Advanced Typography - Task 3 / Type Exploration & Application

18.10.2023 - 29.11.2023 (Week 8 - Week 14)

Chong Hui Yi / 0363195
Advanced Typography / BDCM
Task 3 / Type Exploration & Application

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LECTURES

Refer to Task 1

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INSTRUCTIONS

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Task 3: Type Exploration & Application

For Task 3, we have three options to choose from:

1. Font Creation for Problem Solving
2. Exploration of Existing Letterforms
3. Experimental Design

I have opted for designing a font to solve a problem. In Fig. 1.0, I presented two font design ideas. However, Mr. Vinod mentioned that the second idea has been done by many people. Therefore, I have ultimately chosen the first idea, which involves creating a cat typeface specifically designed for short videos on platforms like TikTok and Instagram.

Fig. 1.0 Final Project Idea, week 7 (17/10/2023)

Sketch:

First, I drafted the uppercase letters using IbisPaint. The cat typeface incorporates various actions and expressions to infuse a sense of fun. Additionally, it highlights the specific letters (D, H, K, W, X, and Y) that are paired as couples, contributing to the playful and enjoyable aspect of the design.

Fig. 1.1 Sketch, week 8 (24/10/2023)

Digitalization:

I chose the Impact font as my reference font because this sans-serif typeface is relatively easy for me to work with at my current skill level. Additionally, its bold letterforms are well-suited for creating a cat that can be designed as a distinctive and cohesive element.

Fig. 1.2 Impact Font, week 9 (25/10/2023)

I created an artboard in Adobe Illustrator with a height of 1000px and established the ascender line, cap height, x-height, baseline, and descender line for my font. Additionally, I added some guidelines to assist with the circular overshoot elements.

Fig. 1.3 Typography anatomy, week 9 (31/10/2023)

I find it very convenient to use Ai's grid system for measurement during the design process. To ensure I don't forget, I also make note of how many grid squares each component of the font occupies in terms of length and width.

Fig. 1.4 Calculate letter dimensions using grid units, week 9 (31/10/2023)

Designing the uppercase letter S is particularly challenging. I often find my S to look peculiar because achieving the ideal curvature and visual balance is quite intricate.

Fig. 1.5 Letter "S" evolution, week 9 (31/10/2023)

For the design of uppercase letters, I use ellipses or rectangles as their basic shapes, as illustrated in Figure 1.6. However, this is not the final font, later on, I will round its corners and incorporate cat elements.

Fig. 1.6 The basic structure of uppercase letters, week 10 (7/11/2023)

Add Cat Elements:

Fig. 1.7 showcases all the cat eyes, ears, and the space between the two legs that I need for my design. I find this area akin to a store, quite amusing. While uniform expressions across all letters might appear consistent, it's not the effect I'm aiming for. I want to create a font with a playful touch. You can observe different cat eyes expressing cuteness, indifference, forward gaze, surprise, paired with various ears to better convey the cat's emotions.

Fig. 1.7 Cat's eyes, ears, and gap between two legs, week 10 (7/11/2023)

While digitizing my drafts, I found that some letters could be improved. Based on Fig. 1.8, I believe the revised letter F adds more volume to the cat, making the front and back layers of the legs more distinct. 

The second image is, in fact, the uppercase letter of "i," but it was challenging for several people to recognize it as such. Originally, I was concerned about the potential confusion between uppercase "I" and lowercase "l," so I added headphones to differentiate. However, I later realized that other fonts seem to have similar designs for both "I" and "l," differing only in length. Therefore, I decided to change it to a design similar to the lowercase "l."

In addition, I also found that for creating surprised eyes, the rounded rectangle tool yields better results than the ellipse tool. Also, the letter 'S' is more readable when it doesn't have legs.

Fig. 1.8 Cat typeface design process, week 10 (7/11/2023)

The uppercase letter 'H' is not quite as I imagined! Achieving the same effect as the sketch was not straightforward, and it even made me regret why I chose to design something so complex to challenge myself... Well, but in the end, I managed to create it, although not entirely satisfied.

Fig. 1.9 Letter "S" evolution, week 10 (1/11/2023)

Fig. 2.0 displays some adjustments I made to the letters 'P' and 'Q.'

Fig. 2.0 Letter "P" & "Q" evolution, week 10 (1/11/2023)

At first, I thought the letter 'X' looked fine until I added the cat elements. I felt the middle part was too narrow, so I widened it a bit. Additionally, I removed the cat's legs because I believed they could pose readability issues.

Fig. 2.1 Letter "X" evolution, week 10 (1/11/2023)

Due to time constraints, I am unable to design a completely different set of actions for lowercase letters. Therefore, I've decided to follow the design of uppercase letters, such as C and c, O and o, V and v, Z and z, X and x, etc. Other lowercase letters will not have legs added (as they can be somewhat distracting for readability). To save time, b, p, q, and d are all based on the same foundation, just flipped horizontally or vertically, with some adjustments. The tail of the letter j is copied from g, but later I realized that the tail of j will be shorter.

Fig. 2.2 Letter "j"  & "y" evolution, week 11 (8/11/2023)

Fig. 2.3 and Fig. 2.4 depict the process of designing my font. I reduced the opacity to 50% to clearly see the overlapping shapes. Once the letter designs were finalized, I created outline strokes for all lines. Using the shape builder tool, I connected or removed necessary parts. Each character was then grouped together for ease of copying into FontLab later.

Fig. 2.3 Screenshot process, week 11 (8/11/2023)

For the numbers and punctuation, I didn't include cat elements because of time constraints. Additionally, I wanted them to have differences compared to the letters. For instance, even though the width of my 'O' and '0' differs, the absence of cat elements makes them easier to distinguish.

Fig. 2.4 Screenshot process, week 11 (8/11/2023)

FontLab:

I imported the designed cat typeface into FontLab, but encountered an issue. Since I set the ascender line, descender line, and other guidelines in Illustrator based on the grid, the positions of these lines are in decimal numbers rather than integers. To address this, I drew rectangles in Illustrator with lengths corresponding to x-height, cap-height, and so on. I then copied these rectangles into FontLab and determined the position of each guideline by proportionally scaling them up.

Fig. 3.0 Import the designed font into FontLab, week 11 (14/11/2023)

Fig. 3.1 Maintain correct size proportions for each letter, week 11 (14/11/2023)

Fig. 3.2 All characters, week 11 (14/11/2023)

I found online that in FontLab, to automatically kern pairs, open the Pairs and Phrases panel. In the Pairs mode, select multiple pairs with Shift and click on the 'diamond' button in the upper right corner. FontLab automatically generates kerning for the selected pairs according to the settings on the Preferences > Curve Conversion page.

Fig. 3.3 Automatic Kerning Generation, week 11 (14/11/2023)

However, the outcome of the automatic kerning generation is unsatisfactory, as evident in Fig. 3.4. There is excessive spacing between each letter, creating an overall loose appearance.

Fig. 3.4 Auto-kerning may create loose spacing, week 11 (14/11/2023)

Finally, I manually adjusted the left and right side bearings using Fig. 3.4 as a reference. This approach saved me a lot of time. When we need to 'space by eyes' and determine the 'minimum possible side bearing,' I often feel confused about the accuracy of my adjustments.

Fig. 3.4 Left & Right sidebearing measurement, week 11 (14/11/2023)

Fig. 3.5 shows the final kerning of the letters. I believe the overall spacing looks more cohesive now. Afterward, I exported it in OpenTT format. My font is named 'CatYi,' where 'Yi' is my name.

Fig. 3.5 Manually adjust kerning, week 12 (15/11/2023)

Font Presentations:

Next, we need to create four to five font presentations. The initial presentation, labeled Fig. 4.0, resembles more of a poster than a font presentation. Mr. Vinod provided feedback that the font should be larger for better presentation.

Fig. 4.0 My font is too small, week 13 (22/11/2023)

Therefore, I created another font presentation (refer to Fig. 4.1) featuring only the letter 'a' and a cat image. I found similarities between them, making them suitable to be presented together. I also tilted the letter 'a' to match the angle of the cat. However, I made a mistake regarding the size of the font presentation and font application. I should have used 1024px x 1024px... So, I had to change the canvas size.

Fig. 4.1 Misunderstood the font presentation size requirements..., week 13 (22/11/2023)

For the second font presentation, I found an image on Pinterest. I noticed the cat's reluctant expression and the hand reaching out, which surprisingly resembled my letter 'D.' Since just placing the letter 'D' seemed a bit plain, I added the phrase 'Don't touch me' to provide some context, serving as an interpretation of the image.

Subsequently, my other font presentations are all in black and white. To maintain colour consistency, I converted it to black and white as well.

Fig. 4.2 Maintain a consistent colour, week 13 (22/11/2023)

Black and white can create a strong contrast. I wanted to arrange lowercase letters with the same width in columns, measuring with green grids to ensure consistent spacing.  Tilting them at a 15-degree angle added dynamism to the composition. However, after several adjustments, I remained unsatisfied. In Fig. 4.3 right bottom image, the top of the letter 'p' and the bottom of the letter 'n' still had some gaps. So, I made slight adjustments and added my font name 'CatYi' and 'by Chong Hui Yi' above the letter 'p'. 

Fig. 4.3 Font presentation, week 13 (22/11/2023)

In addition to lowercase letters, I also created presentations for some uppercase letters. I worked on filling the entire canvas with the letters. I placed 'CatYi by Chong Hui Yi' on the letter 'N' and made certain letters gray to create contrast.

Fig. 4.4 Font presentation, week 13 (22/11/2023)

Suddenly, I remembered I haven't created the font presentation for numbers! I displayed numbers 1 to 9 in a black and white checkered grid, arranged neatly for a comfortable visual appeal.

Fig. 4.5 Font presentation: number, week 13 (22/11/2023)

I also created a font presentation that includes all characters.

Fig. 4.6 Font presentation: all characters, week 13 (22/11/2023)

Font Applications:

Similar to font presentations, we also need to create 4 to 5 font applications. Since my font is about cats, I decided to focus on cat-related products for the font applications. I created applications for cat food cans, a poster for adopting pets, pet shampoo, and cat treats. I feel like I could open a pet store now, haha!

I found a free mockup on Freepik, preferably in PSD format for easy editing and higher resolution. However, the font application for the cat food can wasn't a PSD file but an image. So, I used the rectangle tool to create a shape, turned it into a smart object, and distorted it to match the can. Finally, I placed my designed packaging inside. The advantage is that I can change my packaging design continuously without the need to rewrap.

My mockup includes both tall and short cans. Originally, for the tall one, I planned to have the packaging only in the middle with the rest in blue, but it didn't look good. So, I redesigned the entire packaging. 

To make it more realistic, I researched cat food can designs online. I chose Fig. 4.7 as my reference, and for some content, I took inspiration from it because I couldn't figure out how to phrase certain things.

Fig. 4.7 Reference cat food cans, week 13 (22/11/2023)

Fig. 4.7 Font application #1: cat food cans, week 13 (22/11/2023)

Next, I started working on the pet adoption poster, and I created two versions. In terms of the poster design, Mr. Vinod provided feedback that the cat photo and the text 'VISIT OUR PET SHOP' were too large in the first version. He also suggested maintaining consistent colours with my font application, so I made adjustments, changing the colour from green to blue.

Once I decided on my colour scheme—Klein Blue, light blue, white, and black—I felt that the first version with a darker background and overall complex colours didn't align well with my palette. Therefore, for the second version, I used a new mockup with a clean blue wall and poster to better match my chosen colors.

The wall was originally white, and in Photoshop, I adjusted its Hue/Saturation, using the completed cat treats font application as a reference for color (Fig. 4.8, the second image in the second version).

Fig. 4.8 Font application #2: poster, week 13 (22/11/2023)

For the third font application, I aimed for a minimalist packaging design for pet shampoo, using cat paw graphics to fill the space. I found that the blue background worked well, giving the product a gentle, comfortable, and clean feel.

Fig. 4.9 Font application #3: pet shampoo, week 13 (22/11/2023)

As the chosen mockup featured two packages, I decided to create two flavors: chicken and salmon. I designed two versions, one with blue and orange, and the other entirely in blue. Since my color scheme was primarily blue, introducing a sudden orange felt out of place, so I opted for two blue versions. Although the two packages might seem similar at first glance, the text indicates the different flavors.

Fig. 5.0 Font application #4: cat treats, week 13 (22/11/2023)

Final Outcome:

You can type here ↓ ↓ ↓ 

Fig. 6.0 CatYi Typface, week 13 (22/11/2023)

Fig. 6.1 Font presentation #1, week 14 (29/11/2023)

Fig. 6.2 Font presentation #2, week 14 (29/11/2023)

Fig. 6.3 Font presentation #3, week 14 (29/11/2023)

Fig. 6.4 Font presentation #4, week 14 (29/11/2023)

Fig. 6.5 Font presentation #5, week 14 (29/11/2023)

Fig. 6.6 Font presentation #6, week 14 (29/11/2023)

Fig. 6.7 Font application #1, week 14 (29/11/2023)

Fig. 6.8 Font application #2, week 14 (29/11/2023)

Fig. 6.9 Font application #3, week 14 (29/11/2023)

Fig. 7.0 Font application #4, week 14 (29/11/2023)

Fig. 7.0 Font Presentation & Application, week 14 (29/11/2023)

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FEEDBACK

Week 8:

General Feedback: We need to have a clear purpose.

Specific Feedback: The problem statement is clear. In the sketch of my first idea, there are too many white lines in the letter "B," and it needs to be modified. However, "A" and "B" are acceptable. The second idea has already been done by many people.

Week 9:

Specific Feedback: Mr. Vinod mentioned that the cat's eyes should not be yellow but white, as the font is monochromatic.

Week 10:

General Feedback: Develop lowercase characters alongside uppercase, compare their height, contrast, and stroke thickness.

Specific Feedback: Mr. Vinod urged me to speed up my progress since I was progressing slowly. He also showed me an alternative method for creating the font, which involved using image trace on my draft.

Week 11:

General Feedback: Ensure that the font is readable. Need to print out the font.

Week 12:

Specific Feedback: My font is fine. Adjusting the left and right bearing of the font can be referenced from the document shared in Microsoft Teams, which can save a lot of time. The background of my font presentation is too pink. The main focus is on showcasing the font, so it's possible to enlarge the font and place it next to the cat.

Week 13:

Specific Feedback:

- Font application needs to be consistent.

- The cat image on the sign poster and the text "Visit our pet shop" is too big.

- Font presentation size is 1024px x 1024px.

- Letter "a" presentation background should change to light gray.

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REFLECTIONS

Experience:

This final project differs from the typography in semester 1, we are required to create a complete set of fonts. Honestly, I once regretted choosing to design this cat font because it involves creating various cat actions and expressions to add fun to the font, requiring a considerable amount of time and effort. Therefore, I am grateful that I didn't give up at that time and fortunate that I chose a theme I enjoy. Despite encountering challenges in the design process, I found more joy than difficulties and am pleased with the outcome.

Observation:

I feel like I always rush to finish at the last minute, and time is becoming increasingly tight. This makes me feel nervous and frustrated, leading to mistakes. Hence, effective time management is crucial.

Findings:

I believe that engaging in something I love and am interested in brings anticipation and enthusiasm, providing me with the motivation to complete tasks.

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FURTHER READING

Vignelli Canon on Design

Fig. Vignelli Canon on Design

"Vignelli Canon on Design" by Massimo Vignelli stands as a seminal guide in the realm of design. Penned by the esteemed Italian designer, this book explores fundamental principles in graphic design, typography, colour theory, and spatial arrangements. Recognized for his minimalist approach, Vignelli imparts unique insights and experiences, rendering the book an inspirational reference for designers. The term "Canon" underscores Vignelli's steadfast commitment to essential design rules.