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ADVANCED TYPOGRAPHY | TASK 3 — TYPE EXPLORATION & APPLICATION

Week 8 – Week 14 | 12/06/24 – 23/07/24
Emily Soh Ching-Ling | 0359478
Bachelor of Design (Honours) in Creative Media
Advanced Typography | Section 01 | GCD61004
Task 3 — Type Exploration & Application

TABLE OF CONTENTS 

1.0 LECTURES 

*Sidenote: All lectures have been completed in Task 1 — Exercises and Task 2 — Key Artwork & Collateral.

2.0 INSTRUCTIONS 


3.0 TASK 3 — TYPE EXPLORATION & APPLICATION 

Instructions: 
  1. Explore the use of an existing letterform in an area of interest and understand its existing relationship.
  2. Identify areas that can be improved upon and explore solutions that may add value to the existing letterform.
  3. Design a complete generated font (.tff).
    1. Size: Your letters should fit within 1000 px (descender height to cap height).
    2. Software: FontLab 7 / FontForge.
  4. Create five font applications based on what your font is meant to solve / improve.
    1. Size: Size subject to the application but artboard should not exceed 1024 × 1024 px.
  5. Create five font presentations.
    1. Size: 1024 × 1024 px.

3.1 PROPOSAL

Figure 3.1-1: Proposal, Week 8 (14/06/24)

Idea #1: Dungeon Meshi Title Font Redesign was approved.

3.2 SKETCHES

3.2.1 UPPERCASE & LOWERCASE LETTERS

Figure 3.2.1-1: Initial Sketches — Uppercase & Lowercase Letters, Week 9 (21/06/24)

Figure 3.2.1-2: "A" — Crossbar & Decorative Ridge, Week 9 (21/06/24)
Left to Right: Original, Refined, Crossbar Reference

The crossbar of the refined "A" is inspired by the Red Dragon's flame and the wavy elements in the Dungeon Meshi Japanese title font.

Figure 3.2.1-3: "o" "p" "q" "r" — Decorative Ridge, Week 9 (22/06/24)
Top: Triangular Ridge, Bottom: Wavy Ridge

I like the pointy ridges in the Gothica font (see in Proposal) as it reminded me of the ridges on a dragon's back, so I replicated it in my typeface. Made triangular and wavy variants of the ridge, decided to go with the triangular ridge for a subtler look.

Figure 3.2.1-4: "t" — Cross Stroke & Decorative Ridge, Week 9 (22/06/24)
Left to Right: Triangular Cross Stroke (Original), Flame Cross Stroke, Rounded Cross Stroke
*Typo: Arm → Cross Stroke

Experimented with the cross stroke design in "t" and "f". Chose the triangular cross stroke (based on the triangular ridge) because the other two looked a bit excessive. 

Figure 3.2.1-5: "o" — Serif & Decorative Flourish, Week 9 (22/06/24)
Left to Right: Original, o #1, o #2, o #3, o #4

I made a few variations of the letter "o" without the decorative flourish (? The curly bit in the original; inspired by a curled-up dragon's tail) and with different serif placements to:
  • See if it still looked dragon-like without the flourish.
  • See how letters with closed counters like "p", "q", "b", and "d" will look like without the flourish.
So far, o #1 still reads as the letter "o", however, the other designs might get mistaken for other alphabets, such as the letter "a". I'll stick with the original design as I like the way it looks like a dragon's tail without looking too over-the-top. I'll repurpose o #1's design when constructing the number "0". 

Figure 3.2.1-6: Final Sketches — Uppercase & Lowercase Letters, Week 9 (22/06/24)

Figure 3.2.1-7: Initial Sketches (Left) VS Final Sketches (Right), Week 9 (22/06/24)

Final sketches of the letterforms before digitisation in Illustrator. Letters with changes made are coloured in grey. 

3.2.2 NUMBERS

Figure 3.2.2-1: Initial Sketches — Numbers, Week 9 (27/06/24)

Final picks are coloured in grey. 

0: As mentioned above, I repurposed one of the discarded "o" designs (without the ridge) for "0". 

1: Wasn't quite sure what to do with "1". I referenced other serif fonts, designed #1 and #2, and decided #1 looked more like "1" and less like uppercase "I". I exaggerated #1 to make #3. 

2: I realised #1 looked very similar to "z", so I exaggerated the lower half to differentiate the two characters better.

4: The bar in #1 is aligned with the bowl of "9". It looked unnatural, so I analysed pre-existing fonts and came to the conclusion that the bar should sit lower, hence the change made in #2.

8: #2 simply looked weird in a line-up.

Figure 3.2.2-2: Final Sketches — Numbers, Week 10 (02/07/24)

3.2.3 PUNCTUATION

Figure 3.2.3-1: Final Sketches — Punctuation, Week 10 (02/07/24)

The period is the same size as the tittle in "i" and "j". The tail of the comma was initially much shorter; after watching the GT Academy reel, I increased its length. 

3.3 DIGITISATION

3.3.1 LOWERCASE LETTERS

Figure 3.3.1-1: Lowercase Letters — Repeatable Parts, Week 11 (03/07/24)
Grey: WIP, Black: Final Parts, Yellow: All Final Parts

I started by constructing the parts that will be repeated throughout various letterforms, such as the letter "o", the stem, the tail, the serif, the decorative ridge, and so on using the Shape Builder Tool. To create the slanted stroke in "x", "v", and "w", I used the Free Transform Tool on the stem then readjusted the serifs. I also took Mr Vinod's advice and made the decorative ridge

This was by far the most headache-inducing part of the process. From this point onwards, it's just a matter of rearranging parts and making necessary adjustments, which is pretty much the same for every letter. I've listed the noteworthy parts below: 

Figure 3.3.1-2: "f" & "t" — Cross Stroke, Week 10 (29/06/24)
Left: Ridge (Original), Right: Serif

I stuck with my sketch and used the decorative ridge as the cross stroke for "f" and "t", however after revisiting this a few days later, I chose the regular serif because 1. it was easier to see from afar, and 2. it looked better stylistically. 

Figure 3.3.1-3: "f" — Variations, Week 10 (29/06/24)
Top to Bottom: #1, #2, #3

Speaking of which, I was told that my "f" and "t" could easily be mistaken for each other 😅, so to avoid confusion, I extended the ascender of "f" and removed its tail. Final pick: #3.

Figure 3.3.1-4: Lowercase Letters — Final Digitisation, Week 11 (03/07/24)

3.3.2 UPPERCASE LETTERS

Figure 3.3.2-1: Uppercase Letters — Repeatable Parts, Week 11 (02/07/24)

The repeatable parts in the uppercase letters are essentially the same as the lowercase, except slightly wider and taller. 

Figure 3.3.2-2: Decorative Flourish — Before & After, Week 11 (03/07/24)

Mr Vinod said that the decorative flourish in my uppercase letters extended too far outwards, which will cause problems later on with the kerning. He suggested I reduce the size of the flourish and have it not extend beyond the ridge, however a small flourish made the letters look like they grew a tumour.😬

I made the decision to remove the flourish altogether from the letters "H", "I", "K", "L", "M", "N", "U", "V", "W", "X", and "Y". For the letters "B", "D", "P", and "R", I moved the flourish inwards to resemble their lowercase counterparts. 

Figure 3.3.2-3: "A" & "J", Week 11 (04/07/24)
Black: Final Picks

The only letters that retained the outward flourish are "A" and "J", because 1. the kerning won't be affected, and 2. they look empty without it. 

Figure 3.3.2-4: Uppercase Letters — Final Digitisation, Week 12 (05/07/24)

3.3.3 NUMBERS

Figure 3.3.1-1: Numbers — Final Digitisation, Week 12 (08/07/24)

Used the same repeatable parts as the uppercase letters, with the addition of the lower half of lowercase "s". "2", "3", and "5" were a pain to make. 

3.3.4 PUNCTUATION

Figure 3.3.4-1: "?" — Experimental (Top) VS Original (Bottom), Week 12 (08/07/24)
*Uppercase, lowercase, and exclamation mark are for comparison purposes.

Made two variations of the question mark. Went with the experimental (top) one for a more compact look. 

Figure 3.3.3-3: Punctuation — Final Digitisation, Week 12 (08/07/24)

75% of the punctuations involved either the period or comma. Once I had those two down, the rest were a matter of copy / pasting. 

3.4 FONTFORGE

Figure 3.4-1: Imported Letters in FontForge, Week 12 (09/07/24)

I painstakingly uploaded all my letterforms into FontForge. This took way longer than necessary. Sidenote: FontForge doesn't have separate slots for the left and right single quotation and double quotation marks, so I only uploaded my right single quotation (can be used as apostrophe) and left double quotation marks. 

Figure 3.4-2: Side Bearings Guide, Week 12 (10/07/24)

Figure 3.4-3: Uppercase & Lowercase Letters — Side Bearings (Before & After), Week 12 (10/07/24)

Figure 3.4-4: Numbers & Punctuation — Side Bearings (Before & After), Week 12 (10/07/24)

I adjusted the side bearings of my letters based on the guide (Figure 3.4-2) provided by Mr Vinod in Sem 1. 

Figure 3.4-5: Sentence Kerning, Week 12 (11/07/24)

With that, it's ready to export. I've decided to name my font Dragon's Breath. 

3.5 FONT PRESENTATIONS

Figure 3.5-1: Colour Palette, Week 13 (15/07/24)
Unintentionally chose the same colours as the German flag lol

Figure 3.5-2: Font Presentations, Week 13 (18/07/24)

  • Font Presentation #1: Font name.
  • Font Presentation #2: Eye of the Red Dragon.
  • Font Presentation #3: The main character of Dungeon Meshi looking through his sister's skull (she was eaten by the Dragon).
  • Font Presentation #4: Anime outro quote.
  • Font Presentation #5: Font display. Text is arranged in a triangle.

3.6 FONT APPLICATIONS

Figure 3.6-1: Font Application Ideas, Week 14 (22/07/24)

Since my font is meant as a redesign of the Dungeon Meshi title font, I'll apply it to various Dungeon Meshi-related content.

Figure 3.6-2: Dungeon Meshi Logo Overall Progression, Week 14 (22/07/24)
Grey: WIP, Black: Final Logo

Made the Dungeon Meshi logo in Illustrator using my font and Afternoon in Stereo Regular. Used in all of my font applications.

Figure 3.6-3: Font Applications, Week 14 (22/07/24)
Software: Photoshop & Illustrator

  • Font Application #1: Promotional poster.
  • Font Application #2: Manga Volume 3.
  • Font Application #3: Anime on Netflix.
  • Font Application #4: Anime Season 2 announcement poster.
  • Font Application #5: Limited edition theatre release bonus manga.

3.7 FINAL SUBMISSION


Figure 3.7-1: Dragon's Breath (Final Submission), Week 12 (11/07/24)
Download Dragon's Breath here.

Figure 3.7-2: All Glyphs — JPEG (Final Submission), Week 12 (11/07/24)

Figure 3.7-3: All Glyphs — PDF (Final Submission), Week 12 (11/07/24)

Figure 3.7-4: Font Presentations — JPEG (Final Submission), Week 13 (18/07/24)

Figure 3.7-5: Font Presentation #1 — JPEG (Final Submission), Week 13 (18/07/24)

Figure 3.7-6: Font Presentation #2 — JPEG (Final Submission), Week 13 (18/07/24)

Figure 3.7-7: Font Presentation #3 — JPEG (Final Submission), Week 13 (18/07/24)

Figure 3.7-8: Font Presentation #4 — JPEG (Final Submission), Week 13 (18/07/24)

Figure 3.7-9: Font Presentation #5 — JPEG (Final Submission), Week 13 (18/07/24)

Figure 3.7-10: Font Presentations — PDF (Final Submission), Week 13 (18/07/24)

Figure 3.7-11: Font Applications — JPEG (Final Submission), Week 14 (22/07/24)

Figure 3.7-12: Font Application #1 — JPEG (Final Submission), Week 14 (22/07/24)

Figure 3.7-13: Font Application #2 — JPEG (Final Submission), Week 14 (22/07/24)

Figure 3.7-14: Font Application #3 — JPEG (Final Submission), Week 14 (22/07/24)

Figure 3.7-15: Font Application #4 — JPEG (Final Submission), Week 14 (22/07/24)

Figure 3.7-16: Font Application #5 — JPEG (Final Submission), Week 14 (22/07/24)

Figure 3.7-17: Font Applications — PDF (Final Submission), Week 14 (22/07/24)

4.0 FEEDBACK 

4.1 WEEK 9

General Feedback: 
  • Redesigns should be a reflection of that franchise. You should include elements from that franchise in your font.
  • Some flexibility in the letterforms (e.g. very wide "O" in a condensed font) may seem inconsistent, however, if it fits the font, it is fine.
  • Include subtler elements into your font instead of making it illustrative.
  • You can't use an existing font and corrupt it. Your font must be constructed from the ground up.
  • You must be able to rationalise your design.
  • You must have a grid (baseline, ascender line, etc.) when experimenting and creating your font.
  • Develop your uppercase and lowercase letters side-by-side so that they're consistent.

4.2 WEEK 10

General Feedback: 
  • Must have a grid when designing the font.
  • Customisation should come last, prioritise stroke width and proportions first.
  • Decide on a framework for your font and stick to it ("M" and "W" being the exceptions).
  • Build up basic shapes first for consistency.
  • If your font is slanted, your framework must include a diagonal grid.
  • Thick and thin strokes should be consistent, even for "bubbly" fonts.

4.3 WEEK 11

Figure 4.3-1: Example of "I" by Mr Vinod, Week 11 (03/07/24)

Specific Feedback:
  • Consider making the ridge a curvy triangle, as you have a lot of curvy elements in your design.
  • Your decorative flourishes (e.g. "H", "K") are very wide. This will make the kerning look weird on the left. Make it more minimal.
  • Don't let the width of the flourish exceed the ridge. If you want to make the flourish wider, you can make the stem curve inwards gradually.
    • Might look weird though.
General Feedback:
  • Use the Shape Builder Tool.
  • From ascender to descender, your letters should reach 1000 px in height.

4.4 WEEK 12

General Feedback:
  • Before importing your font into FontLab, make sure your letters are the actual size. 
    • Uppercase letters: Around 700 px cap height.

4.5 WEEK 13

Specific Feedback:
  • Lowercase: Good. Very consistent.

5.0 REFLECTION 

5.1 EXPERIENCE

Once again, I am running on fumes as I'm writing this. Part of me wants to strangle myself for choosing to make a decorative serif font (as though I don't already have enough work 😪). The other part of me is glad I stuck with my choice, as I'm very pleased with the outcome. 

Even though this was an extremely labour-intensive project, the burden didn't feel as heavy since I got to work on one of my favourite topics. 7/10 experience.👁👅👁

P.S. Unfortunately couldn't add the font tester to my blog since the tutorial was made for FontLab users. I followed the tutorial as best I could but for some reason, the tester couldn't preview my font.

5.2 OBSERVATIONS

I've begun taking note of my progression along with my classmates'. A friend of mine finished Task 3 sooner even though she started much later than I did. She designed a san serif font. This led me to this conclusion: 

Even though it turned up well for me in the end, I need to get better at picking my proposal topics. I, unfortunately, don't have the time or luxury to do overly complicated topics, what with juggling my other assignments. 

5.3 FINDINGS

As tedious as it can be, I need to document my entire thought process and step-by-step when working on a project, especially when it comes to the technical parts like using Illustrator and Photoshop. Until I commit the specifics to memory, my blog serves as my guide book.

6.0 FURTHER READING 

6.1 WEEK 10–11 — GT ACADEMY LESSON 29: PUNCTUATION

Figure 6.1-1: GT Academy Lesson 29: Punctuation by Grilli Type Foundry

Reference: Grilli Type Foundry. (2020, July 20). #GTAcademy lesson No 29. This time we are looking at punctuation?! Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/CRjdPtSjz5K/?utm_medium=copy_link&fbclid=IwAR2NJCA3M_QP3vHLG1BzZjJpRW12A6SyAdliqN9KKEPlQOeUBVxWQFLjpx4&img_index=10

6.2 WEEK 13 — CREATING A FONT WITH FONT FORGE

Figure 6.2-1: Creating A Font with Font Forge by Rhyanne C. Lowe

Reference: Lowe, R. C. (2022, April 19). Creating A Font with Font Forge. Kreatif Beats. https://alompak.net/kreatifbeats/2022/04/19/creating-a-font-with-font-forge/

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