Typography project

 Grid System

Grid system consist of a series of vertical and horizontal lines which cross and are then used to build solid form and structure into your design. The grid divides a two-dimensional space into smaller sections. Into grid sections the elements of design, like photography, typography and illustration are placed. Then, these elements are adjusted and fitted into the size of the grid section. Grid system provides you a solid base that can help you to present your content in a much more readable, consistent and accessible way. The grid system is used mainly by the graphic designers, typographers, exhibition designers and photographers because it helps to solve visual problems. Well structured and clear design will not only be read more easily, but will also be better understood and remembered.

Designing grid system:

1.      To create a balanced grid we should use the paper size as a guide. Most of the printed media uses the standardized DIN system.

2.   Then divide it into a grid

3.      And start designing by filling up the boxes with the images, type and other elements

Researched grid system instruction:

Source: http://markboulton.co.uk

The Golden Ratio

It is the ratio that describes how one measurement relates to another and is formed of 1:1.618.

It means that the ration of ab to bc is the same as ad to ab

If you divide each window again with the same ratio and link their corner you end up with a spiral.

This spiral can be seen in nature as well as in art and design throughout history.

Examples:

The Golden Ratio and Apple Logo:

Rule of Thirds

It is a rule which proposes that an visual image should be divided into nine equal parts by two spaced horizontal lines and two spaced vertical lines and then an important compositional factors should be positioned along these line or their intersections.

Typography

It is the technique and art of arranging font. The words that make up typography are typo (types) and graphy (drawing). Typography is important because creates clear difference in content.  

Typographic technicalities:

- Typeface should not distract attention from the transmission of the message, text. 

- Format: the bottom of the page is less valuable, the top of the page holds the most attention, elements that are close to each other appear to belong together

Type classification:

- Serif - has cross-lines at the ends of strokes

- Sans Serif - no cross-lines

- Script and hand-lettered - hand lettering

Glyphic- letters carved in stone

- Blackletter -  flat-pen hand-scripts

- Monospaced- each letter occupies the same space

- Display- less liable at text sizes

- Symbols - simple illustrations

Typographic measurements

1.      The size of the type is measured in points

2.      Point size is the height of the font ( 1 inch = 72 points)

Typeface alphabets

-          Correct spaces between letters and words.

-          Consistent spacing makes reading easier

·         Letter-spacing – the space between groups of words or characters, negative letter-spacing pulls text closer together, positive letter-spacing pushes letters apart. 

(Wide letters need more space than narrower letters and small letters need more space than longer letters

·         Measure -  the amount of space used by a column of type that relates to the number of characters per line ( a single column of text contains between 40-50 characters per line, multiply columns contain up to 80 characters per line)

·         Kerning – the adjustment and the space between two characters that require a certain look, for example “AV”

-          The length and spacing of lines conductive to easy reading

·         Leading – line-spacing, space between lines of text
·         Baseline –The horizontal line where text lines along


-          Common type terminology

-          The most commonly used type designs are Baskerville, Helvetica, Century

Helvetica

·         Designed by Max Miedinger

·         Sans-serif typeface

·         The square dot over the letter “j” and “i”

·         Horizontal or vertical cuts

·         Round forms

                    Century

·         Designed by L.B. Benton

·         Egyptian typestyle

·         Often used in textbooks

·         Curved brackets

·         Square Serif

                      Baskerville
·         Designed by John Baskerville
·         Softer typeface
·         Contrast between thin and thick
·         Round, bracket serifs

Alignment in Design

Alignment is about organizing elements relative to a line or margin. Alignment is important in design because it create a visual connection between related elements and allows you to arrange them in a way that matches how people naturally read the page.

Text alignments:

Left - each line is aligned to the left margin, and the right edge of each line is uneven. This alignment is mainly used  for images with left-to-right text direction.

Center - text is aligned to the midpoint of the right and left text box margins, and both edges of each line are uneven.

Right - each line is aligned to the right margin, and the left edge of each line is uneven. This alignment is mainly used for images with right-to-left text direction.

Justified  - the first and last characters of each line are aligned to the left and right margins. The lines are filled by adding space between and within words. The last line of the paragraph is aligned  to the right margin if text direction is right-to-left or to the left margin if text direction is left-to-right. 

Distribute All Lines  The first and last characters of each line are aligned to the left and right margins. The lines are filled by adding the same amount from each character. 

Idioms

Idioms are phrases, words or expressions that are grammatically uncommon or their meaning cannot be taken literally as they are metaphorically expressed. Examples:

Piece of cake – something is very easy to do

Break a leg –means good luck

Hit the books – means to study

My Phrases and their origins    

Black sheep - the least reputable member of a group who doesn't fit into because their character is not good enough. 

Origin

The phrase arose in the late 18th century, probably from an older proverb, "There's a black sheep in every flock." Black sheep, in those balmy pre-industrial days, were not as valuable as white sheep. None of the sources was explicit, but I presume white wool could be dyed into any color while black wool was more limited. Thus, the black sheep was the unwelcome oddity in the flock.

Sourced : http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1947/whats-the-origin-of-the-expression-black-sheep

As white as snow – Pure white. It symbolize the intensity of color on a bright winter’s day and also the purity of untrodden snow. 

Origin

Chaucer, Shakespeare and the Bible all contain versions of white as snow. For example:

From Shakespeare's Hamlet, 1602:

... What if this cursed hand

 Were thicker than itself with brother's blood,

 Is there not rain enough in the sweet heavens

 To wash it white as snow? ...

The King James Version of the Bible, 1611, has this in Daniel 7:9:

 I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire.

Blonde bombshell – used to describe an attractive, sexy woman.

Origin:

Popularized by a movie. In 1933, the platinum blonde Jean Harlow was one of the most popular actresses in Hollywood.  That year, Harlow starred in a movie called Bombshell (at the time “bombshell” in American slang was already being used to refer to incredibly attractive, flamboyant women, with the first documented case of this in 1860). One of the advertising lines for the film was “Lovely, luscious, exotic Jean Harlow as the Blonde Bombshell of filmdom.” When the film was released in England, they even renamed it “Blonde Bombshell”.

Sourced:  http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2012/09/origin-of-the-phrase-blonde-bombshell/ 

Red tape - The collection of unnecessary procedures and forms required to gain  bureaucratic approval for something

Origin:

Legal and official documents have been bound with red tape since the 17th century and continue to be so. The first reference to this practice is the 1696-1715 Maryland Laws:

"The Map upon the Backside thereof sealed with his Excellency's Seal at Arms on a Red Cross with Red Tape."

The first record of it being used in that sense is from The pleader's guide, 1796. This spoof verse, purporting to be the work of John Surrebutter (a deceased barrister) was a satire on the fussiness of English law. It includes the lines:

Nor would the Fates... Cut the red-tape of thy years.

This is part-way towards a metaphorical usage of the term, albeit still clearly referring to actual lawyer's red-tape. The first entirely figurative usage of 'red-tape' is Edward Bulwer-Lytton in Alice, or the Mysteries, 1838:

"The men of more dazzling genius began to sneer at the red-tape minister as a mere official manager of details."

Sourced: http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/silver-bullet.html

Inspirational designs

‘MMc401.2 ‘identity project’

Brand Identity

Introduction

For this assignment I was asked to create a Brand Identity to promote myself. Brand identity is important in any type of industry as it helps you to create a long lasting relationship with the customers. To create a brand first you need to create a logo that will help you establish a brand identity.

Important design principals:

- Balance - provides structure to a design

Symmetrical logo
The design consist of two letters and it looks unified. The symmetrical balance is centered and is visually equivalent on both sides. I really like this because is easy but effective.

The design presents a heart that is made of colorful paper. I like it because it's consistent with a logo name and it creates a positive feeling about this company.

This logo is one of my favorite because it is illustrative and it constantly makes me smile as it presents "sumo cowboy". I think it is an interesting design and definitely memorable.

Asymmetrical logo
I like this logo because it is simple but attract the attention and it associates positively because the structure is similar to tick, meaning correct.

This logo is also an example of an asymmetrical logo because it consists of a black word "You" and a red rounded rectangle with the word "Tube" in it.





- Contrast - allows to highlight key elements in a design and enhance the difference between the elements

Firefox’s logo is an impressive logo because it has bold colours that separates the circling fox from the globe.

I really like this design because the red background nicely enhance the black and white pictures and helps them to play off each other. I also like the idea of hand transformed partly into a gun. I think the whole design is really eye catching and memorable.

Here is another example of the good use of alignment and contrast.

- Emphasis - Clarifies centres of interest which focus the audience attention

As we can see the logo drags our attention to a face. The interesting thing is also that the company name is placed in the logo. The person's nose is the L and face is the G.

The logo focus our attention on the word "peak" as it is bold and at the top of it, the meaning of that world is illustrated .

Research into Graphical and Illustrative logos

I have conducted research into these types of logos because for me there are more interesting and some of them artistic, imaginative and beautiful.

I like this logo because of the illustration of a raven. I think it looks really effective because I can actually feel the mood that is portrayed on the logo. I also believe the font is well selected because it is simple and doesn't overwhelm the illustration but expose it very well. 

I like this logo because of how it represents two different things in the same image (a hourglass and a drink). 

I like this logo because of it symmetrical balance and because it produces interesting aesthetic impression, despite the simple design and the use of traditional colours. 

This logo presents a panda symbol that is simple, but recognizable and appealing. It also overcome all language barriers because it's graphical. It is owned by WWF, the company that take care of the nature and animals. I think this logo is powerful because when I look at it, I understand what the company stands for. 

This logo was created for a book publisher that creates travel guides full of jokes and humour. I like this logo because it looks fun, is memorable and it represent very well a publisher concept.

This logo consists of two letter and a human figure, a piper. The figure represents the BT's purpose which is listening and talking and focus on specific market sector and audience. I like this logo because of the simplified human figure that is eye catching and easily memorable.

I think this logo looks really interesting because of how the pictures are put together to create a full illustration. Also I think the lettering at the bottom works perfectly because it's simple and delicately highlights the meaning of the logo.  

I present this logo because I like it soft and elegant look. I also like how the twigs form a circle and I think that the handwritten font really softens and add elegance to the whole design. I think it looks really feminine as well. 

I really like this logo because of the use of negative space and the use of lion that is simplified but presented creatively.

I think this logo is really great and original. I like the overlapping circles and the use of space. I also think the font is interesting as it looks old school and elegant at the same time. The use of colour is also good as it's eye catching and drags attention of the viewer.

While creating a logo it is also important to remember that human brain firstly acknowledges and remember shapes and then words.

Few logo concept sketches

Development of my idea

Logo ideas

MM101.1 Photography Narrative Project

Narrative Photography

Narrative Photography presents visual story that can be either realistic or abstract. In photography, narrative involves capturing images and moments throughout an event or action, allowing the story to unfold. An effective visual story evokes emotion in its audience. It may cause them to laugh, feel angry or sad. An important role in creating a photographic narrative plays context as it builds and connects the event through the inclusion and exclusion of elements.

    Narratives can be sequenced in a linear (a beginning, middle and end) or non-linear way (flashbacks, montage). However organized it is crucial to create a structure and visual coherence to allow the intended narrative to emerge.  

Narrative shots

The lead photo – should be eye catching and provoke the curiosity of its audience

Establishing shots- describe the scene of your event

Detail photos (close-up) – focus on specific elements, for example a face

Portrait – this kind of shot makes the story more personal and gives a face to your characters

Action shots – shows the movements within photography

Medium shot – serves to give more information about the characters and/or event

Clincher Photo – should evoke emotions in its audience  

                    Photographers

Duane Michal’s

He is well known for his photo-sequences that he frequently annotated with comments. He was self-thought and his art was influenced by artists such as William Blake, Walt Whitman and Thomas Eakins. His work communicates narrative by using single images, often in a frame by frame format.

1. “Things Are Queer” (1973). Nine prints with hand applied text.

The first photograph of his series shows a bathroom. The next picture shows a pair of hairy legs. As the series continues, the camera moves back, revealing the toilet, sink, and bathtub that are too small for a person standing there. The camera moves back again and we become aware of a thumb on a page. It turns out that what we have really been seeing a man who is looking at a photograph in a book of a man standing in a small bathroom. After we find that the man reading the book is in a dark corridor and then that this man hung in a picture frame above sink. The final image in the series shows the whole bathroom with toilet, sink, bathtub and framed picture. This is my favorite series of pictures because Michal’s surprises the viewer with unpredictable journey, where time, space and narrative are embroiled. I think the meaning of this sequence is that things themselves are not odd. Odd is something what we label from our point of view as subnormal but that does not mean in reality it is really odd.

2. Duane Michal’s - The Dream of Flowers, 1986

A sequence of four photographs “The Dream of Flowers” shows the head of a sleeping man, who is lying on a glass table that reflects his head. As the series continues, the head progressively is covered with more and more flowers. At the end the whole head is covered in flowers, which probably symbolize funeral garland. There is a letter under each photograph. Together, they create word AIDS. I think his beautiful photographs stimulate reflection on the interactions of life, death and beauty. I love the melancholic feeling of the photographs and the reflection which gives an interesting and mysterious look to the image.

3. Duane Michals, Chance Meeting, 1970

A sequence of six photographs "Chance Meeting" shows in following picture two men passing in a narrow urban alleyway. The sequence embodies the fear and excitement of finding or meeting a potential new partner. I like that even when he shows us things we've already seen before, he display new light on their significance and the consequences of not risking.

Elliot Erwitt

Elliott Erwitt is an advertising and documentary photographer. He became well known for his black and white candid shots of ironic and absurd situations within everyday settings . He was born in Paris in 1928, then emigrated to the US. As a teenager, he developed an interest in photography and worked in a commercial darkroom before experimenting with photography at Los Angeles City College. In 1953 Erwitt joined Magnum Photos and worked as a freelance photographer for Collier's, Look, Holiday and others. Erwitt has had exhibitions in many museums and galleries around the world including New York's Museum of Modern Art, the Smithsonian Institution, Zurich's Kunsthaus and Cologne's Photokina.  

1.       Trouville, France (32 sequence)

Photographs shows people trying to close an umbrella on a windy day. It's just a funny story of an umbrella that did not want to be closed. None of these picture wouldn't be that interesting on their own but as a sequence, they create a hilarious story. 

John Bernhard

John Bernhard was born in May 17, 1957. He is a Swiss American photographer best known for his surrealist nude images. He is not only showing women's bodies but also includes elements of the earth and working with myths of metamorphosis. His work was showed in the 120 year survey of the nude exhibition “Body Work” at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. Now Bernhard continue taking photographs and bringing them together to enhance their meaning with visual interplay by doing “Diptychs” and sequencing series “Drift”.

1.       These photographs illustrate on the left hand side a tree and on the right hand side trace of a sailing ship on a sea. The photos are totally unrelated by topic or content but the form and lines link them. 

2.       On the left hand side we see a man riding a bike through a field. On the right hand side we see highway full of cars. I think these photographs shows a transformation of our environment and means of transport.

Adde Adesokan

He is a self thought street photographer born in German. He started his adventure with photography in 2010. His first big project was "Triptychs of Strangers". It is a continuing photographic series where the goal is to meet stranger, then get to know them, take three personality matching people and make them one. All encounter took place in different cities and countries such as Paris, HongKong and London. I like this project because it seems fun to meet complete strangers and have a opportunity to build up a personality for them.

Ben Heine

He is a visual artist born in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. He is best know for his series "Pencil Vs Camera"and "Digital Circlism" The project I would like to focus on is "Pencil Vs Camera" because the photographs that I have planned to take are based around this idea. This project consist of a series of images that inject hand-made drawings within real life settings to create surreal and highly narrative effect. It mixes reality with imagination and it has been invented by Ben Heine in 2010.

This photography presents an inventive hand-made drawing placed in front of a realistic background. The drawing is black and white on white paper. You can also see that his hand is clearly visible. I think he display his hand because he tries to represent the close connection between him, the artwork and it's audience.