IXD102: Project 1-Type Specimen Screen
For our first project in IXD102 we were tasked with choosing a font from a given list, researching it and its origins and using nothing but type to create a type specimen screen for an iPad. After gaining a brief knowledge of typography through our first two classes we had to expand on our knowledge using external research on one of these fonts:
Futura, Gill Sans, Helvetica, Palatino, Times New Roman, Baskerville
I decided to go with Gill Sans after researching each font briefly and seeing the interesting origins that Gill Sans had and I thought I could apply these to my designs. Before jumping to designing on screen I carefully planned my ideas and sketched 3 initial designs on paper.
Design 1:
For my first design I decided to base it on the London Underground sign due to Gill Sans being used as the official font of the London Underground since 1916. My initial designs had me showcasing the type by using several i’s to represent the different travel lines on the underground. However when putting my ideas onto screen I thought it would be better to keep my design as simple as possible to show off the type. For the London Underground logo I used an ‘O’ for the circle part of the design to help showcase the type with the Gill Sans sitting in the middle with a blue bar. Below the logo I place the small paragraph about the font and below them the alphabetical list in the Gill Sans font.
Design 2:
The Second design I based the colour scheme on the Penguin Books logo due to Gill Sans being used as the font for Penguin Books also. I decided to showcase the type on this screen by basing it off the layout of an eye test, reinforcing the theme of reading. The contrast of the orange font on the black background helps the type stand out and shows how easy it is to read. I again included the alphabetical list down each side and have placed the small paragraph below the main text which is laid out like an eye test.
Design 3:
The Final design I based on a design I found online while researching. The main idea I wanted to recreate was the lines of type dispersing from the main letter on the screen. I did this by enlarging the ‘G’ of Gill Sans and placing it at the top of the screen slightly cutting some of it off and from the top of the g having the lines of type showcasing the alphabet flowing from it. At the bottom of the enlarged ‘G’ I had the rest of the font name flowing from it. On the bottom right of the screen I included another enlarged ‘G’ but instead of showing the full letter I only shown the part of the letter which was cut off from the top G. The small paragraph about the font is placed in the bottom left corner also.
