Project 02 - Structure and Meaning

Part 1a

Typeset the word that you picked from the "hat" using the three given typefaces (Akzidenz Grotesk, Baskerville, Clarendon). Constraints:

• Type in all lowercase, in all uppercase and in Upper/lowercase
• Type an extra Upper/lower case version in each font Bold

Also include when possible in all the compositions:

• The Baseline
• The x-height
• The cap-height

This part was pretty straight forward. I had to battle with getting Illustrator, installing it, figuring why the fonts would not work, convert them (for which I had to battle too) because I use windows and they were meant for Macs, and finally figure out How to use Illustrator. So it was a challenging assignment technically speaking, but once all the technicalities were solved it was easy.

Part 1b

Take TWO of these compositions and diagram the anatomy of as many letterforms in the word as possible.

How to add color or play with it in Illustrator took me a bit to figure, once that was clear it was a matter of ensuring composition and terminology.

Part 2

Research the three given typefaces. What style are they? What is their history? Who is the designer? What was the technological context in which they were created?

After selecting another word from the "hat" you will create another series of 9 compositions. These compositions will "express" the meaning of each word (plus a new, made up word that is a hybrid of the two words.) These compositions will be expressive, will break the grid, will use hierarchy, energy, foreground/middleground/background, will exaggerate typographic form. Think about the energy that the word invokes and how that energy can be expressed using type as form. You needn't keep the letters all the same size, or on the same baseline. For this part of the project, you will look closely at letterforms and consider/explore how those forms can demonstrate meaning.

Constraints:

• ONE typeface per composition; Use the same typeface for the same word (eg: Akzidenz for ALL compositionf of "engage")
• Color: Black/White
• You may use only the letters in the word in your composition
• No pre-packaged textures, gradient, effects
• Do not stretch or otherwise modify the integrity of the typeface in your composition(s)
• DEMONSTRATE the meaning, don't Illustrate it
• 3 versions of each of the two assigned words (eg: 3 versions of engage, 3 versions of separate)
• 3 versions of a new, neologism, which is a hybrid word (eg: 3 versions of engarate)

For this assignment there were still aspects of Illustrator to learn or figure out. But the complicated part was to decide or know what to do and how to achieve it. I somehow feel I was not able to fully achieve what I was trying to. I feel like I always go safe, without taking risks.