As someone that has never had any formal learning in Typography and it’s use in graphic design until now, I find this article very fascinating. Thus far most of my choices in typefaces, fonts and general sizing and placements are more choices based off instinct. Thus, designs that I could think up often seem very safe and dare I say, a little boring. Classic fonts that went well together, clear hierarchy, obvious colours. Which is all well and good, but when it’s the “nth” design that has been churned out looking the same, one can’t help but dread the monotony.  However, the thought of using more adventurous options never occured to me. That is until I realised how many options I have been limiting myself from after reading this article.

The article was very comprehensive and clear in explaining why some fonts don’t go as well together, or why sizing the certain fonts up is a good idea, or how alternating the sizing and playing around within the font family can create a more dynamic typographic pieces.  There are many examples provided as well as suggestions and tips.

I particularly enjoyed the section of the article that brought up the description of the type  Mrs Eaves and Mr Eaves. It was interesting to note how the difference in their anatomy despite how small could change like the x-height affects the visual impact. I also liked how they talked about the font like they were actually real people. It really aided in helping me understand how the vibes of the font can carry similarly to how the vibes from certain people do.

I think many of the type crimes brought up within the article when it comes to font selection of size variation I have probably committed at some point.  Something tells me I would be referring to this article a lot more often the coming weeks as we start on the typographic poster. But seeing the kind of options available, I can’t help but feel a little excited.

 

The first thing that went through my head when watching this video was “Wow, I’ve never been so glad that I am not living in the past.” The utter tediousness and meticulousness that came with preparing a typeface and the complexity that leads up to the printing process seems as stress inducing as it is awe-inspiring. Considering my indecisive personality, I couldn’t imagine giving the go ahead of a design to a printer whose preparation process was so intricate and painstaking.

However, it did make me think: Is letterpress dead? I did a brief research into letterpress in general and its state right now. It appears that with the advent of computers and digitisation of media, letterpress has been on the downhill since the 1980s. However, back in the 2000s, it has made a comeback.

The main reason being the interesting debasing effect letterpress has on the paper that isn’t commonly seen in digitally printed things. It’s now more commonly seen on name cards and wedding invitations because of how more textured it feels and how well it photographs even from the side. 018)

Some enthusiasts have even claim that every designer should at least give letterpress a try because it forces a designer to be more aware of their design, breaking it down into simple elements where they had to think about hierarchy. While computers offer limitless possibilities, with letterpress, designers have to stop and make sense of their designs before committing to it.

I think I can see such a value in such an experience. With the expediency in which designers are now required to churn out their work, it does make one wonder if it takes out some of the meticulous care and passion that was required for the craft that was seen in the past. While I’m not all for the “it was definitely all better in the old days” school of thought, I do believe there are some benefits to stepping away from the computer and getting one’s hands dirty whilst designing. Especially with something where you have to be more hands on and present like letterpress.

Type Speaks does highlight how important Type was, even in the past in communicating information. So much so that people were willing to go through such meticulous processes to create new type to express themselves. However, more importantly, what it did show me was the passion and care that was put into design. It is a presence of mind and a conscious responsibility that I definitely hope to remember and apply to my work.

 

 

“If you design one thing, you can design everything.”

This is the catchphrase of Massimo Vignelli, whose forays into almost every imaginable field of design has left it’s mark and impact with his interesting perspectives and idea of design.  His work covers nearly every field of design including advertising, identity, packaging, product, industrial, interior and architectural design. An avid fan of modernism, his work is always very clear and concise with no clutter or unnecessary material.

The idea that he has behind his quote is that the process behind design and it’s methodology is the same, no matter the end product. In terms of typographic design and branding, some of his most famous works include the identities for international corporations like American Airlines (which is the only airline to have not changed their identity in the past 50 years), Bloomingdales and Knoll. He is also known to be a huge fan of Helvetica, as seen in it’s use across countless of his works.

I think the thing I found most impressive about Vignelli would be his desire to foray into all the fields within design, not limiting himself in any way, simply on the basis that if he did one thing, he could do the other. Many times I feel like people tend to like to classify or define themselves as graphic designers, product designs, architects etc. I think his motto of “if I can design one thing, I can design any other.” is a healthy mentality to have. In this world where all fields are merging and a job’s scope in the design field is getting more diverse and constantly overlapping, it’s good to dabble and find one’s voice in the mass of information.

The work that has given him the most range and reach would have to be his designing of the New York Subway map. After all, the use of subway as transportation across New York is commonplace, on top of the fact that New York is infamously known to have complicated train routes. His simple and clear aesthetic suited the project perfectly and many people were exposed to and used to his work. He prefers to call graphic designers nowadays “information architects” which makes sense. With the Internet as it is now, the flow of mass media and information has become more of a tsunami. Getting oneself heard, understood and remembered as fast as possible is becoming quite the task. Thus the ability to sculpt the information into something more palatable and someplace easy for the audience to navigate has increasing become in demand.

“Your style comes by refining your way of looking inside, not by importing it.”

When asked if he had any advice for young designers, he shared “I say all the time, particularly to young designers who seem to be always affected by things they have seen: when you have a design to do, don’t look outside. Learn to look inside the problem, because you will find the solution is right there waiting for you to get it out. Your style comes by refining your way of looking inside, not by importing it.” I think designers ourselves have are not unaffected by this information wave. With things like Pinterest and Instagram, most  tend to find themselves trying to ride on the wave of the next big thing to get us success. Massimo Vignelli’s success came not from his desire of it, but from his desire to help others or solve a problem. To rid the world of its clutter and misinformation. Or in his words: The life of a designer is to fight against the ugliness. I think that is something to think about and perhaps someday, something I can get behind.

 

 

 

Jan Tschichold is often described as a pioneer of typographic and design modernism. Most prominently during his challenging of design status quo in the 1930s and later in his career after the war where he redesigned Penguin Books.

An aspect of him I found interesting was how he did not stick to one style. He seemed very fond of German blackletter early in his life. However when introduced to the new ideas generated by Bauhaus, instead of clinging to his “style” he gladly threw it out of the window and attacked the new experiments with a gusto. I think as a aspiring designer, it’s normal to end up sticking to what is comfortable without experimenting and taking risks. Even if we do, we also end up shrinking back at the first sign of critics.

However, what stood out to me the most about him was how his passion for typography and design was never wavering despite the circumstances. Be it doubters early in his career due to how different his designs were compared to the norm at that time, or during the war under the threat of the Germans.

His ability to convince the redesign of the penguin books was also very impressive. Being in his situation, a foreigner chased out of his homeland by war, it was probably very  to simply just do what was required of you solely to survive. However, he still sought to improve and experiment during his stint with penguin books. Especially considering the processes at Penguin Books have been around for a while. It must have been extremely hard to change people’s minds especially after they have been set for so many years.

Tschihold’s passion and thirst for knowledge in everything related to design and typography was probably what set him apart from others in his time and gave him the means to break the norm and revolutionise type facing and content layout in a way that is still   even today,