from different people living very different lives. If only one creator shared their own deepest, darkest secret, it means that there will only be one response in our collection. The social interactions that could result from that would be reading it (one-way interaction) or leaving comments about it (two-way interaction) which does not contribute to the collection of secrets (unless they willingly share their secrets). Having a crowd-sourced project like this creates a variety of responses, and as questioners, it also makes us wonder about the psychology and reasons behind why strangers are more willing to tell us their secrets than people that we know or trust. The responders also play a vital part in this project as our collection comes from their contributions. 

Micro-Project 1 – Creating the Third Space

1. Why did you choose this space or object to photograph?

A place in ADM that has special significance to me.

I chose to photograph the lift as it not only transports us to different floors but is also space where we often interact with each other. In the small space, we often take awkward rides with strangers, rides that are full of laughter with our friends, and rides alone where we get temporary peace from the chaos in school. One thing that differentiates our lift from the others are the posters on the wall beside the lifts. It is always filled with posters about school events, which reminds me of the vibrant culture we have in our school.

2. What are some of the characteristics of this alternative virtual space you had created collectively?

The ADM building is a place where we grow to be better individuals/artists, and a place where many of us created many memories with our friends.

#1010adm photos
#1010adm photos
A photo and caption that we can all relate to :’)

Everyone’s experience as an ADM student is different, which is shown by the different photos shown in the #1010adm hashtag. Even though we all take different photos, it’s interesting how we can relate to the photos and captions posted by someone that we may not talk to before. (This can be seen from the likes and comments on the photos – see above) We post photos based on our own experiences on the alternative virtual space, which then becomes an experience that we all can share together.

3. Under what circumstance will this alternative virtual space change?

It will only change when someone posts something new, or someone deletes their photo. Also, the outcome of the alternative virtual space depends on the viewer. Any non-ADM student would probably think that the photos in the #1010adm hashtag are weird, random, and unrelatable. The students or faculty in ADM would relate more to the photos posted to their own experiences and would probably have the same feeling of 懐かしい (natsukashii – of some small thing that brings you suddenly, joyously back to fond memories, not with a wistful longing for what’s past, but with an appreciation of good times.)

4. How does this project relate to what we discussed in the lecture regarding co-creation, the concept of Do-It-Yourself (DIY), Do-It-With-Others (DIWO)?

Taking the photos of our own special place in ADM is DIY, as we try to capture our own experiences and feelings of that place. We are the creators of our own photos. Posting and hashtagging #1010adm on Instagram is a collaboration with our schoolmates, which is DIWO, where we create an alternative virtual space of the ADM building incorporating our personal experiences in the photos.