Day 10 Notes and Research

Critique Notes

So for class today we had to make more studies using everything we have learned so far but also adding textures and images. This was way more difficult than i thought it was going to be. Integrating the image and the type while also making it interesting and avoiding the pitfalls of typography was very difficult. Below are some of my studies.

Luckily throughout critique, Dorian did not talk about my studies at all. In the type world, this is probably best. I didnt get any good criticism but I didnt get any bad criticism either. Flying under the radar is probably best.

Dorian did bring up alot of good points during lecture though. When you are working with type and image, you are effectively trying to wrestle between the two. The best way to handle this is to look at it in 3 steps. First you look at the typography, then you look at the image, finally you look at both and combine them together. 

When you are combining them though, you must identify what you are seeing and identify its role. If the image is the most important thing in the design, then put the type in the supporting role and get it out of the image's way.

Personal Thoughts

A Dorian quote that I think I will never forget is "Will I get fired for making this?" This quote really does strike home when you are working on a design or animation. Sometimes when you are in the thick of things, you forget to step back and take an objective look at what you are making. Unfortunately it is something that happens all the time though. The best designers I feel probably do this all the time. The critique process is a way to do this in a larger group of people.

Working with type and image is very difficult though. Not only do you want to make an interesting type design but you want the image to help that type become something more than just pretty type. If it isn't conveying a message then you, as the artist, are not doing your job. The common problem with image and type is that they feel discontinuous and separated. It's very difficult to effectively combine them.

Questions and Research

How do moving images affect typography? How does someone go about taking a static design and animating them to moving images without designing each frame of the animation? Is designing each frame the way to go? 

As I was watching a couple of film titles I noticed that alot of them were several different "studies" put together in a certain order but in between they were no longer designs but more like transitions. Why is this the current trend? Have the masters of title design realized this is the only way to sanely or correctly create typographic designs in motion with imagery?

Day 9 Motion Study

Critique Notes

We took last class's studies and did some animating to them. this time we had to add Effects and Expressions. My first thought was that they will probably come out terrible. Most effects come out looking pretty cheesy even when done well unless theres more graphics to back them up.

So after I showed them, they really enjoyed most of my studies. I spent a total of 7 hours working and reworking all these studies. Some of the compositions are derivative of the last set of type studies I did but  some of them were completely new comps that I really spent time working out the kinks. Overall i think I was very successful with the studies and how they were animated.

Some of the critique notes I got were that my type could be moving into new compositions ie. on the first study, the and getting split could then fall off and fall into one of the thirds on the screen. Also if I am going to make a study feel violent I should go all out and really violate the type. In my second study, the graphic white block behind the word amplify is following the type line above it and tries to act violent but doesnt do so. Dorian suggest that I take it and push it all over the type and really violate it to make it feel truly violent.

In my 7th study, I got compliments on the page turn effect on the block used to reveal some text. The class agreed that it didnt feel cheap at all and felt appropriate and purposeful.

Personal Thoughts

I spent a lot of time working on these type studies, probably too much time since my concept work sort of fell flat but I think it was worth it. I think I finally found my niche when it comes to typography. Before I had a lot of errors and ugly compositions and in this study I really worked it out to where I liked my designs and felt they were real typographic designs. After an entire semester of type in Designing with type 1 I finally feel like I made typography and not text on a page.

In class we also talked about a designer being someone who is transparent and an artist who is obviously felt and seen in their work. Dorian talked about how good design should not be seen as a design and should fully integrate into the world. An artist on the other hand has something to say and when you see a piece of artwork, you see the artist behind it. Personally I think I rather be an artist with some good design in my work. I want people to see my work as art but not notice the design decisions in the art. Some of my favorite show intro's utilize some great design and artistry.

Day 8 Research and Notes

Critique Notes

Most of my critique notes related to some pretty bland use of rules and boxes. I also had a bit of trapped space and stair stepping going on along with Margins safety coming into question. Dorian came around personally and talked to me about some of the problems that were recurring in my type designs. Alot of them could be pushed farther into using the space well and creating compositions as opposed to type blocks or isolated compositions on a page.

During critique we talked alot about color since a student actually introduced alot of color into their compositions. We talked about how color is very personal. When you introduce color not only do you introduce a whole new set of problems such as contrast, tone, and color palettes but you also introduce the personal emotions and memories of the viewer. For instance, while the studies looked better in color, dorian thinks black and white and the contrast they have is more sexy.

So we discussed when to use colors in our designs. Colors should be used strategically. Using color should be as thought over as when we design where the type is going to be. It changes the entire composition whether it be for a better cause or for worse. So when we use colors we should be asking ourselves whether it is interesting or whether it is distracting?

Personal Thoughts

I am currently taking a Film and Visual Language class at RCAD and we recently had to debate using color versus using black and white to make a film. Alot of people mentioned that colors will distract the viewer from the story at hand or the information the director and Cinematographer is giving the viewer. I think that color is a tool to enhance designs and compostions but only when used correctly. If color is distracting than theres a problem with it. It should be like typography. Great typography is awesome but if you say "Hey, theres some nice..."(or bad) "...Typography" then you have failed. The best typography/ design should not be noticeable at all. Flying under the radar is the best thing you can do with your type or color use.

Day 7 Animation

 

Critique notes

The class generally enjoyed the 1st study. They mentioned it animated well with the type and was very interesting while also communicating. The second animation was a little too slow for most people and the block of text in the bottom corner didnt really fit in well with the rest of the composition. The third composition, while being interesting in motion was moving a little too fast for readability. Almost everyone would have liked the text to stay there longer. The fourth composition was right on the mark with speed and composition. It was very interesting to watch and also easy to read. The rest of the compositions were generic in movement and composition with the exemption being the last animation which was so over the top with ridiculousness that it was funny.

Personal Thoughts

We introduced two different types of movements in these studies. The first one was z axial movement. I felt that Z axis movement can be used very well in motion typography. I had a very interesting time trying to combine my studies and start to imagine and add motion to them.

My favorite study is the first one I made. The display face along with the quick,choppy, scaling motion gave it life. It made it look like something that might be in the next terminator movie or something along those lines.

The rotational movement was less constructive. I honestly dont feel that rotation did anything to enhance the type at all. It actually made it feel cheap, like a Sunshine Ford advertisement on TV. Im sure there is some way to introduce rotational movement to help the type but I dont think a lot of rotation will ever be used.

Questions

When do you start designing type with motion in mind?

So far we have started with flat planar type on a piece of paper. Is that really the way a motion designer should design type for a moving medium? While it might be said that starting in parts is the best way to go ie. start on paper with placement and alignment and slowly add in extra's like display faces etc. Would it be better for a motion designer to start out with movement? Maybe we should block out movements first?

Day 6 Research and Notes

Critique Notes

So for homework we had to take our two safe fonts: Frutiger and Garamond and combine them with Display fonts. For those of you who dont know what display fonts are, they are fonts made to look interesting not really serving a readibility purpose. everything on dafonts.com is a display font.

This is one of the studies I made using a display font called Electric toaster and Frutiger.

Some of the general critique notes where mostly about simplifying the message when using display fonts due to their complexity. Its kind of like taking something complicated like calculus and adding something even more complicated to it, like doing it in space. They just dont really work well together. When using a display face you have to simplify the composition.

Some questions that the critique brought up were:

Is it going to get cut off?

Can you read it?

How is it functioning?

Is it working as Art or Communication?

is it doing it right?

Personal Thoughts

We had alot of philosophizing going around in the class while we were talking about the work. Dorian kept talking about Prejudice and how designers shouldn't be prejudiced when designing. There are certain fonts out there that normally make designers cringe in disgust but what is that really? Is that a disgusting font or is it a font that has served an incorrect purpose. Almost everyone hates Comic Sans as a font. Why? is it because its disgustingly terrible? probably not. It's probably because it has been used so much by the common folk (by this I mean non designers ie. Wizards and Muggles.) and in circumstances where it isnt appropriate.

Every font has a use and designers shouldnt hate a font just to hate it. Its something very elementary to be doing.

The next thing that went around was having your work destroyed. How are you supposed to feel? How do you deal with it? Are you supposed to get offended or not at all?

There is a happy medium you are supposed to be in. Personally I think that if you get offended by someone critiquing your work/destroying it, only means that you are attached to it in a sentimental way and thus are not looking at it through clear eyes. Jeff Schwartz was my image and color teacher my freshman year and he taught me to "kill the baby". yes Kill it. If you dont kill it, then you cant move on with your work and life. The only way to advance yourself is to kill it. 

Now where does that become incorrect? Well I think that if you have no feelings surging through you when someone tears your work apart then you havent invested yourself in it and have failed as a designer. You need to find the happy medium.