Some may ask why do we design? What actually makes our design work? When a designer can produce effortlessly the goal of design has been achieved. This is a universal principle and is not limited to neither digital media, handcraft nor with any other design method. Within today’s era, typography has come a long way in regards to its development and the technologies used for it. Aside from this things are still developing, however, some things will always remain the same. “Words in art are words. Letters in art are letters. Writing in art is writing” – Ad Reinhardt (1966) (Morley 2007: p6)
When it comes to designers and their work, within the aesthetic theory they usually perceive themselves as originators and will forever avoid being a follower. On a critical writing essay by Chuck Byrne and Martha Witte about understanding deconstruction they state, “most are loath to admit that they are influenced by much of anything other than their own inner creative resources.” (Bierut, Drenttel, Heller, Holland 1995: p115) Designers today and experimentation, what advantages do they have now that they couldn’t before? Chuck Bryne and Martha Witte also state “Today, the technological changes taking place in typography have been brought about by the personal computer. Relatively inexpensive and easy-to-use desktop publishing equipment and software have given those designers choosing to take advantage of them direct control over typographic arrangements which were previously dependent upon expensive typesetting techniques or laborious handwork. The ability of the computer to allow variations at low cost gives the designer the freedom to experiment until the page seems “right”, whereas previously, tried-and-true formulas were necessary in orde...
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... always be some sort of an influence behind everything that they produce, even from the smallest of details. There is a huge amount that can be done with type, including complex lighting, different textures/mediums to construct surfaces, and manipulation of letters/shapes. Each work of art manipulates the medium to its limits, constructing some truly beautiful work. Location is also key, as some designers demonstrate this positively, and adapt their work to their surroundings, for example Fig 1 in my catalogue essay. Designers can really interpret how they are feeling through their own work which leads to one of the main reasons why we design, this is because we know we have the total control to empower aspects of our lives and as designers we can gain a kind of pleasure from this as well as comfort, strength and much more, we can thrive to the best of our ability.
One is illustrated by the aesthetic differences between two typefaces that are included in most computers: Arial and Helvetica. Arial’s ubiquity is not due to its beauty. In fact, it is more than a copy of Helvetica (). Mark Simonson, an American graphic designer, produced an analysis of the two, which shows how much more refined Helvetica’s detailing is than Arial’s. The tail of the ‘a’ is gently curved in Helvetica, as is the first connection of the bowl to the stem, but not in Arial. Similarly, the top of the ‘t’ and the ends of the strokes in the ‘C’ and ‘S’ are perfectly horizontal in the former, but slightly angled in the latter. He also noted that the stem of Helvetica is more complex in the structure than those in Arial. The distinguishing details are so tiny that you can only see them if you scrutinize magnified versions of each character as Simonson did. Only a handful of the millions of people who use either typeface will ever look closely enough to notice them. Yet it is these subtleties that constitute Helvetica a finer example of design than Arial for professionals. Functionally the two fonts are roughly equal, as both are admirable clear and easy to read, but aesthetically Helvetica is superior and considered to be Super
Abbott Miller and Alexander Isley have designed for books, magazines, catalogs and exhibits, furthermore they worked with curator, performers, artist, photographers, writers, publishers, corporations, and institutions. Creating a renowned portfolio with their own methodology of design. Abbott M. uses the theory of the Bauhaus to design and elevate culture in the audience. On the other hand, Alexander uses design to spark the imagination, and pure typography as methodology to accomplish his
Graphic designer and typographer Stefan Sagmeister has always had a unique way of viewing the world, therefore has created designs that are both inventive and controversial. He is an Austrian designer, who works in New York but draws his design inspiration while traveling all over the world. While a sense of humor consistently appears in his designs as a frequent motif, Sagmeister is nonetheless very serious about his work. He has created projects in the most diverse and extreme of ways as a form of expression. This report will analyse three of Stefan’s most influential designs, including the motives and messages behind each piece.
Look around and what do you see? You see letters forming creative words on this page, on TV and magazines. These letters form words which can be read in such a particular way. The typography behind the design seeks for the readers attention. The typography in design is the unique personality that identifies the product or advertisement, similar to fashion. Typography visually gives more to the idea behind the design. It is a way to call out and be heard without making a sound. It combines elements in new ways with different themes and ideas. The idea of typography has not changed since it was first created. The late seventieth century and early eighteenth century, type designers work was laborious and they had very little appreciation. Typography was a craft that evolved from handwritten letterforms that would be printed on a page. Time and dedication was needed to create such fine work. Typefaces needed to be readable, coherent, visually appealing and unique. Type was created by cutting punches into metal sheets in order to create just one letter. Punching and designing intricate type was a tedious job. Plenty of type designers made a living this way. In England, a new type designer would become so popular that his typefaces are still used to this day. William Caslon was influenced by all different types, but he designed one typeface that changed the world during the time period. Named after himself, Caslon typeface stormed Europe and the United States. Working for many years as an apprentice, he gained the knowledge and ideas from engraving guns. Influenced by previous typefaces created, William decided to create his own typeface. William’s typeface changed how Europe and the United States printed work and ha...
Typography plays a huge role in not only its basic function of communication, but also as a visual design element that can easily make or break a work. Knowing this, I strive to be very strong typographically. An artist that I take typographical inspiration from is Michael Bierut, who happens to be terrific with typography.
Letters have a multifaceted aesthetic when it comes to considering the shape of the letters. He created beauty as well as clarity through his fonts. Many thought of him as a master calligrapher who reproduced typefaces by hand. Hermann thought that type should not only acknowledge tradition but also reflect modernity. (Weber)
Graphic design today is a combination of the historical skills of illustrators and printers. It combines typography, illustration, photography and, now, digital media to visually communicate a message. Originally it was the domain of the printers. The printers would arrange text and woodblock images in the letterpress. The printers were also the ones who usually designed the typefaces. The work of illustrators was engraved on woodblocks; often by a trained engraver rather than the illustrator. However, it was the printer who developed the finished look of the publication. The advent of the industrial revolution created niches in the printers’ world that were filled with artists, photographers and other tradesmen.
Hegeman, J. (2008). The Thinking Behind Design. Master Thesis submitted to the school of design, Carngie Mellon University. Retrieved from: http://jamin.org/portfolio/thesis-paper/thinking-behind-design.pdf.
Some may say that cursive writing is unnecessary and should not be taught, but if you do some research then you will find how important cursive can actually be. In my opinion cursive writing should still be taught all around the country. First reason why I think this type of writing should still be taught is because students will write more and have a second writing option. Also it will be a doctor, nurse book writer basically anything they will need to know cursive. Read on to find more interesting facts about cursive.
Paul Rand once said, “ Don’t try to be original, just try to be good.” However, designers these days as compared to the past are more preoccupied with the notion of originality, where they value the idea of being new and different from the rest. Having their work complimented as being original has become something that most designers would like to achieve. It feels as though being complimented with being original gives some sort of assurance and affirmation that they are good. These days, the “cult of individualism elevates the value of originality but at the same time blurs its definition.” (Story 1951).
We define typography as the art or technique of reproducing communication through the printed word, transmit words with a certain skill, elegance and efficiency. Typography is the reflection of an era. Therefore, the evolution of their design responds to technological and artistic projections. The typographical scene has been considered as one of the most active members of the cultural changes of man. In the first proofs of writing, each trace expresses an idea, a concept or a thing; These traces combine to communicate more complex ideas. These writing systems are pictograms, hieroglyphics and ideograms.
What is the relationship between the creative impulse and the creative output of designers, who for the purpose of this essay will be extended to include artists from all fields of endeavour? Neil Brown (2005) examines this relationship and concludes that it is necessary to preserve separation between the practice of research into design and the practice of design itself. He references the argument of Schön (1983) (in Brown (2005), p3) that there is a difference between reflecting in one’s practice, i.e. the art practice itself, and “reflective deconstruction of the system in which one’s practice is conducted”, or rather research into the practice of the artist as distinct from the making.
In the digital type design, there are no constraints on the strict, material sense or technical restraint. Typefaces can be enlarged, reduced, condensed or expanded, slanted, contoured, explored and deformed, all in seconds. However, the result of the wondrous progress, according to Olt Aicher, a German typographer, is typographic chaos (Aicher, 2005, p.248). Today, the laser beam carried out whatever it is programmed to. A typeface can be designed in a few days or sometimes even less: much faster than in the days of metal or photocomposition. We are living in an era that encourages people to develop their very own specific and personalized interfaces with the world. As David B. Berman notes in his book Do Good (2009) everything becomes possible and everyone is now a designer. For my part, I advocate for the demarcation of type design as it brings a more widespread interest in this area. However, it also causes an overproduction of typefaces that either have short-ranged functions or wrong values. Type designers are being misled that result in following an ‘entertainment’ model that attaches more importance to media exposure than to the type design itself. Instead of making forms of letters sufficiently familiar that can be recognized and read, they turned to use seductive and appealing ‘design’ to attract consumers’ attention in a noisy visual environment (Re, 2003, p.11). In the atmosphere
Print design is highly refined, as evidenced by glancing through the recent book of award-winning designs. Web design is impoverished because too many sites strive for the wrong standards of excellence that made sense in the print world but do not make sufficient advances in interactivity.
When the first introduction of digital technology came onto the scene of the design industry it came with its fair share of criticism and questioning of its value. Digital Technology brought with it a movement in which various stages of a designers process ( ideation , production and press processes ) have fundamentally changed.3 The basic way in which designers produce things with traditional methods will be over taken with that of digital technology. With this prospect , the introduction of digital technology brought loud criticism from designers.