Graphic Form: Image Making Through Type Research
Preparation 1.0
Typography Research and Artist Reference
After knowing this project, I started by creating a list of jobs that I imagine myself as, linking it with my interest and personality.
Artist Reference
Process Part I
Concepts That Do Not Make It In Top 4
I like to explore different art styles and as an ex game environment artist, I am more familiar with realistic drawing style with the use of textures. Most of my works are of a dull or dark colour scheme but I would like to try something a more bright or contrasting colour scheme for this project.
Concept #1 Exorcism
Concept #2 Horror Game NPC
I searched on the elements or things that are related to the jobs and tried to applied it to my name. However, after consulting with Prof. Shirley, I realised I interpreted the brief wrongly. We are supposed to apply the same elements throughout all the characters instead of recreating the character to become the elements.
Process Part II
Top 4 Jobs – Visual Elements Research & Ideation Sketches
Job #1 Monster Groomer
Ideation sketch #1
I drew the sketches based on the elements that I gathered, taking typefaces that are more cartoony and playful in nature. However, after my consultation with Prof. Shirley, I realised that I made the same mistakes of using too many elements for the character. I then decided to pick only two to three elements for my characters.
Ideation sketch #2
I chose this font as it is curvy and gives off a sense of playful feeling. The height of each characters are not fixed, thus making the fonts seems more dynamic. The teardrop of the type is also designed to be slightly curving up, causing the comical feels.
Intially I tried to achieve the hairy style by using the roughen feature in Adobe Illustrator. The result is great and I love how it turned out. However, as I decided to use this piece for my silkscreening, I needed the typography to be with clean lines and as little change in colour as possible. Thus this style is not suitable when I need to convert it to black and white for silkscreening.
Job #2 Chinese Vampire
Ideation sketch #1
I chose this default fonts as this font remind me of those old Hong Kong Vampire movies.
Before I start, I already made up my mind for thr character to be in 3D perspective. Thus readjust the word in perspective view and extrude it with thickness.
Job #3 Demon Bulter
Ideation sketch #1
As bulter reminds me of old fashioned English aesthetics, thus I wanted a font with more vintage and script style. I chose this font as it has a thick line, which makes it easier to work with. There is also a tiny ‘ear’ which I can replace by the demon horns.
The idea of Demon is demonstrated through the horns, while bulter is expressed through the icon within the lines of the characters.
Job #4 Space Toilet Cleaner
Ideation sketch #1
I wanted a font which has a futuristic feels as well as more round. This font satisfy my requirement and it also carries a more cartoon feels to it.
At the beginning, I have this idea of doing a cubical toilet in space, thus I sketch it in 3D perspective and floating in the space. However, after consulting with Prof. Shirley, I realised that this is not workable as it did not match the rubric which is to start with a font type. Thus I chose my font type and used Adobe Illustrator to make it into 3D perspective.
Process Part III
Top 4 Jobs – Making Process
Job #1 Monster Groomer
Job #2 Chinese Vampire
Adding in colours and textures to the type. I chose to make the background yellow as this is the colour of the talisman, creating a strong contrast with the type. A thick outline is also used for the type to make it feels like the old Hong Kong movie where the Chinese character will have a thick outline.
I also added in a focus dark ring upon the type, thus making it feels like the viewer is looking at the vampire through a camera lens. Later, I also added a colourful noise to make it like the old Hong Kong movie graphic quality.
Job #3 Demon Bulter
Initially, I started with a vertical landscape, adding elements into the types. However, the arrangement of the character is too separated and it looks very empty.
After discussing with Prof. Shirley, I decided to change it into the horizontal arrangement, and play with the diagonal lines in the types. When the diagonal lines of the letters “L”, “S” and “Y” are linked together, it formed a very interesting visual composition. I also have a heavier emphasis on the letter “C” by making it bigger in size.
Job #4 Space Toilet Cleaner
I tried to bring out the idea of space by including astronauts and making the letter looks like it is at zero gravity and floating around. I decided to use the idea of toilet squad instead of the toilet bowl as it is more interesting and easier to twerk around. The letter “E” and “I” is also turned into a toilet brush.
After consulted with Prof. Shirley, I decided to remove the astronauts as it grabs too much attention from the name. I also tried to play with a more funky colour for the toilet squad and try to see if I can make it more “neon-ish”.
Process Part IV
Top 4 Jobs – Final Outcome
Monster Groomer – The colour palatte is lean towards more blue and green in the background and a little of red in the type to make it pop in the foreground. As blue and green colour gives off a fresh and clean impression, thus coorespond to the job groomer. The type used is also more playful and dynamic to bring the active personality of monster.
The words “雪盈” are designed with the colour of costume wore by Chinese Vampire in the old Hong Kong movie. With this in mind, I wanted to use a bright background to constrast with the characters in the foreground, making it as though it is jumping closer towards the screen. A layer of noise is also overlay at the top to receate the graphic quality of how old Hong Kong film would look.
This work is create with a concept of Old English aesthetic. As the letters are in black and white to represent bulter, I also implemented animal’s horn materials to the curves to signified the bulter is demonic. I chose a red background as it is the colour of demon as well as the colour used by nobility in the old English times where having a bulter is popular among them. A bronze frame with pattern is used to represent the plate that the bulter hold when they serve their master.
The decision to use toilet squad instead of toilet bowl came from the toilets that are along Malaysia’s express highway. Whenever I travel back to my hometown at Perak , which will Took about 6-8hrs long. The toilet cubicals are mostly design with squat seat instead of toilet bowl. With this, I link it back to my space toilet being those toilet design for long travel break, So I decided to use squad toilet. I tried to recreate the toilets along the Malaysia’s highway by using the same colours(red and beige) for the toilet squat and floor tiles. As blue is two thirds of a tetradic color scheme, but also work fine with pure red while being toned down in hue. This will also formed a strong contrast with the black background and makes it more visible while printing.
Finale
Reflection
I enjoyed this project as it challenge me to simplify things by only using 2-3 elements to bring the ideas or concepts to the viewer. Although at the beginning, I am still sticking to my old mindset of wanting to include all possible visual elements and make the most complicated yet pleasing composition. However, after receiving help from Prof. Shirley as well as deeper into my research and brainstorming, I managed to grasp the objective of this project and cutting things down.
After this project, I fully understand the beauty of type design as it do not have to be complicated, but yet minimal design could also bring out the ideas or concepts once the correct visual elements is used.
