Letter Exercise 2

Typography Definitions

Weight
Define: density or the lightness of the individual letterforms.
Example: Light vs. Bold text

Width
Define: How wide a letterform becomes from extending or compressing.
Example: Narrow, wide, condensed, extended and normal.

Style
Define: Level of boldness or kind of letter within a typeface.
Example: Light, bold, condensed, italic, small capitals or a series of symbols adapted to suit the particular typeface.

Font
Define: It is a collective name for a typeface but actually referring only to a single style.
Example: Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, Courier, and Georgia.

Typeface
Define: A complete alphabet including letters, numbers punctuation marks, accents, special reference marks etc.
Example: ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ1234567890


X-Height
Define: The height of a lowercase letter 'x'. It is an important feature because it (and letters of a similar height) largely determine the apparent size of a typeface.
Example: x x  x x x


Cap Height
Define: Height in millimiters of capital letter in a particular typeface.
Example: P...(height)...ace

Leading
Define: Used more in the days of metal type, the extra white that was added between the lines of the metal type in the form of strips of lead or lead alloy.
Example: (+1) or (+2) depending on the amount of extra points should be added between the lines.

Letter spacing (tracking)
Define: The amount of white spacing between letters.
Example: goat  g o a t   g   o   a   t

Type is traditionally measured in points.

Measurements
1 inch = 72 points
1 mm = 2.8346567 points
1 picas = 1/2 points

Point
Define: The unit used to measure letterforms.

Pica
Define: The printers unit of measurement that is equal to 12 points.

How many points in an inch?
72 points in 1 inch

If a letter set is 36 points about how many inches tall is it?
1/2 inch tall

How many picas in 1 inch?
6 postscript picas

How many points in a pica?
12 points in 1 pica

VISC 204: Project 1A

Seahorse

Visual Description
Rough
Boney
Tough
Spiky
Colorful
Neutral
Long Nose
Curly Tail
Pouch
Horns
Small Eyes
Long
Tall
Fins
Snout
Dots
Brown
Yellow
Red
White
Straight
Curly
Straight
Curly
Stripes
Multicolored
Small
Horse
Fish
Scaly
Ribbed
Trunk
Skinny
Rounded Belly
Transparent
Fragile
Dainty
Camouflage
Rigid
Bumpy
Brittle
Monster
Hybrid
Flexible
Dirty
Delicate
Jagged
Sharp
Spiny
Rocky
Uneven

Emotional Description
Tame
Quiet
Reserved
Social
Protective
Shy
Timid
Remote
Private
Gentle
Happy
Calm
Mellow
Partnership
Weak
Willing
Adaptable
Excitable
Determined
Coupled
Silent
Inhibited
Reluctant
Peaceful
Tranquil
Private
Relaxed
Tranquil
Undisturbed
Soothing
Restful
Content
Twosome
Lovable
Friendly
Interested
Natural
Warm
Kindly
Pleasant
Casual
Security
Companion
Protect
Weak
Meek
Feeble

Sound
Whoosh
Quiet
Click
Ambient Noise
Bubble
Silent
Faint
Voiceless
Whispering
Quick
Brief
Swift
Sparse
Hushed
Mute
Soft
Brisk
Rapid
Infrequent
Few
Short
Sudden
Hurried

Other
Cute
Small
Delicate
Sweet
Pokey
Rough
Wet
Scaly
Colorful
Bubbly
Interesting
Unique
Calm
Peaceful
Horse
Curly
Long Nose
Long
Spiky
Ribbed
Flexible
Round
Belly
Sharp
Dainty
Delicate

Top 10 things they never taught me in design school by Michael McDonough

I would like to learn more about what employers look for in portfolios and how to make your portfolio stand out from everyone else's.

Hand drawn ABC's

Questions for Type

_ define the word “grid”

A pattern of regularly spaced horizontal and vertical lines.

_ why do we (designers) use a grid? what are the benefits or functions?

We use grids to build both complex and austere layouts that enable hierarchy and accessibility through
flexibility and consistency. The grid allows us to use different design elements and have them work in a cohesive manner within a layout.

_ what is a modular grid?
A modular grid has constant horizontal divisions from top to bottom in addition to vertical divisions from left to right.

_ define and illustrate: margins, columns, grid modules. flowlines, gutter
Margins: the space that surrounds the content of a page. It helps divide where the text begins and ends.

Columns: Vertical blocks of content positioned on a page, separated by gutters and rules.

Grid Modules: Individual units of space that are separated by regular intervals. They are the basic building blocks of grids. They create columns and rows when repeated.

Flowlines: Horizontal lines that break the space into horizontal bands. They can be used to help guide the eye across the page and can be used to impose starting and stopping points for text and images to be aligned.

Gutter: The inside margins or blank space between two facing pages. It is extra space allowance used to accommodate the binding in books and magazines.

_ define hierarchy
An arrangement of items in which the items are represented as being "above", "below", or "at the same level as" on another.

_ define typographic color (this does not mean color as in change it to a color)
It is the relative lightness or darkness of a block of text. The shade is dictated by features including font size, the space between letters (kerning), the space between lines (leading), as well as the font selection itself.

_ what are ways to achieve a clear hierarchy?
Through the proper and conscious implementation of visual prompts that emphasize significant content within the design while gradually minimizing the attention needed for the other elements, whether by exaggerating the size of text or image, by isolating a design element, or by employing additional graphics that call attention to specific place in the layout.

_ define white space
The space where no text or no image exist. (negative space)

_ define contrast
Difference in visual properties that makes an object distinguishable from other objects and the background.

Typography

In class we had an assignment to create the word MADE with any material we could find in an hour. Allie and I decided we would use edamame from our lunch. We decide to mix up each letter, with some pods closed up, others open, and some beans even sown. I love how this type turned out and I wish I could create a whole alphabet with edamame.

Seahorse

The animal I have chosen for the project is a Seahorse. I picked this animal because every time I go to the zoo and visit the aquarium I find myself intrigued by these amazing fish. Seahorses are found in shallow and tropical environments. They are a boney fish but they don't have scales and their skin is camouflage in color. Theses fish are relatives of the pipe fish. Unlike most animals the males carry the eggs in their pouches until they are fertilized. At that time the sea horses hatch and miniature seahorses are born.  Seahorses are not very good swimmers and in stormy seas they often die of exhaustion. The only way they can propel through the water is with their small fin located on their back. They steer with their two pectoral fins near the back of their head. They use their tail to attach to sea grasses and corals and use their snouts to suck plankton and small crustaceans.

A sculpture of a heraldic depicition of a seahorse, by unknown 19th or 18th century French artist, showcased at the National Maritime Museum in Sydney, Australia, photographed by DO'Neil.

I Heart Design

The first thing I remember that made me interested in design was the opening title sequence of the movie Napoleon Dynamite. It was something I had never seen before, it was such a creative way to introduce a movie.

After I saw this movie I started noticing other movies title sequences. Juno is another great example of awesome opening title sequences.

This passion for title sequences followed me through high school when I worked on the graphics for my high schools broadcast program. This design lead me where I am today studying graphic design, I hope someday I can make title sequences for big movies.