Kristin Becker's DTC Classes at WSU

After doing the reading of Ellen Lupton’s Thinking with Type, I discovered a number of ways to pick apart the various components of font, such as the implementation of cap height, x-height, stems, bowls, serifs, and etc. But perhaps most importantly, stylistic choices like scale, contrast, and fluidity are the aspects to consider when creating a font. It is important for letters to be individually legible and independent without looking out of place when combined– they need to look like they belong within the same stylistic theme.
The font that I chose to analyze for this blog post is from the english translation of the originally French novel, Of the Friendship of Amis and Amile. This translation was published in the late 19th century, 1894, but I would say that stylistically, it most closely resembles the Bodoni type classification of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, as it can be clearly distinguished by the combination of thin and thick strokes. Perhaps the traditional style of the font is to emulate the fact that the novel is translated from ancient french. The serifs of this font are seemingly random, only appearing on capital letters, and in varying thicknesses. The bowls, terminals, and cross-bars emphasize the variable weight of the font, with both thick and thin strokes. The x-height of most letters is relatively tall compared to the cap height, as noticeable in the uppercase B and lowercase e in the word “Bericain.” The ascender case is also relatively small, as seen in the word “father,” where the f , t, and h, are not much taller than the a, e, and r. However, the descender height is comparatively taller than the ascender height, as shown in the case of the various uppercase P’s, such as in Peter and Paul. Clearly, the stylistic choice of this font is to indicate capitalization through wider letters and descending height taking precedence over Ascender height.

The overall impression I have when looking at this font is that it takes care not to overwhelm the eyes with thin strokes, but also seeks to imply importance with bold, thick strokes as well. Overall, I was most taken by this text because of the intricate and beautifully designed borders and decorations surrounding the text on the page. I love the incorporation of nature with images of leaves and berries, as well as coiled, spiralling vines. I think the conscious decision to include such elaborate decoration is to provoke aesthetics of both France and the medieval period in which the story revolves.

Upon reading Ellen Lupton’s “Thinking with Type,” I have realized script, whether it be calligraphy or font, etc., is made unique due to subtle differences created in the type itself. Typefaces are considered as an essential resource to graphic designers, and can be either created or chosen from a preexisting library.

The history of script has been manifested from hand and machine. The first typefaces were created via handwritten calligraphy produced by scribes. It wasn’t until about 500 years ago that printed letters became accessible through Johannes Gutenberg’s movable type and the printing press. Since then, type has only evolved through engraved letters of the renaissance era, pen and quill techniques of the eighteenth century, and the creation of multiple scripts due to the rise of nineteenth century industrialism. To this day digital equipment is only growing more through laser pointers, bitmap forms and online font technologies continue evolving as a visual in print and digital media.

Lupton’s reading also looked into characteristics that make each font unique. Similarly to what we recently learned with patterns, fonts can be structured as well as abstract. For instance, humanist letterforms are traditional and structured in nature. Humanist style is similar to calligraphy and handwritten type. Transitional letterforms are more modern, abstract and less organic. Typefaces can be closely examined based on strokes and shapes created within each letter. Stems and spines, uppercase and lowercase, ascenders and descenders, are stylistic differences that make each font group unique. The placement of letter heights and baselines are also important when it comes to the anatomy of each font group. Type classification can help decipher if a typeface is traditional, transitional, modern, or a variety of serifs or sans serifs. Key components of a type anatomy come down to the type of letterform (humanist vs transitional), stylistic differences, manipulation of height, and classification of type.

1932 Lewis Carroll “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” with Virginia Woolf binder.

While visiting Manuscripts, Archives and Special Collections in the Terrell Library, Virginia Woolf’s copy of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland caught my eye. I personally grew up hearing and reading Lewis Carroll’s eccentric story of Alice in Wonderland and had a personal connection to the material. Also, since there is a Hogarth Press exhibit in Manuscripts, Archives and Special Collections, I felt compelled to examine this piece.

1932 Lewis Carroll “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” Page 38

1932 Lewis Carroll “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” Page 39

The two pages on display in the Archives were pages 38 and 39. In my opinion, these pages carry the most compelling type anatomy content given the shapes are created within the typeface itself. On page 38 the text itself spirals downward in a “mouse tail” shape to tell the story of “A Caucus Race and A Long Tale” through imagery. The typeface is printed in its normal font size at the top and gradually shrinks in size as the text reaches the bottom of the page. Humanist “old style” type is utilized throughout the entire novel. This font is inspired by classical calligraphy imitated in roman script of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. Today this type can be classified under the font name “Sabon.”

The reason I am creating this pattern is because I love the simplicity of the pattern and the symmetry of the pattern itself. A character I created for a screenplay I am writing inspired this pattern. The character wears a black outfit that has a dark blue hood and scabbards. The straps on the scabbards wrap around his torso, making a blue x on his torso. This pattern very much represents the things I like and my style. This is because black and blue are my favorite colors and affects my choice of wardrobe as well. The pattern might represent structure to other people because it might look like some kind of tower or a house of cards. The screenplay is not complete yet, so it is not currently tangible. It is a series of ideas I have in my brain, but that is what makes it unique. It is a design that has deeper meaning for me and that is why I wanted to use it for this project. I knew what to pick for this pattern because I knew what I wanted to get my inspiration from and what attributes I wanted to use from that inspiration. For the first one, I used blue because it is the color of his costume. For the second and final one, I used red and purple because there are side characters who wear a red and a purple costume.

The other pattern is clearly based off of the yin yang symbol from Asian Symbolism. They symbolize many things, but they most commonly represent the good and bad sides of a person. Usually, the yin and yang symbol is drawn as a circle divided with an S shaped line. I created this pattern because I enjoy the shapes used. When I was younger, I very much enjoyed drawing the yin yang symbol. To me, this represents conflict within one’s self, a conflict that can last a long time. The pattern might mean opposites to other being. Other people like to associate this symbol with the ongoing battle between good and evil, but I do not believe it is that simple. The design is inspired by the idea of the yin and yang, and is therefore intangible. I knew what shapes to use because the yin and yang symbol is a circle. The colors I used changed around. For the first one, I used the traditional black and white. For the second one, I used red and blue, which are usually seen as colors that conflict with each other. For the final one, I went with orange and purple because I felt as if I could get some real contrast from those colors being used together. Another interesting thing I wanted to add was that I purposely had some parts of the symbols overlapping others so show that sometimes some parts overshadow others, like good and bad.

butterfly

butterfly outline

peacock feathers

peacock

I was extremely excited when we were given the prompt for this project. I instantly knew that I wanted to create a pattern that was meaningful to me, and that I could put more into than just the minimum. I wanted to put my emotion and meaning into these patterns, which is why I chose to take inspiration from two animals that hold deep symbolism to me. The first, being a monarch butterfly- something that symbolizes my Grandmother and love. I have always loved butterflies, but it was not until my Grandmother’s passing that the monarch butterfly took on a new meaning. My mom and I would always see a monarch butterfly when we would visit the place where we used to go hiking with my grandma, and have since connected the two. I wanted to use a butterfly as my basic shape in the pattern- which is where the silhouette and butterfly image come in. I used the colors found in the monarch butterfly image to help create a simple, yet natural portrayal of a monarch butterfly. I also contrasted the monarch butterfly, which has a bright- natural feel; with an ashy blue butterfly. While still beautiful, this butterfly depicts sadness and the emotion my family felt when my grandmother passed. Both butterflies are extremely meaningful to me, and contrast each other deeply in more than just the aspect of color. For my second pattern, I decided to use a peacock for inspiration. When my family went to Hawaii last winter, we saw many peacocks on the island and since then the beautiful bird has reminded me of the fun times I had with my family on the beach. Not only is the peacock meaningful to me, but it also has natural patterns within its feathers, and has beautiful, bright colors. I decided to make a pattern out of a peacock feather and used various shapes and sizes to create the desired effect. The bright blue and green colors seem natural and bright, like a tropical vacation, where as the bleak brown colors remind me of the middle of winter where everything is monotone.

monarch butterflies

blue butterflies

tropical feather

winter feather

Island-Pattern-01

Island-Pattern-02

For my final pattern design, I decided to do something that was a little more personal to myself. I was born and raised on a tiny tropical island that depends a lot on tourism. I grew up around many emphasized island prints and designs that were intended to attract more tourists. They were on postcards, welcome signs, restaurant menus, and more. I was first inspired by one of my images from the first blog post, of simple bushes from around campus. For a while, I stuck to the idea of a leaf, a split leaf to be specific. I then did more research on things related to island culture (graphically, at least). I looked through countless images of tribal tattoos and homemade quilts. Aside from that, I was also taken with one of the floor patterns of the library study lounges.

I played off of a lot of these designs, messing with shapes, their colors, and just the organization in general. I had thought a lot about promoting more of tribal art, but it was difficult to do so without (unintentionally) recreating the entire design. I finally went with a single shape and went with a color scheme that reminded me of island characteristics, such as the ocean or the famous hibiscus flower.

experimenting

inspiration – tribal and quilt from google images

I visualized a lot of my work in places I grew up seeing it, the tourism industry. Another place I imagined it was in the schools I attended and of course the rest of them as well. We often celebrate our culture through many events during the school year. The pattern could be used in newsletters, yearbooks, programs, bulletin boards, and other school affiliated prints.