VCOM 358 INTERMEDIATE TYPOGRAPHY

Remaining Projects

2011-10-27T12:24:00.002-04:00

mid-term type quiz
(complete worth 69 points)

project 1 what the font
(complete, worth 100 points)

exercise lulu.com poster, worth 50 points

exercise social communication tool, mixed media or digital, worth 50 points

exercise fashion brand identity, mixed media or digital, worth 50 points

project 2 video or pop-up book, worth 100 points

final exam, worth 51 points

That will give a grand total of 470 points you can accumulate for the term. Some of the exercises will happen quickly, in class, and will rely on you to be present to complete the work. So pay close attention to the calendar link and our class website.

Poster Design

2011-10-22T12:59:00.002-04:00

Design a poster to promote an upcoming design lecture at Winthrop University.

Lulu digital printing, book making, and online tools.

Nov. 4
12-1:30pm
Owens Building G01

Final poster size: 11x17 inches with 0.25 inch margin on poster
Live area of 10.5 x 16.5 inches
Full color

Multiple thumbnails are due at the end of our Oct. 25th class. This is a competitive challenge: the winning poster will get printed, and posted throughout Rutledge, McLaurin, and Bancroft Hall. Worth 50 points. Assessment criteria includes:

originality of theme/concept
appropriateness and professionalism
use of typography to carry theme
craft of typography, either digital or built from hand
overall craftsmanship
meeting deadlines

Consult the class calendar for a list of complete deadlines.

Video Proposal

2011-10-21T13:00:00.001-04:00

Students, who are interested in producing a video that promotes the Winthrop Visual Communication program as their final Intermediate Type project, should craft a comprehensive proposal and submit it at our Thurs. Nov. 3 class. The final video would need to be handed in on or before Thurs., Dec. 8th at 3pm as an HD QuickTime movie.

What content/message should the video have?

promotion of Winthrop's Visual Communication Design program
incorporation of graphic design, illustration, and interactive media into the movie
words that describe the tools, trades, media, and things our students use/do
can include people, but typography must take center stage in the video

How long should the video be?

Between 2 to 4 minutes.

What form, speed, tone, mood can the video have?

Typophile 5 http://youtu.be/p2t4hz_uaHI
Typophile 4 http://youtu.be/PHPvHwqmPFk
Wood type http://vimeo.com/30631480
Stop motion http://vimeo.com/user7917836/sweet-play
Living font http://youtu.be/LppK4ZtsDdM
Process, hi speed NY Times

What should the proposal have?

At least three different themes you intend on creating. Each of the three themes will need 12 story board drawings to give us an idea of what you want to make.
Samples of music you'd like to have as a soundtrack, these can be songs you own on CD or iTunes, or so-called "scratch music" that sounds like the soundtrack you want to make yourself. They do not have to be songs you've already recorded on Garage Band.
A title for your video.
Why you want to take on this project.

Objectives: experiment with typographic construction; use video to render motion graphics and coordinate it with a soundtrack; design a cohesive theme, and visualize it through motion graphics;

Media: Final video can be a combination of recorded imagery, such as physically built typography, stop-motion animation, stop-motion videography, and digital animation. Making a video exclusively using Flash, cartoons, or other animated graphics will not be permitted, but you can incorporate some of that media into your video. Video can be recorded with any of the cameras available in the RVRC. Soundtrack can either be generated by the student, or music can be provided by the instructor. For those willing to author their own music, Garage Band demos will be given, and students will learn how to record, mix, and mix-down tracks.

Final Project's Evaluation Criteria:
1. craftsmanship

presentation is professional and appropriate
cohesive, interesting, dynamic composition
precise edits, renderings, and soundtrack overlay
demonstrates good use of tools
follows directions

2. composition

design, animation, and video is visually dynamic and well executed
good use of space, and active design
placement and presence of items on format is decisive
unity and variety to enhance interest
use of typographic variety, contrast, styles to enhance message

3. concept

designs are suitable for the subject matter
typography is integrated appropriately, use composition to reinforce
message conveyed appropriately, and relates to project objectives

Deadlines: see class calendar

Pop-Up Book Proposal

2011-10-21T13:00:00.000-04:00

Students, who are interested in producing a pop-up book as their final Intermediate Type project, should craft a comprehensive proposal and submit it at our Thurs. Nov. 3 class. The final book would need to be built and handed in on or before Thurs., Dec. 8th at 3pm.

What kind of book can you make? The sky's the limit:

Alphabet Book ABC-3D
Educational Book: how can you teach children about letters, language, words, actions
Word Book: Bembo Zoo how can you teach children about nature, science, etc.
Color Book: how can you teach children about color using type
Shape Book: how can you use type and shapes to teach children the names of geometric shapes
Number Book: ten by Marion Bataille
Story Book: in what way could type be a primary vehicle to tell a story
Writing: how could you teach people to write letters, and what if those people had special needs because of dyslexia, reduced vision, or limited muscle ability
Other: Brandon Oxendine's interactive pop-up book, 2009

What should the proposal have?

At least three different themes/content you would like to work with.
Samples of books that are similar to your ideas. These can be shown at Amazon.com or you can bring in books you own or got from the library.
The number of pages your book will have.
Your book's title.
Audience, age group.
Who would buy the book.
Why they'd buy the book.
Why you want to take on this project.

Objectives: experiment with push / pop / pull methods using paper construction; use paper engineering to create a book prototype; render letters of the alphabet as assigned during a 5-week period; render unity amongst letterforms; design and build a typographic push-, pull-, pop book based on the above

Media: Final product will be a typographically-driven book using any number of push / pull / pop methods you learn about through in-class demonstrations or individual research. Final book should be no smaller than 4-inches in any direction; no larger than 8-inches in any direction (these restrictions are set to enable use of 11x17 papers, purchased in RVRC or at art supply stores). You may work in all lowercase, all uppercase, or a combination. Typography must be a primary vehicle in the design.

Structure possibilities:

books must have a factor of four pages
large A-Z: an alphabet book with 13 spreads could include 2 letters on each spread, and yield you 26 letters of the alphabet, or 28 pages total
small 1-10: a numeral book, that teaches counting 1-10 or 1-9 could have one number on each spread, yielding approximately 20 pages total

Color: Students must work in no less than 2 colors. The paper can act as a 3rd color; such that white paper, red ink, and black ink are 3 colors total. While full color is a possibility, it may prove too expensive.

Final Project's Evaluation Criteria:
1. craftsmanship

presentation is professional and appropriate
carefully rendered letterforms for cohesive, interesting, dynamic composition
clean presentation, free of smudges, fingerprints, glue leftovers
precise measurement of finished product
demonstrates good use of tools
lines are cut straight
push / pull / pop methods function when used
employs push / pull / pop method for typographic revelation or interaction
follows directions

2. composition

designs are visually dynamic and well executed in format
demonstrates good use of space, and active design
placement and presence of items on format is decisive
unity and variety to enhance interest
use of typographic variety, contrast, styles to enhance message

3. concept

designs are suitable for the subject matter, active and dynamic
typography is integrated appropriately, use composition to reinforce
message conveyed appropriately, and relates to project objectives

Deadlines: see class calendar

AIGA Event Poster

2011-10-01T14:21:00.001-04:00

Initial brainstorming ideas have been collected by the instructor, and will remain on file with him until Project 1 has been completed.

What the Font

2011-08-18T11:20:00.002-04:00

Generate an A-Z alphabet using any materials you choose. Media is open, but the thrust of this project is to see and render type physically. Letters can be rendered with photography, structures, sculptures, Photoshop, lead, bacteria, fur, hair, birds, bread, eggs, waffles, or a combination thereof. You can work in any media you choose, but the final product must be delivered as stated below under Final Submission (cookie sheet or movie).

Textbook reading to support your research:
pages 34-39, 73-78, 198-199

Final Submission - Cookie Sheet
The final product will be a fully-designed specification sheet with the letters A through Z on an 8.5-inch wide by 5.5-inch high format, 300dpi, RGB colorspace, flattened TIFF with no compression. BUT save all of your process work and build files, especially save files with layers, masks, and other effects needed to construct your work.

Final Format - Movie
In addition, students may consider how to create a time-lapse typeface that would require you to video record its creation, existence, and decomposition. See Ben and Brandon's "Mint Condition." Students who choose to make a movie documenting or animating their letters will not need to turn in the aforementioned cookie sheet. The movie must be submitted as a Quicktime movie file, with the .MOV file suffix.

Final Process Work - 2 options
Students are also required to submit up to 24 still photographs or 1 minute 30 seconds of video. The photographs or video should show the process that went into your planning, building, designing, and producing. Take your still photographs in landscape mode (wide format) as JPEGs. Video should be no smaller than 640x480 format (4:3 ratio). The video must be submitted as a Quicktime movie file, with the .MOV file suffix.

Letters: Upper- or Lowercase
Your typeface may be all of the capital letters, all of the lowercase letters, or a combination thereof. Bradbury Thompson's Alphabet 26 is an example of how to combine upper- and lowercase into a universal typeface. You can use an existing font as the basis, such as the Garamond in Garamond Powerline, a photographically and Photoshop rendered design.

Examples from Spring 2009
Examples from Spring 2010

First Deadline: Thurs. Sept. 1st

letters ZORL rendered for each of the unique materials you've considered
such as ZORL in jell-o; ZORL in melted butter; ZORL in Lego

Students may present their 4 initial ideas by doing any of the following:

drawing them on the white board with marker;
xeroxing drawings from their sketchbook to share as handouts;
showing digital roughs on the in-class podium (must be PDF).

Your concept, theme, and materials may say something socially, politically, or culturally relevant; but this is not a requirement, and will not factor into the project's grade.

Final Deadline: Tues. Oct. 11

Students must burn all of their final content to a single data DVD. A data DVD is not a movie DVD. Demos will be given closer to the project deadline.
Name your DVD with your last name.
In the DVD, create folders for your content: final project and process documentation.
Name your design files using your first name.

Worth 100 points.

Final Classes and Deadlines

2010-12-02T11:36:00.000-05:00

Thurs. Dec. 2 - last regular class session

receive final revised fashion wordmarks
review Print cover revisions
deliver final grade for fashion wordmark

Thurs. Dec. 9 at 3 p.m. - scheduled final exam

due to SPR, students will not need to attend the scheduled exam
but, students may submit their fully-developed Print cover to Turnstile2 to get feedback before the final due date

Mon. Dec. 13 at 3 p.m. - final work submitted

Print magazine book cover, PDF to Turnstile2
pop-up book designs, minimum 11 spreads, bound as book, handed in as built book

Type Change Final - Nov. 4

2010-11-02T09:45:00.001-04:00

Your Project 3 Final is due Nov. 4 at 12:30pm and you are required to present your work for critique

"What's due" that day:

bring in any three dimensional product that you made for the final
take photographs of the product / thing / construct in the specific place you want it presented,
if you are unable to get it into the specific place due to logistical reasons, set it up somewhere else, such as your home or a Rutledge / McLaurin office or studio, and then take pictures
in your "place" photographs, get some long-shots (far away) and some detail shots (up close); also try and get a person in the photograph to show us the scale of your type product in the enviroment

The photographs you take should be digitized as a well-composed, single Acrobat PDF in High Quality Print format. If you can get it onto a USB key, it will be easy to transfer to my computer that time. However, I will also have blank CD-ROMs if you want to burn a disc for me.

Due Thurs. Oct. 14

2010-10-12T15:30:00.002-04:00

Students must present further research findings about their project. All students are expected to demonstrate a clear message for your design / event / environment / happening. Make sure you can formulate the people this speaks to, the cultural message, and the place it will be installed. Those items should all work together to meet your goal.

Having something clearly written on paper for Thursday's class will be helpful, but you do not need to formally write up a proposal at this stage. Rough notes will suffice. Typed up notes would be better. Complete sentences are helpful. But I will pick it up on Thursday.

Answer the following questions in the writing you present this Thursday:

When people walk away from your design, what will resonate with them the most, what will they remember?
This memorable message should be clear. Not too poetic, not too vague.
What are the actionable items people will take upon reading this message?

Tori, Erinn, and Corrie will have working prototypes to show, that can be made at a smaller scale than the final product to be made.

Thurs. Oct. 7 Presentation

2010-10-05T15:19:00.001-04:00

Students will present a typographic:

intervention;
environmental work;
piece of poetry;
found object;
perception changer.

Please have a visual example that will display on our Dell smart classroom computer in a PDF format. You do not need to create a PowerPoint, but should have a good image of the work. If it has multiple views, please show them to us.

Textbook examples include those on pages 222, 223. Other examples were shown in the lecture today. But please do not use any of the examples as yours for your lecture.

You must address the following in your presentation:

Who did it?
Where you found it?
Where it exists?
Why it's original?
Why it has staying power?
Is the typography readable / legible? Why?

Scribble Font Final Specs

2010-09-07T09:30:00.009-04:00

Final file format and size. Handed in no later than Tues. Sept. 14th to the Turnstile2 server. Make a folder with your name, and name each file with your last name someplace in the title

Scan your letters as:

8-bit
grayscale
300 dpi when sized to 4.25 inches wide x 5.5 inches high

Use those scans and build an A-Z alphabet sheet with 1/4 - 1/2 inch border on all of them:

landscape - 17 inches wide x 11 inches high
portrait - 8.5 inches wide x 11 inches high
square - 9 inches square
Format the three above as High Quality Print PDFs, and hand in the three separate PDFs.

All of the above will be handed in:

individual TIFFs for lowercase (26) and uppercase (26) (52 in all, but designers who did theirs in Illustrator as outlined vectors do not need to submit these);
and PDF layouts (six in all); uppercase (landscape, portrait, square); and lowercase (landscape, portrait, square).

How to name your files: lastname_project_format.FileType

Folder: Final Cookie Sheet:
tselentis_uppercase_letter.pdf
tselentis_uppercase_tabloid.pdf
tselentis_uppercase_square.pdf

tselentis_lowercase_letter.pdf
tselentis_lowercase_tabloid.pdf
tselentis_lowercase_square.pdf

Folder: Individual Letters
tselentis_lowercase_a.tiff
tselentis_lowercase_b.tiff
tselentis_lowercase_c.tiff . . . through z

tselentis_uppercase_A.tiff
tselentis_uppercase_B.tiff
tselentis_uppercase_C.tiff . . . through Z

Type Zoo Samples

2010-06-10T12:57:00.000-04:00

Create 26 creatures using magazines. You may use any typeface found within the magazines, but it must be black in color (no gray, no color).

Start with A, move to B, then C; do all 26 letters of the alphabet:

1st design for A: make an aardvark, you do not have to use all As;
2nd design for B: make a beetle;
3rd design for C: make a camal;
proceed all the way to Z (again, you can use any letter to design your creature)

Creatures must be 'real', no fantasy, no monsters, no invented creatures. Acceptable: mammals, fish, reptiles, amphibians, birds, insects, crustaceans.

Click to enlarge.

Project 7

2010-04-22T13:45:00.003-04:00

TypeCon 2011
You will create a theme and name for the 2011 TypeCon conference held by the Society of Typographic Aficionados. The place of your event and conference is up to you, and can be anywhere in the continental USA. Make the theme and name relevant to the audience, and do research to learn about the Society of Typographic Aficionados (SoTA). TypeCon 2009 event and designs

TypeCon covers a broad range of interests, including typography, type design, font production, graphic design, new media, printing history, calligraphy and hand lettering, the book arts, advertising, type in motion, literacy, type sales and marketing, legal issues, type and design education, and other related areas. It is far reaching, broad, and media-diverse.

Final Product to Be Designed: Wordmark for TypeCon 2011
The wordmark will be a unique identity comprised entirely of typography (letters, numbers, punctuation). This is akin to the fashion label wordmark you each made, which was built of custom letters you designed. For this project, like that one, do not merely use Arial, Helvetica, nor any other pre-designed fonts for your final product. But consider how you can morph, combine, fuse, break, push, or pull existing fonts into something new. You may also hand craft an original wordmark using calligraphy, sculptural materials, photography, or collage.

The class website has references to past conference artwork, and our Turnstile2 folder VCOM 358 Tselentis > Project 7 has examples too. BrandNew Classroom also has student work with solid final products thanks to the strong process work.

Keep this in mind for your TypeCon wordmark:

have a concept;
show all work in progress for all submissions below
(this will factor into your final grade);
the name / theme must be appropriate;
the wordmark look should relate to your name / theme;
have a concept;
it must be readable;
it must be scalable, and work at small or large sizes,
as small as 2-inches wide, as large as 10-yards wide;
color is open, use color with a conceptual / functional purpose;
make sure color allows for positive, negative,
and color background renderings;
remember that even color needs contrast,
so pair your colors with function in mind.

Due. Thurs. Apr. 29th on or before 3.00pm
e-mail me a PDF of your work in progress which can include

your final theme with 8-12 visual directions for your wordmark
or
three different themes you're considering (if you're still indecisive) and 3-4 wordmarks per theme

I will reply with feedback 12-24 hours after I receive the above materials from either (1) or (2).

Final Work Due Tue. May 4th on or before 12.30pm
place a PDF in Turnstile2 > VCOM 358 Tselentis > Project 7: the PDF should have all process work, sketches, photographic inspiration, and the final wordmark; Final PDF must have all of your process work, sketches, inspiration, photographic reference, and thought process visually provided; name your PDF as such: lastname_firstname.pdf

Pizza Information Design

2010-04-08T08:28:00.003-04:00

Use any of the following statistics in order to create a one page, portrait, and letter-sized layout with information graphics. Color is open. Create your information graphics using imagery, charts, graphs, maps, or any combination thereof. You may look for additional written, numerical, and statistical information to further your design concept. Two to three pencil or Illustrator thumbnails due before the end of class. Letter-sized grid created in Illustrator or InDesign before the end of class.

Process:
Arrive at a concept, theme, or creative direction. The theme can be based on region: national, international, or very tightly localized. It can also include demographics such as gender, race, age, income, culture, etc. You could also approach it as a narrative, whereby you tell the origins of pizza and how it travelled to the US from Europe, or other countries.

Words of Wisdom:
Consider how this one page would appear in a magazine. Be organized. Create visual appeal. Make parallels between the information that you display; think about how it all relates as a big picture. You only have one letter-sized sheet, so make sure everything fits. Be unique. Be appropriate. Cite your sources.

Statistics: the following is also a text file found in Turnstile2 > VCOM 358
General Sales and Consumption Statistics; USA
October is National Pizza Month, (US). It was first so designated in 1987 and continues to be the traditional time for celebration of one of America's most important and popular food industries.
Americans eat approximately 100 acres of pizza EACH DAY, or about 350 slices per second.
Pizza is a $30+ BILLION per year industry. There are approximately 69,000 pizzerias in the United States. Approximately 3 BILLION pizzas are sold in the U.S. each year. (Source: Blumenfeld and Associates.)
Pizzerias represent 17% of all restaurants. (Source: Food Industry News.)
Pizza accounts for more that 10% of all foodservice sales. (Source: Food Industry News.)
93% of Americans eat AT LEAST one pizza per month. (Source: Bolla Wines.)
66.66% of Americans order pizza for a casual evening with friends. (Source: Bolla Wines.)
Each man, woman and child in America eats and average of 46 slices, (23 pounds), of pizza per year. (Source: Packaged Facts, New York.)
Italian food ranks as the most popular ethnic food in America. (Source: National Restaurant Association.)
According to a recent Gallop Poll, children between the ages of 3 and 11 prefer PIZZA over all other food groups for lunch and dinner.
A study done by a U.S. Department of Agriculture statistician and home economist found that in a three-day survey period, 42% of children between the ages of 6 and 11 had eaten pizza. (Source: Smithsonian Magazine.)
94% of the population of the U.S. eats pizza. (Source: Parade Magazine.)

Favorite Pizza Toppings in the United States
Pepperoni is by far America's favorite topping, (36% of all pizza orders). Approximately 251,770,000 pounds of pepperoni are consumed on pizzas annually. Other popular pizza toppings are mushrooms, extra cheese, sausage, green pepper and onions.
Gourmet toppings are gaining ground in some areas of the country such as chicken, oysters, crayfish, dandelions, sprouts, eggplant, Cajun shrimp, artichoke hearts and tuna. More recent trends include game meats such as venison, duck and Canadian bacon.
US pizza makers have turned breakfast into a pizza-eating opportunity by adapting peanut butter & jelly, and, bacon & egg toppings to their pizzas.
Mozzarella cheese represents 30% of total cheese output. Production of Italian cheeses such as mozzarella, provolone, ricotta, parmesan and Romano by U.S. cheese makers more than doubled between 1980 and 1992, from 688.6 MILLION pounds per year to nearly 2 BILLION pounds per year. (Source: Cheese Market News.)
Manufacturers' sales of pizza cheese should top $32 BILLION by 2004. U.S. per capita consumption of mozzarella cheese was 7.93 pounds in 1994 and is predicted to reach 12.51 pounds by 2004. (Source: Business Trend Analysts, BTA.)
62% of Americans prefer meat toppings on their pizza, while 38% prefer vegetarian toppings. (Source: Bolla Wines.)
Women are twice as likely as men to order vegetarian toppings on their pizza. (Source: Bolla Wines.)
Barbeque pizza emerged as one of the more popular pizza variations in a 1994 study by the National Restaurant Association. Nearly 33% of menus offered some form of this dish. Other popular variations were Mexican pizza, white pizza, five-cheese combos, non-cheese pies and traditional Italian pizzas such as Margherita, Florentine and new potato pizzas. (Source: National Restaurant Association.)

Favorite World-Wide Pizza Toppings
In Caracas, Venezuelans love pizza as much as anywhere in the world. Predominantly, pizzas are separated into to varieties: the "artisan" type, made in ovens with wood fires and, the "commercial" type, (Dominos, Papa Johns, etc). They have tomato based pizzas and cream based pizzas and with a lot of toppings: mozzarella, (some times bufala cheese), anchovies, olives, artichokes, pepperoni, sausage, onion, bacon, mushroom, tomato, goat cheese, and corn. The most popular toppings being pepperoni, vegetarian and anchovies. (Source: Inés Peña Madriz, Chadom Arte Culinario)

Some of the more popular international toppings in India are pickled ginger, minced mutton and "paneer," (a form of cottage cheese), which looks quite like tofu but is obviously a dairy product. Tandoori chicken and chicken "tikka" are also increasingly popular toppings in India. (Source: Shiv Sharan Singh, New Delhi, India)

Mayo Jaga (mayonnaise, potato and bacon), and, eel and squid are favorites in Japan.

Brazilians favor green peas on top of their pizzas.

In Russia, they serve pizza covered with "mockba," a combination of sardines, tuna, mackerel, salmon and onions.
Red herring is also a topping of choice.

In France, a popular pizza combo is called the Flambé, with bacon, onion and fresh cream. (Source: Domino's.)
Pakistan

In Pakistan, curry is a big seller.

Australians enjoy shrimp and pineapple, as well as barbeque toppings on their pies.

Costa Ricans favor coconut on their pizzas. (Source: Numero Uno Pizzeria.)

Vegetable for pizza toppings in Iceland are grown in greenhouses because of the lava terrain there. (Source: Domino's.)

In the Netherlands, the "Double Dutch" is a favorite pizza recipe; double cheese, double onions and double beef. (Source: Domino's.)
In Saudi Arabia, all meat toppings must be 100% beef. Pork products are not consumed in the country. (Source: Domino's.)

Type Zoo: Quicky Project

2010-03-30T14:25:00.001-04:00

The Type Zoo is due Tuesday, April 6th. Do not cut out the work from your paper, as we will need to scan it first.

Tuesday's class will be used for scanning, cutting, and binding the work into a book.

What the Font

2010-03-23T07:52:00.000-04:00

Final Alphabet Submission Feb. 9

2010-02-02T14:56:00.000-05:00

Format your A through Z alphabet on an 11 x 17 inch format that is either portrait (tall) or landscape (wide).

On the front of your 11 x 17 format, be sure to title your font. Give it a name that is appropriate and unique. Include a byline: credit yourself as by Christopher Rutkowski, etc. See the previous class examples for reference. Also name any font you used for reference, such as adapted from Futura or based on Garamond.

You will deliver an electronic file to class on Feb. 9th for our 12.30pm class review. Files may be placed on turnstile2 in the VCOM358 class folder, or delivered to me on your mini-USB drive so I can copy them. The following formats are acceptable:

Images must be 300dpi or greater
Color mode as RGB
TIFF files should be saved with no compression and flattened layers
PDF files should be saved for print quality with flattened layers

Type Creatures

2009-03-12T12:32:00.007-04:00

Final Product (updated March 26) - scan all of your 26 animals at Greyscale 8-bit, 300dpi or better, but no more than 600dpi. Bind and turn in your booklet.

Create 26 creatures using magazines found in the Rutledge 212 book case. You may use any typeface found within the magazines, but it must be black in color (no grey, no color).

Start with A, move to B, then C; do all 26 letters of the alphabet:

1st design for A: make an aardvark;
2nd design for B: make a beetle;
3rd design for C: make a camal;
proceed all the way to Z

Creatures must be 'real', no fantasy, no monsters, no invented creatures. Acceptable: mammals, fish, reptiles, amphibians, birds, insects, crustaceans.

Work black on white paper. Use the assigned white paper and glue sticks.

Other tools needed: X-acto; cutting surface.

Final 26 compositions will be built into a small booklet. Click to enlarge.

In-Class Reading

2009-03-06T09:42:00.003-05:00

Read the two articles distributed in class:

(a) hand out "No Time for Failure"

(b) Speak Up interview @ this link
you can see more Venezky work @ this link

You may use your laptop in-class or the RVRC iMac computer to read the online items. Complete the assigned worksheet during your readings, and then return to class to hand in the worksheet. You must use the worksheet, and write your answers neatly within the given space.

Due at 1.45pm

Clock Prototypes

2009-03-05T13:52:00.005-05:00

by Samir Zahran

Simple Clock by Brandon Oxendine

Project - 3

2009-03-03T12:05:00.003-05:00

You will design a book jacket for your assigned book. You should have already read the assigned book, but if not, you are encouraged to re-read it to refresh your memory. Due next class Mar. 5 (bring them to our one-on-one meeting): front covers (not the spine, not the back) done by each of the following approaches:

(#1) 1 design using paragraphs, sentences, phrases;
(#2) 1 design using individual words
(#3) 1 design using syllables
(#4) 1 design using individual letters

No imagery. Only type. You may use color. You may 'photograph' type, as you did with Project 1. You may experiment with the type, distort it, morph it; but stay true to interpreting the book. Consider metaphorical implications for the final design (number 4 above). Work in the same size format as your book, at 100% its size. Rough sketches can be done on the computer, collaged with type, or through pen / pencil / paper.

Go beyond over-literal or pre-ordained solutions. Be original. Bring this work to your Mar. 5 one-on-one meeting:

12.30 - Samir;
1.00 - Ellen;
1.30 - Chris;
2.00 - Nikita;
2.30 - Brandon

T-Shirt Hate

2009-02-26T14:22:00.003-05:00

Create a T-shirt design that:

hates a typeface (for inspiration read Spiekermann)
or
hates a logotype (company, for inspiration read Adbusters)

Download the PDF shirt skin here.

Project - 2 review

2009-02-17T14:41:00.005-05:00

Due Thurs. Feb. 19 at start of class:
prototypes of your clocks
working model either physical or Flash prototype

Chris
petri dish magnifying glass
light up numbers

Samir
line geometry clock that makes shapes
topology clock

Ellen
pie chart bases / acids clock (your first drawing)
cylinder clock (zoetrope)

Brandon
figure out 'gravity' clock with fallen numbers
windy thermodynamic clock

Nikita
birth control clock
African American history clock

Project - 2 review

2009-02-12T14:28:00.002-05:00

Due Tues. Feb. 17 @ start of class for review : 15 additional thumbnail ideas for your clock. You will present these drawings to the class using the overhead projector. Be prepared to share and defend your ideas.

Do not:

repeat any ideas
do not worry about 'how will I make this work as a real clock?'

Do:

question the clock's movement (forward / reverse)
question the clock's format: such as 2D (square, rectangular, triangular, a combination of the aforementioned) or 3D
work in graphite or color pencil and execute these quickly, but be clear in rendering what the clock will do and look like
additional research to further understand your theme

Project - 1 typophoto

2009-02-10T13:31:00.006-05:00

Words of a Feather by Chris Richter

Type Pantry by Samir Zahran

Hair on the Soap by Brandon Wade Oxendine
(using his own hair)

Curdled by Ellen Dykes
(baked milk curd)

Bead Me Up Scottie by Nikita Miles

Project-2 Analog Clock

2009-02-10T11:28:00.000-05:00

The final product will be an analog clock, a clock with hands (no digital or LED clocks, see below to understand what an analog clock looks like).

Students will select a subject at random in class. They must then research the area, and narrow the subject matter to a focused topic, and apply that theme to the clock.

Week 1 Procedure:

get topic from lottery drawing
research topic
find no less than 5 focused topics (with the political science topic, a student could have an international relations theme, political theology of the church & state, or legal management, to name a few)
write 100 words for each of the 5 topics, stating (i.) what exactly your theme will be and (ii.) what cliche, literal, pre-ordained, and expected visuals & language surround this theme (these can be bullet points) - this should be typed up and printed; 2 copies with one for you and one for the instructor
review the 100-word briefs with class (due Thurs. Feb. 12)
get feedback in class and select one theme to use for clock design
begin rough brainstorming in class on Feb. 12

Project-1 Deadlines

2009-01-29T14:38:00.000-05:00

Due on Tues. Feb. 3 - Present no less than 12 variations of your typeface poster. The poster must promote your typeface, and could use any of the brainstorming themes we arrived at in class. These poster roughs can be drawings (thumbnails) or refined Adobe renderings. Printouts will be shown on the digital overhead projector; digital files will be shown on the overhead projector.

No class Thurs. Feb. 5

Due on Tues. Feb. 10 - Hand in final typeface:

A. on CD or USB key:

all photographs that document your working process
11x17 final typeface spec sheet A - Z
11x17 final poster composition as PDF

B. print out:

11x17 final typeface spec sheet A - Z
11x17 final poster composition

Spring 2009

2008-12-05T13:35:00.000-05:00

Winthrop University / Department of Design
Visual Communication Design
Tues / Thurs from 12:30-03:15PM
In Rutledge 212

Tentative Works

2008-12-03T10:34:00.000-05:00

TYPOGRAPHY AND TIME
Historic Visualization: design a typographic and symbol-based chronology of your own education from grade 9 through college; visualizing the experiences that have shaped you into the designer they are (this could also be a typeface chronology, or design movement chronology)

Analog Clock: based on a problem from Hiebert's "Graphic Design Processes": use a functioning analog clock (not digital) and apply a theme to the clock that communicates the theme's content and helps users read the clock's time; must carry formal theme and readability funciton

TYPE AS IMAGE / IMAGE AS TYPE
Photographic Typography: generate a universal typeface (monocase) using photography for the basis

Pop-up / Kinetic Book: create a book composed of all 26 letters of the alphabet in a universal (monocase) system, with kinetic (pop-up) dynamism

TYPE IN MOTION
Typographic Processing: Use Flash ActionScript and/or Processing, whereby users interact with on-screen (digital) typography to generate patterns, rhythms, textures, forms; may react to keyboard, mouse, audio, and/or motion input

Top 5 List: create a top 5 list (top 5 action films, athletes, typefaces, art movements) that incorporates video and your typographic Top 5 countdown (think Top 10 lists, such as VH1)