To reflect upon eight completely different briefs, experiences, lessons and outcomes seemed difficult at first thought. However, when I reflect upon this year with rigour, everything fell into place just as I planned. I approached third year with my portfolio being the constant focus of the year, with everything in some shape or form helping forge a distinct portfolio. This was all down to careful planning and the tenacity and patience to create a body of work, which I am happy with. The briefs I undertook were all thoroughly choose in relation to my portfolio. With questions such as 'what skills does it show?, does it represent me? is this the sort of work I want to produce in the future? etc. Thanks to constant critiquing and tweaking I was able to craft a set of briefs which will more or less form a bulk of the portfolio. And when I think over them individually I really couldn't say which one I enjoyed the most, they were all great in their own way. I think this is down to my careful planning of the briefs, as I never got bored or disliked what I was doing which made this year incredibly enjoyable.
I achieved my aim of creating work which represents me, with the two briefs focusing on Newcastle. For me this was important as I didn't want to finish this year, with work which had zero relevance to me. I wanted something I could talk passionately about in a job interview for example, and I have achieved this with Dobson the typeface and The Grainger Market identity. All the other briefs undertook presented me with new experiences and lessons to be learnt. Collaboration was a big experience, and in particular working with a level 6 photographer was a great collaboration. But for me collaboration is about sharing ideas and sharing opinions. This year in particular has made me realise that one of biggest assets of being a graphic designer, is having an opinion people listen to. It's made me really think more about how I collaborate, as collaboration can simply be a conversation about design. Exchanging opinions and in turn understanding the bigger picture. This I think will only make my practice better, but it has also made me more grounded.
Lessons learnt from extended practice have been timeplanning, but not to say I've struggled with timeplanning. Yet at times having set deadlines would have benefited my process and project management. One aspect which got in the way a bit was context of practice, during dissertation I was only doing the Grainger Market brief. Although, it was huge brief I maybe should have had a small brief completed before Christmas. This could have enabled more briefs to undertake but I don't dwell on that too much as I am happy with what I have achieved this year. The next step is now collating all the work into a portfolio which will celebrate each brief but also celebrate this year and my learning over the three years on this course.
Sunday 13 May 2018
Friday 11 May 2018
OUGD603 - Typeface design - Evaluation
With this brief being my final project of the year, it has been by far the most rewarding and enjoyable one to undertake. It all began with this brief being influenced by one of my early briefs in the year, the Grainger Market identity. Orginally, I did that brief to be representative of me and where I’m from. Creating work i’m passionate about and something which can be a form of expression in my portfolio. So to further this expression through another deliverable was really rewarding.
In terms of what I have produced I am overly happy with the design side of things, the research and development paid off in the end. Along with having time away from the brief to collect my thoughts on how to best represent Grainger Town through a typeface. I knew that the key to creating something succesfull was having the typeface heavily informed by research. Personally, I dont see the relevance in some types which are created to simply be visually nice to look at. I wanted my typeface to have a backbone, and I feel it does with my research into Grainger Town and its history.
The design of the type allowed me to use new softwares such as glyphs so I know how to use this software from now on. Furthermore, the satisfaction from exporting the type from glyphs and typing for the first time with it, is unrivalled to any other brief from this year. I felt like I crafted this idea more than anything ive done while at uni. Once the typeface was finalised it was more of task finding ways to place the type into a catergory and ways in which to best communicate it through a specimen. Experimentation during this process was again a fulfilling part of the brief, as my orginal plan of using newspaper was changed which in turn benefited the overall final specimen. What didnt go to plan during this brief was the oppurtunity missed to create woodblock. Everything was put into place to get woodblock letterforms ready for deadline, but sadly inexpeirence in this production costed the brief. A little more time and preperation would have enabled me to hand in on time, but nevertheless this was an expansion of the brief so not a neccesity to hand in. Although, I was unable to make the wooblock in time I will continue this project after extended practice. As this brief will form a part of my final show piece. So far I have the final typeface and specimen, with woodblock in the works, but this project has so much potential I believe.
In terms of what I have produced I am overly happy with the design side of things, the research and development paid off in the end. Along with having time away from the brief to collect my thoughts on how to best represent Grainger Town through a typeface. I knew that the key to creating something succesfull was having the typeface heavily informed by research. Personally, I dont see the relevance in some types which are created to simply be visually nice to look at. I wanted my typeface to have a backbone, and I feel it does with my research into Grainger Town and its history.
The design of the type allowed me to use new softwares such as glyphs so I know how to use this software from now on. Furthermore, the satisfaction from exporting the type from glyphs and typing for the first time with it, is unrivalled to any other brief from this year. I felt like I crafted this idea more than anything ive done while at uni. Once the typeface was finalised it was more of task finding ways to place the type into a catergory and ways in which to best communicate it through a specimen. Experimentation during this process was again a fulfilling part of the brief, as my orginal plan of using newspaper was changed which in turn benefited the overall final specimen. What didnt go to plan during this brief was the oppurtunity missed to create woodblock. Everything was put into place to get woodblock letterforms ready for deadline, but sadly inexpeirence in this production costed the brief. A little more time and preperation would have enabled me to hand in on time, but nevertheless this was an expansion of the brief so not a neccesity to hand in. Although, I was unable to make the wooblock in time I will continue this project after extended practice. As this brief will form a part of my final show piece. So far I have the final typeface and specimen, with woodblock in the works, but this project has so much potential I believe.
OUGD603 - Typeface design - Specimen production
For the production of the specimen I intended to use newsprint for the stock, so I looked into using Newspaper Club who offer tabloid and broadsheet printing. Originally, I used the Newspaper Club indesign template for a tabloid spread which measures at 289mm x 380mm. Using 55gsm newsprint and working with 16 pages to save money on production. However, during production I experimented with a selection of stocks available at uni which have similarities to newsprint. Out of what I experimented with, three particular stocks stood out for aesthetic and quality. The first being a brown paper which is roughly 55gsm, the second a 90gsm antique white stock and the third being a 90gsm sugar paper. All gave the specimen a different look and feel and both swayed my mind away from using newsprint. The 90gsm sugar paper option gives the specimen more tangibility and will allow a method of binding. While the brown paper and the antique white paper creates a real authentic and traditional aesthetic.
From multiple experiments I decided to change the direction of the specimen, and use the 90gsm sugar paper stock. This is due to it creating a newspaper like effect but offering more durability and flexibility. Once I decided on the stock I considered binding or even whether to bind the specimen. I preferred the idea of a using staples on the exposed spine.
The original form of binding was simply stapling the left hand side of the page with three staples. However, when the pages turned the pages creased unevenly leaving the left hand side of the pages disfigured. I needed a way of allowing the pages to fold evenly and for the spread to open fully. I examined stab stitch staple binds, and they normally use a higher gsm for the front and back cover to create an evenly crease upon opening pages. Or the pages have a crease along the margin but the pages were too big to fit in the page folder at uni. Plus doing it by hand was nigh on impossible with the stock being a low gsm.
After continued experimentation into ways in which to bind the specimen, I made a bind similar to tape binding. Using a piece of 270 gsm stock I cut a 380mm x 30mm piece of paper which allows the pages to fit inside it. Then I applied three staples which enclosed the pages within the 'tape bind'
For the printing of the specimen I was more than satisfied with the print quality of using the studio printers. As the specimen is on cheap stock and all one colour, the print quality isnt that obvious so I stuck with using the studio printer rather than using the digital print room.
Additionally, in production I decided to add new pages to the specimen as I wasn't constricted to Newspaper clubs costs of adding more pages. The original quote for Newspaper club was 5 copies at 16 pages for £34, so I was hesitant of adding more pages to keep the price down. Nevertheless, as I ditched Newspaper club I could add more pages without worrying about cost.
The new pages look more into the history of Grainger Town with the great reform act passed by Earl Grey, which led to a statue being built of him in the centre of Grainger Town. Along with the orginal penny bazaar and the theatre royal.
Brown paper 55gsm
Antique white 90gsm
90gsm sugar paper
From multiple experiments I decided to change the direction of the specimen, and use the 90gsm sugar paper stock. This is due to it creating a newspaper like effect but offering more durability and flexibility. Once I decided on the stock I considered binding or even whether to bind the specimen. I preferred the idea of a using staples on the exposed spine.
The original form of binding was simply stapling the left hand side of the page with three staples. However, when the pages turned the pages creased unevenly leaving the left hand side of the pages disfigured. I needed a way of allowing the pages to fold evenly and for the spread to open fully. I examined stab stitch staple binds, and they normally use a higher gsm for the front and back cover to create an evenly crease upon opening pages. Or the pages have a crease along the margin but the pages were too big to fit in the page folder at uni. Plus doing it by hand was nigh on impossible with the stock being a low gsm.
After continued experimentation into ways in which to bind the specimen, I made a bind similar to tape binding. Using a piece of 270 gsm stock I cut a 380mm x 30mm piece of paper which allows the pages to fit inside it. Then I applied three staples which enclosed the pages within the 'tape bind'
For the printing of the specimen I was more than satisfied with the print quality of using the studio printers. As the specimen is on cheap stock and all one colour, the print quality isnt that obvious so I stuck with using the studio printer rather than using the digital print room.
Additionally, in production I decided to add new pages to the specimen as I wasn't constricted to Newspaper clubs costs of adding more pages. The original quote for Newspaper club was 5 copies at 16 pages for £34, so I was hesitant of adding more pages to keep the price down. Nevertheless, as I ditched Newspaper club I could add more pages without worrying about cost.
The new pages look more into the history of Grainger Town with the great reform act passed by Earl Grey, which led to a statue being built of him in the centre of Grainger Town. Along with the orginal penny bazaar and the theatre royal.
OUGD603 - Typeface design - Woodblock type production
Once I was inducted into using the laser cutter, I booked a two hour slot on Thursday 10th May to create woodblock type. Prior to the session I had a chat with the technicians from the wood workshop about the best way to set up a file for woodblock type. I simply had to create outline text in rbg cyan so the machine knows to raster the type rather than cutting it out. The raster effect basically etches the wood to create depth rather cutting it. During the session I made sure to ask for help as much as often as this was totally new process for me, with the technician helping when he could but for most of the session I had to work out the laser cutter software for myself.
I was recommended to use a 3mm piece of plywood for the type, although I planned on using a thicker piece of wood as Mike from the printroom said I could create upto 2.3cm letterpress. In total the rastering of the type took over two hours and during the process the plywood began to warp which occurs often with thin plywood. With the wood warping it meant that once the rastering was complete, the individual shapes which were meant to cut out each letterform would be off by a couple of cm. This meant after 2 hours of using the laser cutter the type was obsolete, with all available laser cutter slots booked up until deadline. I wasn't charged for the plywood as it warped but the technician told me to use thicker wood next time to avoid warping. This was unfortunate and sort of expected with it being my first time using the machine. Yet I did want thicker wood originally so the failure is most likely down to lack of communication.
I was recommended to use a 3mm piece of plywood for the type, although I planned on using a thicker piece of wood as Mike from the printroom said I could create upto 2.3cm letterpress. In total the rastering of the type took over two hours and during the process the plywood began to warp which occurs often with thin plywood. With the wood warping it meant that once the rastering was complete, the individual shapes which were meant to cut out each letterform would be off by a couple of cm. This meant after 2 hours of using the laser cutter the type was obsolete, with all available laser cutter slots booked up until deadline. I wasn't charged for the plywood as it warped but the technician told me to use thicker wood next time to avoid warping. This was unfortunate and sort of expected with it being my first time using the machine. Yet I did want thicker wood originally so the failure is most likely down to lack of communication.
From this I sadly wont be able to hand in woodblock for the deadline yet this was a valuable lesson for when I create woodblock in the near future.
Monday 7 May 2018
OUGD603 - Typeface design - Expansion of brief
As an expansion of the brief I decided to push the deliverables to making woodblock type for letterpress printing. I decided this would be relevant for the type as it is a traditional type inspired by Victorian era architecture. It gives the type a more traditional form while still being contemporary for audiences today.
However, before making the final decision to make woodblock type I made sure to make a number of enquiries on the best way to go about producing woodblock in uni and how to print with them. I had a chat with Mike Flower in the traditional print room about the best size type to make. He informed me the biggest size type which can fit in the albion press is about 2.3 cm in height. So I had to bear this in mind when thinking about the restrictions of creating woodblock. I also had a chat with the staff in the wood workshop on the best ways to make woodblock and they suggested the laser machine to cut out the type.
I signed up to a laser cutter induction to learn the possibilities of using the machine and from the induction I was recommended to use a raster effect on the machine to get the woodblock, then from there I would have to cut each individual letterform using a saw.
However, before making the final decision to make woodblock type I made sure to make a number of enquiries on the best way to go about producing woodblock in uni and how to print with them. I had a chat with Mike Flower in the traditional print room about the best size type to make. He informed me the biggest size type which can fit in the albion press is about 2.3 cm in height. So I had to bear this in mind when thinking about the restrictions of creating woodblock. I also had a chat with the staff in the wood workshop on the best ways to make woodblock and they suggested the laser machine to cut out the type.
I signed up to a laser cutter induction to learn the possibilities of using the machine and from the induction I was recommended to use a raster effect on the machine to get the woodblock, then from there I would have to cut each individual letterform using a saw.
The image above shows the nearest example of woodblock from the induction
Sunday 6 May 2018
OUGD603 - Typeface design - Specimen development
For the design development I was heavily inspired by newspaper layouts, and decided to use them as a constant reference point for the simple editorial design of the specimen. Simple features such as using header and footer lines to give order and sequence to the pages. To get a rough understanding of the basic layout of the specimen I sketched simple compositions, and noted a order for the specimen.
Introduction to type page
- What are the influences
- Doric Order
- Background to Grainger Town
- Images of Grainger Town
Character set
- Letterforms
- Numbers
- Illustration of doric order
Detail
- Ampersand and characters
Type in use
- Quotes
The type has to be large and to the point for it to be able to communicate the aspirations of Dobson. Therefore, I looked over research to source content to include which will help give insight into the type and its influences. Examples include famous quotes about Grainger Town, the year the construction began and famous streets of Grainger Town.
As the type is headline/display type it would be illegible and contradictory to use it as body copy in the specimen. Usually in specimens the only type in use is obviously the type of the specimen. However, I examined other display type specimens and they use a separate type for smaller body copy. Using Dobson to express the feel and intended purpose of the type is fine, but to use it in copy form is not what the type is intended for. So for the body copy used mainly for the introduction to the type I used Mabry. It's a type that is both contemporary and historic, refined and imperfect all at once. Which is what drawed me to pairing it with Dobson, as I want Dobson to be perceived as both contemporary and historic at the same time. Furthermore, Mabry has structured yet delicate letterforms I think correlate nicely with Dobson.
For the front cover design I wanted something effortless to represent the type, but something that doesn't just show the type set on the front cover. So I decided to use the letterforms in a more ambiguous and abstract form to create a composition which highlights the negative space shapes, which aim to represent the features of the Doric Order.
For colour in the specimen I decided to stick with only black because the type is traditional but also due to the production of newspapers. Colours can be printed much differently when using newspaper so I stuck with black as its solid.
The first page introduces the type and its influences while the second page shows the full character set. The layout for the type throughout the specimen is flexible with the margin lines framing the elements. Each page includes a page number and a section name which informs the the user of the content on show.
The 3rd and 4th page show the number set and an ampersand detail which is placed over imagery of Grainger Town. This was used to show the direct link between the type and its influence.
As the specimen continues the use of expanded across both letterform and numbers. A small illustration gives explanation of the Doric Order which allows the visual influence stand out more.
This spread includes a famous quote from John Betjeman about Grey Street and it's the first example of the type being used in longer form.
Introduction to type page
- What are the influences
- Doric Order
- Background to Grainger Town
- Images of Grainger Town
Character set
- Letterforms
- Numbers
- Illustration of doric order
Detail
- Ampersand and characters
Type in use
- Quotes
The type has to be large and to the point for it to be able to communicate the aspirations of Dobson. Therefore, I looked over research to source content to include which will help give insight into the type and its influences. Examples include famous quotes about Grainger Town, the year the construction began and famous streets of Grainger Town.
As the type is headline/display type it would be illegible and contradictory to use it as body copy in the specimen. Usually in specimens the only type in use is obviously the type of the specimen. However, I examined other display type specimens and they use a separate type for smaller body copy. Using Dobson to express the feel and intended purpose of the type is fine, but to use it in copy form is not what the type is intended for. So for the body copy used mainly for the introduction to the type I used Mabry. It's a type that is both contemporary and historic, refined and imperfect all at once. Which is what drawed me to pairing it with Dobson, as I want Dobson to be perceived as both contemporary and historic at the same time. Furthermore, Mabry has structured yet delicate letterforms I think correlate nicely with Dobson.
For the front cover design I wanted something effortless to represent the type, but something that doesn't just show the type set on the front cover. So I decided to use the letterforms in a more ambiguous and abstract form to create a composition which highlights the negative space shapes, which aim to represent the features of the Doric Order.
For colour in the specimen I decided to stick with only black because the type is traditional but also due to the production of newspapers. Colours can be printed much differently when using newspaper so I stuck with black as its solid.
The first page introduces the type and its influences while the second page shows the full character set. The layout for the type throughout the specimen is flexible with the margin lines framing the elements. Each page includes a page number and a section name which informs the the user of the content on show.
The 3rd and 4th page show the number set and an ampersand detail which is placed over imagery of Grainger Town. This was used to show the direct link between the type and its influence.
As the specimen continues the use of expanded across both letterform and numbers. A small illustration gives explanation of the Doric Order which allows the visual influence stand out more.
This spread includes a famous quote from John Betjeman about Grey Street and it's the first example of the type being used in longer form.
OUGD603 - Typeface design - Specimen development
For further development of the specimen I was inspired by traditional forms of publications and books, with a lot of visual inspiration being Victorian era design.
When considering the form of the specimen I was focused on how specimens were presented before they were used as a commercial product. It made me think of traditional forms of design and communication, which led me to consider using newspaper for the specimen. Newspapers have traditionally been published in print, and usually using cheap, low grade paper called newsprint. They were developed in the 17th century, as information sheets for businessmen and I believe are a good way of presenting Dobson. Additionally, with the type being a display type I think it is suiting to have it presented in a newspaper, as headline/display type is most prominent in newspapers.
I looked at newspaper specimens for inspiration with the black and white type being seemingly more prominent in newspaper print.
OUGD603 - Typeface design - Specimen idea
To accompany the type I found it relevant to create a type specimen. Originally, type specimens were created by foundries to communicate their type inventory to pressmen. However, today it is used as a promotional piece for the type designer or foundry to sell. With websites doing the practical work of showing glyphs and letter combinations, specimens can express the feel, intended purpose or aspirations of the type. For the specimen for Dobson I needed to communicate its function as a display type while informing the viewer of the influences of the type. Personally I don't think a specimen should be over designed, the type on show has to be impactful so a stripped back approach was used for the Dobson specimen. Additionally, I wanted the aesthetic of the type to be reflected in the form and design of the specimen. Therefore, I looked at traditional specimens and typefaces which are similar to Dobson for inspiration.
The most helpful was central Avenue from Colophon Foundry who created a playful specimen for a rather traditional type. The type is based on Victorian hand-painted signs but is much more industrial and much more relevant and contemporary. In the specimen the type is presented abstract and bright, rather than a traditional black and white. It shows how you can transform a traditional type into a contemporary type through the specimen.
The most helpful was central Avenue from Colophon Foundry who created a playful specimen for a rather traditional type. The type is based on Victorian hand-painted signs but is much more industrial and much more relevant and contemporary. In the specimen the type is presented abstract and bright, rather than a traditional black and white. It shows how you can transform a traditional type into a contemporary type through the specimen.
Saturday 5 May 2018
OUGD603 - Typeface design - Final type
For the final name of the type I decided upon Dobson. This is informed by the architect who helped Richard Grainger construct Grainger Town. During the naming process peers were unsure why I didn't name it 'Grainger' due to it representing Grainger Town. However, the decision to call it Dobson is one which is backed by informative research. Firstly, because in research I discovered that John Dobson provided much of the creative input to Grainger Town, whereas Grainger provided the essential drive to get the project completed. Additionally, it was Dobson who focused on Neoclassical architecture which has shaped Newcastle's image.
It's not I think a name such as Grainger wouldn't work for the type but I feel Dobson is more punchy and relates more to the Neoclassical influence of the type, as John Dobson himself was massively inspired by Grecian and classical architecture.
To analyse the type on a whole I would describe it as:
It's not I think a name such as Grainger wouldn't work for the type but I feel Dobson is more punchy and relates more to the Neoclassical influence of the type, as John Dobson himself was massively inspired by Grecian and classical architecture.
To analyse the type on a whole I would describe it as:
Dobson is a bold display typeface named after 19th-century English architect John Dobson. Designed for use at large scale and inspired by the architecture of Grainger Town (Newcastle Upon Tyne) which is dubbed Tyneside classical. It resonates the Doric Order which is one of the three orders of ancient Greek and later classical architecture, which feature heavily throughout Grainger Town. It aims to reflect the key characterstics of the order while giving an essence of some of the finest classical streets in Britain.
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