Syllabus Projects Calendar Links
Typography, Art 210, F21: Projects
1. Project Brief: Type Tips Book
2DesigningWithType; 2DesigningWithTypeB1; 2DesigningWithTypeB2; 2ImpactLegibilityExamples
6TypeOnScreen; 6TypeOnScreenArt
Over the course of the semester you will build a book about typography in Indesign. You will learn how to work with large amounts of type over many pages. In the process you will:
- Design a grid and master pages for organization and unity.
- Make style sheets to help organize and unify the type.
- Create chapters and a table of contents.
- Design layouts with type and images.
- Learn type terms and best practices for working with type.
- Design a hand-lettered cover for the book.
Specs:
- The page size will be 5.5” wide by 8.5” deep
- You may use full color
- It should be set up as a CMYK print job and an RGB interactive PDF
- This project will be built in Adobe Indesign
- You will create an interactive table of contents and navigation buttons
2. Project Brief: Typographic Symbols
Select a typographic symbol and research its history and meaning. Write a paragraph about the symbol (approximately 100 words). Make the paragraph interesting, clever, funny or poetic, something that will engage the people who read it. Next you will create three designs based on the symbol. Each design will contain three elements: the symbol, the paragraph and display type that names the symbol.
Specs:
- Write a couple paragraphs explaining your proposed solution
- Design 1 – the symbol will be the dominant element
- Design 2 – the paragraph will be the dominant element
- Design 3 – the display type will be the dominant element
- You may use color
- The final shape of your solutions (horizontal, vertical, square) can vary
- The project will be built in Adobe Illustrator as a CMYK print job
- You must save a high-resolution PDF of the finished project
3. Project Brief: Information Graphic – Type Timeline
Design an eight-panel, accordion-fold timeline that gives a brief history of typography and printing. It should chronicle milestones covering the development and evolution of type and printing technologies up to the present. Some copy and art will be provided, but you will also have to generate some on your own. You may include examples of typefaces from the different periods covered.You can use the textbook and the internet, as well as other sources, just be sure to credit them. Establish a grid and a visual hierarchy within the type and between type and images. Create style sheets for headlines, dates, text type, drop caps, pull quotes, captions and any other type styles you use.
Specs:
- Write a couple paragraphs explaining your proposed solution
- The panels will be 4.25” x 5.5” (design for an 11”x17” page folded in half horizontally)
- Use only two to three type families (this includes regular, bold, italic, etc.)
- Can be full-color
- You can use Illustrator or Indesign to build this project.
- Art from Illustrator and Photoshop can be incorporated into it. Images must be CMYK & 300dpi.
- Create paragraph and character style sheets for all your type elements
- You will print your finished project and save it as a high-resolution PDF.
4. Project Brief: Page Layout
Design a two-page spread using the provided text and art. A multiple column grid must be established for your design. Establish a visual hierarchy within the type by incorporating a headline, subheads, text type, drop cap, pull quotes, captions and folios. There should also be a hierarchy between type and images.
Specs:
- The pages must be 8.5” x 11”
- Use only two to three type families (this includes regular, bold, italic, etc.)
- Use black and one spot color
- Use Adobe Indesign to build this project as a 2-color print job
- Create paragraph and character style sheets for all your type elements
- Print your project on an 11″ x 17″ sheet as a composite and as color separations
- Save a high resolution PDF of your project
Text & Images: http://www.designingwithtype.com/5/grids.php
5. Project Brief: Theater Poster
6. Project Brief: ABC, 123 – Font design
You will design an original typeface. It will consist of all the letters of the alphabet, including upper and lower case, and numerals 0-9. Consider the “personality” you would like to convey (elegant, edgy, sophisticated, humorous, historical, etc.) when designing the characters. Pay attention to the unity of the characters (shape, stroke width, x-height, etc.) and the negative space within and between characters. You may also design additional characters, such as punctuation marks and ligatures.
Specs:
- Write a couple paragraphs explaining your proposed solution
- Print the finished project on an 8.5”x 11” sheet in black & white
- Include the full alphabet (upper & lower case) and all the numbers on the sheet. Also put your full name and birthday, using your new font, as the dominant element on the page.
- The project will be built in Adobe Illustrator and submitted as a hi-rez PDF
7. Project Brief: Type Tips Book Cover
You will design a book cover, front and back, for the Type Tips Manual we have been building in class all semester. The design must use hand-lettered typography as the dominant element. You can use traditional tools (pens, markers, brushes) or digital versions with a tablet for your hand lettering. Imagery and decorative elements may be used in a subordinate role. The front and back covers may be a continuous image, or separate but unified designs.
Specs:
- Write a couple paragraphs explaining your proposed solution
- The title should read – Type Tips 2021: A Guide to Professional Typesetting
- The size will be 11” wide by 8.5” deep
- You may use full color
- It should be set up as a CMYK print job and an RGB interactive PDF
- Any images must be 300 dpi for the print version and 72 dpi for the electronic version
Hand lettering videos:
Awesome silent demo
Good instruction & demo, materials & techniques
Different styles of lettering
8. Project Brief: Restaurant Websites
You will design three restaurant websites, each one featuring a different type of establishment. For instance, you may do one that features upscale fine dining, another that features a child-friendly setting, and a third one with an ethnic menu, such as Japanese or Italian. Each site will contain the same information, but will be designed to convey the look and feel of the different restaurants. The fonts, colors, layouts and imagery you use for each page should be appropriate for the demographics of the particular restaurant. An elegant establishment might use classic typefaces and a muted color palette, while an edgy, energetic place would use decorative fonts and bright colors. The designs should rely primarily on the type you choose to establish their character, but you may use supporting graphic elements such as lines, shapes and simple imagery. Create a typographical hierarchy to organize the information on the menu logically.
Animation for websites: You will also create type-based animations for each of your sites homepages. Use the name of your restaurant and the tagline for the content. You can add graphic support elements, but make sure the type is dominant. The animations will be done in Photoshop and should be 5 to 15 seconds long.
Each site should contain three pages with the following information:
- Name of restaurant. Use the same name for all three pages. You can use your own name — first, last, both, initials, nickname, etc. — or make up a name that will work for all three restaurants.
- Tagline. A sentence or short paragraph that sums up the theme of the restaurant.
- Hours of operation
- Address/Directions
- Menus
- Reservations info
- About info
- Contact info
- Other. You may also include additional information, such as daily specials, happy hour, etc. if you wish.
Specs:
- Write a couple paragraphs explaining your proposed solution
- 1080 x 1920 pixels, vertical orientation
- Three pages for each restaurant site
- Include navigation buttons
- The project will be built in Adobe Indesign as an interactive RGB job
- Submit low-resolution, interactive, RGB PDF for screen viewing
Animated type examples:
http://www.artofthetitle.com/feature/the-title-design-of-saul-and-elaine-bass/