PROBLEM//
Create a type specimen book for any typeface of your choice and showcase their weights and function.
PROCESS//
I started out by looking at various typefaces. I studied the characteristics of typefaces from various type classifications and foundries. I narrowed it down to slab-serifs and sans serifs. I concluded that I’d like to take up the challenge of using a geometric sans serif for body copy once I came across Gotham.
Geometric sans serif is known to be hard to read as body text due to its perfect symmetry and large x-height. To keep the viewer engaged in my book, I decided on a concept for the type specimen book. The concept I researched
was a book named Information Anxiety by author Richard Saul Wurman.
was a book named Information Anxiety by author Richard Saul Wurman.
At first, I focused only on the content. I used the typeface to visually explain the information. Even though it worked to showcase the information, the characteristics and weight of the type was somewhat lost on the viewers.
SOLUTION//
Gothams earnest tone is assertive yet approachable, making it a professional choice for this subject matter To demonstrate these characteristics of Gotham, I found inspiration in Richard Saul Wurmans book, Information Anxiety. My core concept for this project was categorizing data into information using the five hat racks — LATCH.
LATCH is an acronym for Location, Alphabet, Time, Category, and Hierarchy. By providing information about the subject,
I used Gotham in a way that helped highlight the information about LATCH. In the process, I demonstrated its functionality as a clean-cut typeface. Gotham helped demonstrate the information visually. I added smaller pages in the middle to create breaks in the book and make it visually interesting and provided information about the typeface. This helped incorporate the characteristics and content together and created a system within a system. The smaller sheets focused on the formal aspects of the typeface while the layout on the pages of the book referred to the content of Information Anxiety. I played with the point size of the paragraphs to show what the typeface looks like at different sizes and weights. Creating textures with the type was also a subtle addition to show the same features. Scale, weight and negative space were the focus of my layouts while I kept in mind the other principles of design.
I used Gotham in a way that helped highlight the information about LATCH. In the process, I demonstrated its functionality as a clean-cut typeface. Gotham helped demonstrate the information visually. I added smaller pages in the middle to create breaks in the book and make it visually interesting and provided information about the typeface. This helped incorporate the characteristics and content together and created a system within a system. The smaller sheets focused on the formal aspects of the typeface while the layout on the pages of the book referred to the content of Information Anxiety. I played with the point size of the paragraphs to show what the typeface looks like at different sizes and weights. Creating textures with the type was also a subtle addition to show the same features. Scale, weight and negative space were the focus of my layouts while I kept in mind the other principles of design.
Data can be overwhelming. The need to visually categorize it is important for analysis and crucial for it to serve its purpose as readily accessible information. Gotham has the ability to make all this information less intimidating
to the viewer and therefore facilitate the readers journey towards higher-order conclusions.
to the viewer and therefore facilitate the readers journey towards higher-order conclusions.
