Typography 1 @ WUSTL
What's an architecture major doing in a typography class? In an effort to challenge my creative thinking and broaden my portfolio, I have decided it is in my best interest to explore the world of communication design. I've always had a passion for type, so this was a logical start.
Project 1: Poster
Our first project was to create a series of posters based off of a word of our choosing. Naturally, I chose the word maverick. The leftmost poster was designed with the constraint of using a single point size. For this, I focused mostly on tracking, leading, and composition to create a hierarchy. The rightmost was using 4 point sizes. With this poster, I played with the boundaries of the poster and how the viewer's eye would move around the page. The center poster was designed using different styles within the type family and the option to use a single color. With this, I went all out and began to think of the letter more as shape than the first two posters. With this thinking I was able to to create a dynamic composition that draws the reader in.
Project 2: Chapbook
Our second project was focused on learning how to set text within a book format. We were tasked with finding an article about design with roughly 500 words. Once we chose our article we had to select two typefaces (one serif and one sans-serif) and then figure out appropriate leading and tracking for an acceptable rag, character count, and more. With all four I was able to hone my eye to fine details to be able to find egregious line breaks, rivers, hyphenation, and more. Additionally, I was able to learn some more efficient workflows and shortcuts in Indesign.
Project 3: Typographic Research
Our third project arguably was out first. The research we have had to do for Typography is part of a weekly series of prompts and things to think about and explore regarding typography. The spreads were not required to be a cohesive booklet as they wanted us to be able to explore different ideas. However, at the end of the semester I wanted to find a way to bring it all together and push one of the ideas I utilized in an earlier spread. The typeface used is Redaction by MCKL Type which is free for personal use so be sure to check it out!
Below is the printed version of the book is on 65lb white cardstock (stapled booklet)
