Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Exercise One - Expression with Type

For this first Exercise it was my first time really thinking about type. How different typefaces can influence different moods or thought processes. Before this class the only other graphics classes I took were during my freshman and sophomore year of high school. I learned a lot during those classes, we went over some history of type and also the different type classifications. Still, I never truly thought of how those different type variations conveyed different messages. 

It wasn't until the start of this first exercise that I really thought of what the typeface itself could say. By choosing the right typeface for something you cannot only insure somebody will read and understand your work. Whether it is for a sign or a large body of text a typeface can achieve either readability or legibility. 

A typeface is not just meant to be eye catching, logical or legible though. The type that you choose can also send the message to the person before they even start to read the message. At its core type is a graphic form, a form that can convey an idea or an emotion. 

For the start of this exercise I didn't know a lot of typefaces, and which of them would show a state of sorrow, anger or elegance. So, the best way I thought to go about this exercise was to simply type out the word and go through the font book one by one seeing how I felt when I looked at that work written in that state. Most of the time I felt nothing, if the type was simple or not very reactive. Other times I would feel a great pull towards the typeface and another emotion and other times I would feel as though that type and state would spot on with each other. In that moment I would not change a thing. Yes, this isn't the best of processes; it dragged on a bit as I went through the 800 or so different typefaces in the font book for the 8th time. Although it wasn't the quickest process it gave me a greater sense that I had picked the best typeface for that word and also helped me get familiar with more typefaces. 







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