Type and Hierarchy
About the Project
For this project, we were to create a type specimen poster for an assigned typeface while experimenting with size, spacing, and indentation.
Research
First, we were to research the origins of the typeface and get to know the unique features that set it apart.
Typeface: Times New Roman
Designer: Stanley Morison
Year Designed: 1931
Identifiable characters/features: Bracketed serifs, considered the “most popular typeface”, used as a default typeface.
Some text that adequately expresses the character of the typeface: “A conventional serif font.” “A standard typeface.” “One of the most popular and influential typefaces in history.” “Times New Roman is like wearing sweatpants.” “You’re so Times New Roman.”
With this content, we were to rearrange it in a way that best emphasizes and showcases the typeface’s unique qualities.
Some constraints of this project were that we were only allowed to use type and basic shapes, and were also limited to one accent color, if any.
Project Process
I began by sketching out some thumbnails of the poster. In these sketches, I tried to emulate the feeling of a newspaper, to emphasize Times New Roman’s initial design purpose. I did this by using blocks of text to resemble a newspaper article. I also wanted to experiment with creating different levels of hierarchy through the use of typographic weights, size, and italics.
One of the key unique features of Times New Roman is the bracketed serif, which is shown very clearly in the capital “T”. Some of my initial sketches try to emphasize the bracketed serif in the T, as well as in other capitalized letters.
In each of these thumbnails, I felt that the words “Times New Roman” had to be the main eye-catching feature of the poster, and so I tried to do this by giving it the most weight, and putting it highest on the typographical hierarchy.
In my initial iterations, I played around with creating depth in different ways, and also playing around with the hierarchy of the elements. I tried to highlight the bracketed serif of the capital “T”, because I felt like it was a key characteristic of the Times New Roman typeface. However, out of the initial iterations, I was most excited about the phrase “You’re so Times New Roman.” I felt like this phrase most succinctly and accurately described the essence of Times New Roman.
Times New Roman is one of the most popular and perhaps overused font. Times New Roman is like the absence of a font, or the use of the “default” font. I wanted to portray this typeface in a way that is more playful and fun than it is typically perceived to be.
I had a couple of supporting phrases that related to the main theme of Times New Roman being a common, basic typeface. However, in the interim critique, I received feedback that the text did not really add to the composition, so in my final iteration, I removed these extraneous elements.
I also received feedback that the gray “f” in the background was interesting because it created a sense of depth, but it was distracting and not harmonious with the rest of the yellow elements.
For my final iteration, I decided to go for a more minimalistic look, by removing all extraneous elements and focusing on the main point of the poster. After removing the extra text and letters, I added depth by putting two borders of gray symbols on the top and bottom of the poster.
