Reflective Practice Essay Notes

Initial Notes

Evaluate success against brief

Aim of the project to create a tool in which designers could use to create more experimental typography

Bring the construction of type into a physical format

By engaging physically with the process of creating the work, more control,understanding and experimentation during the process , more original outcomes

Allow construction of multiple letterforms

Compact to increase practicality and ease of use

Suitable for a range of ages and degrees of professionalism

Should be able to be physically engaged with in order to create typography 

Engage them with the experimental construction of type

- Use of modular format provides a way experimenting with type design – suitable as an introductory into type design – suitable for range of audience

- Restrictions and rules can be applied – to create consistency across the designs

- Use of constraints in designing – design challenge – encourages problem solving  

- Encourages hand drawn designing

- Compact and familiar format for designers

- Overlapping the shapes creates more shapes – more options to play with

- Some designs may be more complicated to find type from

- Format suitable for students and professionals

- A5 makes it more portable than the previously proposed notepad
- Sketchbook with grid systems used to create modular typography from geometric shapes

- Overlapping shapes – more options to play with – able to use in multiple directions – reflecting and layering allows for more outcomes – easier to create reflected type

- Sketchbook format – appropriate for all levels of professionalism – something they already work with – understood and easy to use allows for adaptation and easy modification  - encourages hand rendered sketching rather than a focus on the finished product

- Traditional approach to design – increases fundamental skills – better knowledge of the make up and forms of letters

- Although structured grid system – variety of possible outcomes – flexible enough to be used in an experimental way

- Full alphabet constructed out of each grid – consistency determined by level of restriction used between elements

- Options for construction – from geometric forms – can be as simple or elaborate as possible 

- Flexibility – can adapt them further – gives designer creative control over how they want to use them – use of multiple elements allows for creative choice over which bits are used or ignored

- More elaborate designs – allow for more abstract designs

- Thicker lines improve usability – breaks grids up into modules – easier to visualise – could have thicker lines for shapes rather than modules

- Neutral look – applicable for a wider audience  

- Not technically three-dimensional object – still having to engage with the product in a physical way though – hand drawn – using traditional techniques – increases understanding of design – physical format

- Understanding of typographic forms – forces designers to consider characteristics across an alphabet   

- Use of shapes – restricts from grids – push people to use what they have in front of them – lead to more experimentation

- Using modular typography – difficulties when designing a whole typeface – characteristics need to be balanced – certain letterforms need adjusting – if to be readable – creating certain letters much harder – curved letters need to be slightly bigger to look the same size as other squarer letters - 

Analyse work: In relation to context – how does it relate to context ?

- Work aims to increase experimental design in typography – through the use of sketching

- Initial quote by Spiekermann questions designers new found interest in analogue techniques – handmade – haptic and three dimensional aspects of type and design

- More engagement when working physically 

- Mass distribution of digital design 1970s – Odling - Smee comments on how this type of design became a mass market style that was seen everywhere with little individual personality at the time , which led to the rise in experimental techniques

- Modular design

- Encourages interaction – physical interaction with piece – created for designers to use

- Increase understanding – Beirut et al has written that within typography, traditionalists predict a decline in standards with the increased accessibility of digital tools which allow typography to be made and used by anyone

- Grids use modular typography – sketching designs allows better understanding of the composition of letterforms – difficulties with modular type – problem solving needed – adjustments needed e.g. balance etc – when creating passages of text – need to understand kerning etc  

- More skill – Odling - Smee accessibility to computers has led to drawing skills being replaced by computers, which has meant the craft within the creation of the work has been lost, reducing respect for the design process – use of precreated design elements ‘are often a camouflage for a lack of creativity’ and mean designers have lost an understanding of the basic tools and principles within graphic design creation.

- Creative Bloq – comments how improvisation within handmade techniques leads to more interesting results as the designer becomes responsive and influenced by the process of the work, meaning there is less control

- Working with grids – creates structure – restrictions – but flexible – sketchbook format encourages experimentation – not a focus on the end product – supposed to be used in a rough way – sketchbooks seen as initial ideas – less pressure – hand drawn easily adaptable – create multiple variations quickly and easily – grid system provides prompts – restriction encourage problem solving especially when trying to create a full alphabet so it is consistent – control over which parts to use – after which grids and structure provides control for continuing the design

- Chen design associates suggest that designers are more engaged with the process of making when using analogue techniques and this connection is retained within the work

- Interactive – need to engage with piece in order to use it – physically drawing

- Creative Bloq suggests that through improvisation and adaptation digital and handmade can inform and work together to create interesting design

- Tool primarily used for experimentation and exploring initial ideas – once frame work achieved – design would need to be refined and digitalised on the computer – so it can be used more widely – can make further alterations – e.g. to increase legibility etc – most probably would be used in conjunction with the computer to create the final outcome  - creating standardised grid system scale – helps transfer of design to computer – know the scale will be the same – initial use of restrictions leads to more original and exciting outcomes later one – helps with the generation of ideas

 

- Risatti writes about Aristotle and his groupings of knowledge, theoria or theoretical knowledge , praxis or practical knowledge and poiesis which is knowledge of making, producing and creating something

 – provides format that is used and simple to use for a variety of people – basic approach to typography – little understanding needed – how to work a grid – common knowledge – has practical and theoretical knowledge – can draw easily – no skill needed apart from drawing – modular type basic – formulate basic concepts easily – room for more elaborate designing for the more experienced

- Bierut et al suggested that digital tools allow typography to be used and made by anyone, whereas in contrast handmade design needs specialist materials and tools which are not easily accessible

- Sketchbook format – frequently used in design community – traditional analogue technique – accessible