Advanced Typography: Task 3 Type Exploration & Application

17/6/2025 - 15/7/2025 Week 9 - Week 13

Komugi Uchibori / 0363900

Advanced typography / Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media

Task 3 Type Exploration & Application


TABLE OF CONTENT

  1. LECTURE
  2. INSTRUCTION
  3. TASK 3
  4. Final Compilation
  6. FEEDBACK
  7. REFLECTION
  8. FURTHER READING

LECTURE

Refer to previous posts: Week 1~4 & Week 5

INSTRUCTION



  • Task 3
Timeframe: Week 9 - Week 13
Deadline: 15/07/2025

Aim: To create or experiment with fonts/letterforms, applying accumulated knowledge to solve a design problem or explore novel ideas, resulting in a generated font.

Submission requirement:
  1. Download link
  2. PDF (embedded of uppercase and/or lowercase)
  3. FontLab/FontForge screen grab
  4. Five font presentations 1024px by 1024px each.
  5. five font applications 1024px by 1024px each.
  6. Font presentation and application PDF embedded. 
  7. Font Preview (optional)

TASK ３

  • Proposal
Fig.1-1 Proposal (17/6/2025, week 9 )

I had three ideas; Bagel, Soap bubbles, and Sakura. Based on the advices from the teacher, I decided to create letterform with the theme as Sakura. 

  • Sketch
Fig.1-2 Rough sketch (21/6/2025, week 10 )

At first, I thought and drew some rough sketch physically. After exploration, I added the contrast of the line to create a sense of elegance. I refined my ideas by incorporating curves and forms inspired by Sakura petals into the rounded parts of the letters, such as the shape of “O” to better reflect the overall theme. 

  • Creating letterform in Illustrator
Fig.1-3 Sketching of Capital and Small letters (27/6/2025, week 10)

I sketched the draft based on the previous rough sketch and ideas for the time when I created letterforms in Illustrator. 


Fig.1-4 Creating Capital and Small letters (29/6/2025, week 11 )

Fig.1-5 Original vs Refined one (30/6/2025, week 11 )

In the design process in Illustrator, I mainly used the Pen tool, Brush tool, and Width tool to make the letters more flexible and slightly intricate, in order to express the shape of Sakura petals. When I asked my teacher for advice, I was told that the letters were hard to read due to the strong contrast in the lines, especially the thinner parts. To improve visibility, I adjusted the thickness using the Pathfinder tool to make the lines bolder.




Fig.1-6 Sketching of Numbers & Punctuations (2/7/2025, week 11)

Fig.1-7 Original vs Refined one (6/7/2025, week 11)

After finishing capital letters and small letters, I started to sketch numbers and punctuation. Before designing Punctuations, I watched the post on Instagram that was given to us by the teacher, and then I imported my sketch into Illustrator to do the task. The results of the final letters are as follows:

Fig. 1-8 letters (6/7/2025, week 11)



  • FontForge
Fig. 2-1 FontForge (9/7/2025, week 12)

Fig. 2-2 Guide for kerning (9/7/2025, week 12)

Fig. 2-3 The process of Kerning in FontForge (9/7/2025, week 12)


Fig. 2-4 Revised letters and kerning in FontForge (11/7/2025, week 12)

I was completely stuck when some of the letters failed to import into FontForge. When I asked the teacher for help, I found that although the lines appeared connected, they were  just overlapping and not joined. Also he pointed out that there are too many anchor points, so i adjusted and correct these things by going back to Illustrator.  Some letters has weird anchor, so I corrected them in Illustrator and then updated in FontForge.

Fig. 2-5 Final FontForge screen grab (11/7/2025, week 12 )


Fig. 2-6 Downloading letterforms (9/7/2025, week 12 )

After completing everything, I tested out the fonts and downloaded them.


  • Font presentation 
Fig. 3-1 Color palette for font presentation (9/7/2025, week 12 )

I searched for a color palette that suits the Sakura and sky color and chose this because it  maintains a certain level of contrast.

Fig. 3-2 Original vs Refined one (13/7/2025, week 12)

This task focused on exploring ways to express letterforms, but it took me a lot of time to complete. In the two images, I kept the expression of letters simple and clear. In the remaining three, I experimented with varying font sizes, lowering opacity, and layering shadows to enhance visual appeal. All the shapes were newly created by combining the original letters I designed. The final results are as following:


Fig. 3-3 Font representation 1 (13/7/2025, week 12)


Fig.3-4 Font representation 2 (13/7/2025, week 12)

Fig.3-5 Font representation 3 (13/7/2025, week 12)

Fig.3-6 Font representation 4 (13/7/2025, week 12)

Fig.3-7 Font representation 5 (13/7/2025, week 12)

Fig. 4-1 Exploring design for applications (13/7/2025, week 12)

I created some new design based on the design from Font representation for mock up. My font is created for exhibition or events relating to Japanese culture with the main idea of Sakura. So, I chose the something related to things you can see in the exhibition such as poster and tickets. The results are as following:

Fig. 4-2 Font Application 1 (13/7/2025, week 12)

Fig. 4-3 Font Application 2 (13/7/2025, week 12)

Fig. 4-4 Font Application 3 (13/7/2025, week 12)

Fig. 4-5 Font Application 4 (13/7/2025, week 12)

Fig. 4-6 Font Application 5 (13/7/2025, week 12)


Final Compilation


  • PDF (embedded of uppercase and/or lowercase)
Fig. 5-1 Final letters in PDF  (11/7/2025, week 12)

  • FontForge screen grab
Fig. 5-2 Final FontForge screen grab (11/7/2025, week 12 )



Fig. 5-3 Final letters (18/7/2025, week 13 )
  • Font Representation
Fig. 5-4 Font representation 1 (13/7/2025, week 12)

Fig. 5-5 Font representation 2 (13/7/2025, week 12)

Fig. 5-6 Font representation 3 (13/7/2025, week 12)

Fig. 5-7 Font representation 4 (13/7/2025, week 12)

Fig. 5-8 Font representation 5 (13/7/2025, week 12)


  • Font Application
Fig. 5-9 Font Application 1 (13/7/2025, week 12)

Fig. 5-10 Font Application 1 (13/7/2025, week 12)

Fig. 5-11 Font Application 1 (13/7/2025, week 12)

Fig. 5-12 Font Application 1 (13/7/2025, week 12)

Fig. 5-13 Font Application 1 (13/7/2025, week 12)


  • Font presentation and application PDF 
Fig. 5-14 Font presentation & application in PDF (13/7/2025, week 12)



Application for Honor Standby Design

Fig.6-1 Standby Design

I selected Standby Design for Honor Submission. The submission requirements are as follow:
  1. Clock Design
  2. Personalized Signature Design
  3. Overall Visual Design
  4. Animation Design
  5. Design Elaboration

Fig.6-2 Clock Design

Fig.6-3 Personalized Signature Design

Fig.6-4 Overall Visual Design

Fig.6-5 Animation Design

Fig.6-6 Design Elaboration in PDF

Fig.6-7 The proof of submission


FEEDBACK

Week 9: We showed the proposal for task 3 and got approval. My personal advice was about Paying attention to the typefaces having contrast in the process.

Week 10:  I didn't get feedback last week because I had not done Capital letter so I was doing design of typefaces in Illustrator.

Week 11: The teacher advised me that having contrast is good, but the lines are too thin to read. So, I adjusted the thickness and made them readable using the Pathfinder tool while demonstrating.  

Week 12:  I had trouble importing letters into FontForge; some of them were not reflected. My teacher advised that the letters were not connected and had too many anchor points, suggesting I connect them and reduce the anchor points.

Week 13: My PDF's resolution is bad and tried to fix it. The teacher recommended me to export from Illustrator but it didn't work well. So I got permission to submit with this from him. 

REFLECTION

EXPERIENCE:
In Task 3, managing my time was extremely challenging. It was the final assignment, the workload was quite heavy, and the task itself appeared complex because it required using various apps and applying knowledge I learned throughout the class. However, I felt the sense of accomplishment after completing it. What I struggled with the most was creating the letters in Illustrator and importing them into FontForge. I made mistakes during the letters formation process, which caused some issues when importing.


OBSERVATION:
Compared to those around me, I was working slowly, which made me feel anxious at that time. However, when I finished creating the font and saw them, I felt happy and proud. At one point, I was completely stuck when some of the letters failed to import into FontForge. I had no idea what the cause was. When I asked the teacher for help, I found that although the lines appeared connected, they were actually just overlapping and not properly joined. This experience taught me the importance of checking things in detail, even when everything seems fine at first glance, especially in the moment of stress or pressure.


FINDING:
Overall, I learned the importance of time management and carefully checking details. Neglecting these aspects made it difficult to move on to the next step and to notice problems until much later, which caused more trouble. This experience taught me how important these habits are. These skills will have a impact on my future if I work as a designer. It’s not enough to just be able to design, so I want to turn that into a habit. Also, I was able to expand the range of my creative expression by completing an original typeface. This was a valuable experience.


FURTHER READING

Fig.7-1 Typographic Design Form Communication 6ed-Rob Carter 


I continue to read this book and proceed to the new chapter "Type graphic Design Process." Notes are as follows:

Fig.7-2 5 main typographic process

There are basically 5 steps to create typography:

  1. Gathering
  2. Ideating
  3. Synthesizing 
  4. Realizing
  5. Defining

Gathering: refers to the essential information needed by the designer including the client, problem content, and production requirements

Ideating: It is important to rely on not only formula but also knowledge-based intuition to solve problems and to unlimit the vast potential for new possibilities.

Synthesizing: focuses on narrowing options and reaching a conclusion. The most effective way to evaluate a solution is to measure it against the initial criteria established for the problem.

Realizing: designers should communicate and explain clearly with clients on a regular basis, without using jargon or highly technical language, to prevent confusion and misunderstanding at the final stage. After getting final approval, the design moves into the final production stage while managing processes such as printing and manufacturing with an eye on intermediate and final deadlines.


  • Some ways of processing Typographic form and ideas

Fig.7-3 Interaction matrices

Interaction matrices: help organize relationships between words and images to identify problem definitions and generate fresh, unconventional ideas. It's also important to create playfulness and silence self-criticism during the process.


Fig.7-4 Metaphorical thinking

Metaphorical thinking: involves manipulating visual elements like spacing, position, rhythm, and color to suggest other objects, sounds, or images to find relationships between dissimilar ideas or objects, ranging from abstract to concrete.


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