Reflection

We started this week with exploring the anatomy of type and looking at the different elements of typefaces. We were given the exercise to use out typeface and name of out brand to identify the typographic elements and label them.

Here is the outcome.

I found this exercise very effective as it helped me get to know the different elements included in each typeface. It also made me realise there’s a lot more to each typeface than what you see with a quick glance and although some may look very similar it’s these small elements that set them apart.

This made me rethink my typeface choice for my brand. I decided to look into some of the type foundries that were suggested to us. I really enjoyed looking through http://atipofoundry.com.

I found the typeface ‘silka’ and thought it was perfect for my brand.

From this lecture I learnt that the anatomy of type refers to the various components that make up a typeface or font. Each typeface is made up of different parts that work together to create the overall visual appearance of the text. Understanding the anatomy of type is essential for typography and design, as it will allow me to choose and use typefaces effectively.

We then looked at ways that we could edit these elements to create a wordmark and other ways of making a word look different such as kerning which is a term used in typography to refer to the adjustment of the spacing between individual characters in a typeface. Specifically, kerning is the process of adjusting the spacing between pairs of letters in a word to improve the overall visual appearance and readability of the text.

In typography, some pairs of letters tend to look better when they are closer together or farther apart than the default spacing provided by the typeface. For example, the combination of the letters "VA" often looks better when the two letters are closer together, as in the word "AVA," to create a more balanced and visually appealing appearance.

Kerning is typically done by a designer or typesetter using specialised software, which allows them to adjust the spacing between individual letters in a word or block of text. In some cases, kerning may be done automatically by software, but manual kerning is often preferred for the best visual results.

Good kerning can help to improve the overall readability and aesthetic appeal of a piece of text, and is an important consideration in any typography design.

We also experimented with type.method.ac which helped with figuring out the kerning of text and I found it really effective and I felt I got better at each one the longer I did it.

We then completed this exercise, where we were given a list of words and had to incorporate the meaning of the word into a visual typographic design.