Friday 12 October 2012

Alphabet Soup- Typeface


I highlighted the main aspects of the brief.
I have to design a typeface based on a partners personality. I have to manipulate an existing letterform.
The typeface has to include all 26 letterforms and 6 glyphs, so there is 32 characters in total.
The final product has to be all 32 characters on A1True Grain.
Also a name badge has to be created.




This is the personality quiz we did initially from this we had to interpret the persons personality and begin research to eventually create a typeface we felt reflected them.

Nature/ Outdoors
Sarah told me she really likes the outdoors, she likes natural, open spaces. I feel that I need to show openness and nature in my alphabet.

 Open field, vast space

 Sarah also said that she likes woodland, I chose this image ( from Google images ) as I felt the branches of the trees create interesting , organic and flowing lines.

 Again another open space.

A more coastal scene, from Sandiego a place Sarah really likes, she said she likes the Mexican influences in the city. The waves and leaves of the palm trees create natural curving lines.

Zorse
Her favorite animal is a zorse, which is a mixture of a horse and a zebra. I feel that the stripes and the element of mixture are key things Sarah likes and I need to display this in my type. 



Darren Newman
From my initial personality quiz, Sarah clearly likes the work of the designer Darren Newman, he is her favorite designer and she particularly liked a piece called ' Ever stopped to wonder what makes something beautiful.'

http://www.behance.net/gallery/Ever-Stopped-V1/148362

http://www.behance.net/gallery/Ever-Stopped-V1/148362
http://www.behance.net/gallery/Ever-Stopped-V2/148368

http://www.behance.net/gallery/Ever-Stopped-V2/148368

http://www.behance.net/gallery/Ever-Stopped-V2/148368
The type from the v1 project is very intricate and flowing, it has a mixture of weights to add to this intricacy. Type from v2 is a lot heavier and uniform however the detail is also intricate and linear, a mixture of strokes and negative space. This too is natural looking and flowing. It reminds me of stripes.

Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau is also work that Sarah likes and is inspired by and so I researched into the movement, and I mainly focused on the type.

Alphonse Mucha 1894
Mackmurdo Wren 1883

Mucha-1893, A guide to Art Nouveau style, William Hardy


Jules Cheret, A guide to Art Nouveau style, William Hardy
 
Art Nouveau was inspired by natural forms and structures, not only in flowers and plants but also in curved lines.
Typefaces are stylized, elegant display designs. Art Nouveau type designs are usually extremely decorative, and can include embellished stroke endings, very high and low “waistlines,” diagonal and triangular character shapes, top- or bottom-weighted stresses, angled crossbars, and in some cases, filigreed(a. An intricate, delicate, or fanciful ornamentation. b. A design resembling such ornamentation)initials. Some typefaces have more than one of these distinctive traits.
And so I will try to incorporate this in my type face. There is a clear theme of nature and decoration appearing and I think this reflects Sarah interest in design.

Alexander McQueen
Sarah said that she was also inspired by the British designer, Alexander McQueen.
Alexander McQueen tends to contrast strength with fragility in his collections, as well as emotional power and raw energy.
http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?um=1&hl=en&safe=vss&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&channel=fflb&biw=1428&bih=811&tbm=isch&tbnid=-4Xq-jxIm-u33M:&imgrefurl=http://www.sasareport.co.uk/wordpress/2010/02/19/london-pays-tribute-to-alexander-mcqueen/&docid=GV2tHKWq7vD-GM&imgurl=http://www.sasareport.co.uk/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/alexander-mcqueen1_1364281i.jpg&w=600&h=400&ei=H712UJ_RIYLS0QXni4DgDw&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=783&vpy=449&dur=284&hovh=183&hovw=275&tx=178&ty=74&sig=102577207212728815934&page=1&tbnh=167&tbnw=227&start=0&ndsp=21&ved=1t:429,r:11,s:0,i:108
The shoes above remind  me of the art nouveau work, they are inspired by nature yet they are very structured and I need to try show this in the type I am going to design.
http://philipsheppard.com/about/sarabande-in-black-for-alexander-mcqueen/
 These are very structured  pieces and I could convey this sense of structure in my typeface, yet some of the patterns are very organic looking and so the two are very contrasting, and this is what I feel Sarah likes in design.
philipsheppard.com
This dress is clearly inspired by nature, just like the work of the art novueau movement. I feel that nature is something I clearly need to convey in my type. 

Type Research
Nature
http://www.behance.net/gallery/Remix/3653523
The main typeface of this piece is worn down and almost grunge-y looking. It looks natural as it appears to have been scratched into and weathered.

http://www.behance.net/gallery/Monkey-Bear/2480001
Although this piece is heavily illustrated there is a small piece of type in the top right hand section. It is flowing and connected, it also ranges in weights to create a sense of natural form. The illustrations itself is again flowing and free, there is a sense of energy and life.
http://www.behance.net/gallery/Symbiosis/2645151
This type is very intricate and detailed. I like the way it is very linear, like the work of Darren Newman I have already looked at. The lines in this piece though are branches.

http://www.behance.net/gallery/Only-Skin/2017179


This typeface is even further detailed, it doesn't just contain branches it has other aspects of nature within it. However I do feel it is a bit too busy and complex in comparison to what Sarah has told me she likes. And so I don't want to create a very detailed font like this.

http://designspiration.net/image/720229991119/
Even though this isn't really typographic, I really like the horns of the deer and how they flow. Again it is natural looking as its scratched and weathered. 

http://designspiration.net/image/2173796722428/
This is a 'T' it is highly illustrative, again something I would not want to replicate in Sarah's typeface. However it does give me inspiration of nature.
http://designspiration.net/image/2294480747665/
This isn't typographic at all, but I felt it was very appropriate as I like the fine lines, different strokes, curved lines, and flowing, natural aesthetic.




After the interim crit
The Golden Ratio in Nature

After the interim crit I told the group I wanted to create a design that represented nature, people in the group suggested I should look at the golden ratio ( in nature ) . And so I typed it on Google and I found these images below. 



Every aspect of nature is supposed to follow a spiral like shape below... 
I printed out these images in large so that I could use them to create some letter forms.


I chose the image above as I liked how it had sections as well, I thought this would convert well into type.
I choose this image ( above ) as I liked how it was very detailed and linear, and I thought this would be good as I had decided I wanted to create a linear letter.





 I then found this which is an equivalent of the golden ratio in nature, to the human body, I chose this as I felt it had more shapes within it and I felt this would help me to develop an interesting type.

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