IXD101: Week 3
In class today we began by looking at how to create and build a vocabulary for typography, seeing how a single letter can be taken for more than face value. We explored how by shaping, cutting and enlarging these letters allows you to give them a new look and meaning. To get us to put what we had learned into practice we were tasked with choosing one letter and experimenting with it in a 3×3 grid on Figma. For mine I chose ‘T’ for Taylor and explored a range of ways to change and distort the letter to create meaning. We also used Figma to experiment how a letter would look if we add or subtract areas from it, creating a more appealing image or some cases two letters. For this I used the letter B and by simply cutting away a small part of the letter was able to make it look like both a B and I simultaneously.
Next we explored the differences between Ker Ning and Tracking in typography. Ker Ning is the spacing between individual letters on a screen or print while Tracking is the space between all of the letters in a word. We were able to test these two methods using the website Type.Method.ac which tested our knowledge of the spacing between letters and scored us out of 100 as you can see in the second image.
In the next part of the class we were tasked with experimenting with Letraset which are “manufacturing sheets of typefaces and other artwork elements that can be transferred to artwork being prepared.” Using the sheets we were able to transfer letters and numbers onto our class workbooks adding our own unique style to them.
Using what we had learned in class regarding typography today we were tasked with turning a basic paragraph into an eye catching advertisement poster using only elements of type. In the 4th photo you can see I did this by experimenting with colour, size, boldness and spacing which allowed me to create a unique poster using only Type. I made my piece eye- catching by making more important pieces of text much larger to other parts on the poster, also using colour to highlight key words and using bold to emphasise key info on the page. Through this task I seen the importance of typography and how important it can be to make a simple piece of work, eye-catching and unique.
To finish today we looked at the ‘Grid’ of design developed by Josef Brockmann and experimented it ourselves. After creating the grid on Figma using rows and columns we had to choose one of Dieter Rams 10 principles of good design and using the grid to help structure its layout. The principle I chose was ‘Good Design is Honest’ and by experimenting with font size, weight and colour I created a final piece which I uploaded onto Miro with the rest of my work from today. 
