All posts by ROS FARZANA

Dialogue in the Dark Reflections

Reflection on Role Playing: Dialogue in the Dark

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When I first entered the dark room, I felt very anxious. I was paranoid I would get lost (even though I wasn’t the last person). I didn’t feel like myself and was not comfortable at all but I knew it would just be a 1 hour walk so just tahan a bit la.

Throughout the walk I thought about how difficult it was. We were placed in the shoes of the blind, but  within a safe confined, air-conditioned room. When crossing the ‘road’, there weren’t actual cars. The boat on water wasn’t real too (at least I don’t think it was real). When going into the city area, the noise of traffic was loud and intimidating. But despite the fact that I knew I won’t get knocked down by a speeding car, fall into water, or get hit by a cyclist; I was still paranoid. And I could not even imagine how the blind feel.

I realised when I was inside, I was really dependent on the people in front of me. You could say I was blindly following my classmates and the walls. I had to heavily rely on my sense of hearing and touch, both of which I take for granted.

Having gone through role playing as designers, we can further understand what the disadvantaged in the society needs. As a designer who is aware and less ignorant, our focus can be shifted more towards the disadvantaged in society. Role playing is a great design research technique as it exposes situations to designers first hand.

From this experience and the lessons I take away from Dialogue in the Dark, I can actually tweak my designs into something more socially inclusive. For example, having pop up typography/designs so that the blind can also read and appreciate my work. Something else to consider: How a simple everyday item that we take for granted, such as a poster, does not benefit the blind. Having gone through this experience ourselves, as designers, we can now tweak our designs into something that can be used and appreciated by everyone.

 

Research, Task 1A _Exploratory Research Exploring the What, Why, Who and How

Exploratory Research — Current Issues

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Here are just some of the few current issues I am interested in:

Racism

The most recent incident being the ‘brownface’ ad from broadcaster Mediacorp, featuring actor Dennis Chew as 4 characters. What sparked controversy is his skin being darkened to depict an Indian man and a Malay woman wearing a headscarf.

Sustainability

Recently the ban on plastic straws have grown into more of a ‘trend’ rather than sustaining the environment. Supermarkets stopped distributing plastic bags(for free, but they are available for 20 cents per piece). And if companies really want to save the environment, why not stop plastic bags altogether? I believe that this is a case of  “green washing“.

Some critique that banning plastic straws is not an empathetic move, especially for the disabled. And I completely agree. There’s nothing wrong with saving the turtles, but we should really look out for our fellow species first.

Feminism & Women’s rights

This has been an ongoing issue and women who have been assaulted are made to think they are to blame. Below are some articles and links to support my view.

“It took me years to realize that only 1 thing could have stopped me from getting raped that night— and it wasn’t my skirt, it wasn’t my smile, it wasn’t my childish trust. The only thing that could have stopped me from being raped that night, is the man who raped me. Had he stopped himself.” -Thordis Elva

Google ‘Rape in India’ and its impossible to miss the overwhelming articles on different cases. This is no surprise, as rape is fourth most common crime against women in India. According to the National Crime Records Bureau 2013 annual report, 24,923 rape cases were reported across India in 2012. -Wikipedia

As particular case which brought international concern was the 2012 gang rape in Delhi. The men took it in turns to rape the Jyoti, victim and then they used an iron bar on her. Leslee Udwin interviewed Mukesh Singh, one of the rapists. One particular line he said struck me deeply: “A decent girl won’t roam around at nine o’clock at night. A girl is far more responsible for rape than a boy,”

The idea of women being responsible for men’s savageness is outright disgusting. Both articles boil down that this should not be the case, and that men should be held 100% responsible for their own actions.

The following article suggests victim blaming: where rape victims are held responsible for the tragedy. Phrases such as “don’t dress this way” or “don’t go out till late” do suggest that it is a woman’s responsibility to prevent any potential assault on her.

London police urged not to wear headphones or use mobile phones following a string of sexual assaults. Many times victims or sexual assault are often suffer in silence. Victims are encouraged to report it, and yet ironically in some societies the same victims are seen as “less than” or “impure”. I would like my project to evoke discussion and contribute to change— to shed light on this taboo. To let people know that it is okay to speak up and tell others what they have been through. There is no need for shame for something women cannot control at all, and if more than anything else, the rapists should be the ones hiding their faces. Women should possess the right to wear anything they want, go anywhere they want at any time of the day, and not feel unsafe/intimidated around men.

Cultural Appropriation

(Might actually head for this topic instead) I think this is an interesting topic that is often shoved aside. People will address something ‘racist’ or ‘culturally misappropriate’, and then the hype dies down. Months later, another similar situation happens.

This topic isn’t new, it has been ongoing for years. Going back to the 19th Century, Asian culture was highly adopted by the English. The English adapted the Indian churidars into slim fitting pantaloons, and frequently wore turbans within their own houses. During the tiki culture fad of the 1950s, white women frequently donned the qipao to give the impression that they had visited Hong Kong, although the dresses were frequently made by seamstresses in America using rayon rather than genuine silk.

Going back to more modern times, we see Kim Kardashian releasing a shapewear brand,  initially called ‘Kimono’. Kim received backlash for borrowing the word for a traditional Japanese style of dress for her venture.

What’s Wrong with Cultural Appropriation? These 9 Answers Reveal Its Harm

There are 4 types of culture appropriation:

In the broadest sense cultural appropriation is the adoption or taking of specific elements (such as ideas, symbols, artifacts, images, art, rituals, icons, behavior, music, styles) of one culture by another culture.

Deliverable:

The issue constantly happens because people don’t usually know the differences between culture appropriation and culture appreciation. There’s a really fine line between the two, and if I wish to do a project based on this topic, I will decide to create an educational deliverable.

Because the topic of race and culture is heavy and serious, I wish to carry out my project in a light-hearted way. Nothing serious, hopefully playful and warm so that it won’t intimidate.

  1. My Culture is not your Costume

Here are some campaign posters that address culture appropriation. However all they put up are pictures, and they don’t really educate what defines culture appropriation. I would like to take a similar direction to these posters, but in a more light hearted and informational manner.

2. My Heritage is not your Costume

Illustrations feel more light-hearted, so that would probably be the direction I would take.

Final Deliverable: Educational Card Game

Most of us cannot clearly define what culture appropriation is. And what we lack is a basic foundation that schools/institutions fail to instil upon us from young. Because let’s face it, all we learnt in primary school is about bullying, sex education and racism. So what is culture appropriation right??

Thus I will decide to channel information through a card game, targeted at students and young adults. My inspiration would draw from the card game, Organ Attack. The card game requires 4-5 people, and its both educational and fun.

 

 

My Work, Process

Project 2 Process: Painting with Elephants

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First things first, I got onto Pinterest to get inspiration and ideas for my brochure.  What caught my attention was this packaging design, but I modified the number of ‘trunks’ so that it won’t pop out as much. I wanted to have the ‘trunks’ presented as elephant trunks.

Through trial and error, I found out that the more number of ‘trunks’ there are, the more it will stay flat. So instead of having 6 ‘trunks’, I will have this template below and do 8 ‘trunks’.

So I printed it as exact and cut it out. I folded it and managed to do it without much trouble. However once folded, the ‘elephant’ trunks looked too sharp, which wasn’t what I wanted. Also, my elephants were supposed to be rounded and cute.

So I retraced the template on illustrator and made the template more rounded.

And I added in the details of the brochure.

Front
Back

Time to test print! The first test print was a failure because I didn’t make the bleed big enough. So the back and front of the pamphlet didn’t match. The second test print was better.

This is the inside of the pamphlet.

After 2 test prints and final adjustments, I finally went ahead to buy proper paper that was harder. This is my final:

Inside
Outside

After cutting, my final product:

Manifesto

Manifesto: Let’s get this bread.

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‘Let’s Get This Bread’ is a slang expression for earning money, or to hustle. Its a saying that has recently surfaced on a meme level and it basically gets me going everyday.

Woke up on the wrong side of the bed? Let’s get this bread.

Submissions are piling? Let’s get this bread.

House on fire? Let’s get this bread.

The term ‘shut up and design’ was initially my first manifesto plan, but it didn’t feel strong enough for me. And then the saying came about and getting bread is all I have ever wanted since.

Bleed out the borders, hide the margins, throw those text boxes anywhere you feel like. You decide your own movement. Step up, step out. Use Comic Sans!!!!

Your comfort zone is only good for what it is— comfort. Toss it aside just this once. Try it. Ask for advice only when you need it.

The future of design is here. No more restrictions, no more definitions. How do you put a feeling into words? Move, create.

Let’s get this bread.

let's get this bread

A phrase originally used to mean "let's get money" as bread=dough and dough is a common slang term for money. Nowadays, the term"let's get this bread" is more loosely defined as a sort of battlecry in a sense, calling upon the will of the person(s) to succeed, not necessarily in just gaining monetary funds. It may also be taken more literally as well, as the loaf of bread (or any bread in general) can be a very powerful symbol and source of hype for a crowd.

*About to get your paycheck* "Awe yeah, let's get this bread!"

*At a crowded Key Club event at Six Flags, and you pull two loaves of bread out from under your sweatshirt* "AWE YEAH, LET'S GET THIS BREAD!!" *crowds of other Key clubbers notice and start chanting along with you* "BREAD, BREAD, BREAD..."

Synonyms: Let's yeet this wheat, let us attain/obtain the grain, let's feast on this yeast, let's empower this flour, let's go with the dough, let's entrust this crust

#let's#get#this#bread

by Breadman Chris October 22, 2018
-Urban Dictionary
Hyperessay - IM

HyperEssay: Pull by MONA HATOUM

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Of Palestinian origin, Hatoum experienced a shifting polycultural identity as an adult and this shows in her works. Her works revolve around a common theme of displacement, alienation and longing. ‘Pull’ requires the engagement of viewers to be activated. Hatoum uses materials that resonate or are personal to her, which explains why in Pull she uses her own collected hair over the course of 6 years. In this work, Hatoum lies in a separate room, and viewers can only see her upper frame through a screen. A long braided ponytail is attached to Hatoum’s head and exposed to the viewers, encouraging them to pull and receive a reaction from Hatoum. This essay will discuss how technology is an important key interaction in this work; how it affects Hatoum, the audience and both of them collectively.

To Hatoum, technology, or in this case the screen separating her physical body from the viewers, interestingly has a dual nature. First, the screen can be argued that it protects Hatoum, shielding her from other potential physical harm from viewers. The screen protects her from the real world, and instead only shows a projection or ‘virtual self’ to the outside world. On the other side, she is safe in a private room. She is also projected to be wearing nothing and slightly exposing her bare shoulders and neck. In this case, the screen acts as a censor, covering the rest of her bare(?) body. Viewers would not know whether she is truly naked or not. All viewers can do is pull her braided ponytail. The screen acts as a barrier and withholds information, preventing any form of intimate or humanly connection between Hatoum and viewers. However, ironically technology is also exposing her, projecting her vulnerability though the screen. The screen, positioned in such a way that projects Hatoum to be ‘hanging'(Fig1) The dangling braid, hanging just below the screen seems to be Hatoum’s. The way the screen projects her as a vulnerable person, maybe even dead, actually encourages viewers to pull to receive a reaction from her. Technology in this case is a tool that both helps and harms Hatoum at the same time.

Fig 1

As mentioned above, the screen actually encourages viewers to pull Hatoum’s hair. This might also be because technology in this case only works one sided. Viewers can see Hatoum, but not vice versa. There is a sense of anonymousity on the viewer’s part. This might even encourage viewers to pull more aggressively, since they know Hatoum cannot see them. The screen also projects the illusion that Hatoum is not a real person, but merely a projection of a person. The viewers have no way of coming into contact with Hatoum physically, the only way of getting a reaction from her is by pulling the braid.  Subconsciously, viewers think they are simply pulling a ‘hanging braid’ rather than ‘a person’s braid’. A lot of questions emerge from this work— an interesting concept of the human condition ad technology coming together. Is she a real person, or merely a projection of someone on screen? Would viewers still pull her hair if there was no screen to separate them and Hatoum? Viewers would probably pull even harder with the existence of the screen than if Hatoum were to be in person. The existence of technology in this case affects how viewers would interact and react to the work.

In this case, technology serves as a conveyor of Hatoum’s reactions. Hatoum represents data, technology the conveyor, audience the receiver. In this case, viewers determine the outcome of the work. The work cannot be activated without audience interaction. Tugging at her hair will result in a more drastic reaction from her, and not tugging at all will not trigger anything. The outcome of this work is therefore quite limited; Hatoum either reacts or not. We can, however, also see the viewer as a collaborator. If we take into account the viewers’ reactions, whether they will gasp or keep a straight face, stop tugging or mercilessly continue tugging; this further pushes the work into a collaborative-like nature. Such a collaboration is not one that is planned, but expected and anticipated. Hatoum expects viewers to pull her braid, and nothing more. What the viewers do or how they react after is what gives the work further depth and perspective.

The medium and material in which Hatoum chose to use is very interesting by itself. She states that there are erotic associations with hair, and in her culture, is considered a gendered taboo. Incorporating such a intimate and natural material within her work, and then incorporating cold, modern technology. Both are very different in nature but come together beautifully to create a layered piece. The possibilities are endless. Each party, Hatoum, viewers and technology, cannot work individually and require each other in order for the work to be activated. Interactivity from everyone is key in this work.

Referenced readings:

http://www.artnews.com/2015/08/21/making-the-ordinary-anything-but-mona-hatoum-on-her-unnerving-sculptures-in-2005/

https://bombmagazine.org/articles/mona-hatoum/

Process - IM

Hyperessay Key Work selection: Pull

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Mona Hatoum Pull, 1995                                                                                                                                            live video performance and installation

My hyperessay will revolve around one of Mona Hatoum’s works, Pull(1995). Viewers are required to interact with her(in this case, a braided ponytail attached to her own hair) in order to get a live reaction on screen. The ponytail is made from Hatoum’s own hair, collected over 6 years. It is interesting how technology is used as a ‘screen’ between her and the viewer, a platform or information conveyor. It can interestingly be argued that without the role of technology, the piece is incomplete, even if both viewer and Hatoum are present.

This work also explores how technology can affect the human condition: Is she a real person, or merely a projection of someone on screen? Would viewers still pull her hair if there was no screen to separate them and Hatoum? The existence of technology in this case affects how viewers would think and react to the art.

In this case, viewers determine the outcome of the work. Tugging at her hair will result in a more drastic reaction from her, and not tugging at all will not trigger anything. The outcome of this work is therefore quite limited; Hatoum either reacts or not. However, if we take into account the viewers’ reactions, whether they will gasp or keep a straight face, stop tugging or mercilessly continue tugging; this further pushes the work into a collaborative-like nature.

Below are some related readings:

http://www.artnews.com/2015/08/21/making-the-ordinary-anything-but-mona-hatoum-on-her-unnerving-sculptures-in-2005/

https://www.varsity.co.uk/culture/9528

https://bombmagazine.org/articles/mona-hatoum/

 

Process - IM

Artist Selection: Mona Hatoum

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Mona Hatoum incorporates technology and often engages the viewers to participate in her work. Hatoum uses materials that resonate with her, but also makes sure the materials or how she portrays the materials also resonate similarly to the audience.

I choose to revolve my hyperessay around her as her works often explores how technology can affect the human condition. As per discussed in class on interactivity, her works require the involvement of viewers and technology (as a medium to convey her message).

Hatoum believes that ‘nothing is a finished project’, since ideas are pushed and evolve into something new. Of Palestinian origin, Hatoum experienced a shifting polycultural identity as an adult and often incorporates a sense of displacement, alienation and longing in her works.

Post Presentation Essay – PD

Design Reform Movements

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Design reform movements are basically what it is— to reform, restructure, and revise design at that period of time. The different movements simultaneously overlap and happen between the 1880s-1930s. These movements came about in reaction to the consequences from the French and Industrial revolution.

From the French revolution(1789-1799), “Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité” was born out of it. The phrase directly translates to “Liberty, Equality and Fraternity”.  During this period, there was a large income gap between the rich and poor, given that France was governed by absolute monarchy. Due to the unrestricted political power and social classification, most of the people were in dire poverty. On the other hand, Industrial revolution was also known as the ‘Age of Enlightenment’, as there was increasing economic & ethical social-consciousness. However, despite the spread of this seemingly positive concept, there were detrimental social consequences; such as excessive child and women labour, poor working conditions, and uncontrolled widespread diseases. And thus, design reform movements came about in an effort to counter these negative impacts.

Design reform movements are generally well-thought of design processes, resulting in very intricate, unique products and designs. An example would be the Arts and Crafts movement, founded by Augustus Pugin (1812-1852), John Ruskin(1819-1900) and William Morris(1834-1896). For this movement, form follows function. Every detail and deco is used for reasoning and functionality. Design and decoration do not overshadow each other but go hand in hand. 

The idea of pushing and stressing for the importance of detailed and intricate design comes about from the excessive use of industrial machines.

An example of a design concept would be Edward Petrovich Hau’s  Interiors of the Winter Palace.  The whole concept is lavishly designed and stylized. Every pillar is designed down to detail, combining the idea of form and function complementing each other. The interiors are well decorated and personalized, not like the typical and standard industrialised interior design. This is a perfect example of honest craftsmanship— interior design preserving the dignity of decorative arts.

To cater and allow designers to be able to design something from start to finish is made easier with the existence of Lathe machines. The machines were used for metalworking or wood working; being able to perform various operations such as cutting, sanding, knurling, drilling, deformation. For a machine to be able to focus on the details, creating well crafted designs that preserves the artist’s dignity and design input is possible. This upholds Ruskin’s view that artisans can be totally involved in the design process from start to finish.

Japonisme follows a similar fundamental to Arts and Crafts Movement, valuing the decorative arts as well as the creativity of the craftsman. Ukiyo-e, or woodblock prints, became so common in Japan. Design was so integrated into society to the point that they were seen on everyday items.

Limited Edition Soy Sauce Packaging

They were used as packaging materials, yet to the French it was something new, exciting and inspiring.

Under Art Nouveau, Josef Hoffmann(1870-1956), created an interesting chair(1905) that projects the concept of ‘form follows function’. The chair, made from beech wood and plywood, has a unique form. While the balls in between the 2 divided backings of the chair seem to be mere decoration, they are actually there to hold the 2 pieces together. This is a perfect design example of form complementing function.

Through the rough times of the revolution, brotherhood and coming together was crucial. Wiener Werkstatte was one of the longest-lived design movement founded in 1903 in vienna austria, where it was basically a workshop for all— architects, artists and designers working in ceramics, fashion, silver, furniture and the graphic arts. The range was wide and accepting. They emphasised on complete artistic freedom, which led to the creation of many innovative products which eventually became the standard for Austrian design. However, unlike the above stated movements, the creators did not seek to create accessible or practical art. Instead, they focused on the highest quality craftsmanship and materials for the socioeconomic elite.

The Sitzmachine Chair, designed by Josef Hoffman, was the best-known piece of furniture produced by the Wiener Werkstätte. Function and construction of the chair is present, without sacrificing its aesthetic appeal.

There are slit-like openings at the side of the chair, where none of the lines end in sharp corners, but instead are rounded which suggests the idea of a well oiled and harmonious machine. The chair not being comfortable, reflects the nature of the design movement’s practice, where function was usually sacrificed to aesthetics when it became impossible to accommodate both.

Even today, Design Reform practices can still be observed.  Morris & Co, a UK based company, is inspired by Morris’ ideology. They ‘believed that everybody has the right to a beautiful house’, crafting everything by hand— homeware, wallpapers and fabric. Despite trying to eliminate the terrors of the revolution, we are still able to see it today. Child labour and merciless excessive working hours still exist today, as seen in Foxconn’s case.

Link to presentation:

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1BvumGMpsdWPfW94-l02bRbtBW9XxaePTAryIKUMqd-U/edit#slide=id.p26

 

My Work

Bodoni: Reflection

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From the start we knew we wanted to incorporate fashion into our game as Bodoni is often used in the fashion/beauty industry:

We printed out Bodoni, Baskerville and Didot typefaces. We chose Baskerville and Didot as Bodoni evolved from them. Also, them being quite similar will make it a challenging game.

Participants are required to find the Bodoni and fit them perfectly into a dress outline. We tried it ourselves:

We tested it by blanking out the screen(wasn’t as easy as it seemed)

We had 2 different sizes to try. In the end the smallest dress size was more appropriate and able to nicely fit all the Bodoni.

END RESULTS!!! Our individual reflection is as follows:

 

YOLANDA



Bodoni
Project 1 has allow me to be more sensitive about the different typeface. It’s interesting how different typefaces that belong to the same type classification can have subtle differences. For instance, my group did our research on bodoni. That’s when I noticed the differences in the details such as the serifs, stem, ears and tails of the different typefaces in the modern typeface classification. In my opinion, modern typefaces like didot and bodoni are difficult to use appropriately because they cannot be used at small sizes. I personally think that didot is more elegant as compared to bodoni because of its elongated outlook as compared to bodoni’s appearance. After knowing the differences between them, I am surprised that fashion magazines like bazaar, vogue and tatler would choose to use bodoni over didot. Personally, I would choose to use didot instead. In addition, if I were to own a clothing line, I would choose to use didot over bodoni for my brand name. This is because I feel that modern typefaces will be popular among young adults and the working class alike. I find this target audience to be more attracted to the minimalistic aesthetic. I feel that didot gives off a minimalistic vibe. However, it is minimalistic with some edge due to the contrast between the thick strokes and thin strokes. Why I feel that didot has a more minimalist outlook as compared to bodoni? Other than the more elongated appearance that I’ve mentioned earlier, it has a flat serif as compared to bodoni which gave it a cleaner outlook.

Baskerville
Firstly, what I really like about baskerville is the capital ‘Q’.  Among all the typefaces that I’ve seen thus far, it has the most elegant and beautiful Q due to its tail. Just like bodoni and didot, I would associate baskerville with the fashion world too. However, my target audience will be different. Since baskerville is inspired from calligraphy, I find that the typeface has a traditional outlook to it. However, I find that baskerville has a traditional outlook with a modern touch.. Just like Alexander McQueen, I would use it for the logo of a high-end clothing line. Additionally, I would produce a line of clothings that are traditional but with an avant garde touch. For instance, I would design a qipao to have higher slits with say snake prints instead of the usual oriental prints.

Trajan
As for trajan, I did not realise that it is so popular among movie posters before the group presented about it. Now that I know of it, I feel that it is an overused typeface among movie posters that I find that trajan has lost its uniqueness. This is because since different movie genres are using trajan as their movie title, you will not associate trajan to one type of genre. I find this to be a pro and a con.

I feel that some typefaces can speak for the movie itself. In the era of hand crafted movie posters, you can see that the typeface created for the particular reflect the genre of the movie so it can evoke a certain feeling among audience when they see the movie poster. For instance, you can take a look at two the horror movie posters below, the typeface used for the  Nightmare on Elmstreet poster speaks for the genre of the movie itself as compared to the poster of Mama.

 


So how would I have used trajan? I guess I would use trajan for a brand that is different and exclusive because I find that trajan speaks for itself in terms of being one-of-a-kind. This is because of its asymmetrical serifs that make trajan really unique so I associate trajan with innovative and ingenious stuff. For example, I will use it as a shop name for a fusion restaurant/cafe where I have dishes that have “weird” fusion such as ice cream pizza. Or perhaps a name of a museum where hundreds of different unique art pieces are housed in.

Univers
I like the fair and generous perception that the univers typeface had established for itself. I would associate brands that use the univers typeface with the characteristics such as widely available and fair use. As compared to trajan, I wouldn’t think that univers is an overused typeface because of its unselfish characteristic. It has a kind vibe to it. It seems like a typeface that can gain empathy among the public. It is warm-hearted due to its lack of serifs which make the typeface less rigid. Therefore, I find that it is an appropriate typeface to use for a charity organisation.

 

FARZANA

Learning about Typefaces through this project was interesting and I felt that it was a fun and

creative way to do so. While at first our group struggled to even choose a typeface from the beginning(we jumped from Bodoni to Comic Sans, then back to Bodoni), we stuck to Bodoni in the end as we wanted to ave a game related to fashion. What I learnt and focused for my part of the project was to learn the influence of Bodoni from Baskerville, and their differences. As mentioned during QnA, what can be improved from our presentation I feel, is that we should have included when to use Bodoni and when to use Didot. I feel that since Bodoni has more contrast in thick and thin strokes as compared to Didot, Bodoni would be better suited from busy backgrounds or for bolder poster. Due to the difference in the very bold and the very thin strokes, Bodoni seems more sophisticated and classy. Didot on the other hand, is almost a similar but thinner version of Bodoni, and thus I feel that it should be used in visuals that are simpler and less bold.

I really enjoy the other presentations, especially the Trajan presentation. I felt that they really incorporated the use of Trajan(by making their whole presentation a movie concept). The cuts of paper were really tedious too and great to watch. I enjoyed the game where we had to find Trajan fonts from the library disk shelves. It wasn’t as easy as I thought. I have learnt how Trajan came about and how it can be used, especially in politics. That was an intersting point to bring up. How Trajan implies power and dominance.

Through this project I have come to appreciate the typefaces more and I understand the context they come from, and the reason they came about. I actually find myself comparing and staring at typefaces now at supermarket products and labels (which is good, as I am now more aware of typefaces around me).

NADIAH

I thought this project was really interesting as it is not always that we get to present in whatever format we like. However, precisely because we could do it in whatever format we liked, it was challenging. Having to think of a creative way to present with not much means to base off of was tricky to me. Our group took quite some time to decide not only on the way to present but on the typeface itself. Nonetheless, we came up with something; embodying the typefaces. It sounded really interesting when we discussed it but I am not satisfied with the presentation itself. I think it was due to our lack of practice and nerves got the best of us. Our game however, I hope, would pull us up. It was fun and interactive. I definitely enjoyed myself. All in all, if I had the opportunity to redo the assignment, I definitely would and avoid all the mistakes we made.

 

To answer the Q&A question on when is the appropriate time to use Bodoni and Didot respectively, I would personally say that Bodoni is used where class, sophistication and elegance wants to be portrayed such as fashion magazines. Didot looks really similar to Bodoni but is more elongated and wider.

 

MAY THU

 

Before this project, my familiarity and knowledge of typefaces and diverse set of characteristics each typeface, extended only from the in class lectures of this class. It is definitely a first time for me, to go in-depth with the research of each typeface, regarding its origins, creator, and influence by myself. As part of the team Bodoni, I was in charge of researching the origin of Bodoni, and was pleasantly surprised by the experience. Although I have already been made aware of the importance of the time period each typeface originated from, I unexpectedly found the relationship between the creator and the typeface itself fascinating as well.

 

For instance, It was interesting to learn that Giambattatis Bodoni, was a multi-faceted designer, in addition to being a typographer, having built his experiences through official press jobs in places, like Propaganda Fide and Stamperia Reale. In addition to the rather serious and royal feel of the press, the imagery of Bodoni’s Italian Baroque workplace now comes into my mind, amplifying the regality of works to me. It somehow helped me to attach a more memorable overall elegance to the typeface Bodoni and allows me to connect the font to the neo-classical revival period better.

 

 

And besides all that, Bodoni had really useful tips when it comes to designing type, from work ethics to designing tips.

 

 

As such, I am more willing to dive into researching history of other typefaces, unlike in the past, as in addition to obviously giving me the historical context, it has been proven to help me grasp the mood that particular typeface exudes better.

 

As for the features of the font itself, through this project, I was able to differentiate between the transitional and modern typefaces, mainly the Baskerville versus the Bodoni much better. It is even easier now to differentiate Bodoni among its modern typefaces, like Didot, thanks to the research of my groupmates. And I’m really glad that our game had managed to let our classmates apply these tips of differentiation immediately after being informed of them.

 

And as for when to use which modern typeface, personally, the higher contrasting thin and thick strokes of Bodoni gives the typeface a more edgy elegance when compared to Didot, so if it was up to me, I would use Bodoni if I was to type to represent something that wants to showcase its elegance and edginess at the same time. As such, I think it helped me to more aware of what slight difference in a type anatomy can do so that I can better train myself to notice them better in the future.

 

Last but not least, I really enjoyed the rest of the groups’ presentation as well, all for being innovative and engaging while informative at the same time. If I have to choose one thing I enjoyed the most from each group;

 

Trajan : I really enjoyed the theater routine and the fun movie trailer from the group. Since I am personally more familiar with Trajan as a fun font, I thought the whole lightheartedness of the presentation fitted extremely well.

Baskerville : I really liked that the group decided on a series of fun skits as it draws our attention more when it is contrasted with its sophisticated typeface.

Univers : The aesthetics of the slides and the game were extremely well-executed and matched well with a futuristic modernity that I associate it with. I also enjoyed the bit where they asked for the mood of the Univers with different colours as it does helps us practice attaching a characteristic to the font.