Objective
Design two new glyph structures for the “ten” and “eleven” numerals in a base-12 system and apply them to the typeface Granjon. The glyphs must be created from the already existing Granjon numerals and incorporated with a subject that connects to the number 12.
Development
For the glyphs, I played with segments of numbers 0 thru 9 of the Granjon typeface to find two combinations that looked natural along side the other numerals. I then researched items that come in quantities of 12 and discovered that ice cube trays make 12 ice cubes at a time. Ice seemed to be the perfect item to use as a subject background because of its subtlety, so it provided a great subject that gave context, but did not completely distract from the overlaid text.
Design two new glyph structures for the “ten” and “eleven” numerals in a base-12 system and apply them to the typeface Granjon. The glyphs must be created from the already existing Granjon numerals and incorporated with a subject that connects to the number 12.
Development
For the glyphs, I played with segments of numbers 0 thru 9 of the Granjon typeface to find two combinations that looked natural along side the other numerals. I then researched items that come in quantities of 12 and discovered that ice cube trays make 12 ice cubes at a time. Ice seemed to be the perfect item to use as a subject background because of its subtlety, so it provided a great subject that gave context, but did not completely distract from the overlaid text.
Sketches
The first step was working with already existing elements within Granjon's numbers 0-9. I took the numerals into Illustrator, cut them into pieces and arranged them together to create a few sketches of numerals.
Refinement
After coming up with a few glyphs, I refined my favorites and placed them along the existing numerals to see which two looked the most natural. I then adjusted the thickness of various areas in each glyph to add even more similiaries to the Granjon numerals.
Photo
I took a picture of the ice cubes using a hand-constructed lightbox made out of tissue paper, cardboard, poster board and a desk lamp. The final photo was then edited in Photoshop to add contract and definition to the ice. I chose to make the photo black and white to draw more focus to the subject matter and its texture.
Color
Since I used black and white in the background, I chose to use a rich red to highlight the glyphs, the numerals and their title of "duodecimal glyphs" to create a relationship between all three that would stand out against the rest.
