Project 3: Part 2 Type & Hierarchy
Print
February 2018
Individual
About This Project
This project was done to study and compare the impact of the scale, weight, linespacing, and positioning of text for the purpose of hierarchy. These characteristics were focused on to make specific text/ features stand out- and to identify where the eye is drawn first on the poster. We were given a randomly assigned typeface, and were to study the history of it. The poster had to feature the typeface name, name of the creator, year it was created, and some recognizable characters of that type face. Some restrictions were that only a grey scale and one spot color were to be used, and no shapes/other pictures were allowed.
Process
To begin, I did a basic search of the typeface Didot. The first thing that jumped out at me was the contrast between the thick and thin lines of each letter- they were very distinct. I knew I wanted to use that characteristic to play into my poster. At the same time, I liked how some letters like the g and Q had curved lines, and initially wanted to use that in my poster as well.
Then, I began to sketch out some ideas with what I had researched in mind. I really liked the idea of enlarging a letter to a point where it could possibly be unrecognizable- and potentially look like another letter- because it created lots of movement throughout the poster.
Initially, I really liked the first sketch with the lowercase g and the sketch with the uppercase Rs. I thought it was a simple and classic design- much like the font itself. However, as I processed through the iterations shown below, I slowly realized that I didn’t like how the letters stacked, and how it looked too cluttered.
For me, I like to start with my sketches, but a lot of times I begin to develop ideas that I’ll actually use when I play around on Illustrator. Overall, I had about 6 extra poster ideas- ones that I worked a lot with and ones that I couldn’t see going further than they already had. The most common problem I found with most of them was the lack of movement or creativity- because of the contrast in weight for each letter, it was difficult to stack letters or put too many on a page. I also learned this font was not easily readable when put into text.
I finally settled on the last poster; ironically, as I was experimenting with illustrator, I realized that the lines were really cool to contrast with- they created the movement I really liked, and looked interesting even when I enlarged the letters. It was also interesting because of the negative space the straight lines of each letter created. Below are my iterations; I knew I liked the yellow with a greyscale because it was a color hat wouldn’t get lost in it, but still had a nice contrast.
Conclusion
My main takeaway from this project was that simplicity was not always a bad thing- and was sometimes a lot more effective than something very complex. Hierarchy is important because it helps show the reader what’s most important, and creates contrast on posters. Through critiques, I learned that I need to pay attention more towards spacing and kerning; when enlarging letters that big, it’s important to pay attention to the spaces between the letters. Overall, I think my poster was effective in communicating the information and aesthetic of the font itself.
