AdD104 Task 2: 10 Typographic Designers

1. Alan Kitching

'Alan Kitching is one of the world’s foremost practitioners of letterpress typographic design and printmaking. Alan Kitching is renowned for his expressive use of wood and metal letterforms in creating visuals for commissions and his own limited edition prints.' - Debut Art

Alan Kitching is one of those designers who uses the same style or theme and carries it through all of his work. Unlike designers such as Alex Trochut who doesn't have a particular style of illustration, but focuses on Typography.

Kitching's work appeals to me, due to the mixed media clipping masks, which I use frequently in my own work.

Personally I find this technique to be very effective, the edges of the letters are straight/sharp, so the texture of the mixed media contrasts well with that.

I also like that he keeps the background very plain, either cream or white, so that the focus is entirely on the Typographic Design. Again, a technique I use frequently in most of my own work.

Out of his entire portfolio, this piece stood out to me the most as it's so bold.

I also like that in the 'i' he has created that shape out of various words. which makes the design. I don't think this would have been as interesting without that.

I also like the chosen colour, the cream background compliments the deep reds in the mixed media.

2. Mike Perry

“Mike Perry’s compendium of hand-drawn type points to the continued relevance of the human touch in modern communication.”- American Craft

Mike Perry is a well known illustrator, especially for his hand drawn typography.

Compared to Kitching's work above, his work is a lot more lighthearted and has a childish style to it.

I think this style of typography has a lot more character rather than a plain font taken from a computer.

Out of his whole portfolio I chose the image above, as it showed a wide variety of typography and the variation in styles that he creates, rather than the same continuous illustration style like Kitching uses.

I think hand drawn typography gives you more room to manipulate it, and is particularly good to emphasize a meaning behind a word or phrase, like in the image, for example 'juicy' has been designed to look juicy and 'Be happy' is in the shape of a smile inside some lips to emphasize the word happy.

This style of typography is very popular in the current industry, and is frequently used in editorial and fashion works.

Like the images below:

I love that in these magazine spreads, the typography looks like doodles done with a pencil, I  think that it's a nice change from computer generated typography and it adds more character to the photography and makes it look more interesting with the style and texture of the handwritten typography rather than a plain serif.

3. Neville Brody

Neville Brody is a well known English Graphic Designer, Typographer and Art Director.

Especially for being one of the founders of 'FontWorks' where he created a variety of notable fonts and is also the founding Editor of the magazine 'FUSE'.

Neville Brody was known for creating Fonts that weren't ordinary plain fonts like 'Arial' or 'Helvetica', they were more interesting and had their own shape.

Later he was known for his unusual typographic design, where he started to create works like this design above, which showed the cultural shift from words to pictures. It wasn't just words it was art.

To gain this technique Brody would slice and distort the letters so that they were no longer legible, leaving the words as a texture, a pattern or abstract design.

This image above is in fact a cover for the magazine 'FUSE'.

I love this technique, it's different to the obvious typographic designs, which are usually used to be a more interesting way of communicating a phrase or word.

This style of Typography, is simply using letters to create an abstract form.

Although this is interesting, I don't think this is a technique I would personally use, I prefer to use a typographic design to communicate a message, or as an illustration like the works created by Mike Perry.

4. David Carson

"David Carson is an American graphic designer. He is best known for his innovative magazine design, and use of experimental typography. He was the art director for the magazine Ray Gun. Carson was perhaps the most influential graphic designer of the nineties. In particular, his widely-imitated aesthetic defined the so-called 'grunge typography' era." - Wikipedia

Like it was mentioned in the quote from Wikipedia above, you can see the grungy style that Carson uses in all his designs.

His designs are mixed media typography, sometimes mono print effects over photography.

The title 'Ray Gun' shows the same style that Brody used on the 'FUSE' cover above.

The letters have been sliced so it creates an invisible line or division through both words.

I personally like this style, I like the texture to the background mixed with the media used on the typography, which has been made to look like a Typewriter.

I don't think that his work really stands out to me like Mike Perry's did, and I don't think I'd use this technique on my own work.

5. Herb Lubalin

Herb Lubalin is a Graphic Designer know for the 'Art Deco' style to his Typography.

He always uses cruved shapes, and makes the letters look more fancy that a plain sans serif that Kitching uses on his works. His works are nearly always monochromatic, particularly black or a light blue.

The image above was my favorite of his works, I like the message that it communicates and I also like that the image has been created to look the same whether it's upside down or the right way up. The only way you can tell is by the small print that reads 'It's a great year, any way you look at it' Which explains the meaning behind the design, I think it's clever, and I'd love to use this technique on my own work at some point in the future.

This is another Lubalin design that stood out to me, again you can see the curves in the letters which has been described to be inspired by Art Deco.

I also think this is a clever design, as the word 'Beards' has been deigned to create the shape of a beard, and then the face has been added to emphasize that meaning.

I much prefer typography to be clever and communicate something rather than just be a piece of art.

6. Eric Gill

"Arthur Eric Rowton Gill was a British sculptor, typeface designer, stonecutter and printmaker, who was associated with the Arts and Crafts movement" - Wikipedia

Eric Gill isn't a designer which I have a huge interest in. His work doesn't particularly interest me at all.However, he is most famous for creating the widely used font Gill Sans, possibly one of my favorite fonts to use in my work.

For being created so soon into the 20th century this font is really modern, looking at the image above you wouldn't think it was created in the 1920s.

What I like about this font, is that it's so simple and can be applied to anything, it's perfect to use everyday.

As well as creating fonts like Gill Sans, he created pieces of art, which also had Typography in them, these designs usually consisted of religious images mixed with a Serif font, which had filigree designs coming off the Typography, much life the works of illustrator Si Scott.

7. Robert Brownjohn

"Robert Brownjohn was a graphic designer known for blending formal graphic design concepts with wit and sixties pop culture. He is best known for his motion picture title sequences, especially From Russia with Love and Goldfinger." - Wikipedia

This piece above is my favorite design created by Brownjohn. I've used this as research in previous projects, and it never gets old. I love the wit that he adds to his designs, especially this one, I think using the Ace card was a clever way of writing the word 'Peace'.

This is could also be classed as infographics, where a symbol or image is used to represent or replace a word. In this case the Ace card replaces the 'ace' in peace.

I also like that the rest of the word is hand drawn in what looks like fineliner... it could be pencil. But overall, a strong design, LOVE IT.

Like the image above he used symbols to represent letters in all these words.

specifically the symbols associated with each word.

Again, very witty and it's a clever but strong design for being so simple. Love it.

This is the kind of Typography that I like, Infographics isn't something I really have experience in, but I'd love to try this in my own work in the future.

8. Stefan Sagmeister

"Stefan Sagmeister is a New York-based graphic designer and typographer currently living in Bali, Indonesia. He has his own design firm 'Sagmeister Inc.' in New York City. He has designed album covers for Lou Reed, OK Go, The Rolling Stones, David Byrne, Aerosmith and Pat Metheny." - Wikipedia

Sagmeister, as well as being known for producing CD covers, he's also well known for his hand drawn approach to typography and also for producing some wild designs.

The design above is for a Lou Reed poster, The typography is the hand written style which he uses in all designs which include typography.

I like the style he uses, I think it has an erie feel to it, so it would be good used on a cover for a thriller or horror movie!

Sagmeister is also widely known for this poster in particular.

He actually cut the typography out of his own skin and then took a photo.

This is really crazy, but it's such a strong image, and you can still see the style of his hand written typeface. It also shows how far he will go as a designer, there are no limits to his work, as he's willing to carve his work into his own skin.

This is definitely something I won't use in my own work, but I still like his style and approach to typography, it's most definitely unusual....

9. Jitesh Patel

Patel is a designer which I came across on the website 'Central Illustration Agency'.

He's well known for creating pieces of typography out of card, like the image above, to make the design 3D. I think this style of illustration just takes typography to a new level, making it 'come alive' in a sense.

In the image above, the design is mixed with computer generated typography which looks cool, making it look editorial. I also like that as well as Typography, he has put images in too in the same media, it adds more character to the image and it highlights the word/meaning more.

In this image you can see the typography popping out more than in the image above.

I think this image has been created with metal... or shiny card, not entirely sure.

I also like that the photograph has been taken from this angle deliberately to emphasize the meaning behind 'high'. I'd like to try experimenting with this sometime, I can imagine it being quite fiddly!

10. Alex Trochut

"Independent graphic designer Alex Trochut has a passion for illustration, design, typography and lettering. From his studio in Barcelona Alex Trochut creates original designs for clients all around the world. Without choosing sides in a particular style Alex Trochut tries to evolve from project to project, and as a statement he believes in more is more." - Debut Art

Whenever I do a Typographic based design, I always look to Alex Trochut's portfolio for inspiration as well as other designers I have a huge interest in, such as Pomme Chan.

I love his variety in illustration styles, he doesn't limit himself to a particular stereotype, like quite a lot of designers do, like Kitching.

I also love the texture he gives to his image, He uses a variety of media and sometimes uses plastercine, which I never see being used anymore!

I especially love this design above, and the dripping effect he has given it.

I like that he has used an original Serif font for the letter and then altered it to make his own design, it's a strong design, I always think that monochromatic designs work better than using multiple colours, the simpler the better in my opinion, which is why I almost always use a plain white background, I like my designs to 'speak for themselves'.

Here is a design which he did for 'The Guardian'. Again he has used a dripping effect, quite frequently used in his designs, it's kind of like his trademark.

The image looks more vector based, than the 'M' which was obviously hand drawn first and then scanned in. Whereas this design looks like its been made directly in illustrator, giving it a modern, contemporary look which is current in the industry.

The way he has manipulated the typography, makes it look quite similar to the piece by Neville Brody. Where part of the words is cut out or overlapped.

I also like the choice of colour, I think black, white with one colour also works well, This image wouldn't have worked in a monochromatic palette at all as you wouldn't be able to identify the shapes very well. Overall, a brilliant design, and a perfect example of Trochut's work.

AD104 Task 1: My Top Ten Fonts

1. Helvetica

Helvetica is a font that I use a lot in my work, especially for small script on an advertisement or other kind of project. I find that a simple fine Typeface always pairs well with almost anything (depending on the theme or style of your work) For example I always go for a clean, fresh look, so Helvetica is an obvious choice.

2. Gill Sans

Gill Sans is another favorite font of mine, I was torn between whether to put this in first place, but I do use Helvetica more.

Gill Sans is my No2 because its so simple and contemporary, I tend to use this on stationary, I actually used this as the main font on my Zest project and used it on the small print of the logo.

It complimented the rest of the logo and style really well, and kept my work current.

It's also legible, and clean, which I prefer my work to look like.

I like this font because it can be applied to anything, it would work really well on an editorial piece, and it's also great for a logo, as it compliments it, and isn't overpowering.

3. Futura

Futura is another favorite font of mine, It's also very simple, but the curves create a nice lighthearted feel to it, Which would work well on designs/projects aimed at children. 
This font was actually used on Innocent smoothies as you can see.
This font would work well on packaging, like innocent smoothies, if it was paired with an illustration, as it would compliment the illustration without taking the focus off it, whilst still standing out. Overall, a good Typeface.


4. Braggadocio

Braggadocio is my No4  because I love using this on Advertisement projects, this is the font which I used on my Student Union posters.

This Typeface is perfect for clipping masks, with it being so bold, it would cover more of the image, so it would be more noticeable, rather than using a fine font, as you wouldn't be able to tell what the clipping mask is of.

It's definitely eye-catching, which is why it would be great for most advertisements, especially a poster.

It's also a plain modern font, so it is easier to apply, as it's not too extravagant or fancy and it also works well in the current market.

5. Champagne & Limousines

Champagne & Limousines is another font I use a lot in my work, I also used this on my Student Union posters on the small print.

It worked really well as it was fine, keeping the contemporary style the Braggadocio font has, and it also contrasted well with the bold font too.

I also like the shape of each letter, I think the curves also contrast well with the sharp straight lines that make up Braggadocio.

The only problem with this font is it's extremely fine, so you have to be careful with the font size, for example this wouldn't work well on stationary, like a business card especially, as the font is so small, it wouldn't be legible.

So Gill Sans would be my first choice of a fine font where Stationary is concerned.

6. Taller Evolution

Taller Evolution is another fine Typeface that I love.
Simple because it can be condensed like on the word 'Taller' and wide like on the word 'Evolution'. This font would be good on either an advertisement or on an editorial piece, for a headline especially. It's good if you want to put focus on a particular word.
The only problem with this font is you can't really use it on small print, as it loses it's legibility.


7. Mom's Typewriter

Mom's Typewriter is a Typeface that I came across on the site Dafont.com, a popular site for downloading various fonts. I actually downloaded most of the fonts above from there.

Any typewriter font would be my No7, but this one stood out in particular, for the grungy style that it has.

I think a typewriter font is good for if your design has an authentic/grungy style.

For example, for my research on the book cover project, a previous book cover for 100 years of solitude was a mixed media illustration, with a collage of different papers, with mono prints over the top, and then a typewriter font was used for the title, which gave the book cover a WWII style, which tied in with the story line as the war was in the story.

So this style of Typeface is good for that style of illustration.

8. VTKS Downtown

                      

VTKS Downtown is another font I came across while browsing through Dafont.

I love this, It looks like charcoal.

I think this would work well for Typography on a mixed media piece with the charcoal effect, as the texture is spot on, and looks so realistic.

Even the smudges on the edges look realistic.

9. Hannah's Messy Handwriting

Hannah's Messy Handwriting is another of my favorite fonts, but it's not a typeface which can be applied to anything, which is why it isn't higher up in my top 10.

This font would be brilliant on an editorial piece, or a book cover.

Another student in class actually used this on his book cover, and it worked really well with his illustration, as it looks handwritten, so it paired well with his hand drawn illustrations.

It's also very childlike so it tied in well with the child target market.

I would definitely consider using this on a future project.

10. Sex Pistols

                        

This Sex Pistols typeface is also from Dafont.

I love this font as it has every letter is different, it reminds me of the style of typeography on a ransom note, where separate letters from various sources are cut out then stuck down on a piece of paper to make up a message.

I think the style of typeface would be perfect for an editorial piece.

Collages always work well in magazines, and I think this would pair well with a collage illustration.

Goals For The Next Project

SMART Goals


Specific:
The next project is based on Typography. Which I think is going to be applied to a magazine spread. Both areas are something I have a huge interest in, Typography is something I tend to use a lot in most of my projects. I find that it's an interesting alternative to normal illustration, and it draws more attention to it/stands out more.
So for the next project I would like to gain the understanding of the main characteristics of Typography (Kerning, Leading, etc) and how to tweak them successfully.
If this is an editorial project also, I would like to gain an understanding of layout, and how to text wrap in InDesign, as it's something I don't know how to do, but it's a skill that I would benefit from.


Measurable:
After doing the Book Cover project, I think my skills in illustration are better than I expected, and I can now apply this to future projects, It may be something I could use for this project if it's Editorial and if it's based on a Typographic Design.
I would also like to continue to improve on my idea generation, and try to come up with more of a variety of ideas.


Achievable:
I think the goals I have set are achievable.


Realistic:
I think it is a realistic goal, it's something I need to be able to do for when I'm working in Industry as the Idea behind a design or project is just as important as the outcome itself, and you can't create an outcome without the design anyways!


Time Based:
I think from now until the end of year, I have plenty time to work on idea generation. So I can set my Goal for the end of my first year, and hopefully by the time I start my second year, I will be able to come up with enough ideas no problem.

4th Project: AD102 Puffin Book Cover Project

James and the Giant Peach

What I enjoyed:

I really enjoyed this project, Illustration isn't something I'm strong at, where drawing Characters is concerned. But after researching illustration and the various illustration styles for the report, I gained more understanding and it helped me with what I'm good at, and how to apply that to this project.

I really enjoyed experimenting with mixed media in this project, It's something that I love doing, so having the opportunity to apply that to this piece of work worked wonders for me, and created a successful design.

What I didn't enjoy:

The part I didn't enjoy was again idea generation. I found it difficult to come up with ideas, as it's a well known book, especially for the Quentin Blake illustrations, and the movie.

So it was a challenge on creating a new concept.

Problems encountered:

The only problem I encountered was idea generation, I failed again to come up with a variety of Ideas, however I had one idea in mind right from researching the various styles, and I knew instantly that it would work as a book cover. Which I proved to be successful.

What went well:

Apart from the idea generation, the project in general went really well.

I came up with a successful modern approach to the book, and I think that it would work well in the current market.

Development went well, the chosen media I used worked perfectly together and created a great book cover.

My typographic design was also really successful, and I'm proud of it.

I think that it still ties in with the target market (Children) while being modern and tying in with the current style in the industry.

I think that the design reflects my personal style too, I love using Brusho in my work, one of my favorite kind of illustration is Typography, and I always go for a clean, fresh look to my work.

What didn't go well:

Nothing in particular didn't go well, I found it easy to come up with my idea straight away during research and my development was straight forward. The only problem I have lies with my idea generation, which I will have to work on with each project I have in the future.

New skills and knowledge acquired:

Doing this project has gave me a wider understanding of illustration, the various illustration styles and what specific kind of work a certain style is applied to. Which helps me a lot when applying illustration to a project, as I will know what will work and what won't.

It has also helped me to identify my style, Typography is definitely one of strongest points.

Good time management:

I think my time management was ok, I spent a reasonable amount of time on development, but I didn't take long to create the book cover or the illustration itself.

I think this project was more about the understanding of illustration, and the various styles, so I spent a lot of time researching the various styles for the report, which I definitely benefitted from during the project and will have for future projects.

SWOT conclusion:

Strengths:

Looking at the completed project, I can now see that my strengths lie with Mixed Media and Typographic Illustrations. Now that I know this, I can apply it to future projects and develop my own personal style, which will make my work more recognizable.

Weaknesses:

As I have mentioned previously, my weakness is Idea Generation.

I failed again to come up with more of a variety of ideas. On the other hand, I still came up with a successful new concept to the book, which worked really well, and I'm extremely happy with the final outcome, which is the main point.

Opportunities:

The only part I need to work on is Idea Generation.

Threats:

The only thing that could possibly jeopardize my work and meeting a deadline, is Idea Generation as I struggle to come up a variety of ideas. But if I spend too long trying to come up with ideas, it decreased my time left on development.

Goals For The Next Project

SMART Goals


Specific:
The next project is another live project based on Puffin/Penguin Books. I have been asked to create a book cover for one of the following:
James and the Giant Peach or 100 Years of Solitude.
The book cover must reflect on the story line while adding a new concept and approach to the book.
So I will have to perform thorough research into the book of my choice, and come up with a variety of ideas to consider developing.
Idea Generation is something I want to try and improve for this project and future projects, as I don't come up with enough.
Whereas I need more ideas as a backup incase my chosen idea doesn't develop and to show that I have considered all routes.


Measurable:
Now that I have completed the branding project, there isn't anything that I would change.
I think I came up with a successful concept in the end, and most people liked it.
I thought that it was very modern and would fit in well with the current market. 
For the next project, I will work on my technique in idea generation. As I tend to only come up with a couple of ideas, whereas I need more variety.

Achievable:
I think that this is doable but it also depends on factors of the topic, and what it is i'm designing for, and whether I have the option to be more adventurous.

As if I have a set route it's sometimes hard to come up with an idea. Whereas with the branding project, I had too much opportunity to do what I wanted, that I found it hard to think of an idea.

But it's something I will try to focus on more.

3rd Project: AD103 Branding of a College Restaurant (ZEST)

Logo

Stationary

Folded Menu 

Daily Menu

What I enjoyed:

I enjoyed this project, although Corporate Identity isn't my favorite area of Graphic Design.

I really enjoyed experimenting with mixed media in the development for the logo, I hought that this added a lot more character to the symbol and reflected on the characteristics of the Restaurant, which is what a logo is about. 

I also liked that this restaurant was a blank canvas, it didn't have a previous logo or an actual name, so it left the project wide open for any ideas. 

What I didn't enjoy:

I really didn't enjoy coming up with the restaurants name, as it's so difficult.

It's hard to find a name that communicates the restaurant without making it sound cheesy.

So I spent a lot of time looking at words associated with a restaurant and food to help with idea generation.

Problems encountered:

Coming up with the name was possibly the biggest problem I encountered, It took me a while to finalize my name as people had mixed views on it.

But I went with zest in the end, as it sounds fresh, lively and organic. All points that the client wanted to get through to customers.

So I thought the name was perfect.

The logo itself was also very difficult, as I didn't want it to be obvious, and I also wanted the logo to be quite simple and contemporary.

All my ideas pointed in the direction of a lemon, which is an obvious choice. So I tried to make it quirky and not look too obvious, which was a challenge and took a lot of development.

What went well:

The stationary and menus went very well.

Once my logo was finalized, I was able to come up with a simple theme for the menu, I thought a plain white background would keep it looking fresh and contemporary. I also thought that it complimented my logo really well.

After doing the stationary, I used the same colour palette and style, which I carried through to the menus, so that the style was consistent.

What didn't go well:

I don't think anything in particular didn't go well, I just struggled at first to get my name together and create the logo, but I got there in the end and it turned out to be successful.

New skills and knowledge acquired:

I gained more understanding into illustrator, and how to successfully trace a scanned  image without needing the pen tool.

I also gained the knowledge of name generation, and how to successfully develop the name.

Good time management:

I think I managed my time well, I met the deadline and managed to spend most of my time developing the name and logo.

SWOT conclusion:

Strengths:

I think my strengths with Corporate Identity lies more with the designing rather than the name generation. As I found it extremely difficult when I came to name generation, even though I got past it eventually.

If I was given a name I'd be able to come up with an idea and concept fine. So I'd find it easier rebranding a restaurant rather than Branding a new one.

Weaknesses:

My weakness in Corporate Identity is most definitely name generation.

I struggle as I tend to go for an obvious concept, instead of being clever or witty without making it cheesy. Which is definitely something I need to work on.

Opportunities:

I think the main area of improvement is name and idea generation, which is a technique I must work on as the idea is one of the most important parts of designing.

Threats:

My only threat at the moment is Idea and name generation, as I took a long time developing that in this project, whereas is the industry sometimes a design needs to be done in a short space of time, and I think my struggle with name and idea generation would jeopardize the deadline.