Extra Credit Opportunity (25 points)

Go to a cultural event such as an exhibit, concert or an AIGA event, and write a one-page report summarizing the event, and your reaction to it. Class time on April 14 April 28 will be dedicated to an opportunity to attend one of these events. Postcards From the Good Life will showcase Nebraska postcards at the Fluxion Gallery, as well as an opportunity to see some work by Andy Warhol. Turn in by May 12.

[UPDATE: April 7, 9:10 AM]
Postcards From the Good Life is April 28, not the 14th.

For Class April 7

Project 1.1 DUE (A, B, C, D)
Project 2 DUE

Read Handout Historical Synopsis.

[UPDATE: April 4, 6:10 PM]
I have posted a link (above) to the handout that was distributed on March 31st.

Project 2 - Four-Letter Word

DUE MARCH 31 APRIL 7, 2005

This project will acquaint you with the subtleties of typographic form, and exercise your attention to detail and ability to verbally justify your design decisions. All of this is done by placing a word of four-letters or more on a canvas size of your choice.

For more details, download the project sheet.

For Class on March 31

Bring at least two (2) options of EACH of the following (for a total of eight options):

Project 1.1.A
Project 1.1.B
Project 1.1.C
Project 1.1.D

The Deadline for Project 1.1 has been extended to April 7

Bring a sample of typography from a newspaper, magazine, ad, book, etc. (in-class project - 25 points).

Bring a laser printout of your composition for Project 2, cropped and ready for critique.

Read Chapter 5 from The Clair Book

Things to Know

Here are just some things you should be familiar with by this point. They may be on a quiz soon.

• Aldus Manutius
• Trajan's Column
• Gutenberg
• pictographs
• ideographs
• rebuses
• phonograms
• leading / tracking
• kerning
• Cuneiform
• Heiroglyphics

Myriad vs. Helvetica

Some students may be having difficulty discerning the default font of Illustrator (Myriad) from the required font for Project 1.1 (Helvetica Neue).



Though it is slight, Myriad has a modulated stroke in comparison to Helvetica. This means that there is a slight thickness or weight variation in the strokes of the letters. Notice, for example, that the tops of the o's are slightly thinner than the sides.

Both fonts are sans-serif, but notice that some of the characters in Helvetica, such as the "a" have a very small serif that is the same stroke weight as the rest of the font.

Probably the most dramatic difference between the two is in aperture: on Helvetica, look at how much closer the terminal of the "a" comes to its own bowl, and the terminal of the "e" to its own eye.

The curves on Myriad are also much more gentle than Helvetica, which has pretty abrupt changes in direction.

That should help you identify the difference.

Changing fonts to outlines

If all looks well, on screen, but you simply cannot get your compositions to print out in Helvetica, select all of your text, and go to the menu Type < Create Outlines. This will make your text uneditable. Be sure to do this only before printing, and undo it once you are finished

Type Anatomy

A good primer on type anatomy, to accompany Chapter 5 of your text.

For Class on March 24

Bring at least three (3) options of EACH of the following (for a total of six options):

Project 1.1.C
Using all Helvetica Neue Regular, vary size and the distance between text elements to establish a hierarchy.

Project 1.1.D
Using all Helvetica Neue Regular, Helvetica Neue 45 Light, Helvetica Neue 75 Bold, and/or Helvetica Neue 25 Ultra Light, vary size and the distance between the text elements to establish a hierarchy.

Print out your options on a laser printer, and trim to 8.5" x 8.5". These will not have to be mounted at this point.

Read Chapters 2-4 of The Clair Book

Read Handout Layout of Lettering and Signs.

[UPDATE: March 23, 10:38 PM]
I have posted a link (above) to the handout that was distributed on March 17th.

Varied Scales

Here are a couple of varied scales that will be useful in choosing font sizes.

Lecture 2 Links: Gutenberg through Renaissance

Gutenberg's Bible
Carolingian Lettering
Nicolas Jenson
Aldus
Bembo
Garamond
Adobe Garamond
Bodoni
Caslon
Victorian Poster

For Class on March 17

Bring at least three (3) options of EACH of the following (for a total of six options):

Project 1.1.A
Using all 9-point Helvetica Neue Regular, and only the distance between text elements to establish a hierarchy.

Project 1.1.B
Using all 9-point Helvetica Neue Regular, Helvetica Neue 45 Light, Helvetica Neue 75 Bold, and/or Helvetica Neue 25 Ultra Light, and the distance between the text elements to establish a hierarchy.

Print out your options on a laser printer, and trim to 8.5" x 8.5". These will not have to be mounted at this point.

[UPDATE: March 13, 11:00 AM]
Read Chapters 1-2 of The Clair Book

I have updated the project sheet for Project 1.1 to remind you to keep all of the type horizontal.

Changed "or" to "and/or" for project description for 1.1.B above to clarify that you may use any combination of the fonts indicated.

Lecture 1 Links: Why We Have Typography

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs
Venus of Willendorf (29,000 B.C.)
Sumerian Cuneiform (3,200 B.C.)
Egyptian Hieroglyphics (2,800 B.C.)
Pictographs
Ideographs
Rebuses
Proto-Canaanite, Phoenician, Greek Alphabets
Alphabet Family Tree
Trajan's Column Inscription
Trajan Font
Pompeii Amphitheater Inscription

Project 1.1 - Information Hierarchy: Proximity, Weight, and Size

DUE MARCH 31 APRIL 7, 2005

This is a small component of the project that is the main focus of this course. Your ability to differentiate information through the masterful use of proximity, size, weight, ornament, and color is the essence of your typographic skill. In this first part of that project, you will establish a hierarchy to the information in the supplied template using combinations of the factors of proximity, weight, and size.

For more details, download the project sheet.

Welcome

This is the class website for GCA121-5A, Typography, at Metropolitan Community College. Check here for summaries and updates. I will post here before the end of the day each Monday, summarizing the previous class, and updating what will be necessary for the next class session.

Be sure to read the syllabus