OUGD403
Studio brief 02
Typeface interim crit

For this interim crit we had to present our research and initial thoughts on which typeface to select to effectively communicate the given adjective. For the research I looked into Müeller-Brockmanns and the nine selected typefaces, the research is seen in a recent blog post but other research I did was to decide upon whether the individual typefaces would be suitable for 'light'.

Garamond
Garamond has a old style serif that I think doesn’t interact the adjective ‘light’ very well, this could down to the thick strokes. The strong serifs on each letter make the charecters seem heavy at the baseline, I also think each terminal is rather too large and even if I was repurpose the design the stem would still be too strong. This typeface is too heavy in my opioin to communicate ‘light’. 

Caslon
I think Caslon is a less condensed version of Garamond, it has cleaner and straighter serifs that I much prefer over Garamond’s thich curved serifs. The main difference between the two is mainly the contrast between straight and curved terminals,ascenders, descenders and brackets. This is one aspect I like about Caslon’s design, the direct charecters do have a modern aspect that could communicate ‘light’ in a strong emphasis thanks to its short ascenders and descenders. 

Baskerville
What I like about the design of Baskerville is the disconnected loop found on the lowercase ‘g’ I think this symbolises a less compact design, that could also embody weightless / light. I also like the thin stem strokes that help achieve a  clear sharp look. It has a lighter old syle serif personality than say Garamond and Caslon does so this could be one of the old style modern designs that could work.   

Bodoni
The elegant modern design of Bodoni could convey ‘light’ well, the mix of straight and curved serifs do achieve a bold design but not too overpowering. Personally Bodoni is one of my favourite typefaces but its more condensed style than its influence Baskerville, which I would prefer to use for communicating ‘light’ because of its less compact design. 

Clarendon
Personally I don’t like Clarendon, the ear and shoulders on some characters make me dislike the font, I feel as if these characteristics are unneeded, espicially if im to communicate light, I dont think Clarendon is the most relavant. It has a strong emphasis but doesnt suit the weightless style I’m after, then again I could repurpose this as I dont like it and could find it easy to change certain characteristics.

Berthold
Akzidenz Grotesk is Berthold’s most celebrated,known for being the mother of all sans serif typefaces and I can see why because a majority of swiss modern typefaces are based off Akzidenz Grotesk. Its efficient design is clear and can communicate anything in my opinion as many sans serif can but when repurposing this design I’m not entirely sure what I’d change, the typeface doesn’t have any unneeded characteristics.

Times
Times has a lot of sharp edges that communicate a clear emphasis, if I was to repurpose this typeface i'd keep the sharp strokes as I think they're the strongest characteristic of the design but I'd reduce the stem size.

Helvetica
Simialar to Akidenz Grotesk,Helvetica doesnt have any particular characteristics I’d change. One way in which I could repurpose it is halfing the stems horizontally or expand the bowls in some letterforms. All these changes may seem pointless as Helvetica Light is available to use.  

Univers
Univers is the lighest typeface from Müeller-Brockmanns classic and lead typefaces, it lacks any excessive features of any type. Its versatilty makes it a good option to betray light. It works within a strict framework that I could easily modify.