TYPOGRAPHY TASK 3B: Type Design & Communication

 

07/06/2022 - 21/06/2022 / Week  11 - Week 13

Tay Yee Shien / 0341472

Typography / Bachelor of Mass Communication (Hons)

Task 3B / Type Design and Communication

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LECTURES

WEEK 10 - TELEGRAM STICKER

Notes: 

- Choose a sticker content from the list

- Sketch 5 options

- Size: 512px*512px

- Design sticker in BW first

- Later on, use only flat colours: shades of red, white and black only

- Utilise Taylor’s logo in our sticker

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INSTRUCTIONS

TASK 3B: TYPE DESIGN AND COMMUNICATION

We are assigned to create a telegram sticker that has a holiday element to it. We were given a list to choose from and wrote our names beside it.

Fig 1.0 Updated instructions for Task 3B (31/05/2022)

VISUAL RESEARCH:

Initially, I wanted to go with 'Happy Malaysia Day.' I thought that it was unique and wanted to give it a try. I've also researched 'Happy Halloween' due to my interest in it.

Fig 1.1 I like the idea of this but there is too much graphical element involved. (01/06/2022)

(https://www.pinterest.com/pin/828873506433366400/) 

Fig 1.2 I found this pleasant looking. (01/06/2022)

(https://www.pinterest.com/pin/828873506433366397/)

Fig 1.3 I like how this looks kind of minimalist but has a cool feeling to it. (01/06/2022)

(https://www.pinterest.com/pin/828873506433545322/)

Fig 1.4 This looks vintage and but delicate. (01/06/2022)

(https://www.pinterest.com/pin/828873506433546324/)

IDEA EXPLORATION AND DESCRIPTION:

Sketches

Fig 1.5 Draft sketches for ‘Malaysia Day’ (06/06/2022)

I made 6 sketches for ‘Malaysia Day,’ but I felt they were mediocre.

Fig 1.6 Draft sketches for 'Happy Halloween' (13/06/2022)

These are my 6 sketches for ‘Happy Halloween.’ I decided to go with sketch no.4.

Digitalisation

I used the pen tool to draw my Telegram sticker and added Taylor's logo given by Mr. Vinod.

Fig 1.7 Attempt 1 (13/06/2022)

This is my first Black and White rough design.

Fig 1.8 Attempt 2 (14/06/2022)

Then, I tried using 2 colour combinations for each of the text. I find that it looked a bit cool.

Fig 1.9 Attempt 3 (14/06/2022)

Here, I experimented with 3 colours combinations for each word. I think it looked better. I used dark shades of red as it resembles blood following the theme of Halloween. The dark shades of black and grey suggest the darkness and eerieness.

Fig 1.10 Attempt 4 (15/06/2022)

Finally, I redrew the whole sticker to fix the rough design and smooth out the artwork. 

Developing the Sticker on Telegram

Fig 1.11 Sticker creation on Telegram (20/06/2022)

I created the sticker on Telegram using a sticker bot following the steps from an online article. The process was simple and successful.

Fig 1.12 Sticker sent on Telegram (20/06/2022)

I sent the sticker to a friend and it worked. I was elated.

Adding Dimension to the Sticker

I tried experimenting with different backdrops and offset paths to create more dimension for the sticker.

Fig 1.13 Attempt 5 (21/06/2022)

I gave the sticker a black backdrop and coloured Taylor's logo in red, dark red, and grey.

Fig 1.14 Attempt 6 (21/06/2022)

Next, I replaced some of the colours on Taylor's logo with black and added offset paths to the texts, webs, and the logo as well.

Fig 1.15 Attempt 7 (21/06/2022)

I scaled down Taylor's logo by a lot and moved it to the side as it was meant to be a ‘signature’ only and it was previously too big. I scaled down on the web as well.

Fig 1.16 Attempt 8 (21/06/2022)

I removed the black backdrop and changed Taylor's logo to white with black outlines. 

Adjusting the Taylor's logo placement

Fig 1.17 Attempt 9 (21/06/2022)

Then, I switched back to Taylor's logos to the original colours and added an offset path to it.

Fig 1.18 Attempt 10 (21/06/2022)

Finally, I moved it outside the web as it looked out of place previously. It looked so much better compared to my first design of the telegram sticker.

Final Submission for Task 3B: Type Design and Communication

Fig 1.19 Final outcome for Task 3B: Type Design and Communication Black & White version (PNG). (21/6/2022).

Fig 1.20 Final outcome for Task 3B: Type Design and Communication Coloured version (PNG). (21/6/2022).

Fig 1.21 Final outcome for Task 3B: Type Design and Communication (PDF). (21/6/2022).

Fig 1.22 Screengrab of the sticker sent in Telegram. (21/6/2022).

Link to Sticker Pack: https://t.me/addstickers/tys_happyhalloween2022

Sticker made with Telegram Stickers Bot.

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FEEDBACK

Week 11

Specific Feedback: Mr.Vinod told me to try to digitalise my artworks to determine one which of my design works. 

General Feedback: Mr. Vinod told us to minimise Illustration as this is a typography class. He also told us to digitalise our artworks. 

Week 12

Specific Feedback: Mr. Vinod told me to prevent too many negative spaces in my design. He also suggested that I can make the spider webs stretchy by pulling on the lines using the selection tool.

General Feedback: Mr. Vinod told us to make use of different shades of red, black and white. We should also test out our sticker by uploading it on Telegram. If we are using existing typefaces, we should heavily modify it to fit our design. 

Week 13

Specific Feedback: Mr. Vinod told me that my Taylor's logo is too big and I needed to scale down. He also said the texts look great and the webs look mediocre.

General Feedback: Mr. Vinod told us to experiment with creating dimensions for our sticker. It could be through using different shades and colours to great shadows or highlights.

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REFLECTION

Experience 

For Task 3B, I used the knowledge I gained from Task 3A to create the telegram sticker. This is my first time creating a telegram sticker and it felt satisfying to see my own design become a real sticker that people can use. It was quite challenging at first because, in my sketches, I unconsciously included many illustrations as those are the types of stickers that I normally would use. But after more research and sketching, I managed to create a better typography sticker. I also struggled with negative spaces in my sketches but that was solved as well with Mr. Vinod’s advice and guidance. I felt that it was a good first attempt for me at creating a telegram sticker. 

Observation 

I observed that this should be a simple task but there are many things to consider like the negative spaces, the fact that we can only use 3 shades of colours and we must incorporate Taylor's logo into the design. I also find that I easily get carried away with graphical elements. However, after many attempts, I am able to reach an artwork that I am happy with and complies with the elements required. I also observed that with more explorations and talking to Mr. Vinod, I can get better and better at my designs. 

Findings 

I find that the telegram sticker took me longer than I expected to come with the final design. One of the reasons was because I felt a little bit restricted with the limited colours and illustrations allowed. However, it has helped me explore more areas that I was not comfortable with. The task has also pushed me to explore further into creating dimensions in texts. I made me see typography in a different angle of how words can look appealing without minor graphical elements and colours. With only a few colours, I can still go a long way in creating different shades and using them to my advantage. I am grateful to have learned so much in this assignment.

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FURTHER READING

Fig 2.1 Screenshot of the web article ‘12 Typography Tips Worth Every Designer’s Time'. (15/06/2022)

Online Article: 12 Typography Tips Worth Every Designer’s Time

Summary:

1.Understand font families

Using related fonts can help develop unity in our designs.

2. Use few fonts

A practical limit for fonts is 3. Some designers restrict designs to serif / non-serif fonts only. 

3. Respect font integrity

Never distort the shape of a font.

4. The art of kerning

Manual kerning can look better than automatic kerning. 

5. Hierarchy: How thinking gets done

Creating logical hierarchies is one of the most important functions of type. 

6. Get on the grid

Using the grid can help create harmonies. 

7. Compare and contrast

Experiment with black and white, shades of gray and colour balance to create an impact using fonts. 

8. Improve hand lettering

Hand lettering sometimes help achieve certain effects and teach us

9. Build a font to build understanding

Creating your own font helps you understand type better.

10. Change your perspective

Try to flip a design upside down, look at a mirror image of it or view color designs in grayscale to broaden your perspective.

11. Build it to scale

Output your work at 2 different sizes to test its scales.

12. Never stop learning

Read on typography, take a class, look at web publications regularly, etc.

Reference: Creative Market, 2018. 12 Typography Tips Worth Every Designer's Time - CreativeLive Blog. [online] CreativeLive Blog. Available at: <https://www.creativelive.com/blog/typography-tips/> [Accessed 15 June 2022].