Letterforms
This weeks lesson started by looking at at different letterforms. Letterforms are described as “the shape of a letter of an alphabet especially from the standpoint of design or development”
A task was given to write out my name using nothing but squares, triangles, and circles
Here are some examples –
This was mine –
This task made me think about what parts of letters are actually needed for it to appear recognisable and what parts I can leave out. It also made me think about how different letters can be made with different things such as shapes without the letters being written in their usual way.
Monogram Introduction
Monogram Definition
“A monogram is a motif made by
overlapping or combining two or more
letters to form one symbol. Monograms
are often made by combining the initials
of an individual or a company, used as
recognisable symbols or logos”
Monograms seem to have been around for a long time as ancient Greek and Roman coins seem to have monograms on them.
Its interesting to think about how monograms have been around for centuries and aren’t a new concept
I created a monogram mood board on Pinterest to have a look at other monograms for inspiration – Monogram Mood board
When viewing my Monogram Moodboard Daniel mentioned how a lot of the monogram and designs that I had chosen to pin incorporated thick and thin lines. I then realised that that was a feature of the designs that I actually really liked and felt drawn to and I knew I wanted to try and incorporate in my own monogram design later on.
Letter Symmetry
When thinking about letters and monogram creation its also a good idea to think about letter axes.
Letters can have either a horizontal or a vertical axes and in some cases both. Some letters can also be asymmetrical.
Luton London Airport Rebrand Video
In class I watched a video about Luton London Airports Rebrand. The video was the sped up process of rebranding and bow they created everything.
It was interesting to see them take the original idea and to fix it up and create gate signs and airport signs and how they kept everything consistent. I also found it really clever how they use the same letter shape for the L and the A so that it all appears seamless and so that only one letter form can represent the whole brand.
Monogram Consideration
When creating an actual monogram there is so much to consider, such as –
- Simplicity – needs to be simple so that its easy to understand and recognise
- Attention Value – needs to draw you in and hold your attention
- Application – needs to be able to be used for different applications and at different scales.
- Competition – needs to be able to distinguish itself from other marks
- Tone of Voice – needs to align with brand
- Fashionability/Timelessness – needs to be able to last the test of time
Attention to detail is also very important in relation to monogram design as no one wants any inconsistencies or mistakes in relation to their monogram.
Something that I also have to consider for the future is if I decide that I want to try to animate my monogram and how that could be done and which animation would suite my style/brand.
End of Week Review: –
I had previously learned in IXD101 about the Geometric Fibonacci Sequence and how geometry can be used in design. In IXD103 I furtherer learned about geometry in design and how prevalent it is, I had never noticed this before as I had assumed that design is all about how something looks. I also never noticed before how shapes can be within letters and letterforms. I had previously never really thought about shapes and letters in detail but after this class I started looking at letters in a different way and trying to thing of creative ways that I could recreate the letter with shapes or even objects
During this class I also realised the actual difference between a wordmark and a visual marque as I feel that in the past I might have confused and interchanged them.