The Zine Project
A Typographic Zine
The Brief
Format:
A6, 16 pages (including front and back cover)
1 topic = whole zine
Ideas for topics:
\\ profile: type designer / artist
\\ typographic trend
\\ type in the city
\\ experimental typography
\\ typographic concept
\\ typographic reflection
\\ typographic trend
\\ type in the city
\\ experimental typography
\\ typographic concept
\\ typographic reflection
Rules and Restrictions:
1. you can only use TYPE in your Zine.
Any typefaces you want and any number of them, just make sure that they make sense within general your concept.
Any typefaces you want and any number of them, just make sure that they make sense within general your concept.
2. any illustration = typographic
This means that you need to use type to create image, you can do this by using scale, patterns, playing with type as image, etc. If you MUST use photography, it should be photography of type (you may want to use that if you choose to do Type in the City, for example).
This means that you need to use type to create image, you can do this by using scale, patterns, playing with type as image, etc. If you MUST use photography, it should be photography of type (you may want to use that if you choose to do Type in the City, for example).
3. two flat colours only = no gradients, no shades, no greyscale.
There are ways to make shades of clours using flat colours - similar to what we do when we are drawing with pens (hatching, dots, etc). White (or paper colour) does not count as a colour. Black does.
There are ways to make shades of clours using flat colours - similar to what we do when we are drawing with pens (hatching, dots, etc). White (or paper colour) does not count as a colour. Black does.
Zine Research & Reflection
Images by Mia Proctor (2020) - Collaged by Gabrielle Burey
Advice Zine
by Mia Proctor
I found Advice Zine by Mia Proctor very interesting when I first saw it. I enjoyed the colour combination and how one typeface is used effectively to illustrate each page. It is so simple yet works well to illustrate each 'advice' such as the repetition used for "don't overthink" and how it is a pattern of the text with pink fill then pink stroke, almost as though the stroke only lines are your own internal monologue repeating after you. Or how the advice 'write lists' is indented each line, coping the manner of lists. I also really like the use of colour and how some pages are inverted to the page next to it (such as changing from a pink background with purple text to a purple background with pink text). This piece is also a great example of the criteria for two flat colours in the zine brief and gives a further idea how limiting yourself to two colours can be nonrestrictive.
Link:
Images by Matt Serif (2019) - Collaged by Gabrielle Burey
Type Scans Zine Vol. 1 & 2
by Matt Serif
Type Scans by Matt Serif is a great body of work that spoke to me on a deeper level, where the distortion of the type isn't so much that the text is unreadable but the shapes made almost mimics those voices in your head when saying "What's the point?" or "Help". I have noticed Serif also changed the typefaces used to enhance the emotion of each saying, such as "Help" being a thick sans serif font like an emergent shout, whilst "What's the point" is a thinner serif font, is almost a silent, defeated tone. I also like the alternating in black and white per volume, which works well to set both zines apart yet also connect them under the same concept. I feel it gives me a better idea on what I could do to enhance the emotion behind words using typography.
Links:
Image by Hayley Peacock (2016)
GIRLS ZINE
by Hayley Peacock
I love Hayley Peacock's "GIRLS ZINE", mostly for the youthful and almost rebellious style to it. This idea is mostly evident by the handwritten typeface used for the words "Women" and "Girl" and how she alternated in font size, circled words and strikeout words. It reminds me of doodles I would make when I was bored in class or journals where my writing becomes messy and imperfect the more I write my ideas down. The italicised san serif typeface paired with the handwritten font works well and is quite similar to the handwritten font in regards to the angle of each letter however the sans serif is a clearer, more legible version. I also loved the splash of pink used in the zine to add emphasis to certain parts without having to take away the handwritten "Women, Girl" background. This zine is also a good example of using two flat colours, minus the images and the shades used.
Zine Concept
The variety of topics in the contextual reviews gave me some inspiration when approaching the concept of my zine project. From the contextual reviews I was able to brainstorm a few ideas to work with:
1. Experimental Type: Words as Images
2. Typographic Concept: Molecular Typography (book by Woody Leslie & H.F. Henderson)
3. Typographic Trend: Typography in Modern Feminism Movements
4. Experimental Type: Mental Illness - Depression & Anxiety
5. Typography Profile: Unreasonable Font by Dina Benbrahim http://dinabenbrahim.com/portfolio/feminist-typeface/ or explore feminist fonts at http://typequality.com/
Through my research, I really enjoyed the Zines that served more for activism including GIRLS ZINE by Hayley Peacock. Additionally this brought up other causes such as climate change and the environment, where a book titled "Molecular Typography" by H.F. Henderson and Woody Leslie was found. The concept is more about the molecular make up of letters, noting that each letter printed is made up of molecules, like all matter. I felt overall I wanted to explore a topic that I felt passionate about, which is both feminism and climate change. However I felt overall that the concept of Molecular Typography is less explored. The E-Book (and book) can be acquired from Ugly Duckling Presse for USD$12 (book is USD$15) from this link here: https://uglyducklingpresse.org/publications/understanding-molecular-typography/.
To summarise: I will be exploring the concept Molecular Typography by Henderson and Leslie.
Zine Outline & Thumbnails
The Zine would include critical thinking for its' outline, using Global Digital Citizen's "The Ultimate Cheatsheet for Critical Thinking"
Page 1 (Title):
Introducing Molecular Typography: Engaging graphic of it as a whole ("Letters are ALIVE")
Page 2-3 (TOC):
Table of Contents
Page 4-5:
Who, What - Introducing Molecular Typography, What is it?
Who are the founders in this movement? Who influenced this concept?
What is the movement? What can we do with this?
"Advances in atomic study in the latter half of this century finally allowed typographers to understand letterforms on a molecular level. While some understanding of the building-block concept of type extends as far back as the late 18th century, a real grasp of the atomic basis of type didn’t come about until the mid-1950s, through the work of Aaron Edwards and Charles Harrington in their labs at Indiana State University and the University of Vermont, respectively. And so molecular typography was born: the study of letters through their physical and chemical underpinnings." Henderson et. al. (2019) - preface
"The core concept of Molecular Typography is that type, when in the form of ink on paper—like all matter—is made up of molecules. As such, it has chemical and physical foundations, which inherently means that when we make letterforms, we make physical structures that are formed of more than meets the eye." Gosling, E. (2020)
Page 6-7:
When, Where - The origins of the movement
When would this benefit our society? When did the movement start?
Where in the world would this be a problem?
"This approach to typography, which proposed that letters are living organisms, emerged in the 1950s, through the work of Aaron Edwards and Charles Harrington. They equated molecular typography to scientific fact: they claimed that print is made of real molecules, and being a real, physical object, it has particular chemical and physical structure." Jiménez de Luis, A. (2020).
"It was a small but significant movement, and one that united the science and design communities. Around 40 years after the research into Molecular Typography began, the 1992 book Understanding Molecular Typography was published by H.F. Henderson to draw together the work in the field into a concise publication that, at the time, was considered hugely influential." Gosling, E. (2020)
Page 8-9:
Why - Environmental Implications of Typography
Why is it important? Why should people know about this?
"The publishers [Ugly Duckling Presse] suggest that the decline of the movement was in part due to the fact that “improvements in digital type technology obviated some of the need to understand the chemical basis of print,” since screen-band letters naturally lack the chemical characteristics of their print counterparts. Even now, the idea of Molecular Typography... inherently demonstrates the unethical side of print at a time when climate crisis issues are more pressing than ever... [it] draws attention to the fact that even typography is a physical entity with environmental implications." Gosling, E. (2020)
"The science that supported these claims—namely, molecular typography—was largely dismissed by corporations and governments averse to further regulations. Some even blamed the success of Understanding Molecular Typography for the science’s demise; the accessibility of the book allowed a lot of policy makers and CEOs to feel like they understood the science when they really didn’t. By the mid-’90s, molecular typography was discipline non grata in the science community. Research funding and institutional support had all but dried up... are the radical implications of the unethical nature of print too much for humanity to stomach, causing the science to be buried by the typographic equivalent of climate change deniers?" Henderson et. al. (2019) - introduction
Page 10-11:
How - Reflection on the Movement
How does this benefit us? How do we know the truth about this?
"In the long run, it turns out that the metaphorical implications of the work might be the most important after all. In the last section of the book, Henderson briefly touches on an array of ramifications of the possibility that letters are in fact living organisms. For those of us who are writers, printers, typographers, and poets, letters are already living organisms, and we don’t need science to prove it. But thinking about letters in this context brings new insight and inspiration to our work." Henderson et. al. (2019) - introduction
"But before we go too far down that road, consider the ethics. If letters are chemically based, perhaps they are even living organisms. And what does it mean if letters are alive? Sarah Walters investigates the ethical and ecological concerns in much of her work (1980 & 1984). Is writing an unethical imprisonment of letters against their will? Are we forcing them to stand in ordered rows with fixed neighbors for eternity? What are the ecological implications of factory-farmed typeface monocultures? Are typtoms a limited resource, and should we be worried about using them up in our lifetime? What happens when we start mucking about as the hand of god, sticking artificial letters amongst natural ones? These questions are far from mundane... Molecular typography is no longer just a pure science. Philosophy, ethics, and human nature have entered the picture, and the practical applications of molecular typography have far-reaching effects—for better or for worse—for all of humanity. It is vital that we all begin to understand the potentials and ramifications of molecular typography in our daily lives." Henderson et. al. (2019)
Page 12-13:
A-Z Basic constructions
"All letters, numbers, punctuation, and other analphabetics have a chemical equation which indicates the typomic makeup of the character. The equation uses typtom symbols, subscript numbers, and addition signs. In addition to the equation, characters have a formula in written notation for their chemical composition... Opposites attract: negative charges are drawn to positive ones, and vice versa, whereas same charges repel each other. Attraction is the main force of adhesion between typtoms, while repulsion is significant in maintaining character shape." Henderson et. al. (2019)
Page 14-15:
A-Z Basic constructions, Conclusion, Reflections
"Bold and italic fonts are caused by electric charges. An applied current can cause typtoms to swell up, jitter, curve, or shake violently (Bardswell, 1979)." Henderson et. al. (2019)
Page 16 (Back):
References, Back image, Summary
Week 11
Grid System
(and setting up the A-Master in InDesign)
The initial grid system involved squares, and I set up the A-Master in InDesign so all Pages had a similar layout, such as the position of the page numbers and section headers. I also made sure to insert the current page number special character for ease when formatting the zine.
I then refined the grid a bit more to add padding around each square to allow for some more flexibility when working with text. I wanted to leave the multiple plus and minus graphics on each spread as a placeholder, however I would remove a few if needed to give more space to the content of the pages.
Zine Draft
I composed and created all of the images with reference to Henderson's figures in his book, "Understanding Molecular Typography". I then grabbed each relevant quote and placed them on paths to create images such as a tree and the text "1950's". However I am yet to do a graphic for the Why? page (p.8), I was considering creating an earth with text using the following quotes:
"The publishers [Ugly Duckling Presse] suggest that the decline of the movement was in part due to the fact that “improvements in digital type technology obviated some of the need to understand the chemical basis of print,” since screen-band letters naturally lack the chemical characteristics of their print counterparts. Even now, the idea of Molecular Typography... inherently demonstrates the unethical side of print at a time when climate crisis issues are more pressing than ever... [it] draws attention to the fact that even typography is a physical entity with environmental implications." Gosling, E. (2020)
"The science that supported these claims—namely, molecular typography—was largely dismissed by corporations and governments averse to further regulations. Some even blamed the success of Understanding Molecular Typography for the science’s demise; the accessibility of the book allowed a lot of policy makers and CEOs to feel like they understood the science when they really didn’t. By the mid-’90s, molecular typography was discipline non grata in the science community. Research funding and institutional support had all but dried up... are the radical implications of the unethical nature of print too much for humanity to stomach, causing the science to be buried by the typographic equivalent of climate change deniers?" Henderson et. al. (2019) - introduction
Critiques
I want to add a bit more interest in the zine especially add a colour and maybe play with the text a bit more alike how I did "ALIVE" on page 5, or perhaps write text on a path like page 10 or 12.
I wanted to add a semi-colon to the back page to metaphorically say that the information in the Zine can be further explored/continued (as the zine only contains the very basic information of the concept), however I am not quite sure it is working, perhaps it is because I didn't introduce the other analphabetics involved. Additionally I could make the back page also have a black background.
I am also thinking that maybe I should have some more reflection inside, such as my thoughts on the concept and perhaps some more graphics (using text).
I understand the idea behind having the charge symbols (+ & -) on the edges of the page (suggesting that they are attracted, thus the pages are bonded together) however the blockiness of the symbols draw away from the content a bit. Perhaps I could change that to a stroke instead of a fill?
The front page has a black background which is not shared on the other pages, perhaps I could keep this consistent.
Maybe the graphics of the plus and minus could be placed on the edges of the pages that are joined? I would need to go back to the drawing board and ideate the overall structure of the zine.
The text shaped as a tree doesn't seem to work, maybe make the paths more curved and organic? Or maybe add more weight onto the text, as it seems to be too thin.
With the illustration of the A and Z letters being formed, perhaps I could add additional annotations? Such as the types of bonds between the typtoms?
I also played with a few colour schemes to see which I liked the most and just figuring out how I could add colour to certain elements. I really liked adding the colour to the "TYPE" symbols and leaving the charges white, it seemed to make the cover look a bit less messy. I liked the blue colour however I chose the orange as I felt it was more eye-catching and exciting. I also changed the plus and minus graphics to stroke only and started to really love the outcome, I thought it looked much better as a composition.
2nd Draft
In this draft I took some of the critiques I made and added it to the last draft. I also changed around the colours and the charge symbols are now outlined which I believe makes it look better. I then realigned certain elements to the grid to make the pages look more structured, such as the alignment for 'TYPE' on the cover. I feel that the "Alive" graphic is a bit too much orange and feels a bit jarring, I am thinking of changing that to just stroke rather than a fill.
Final Draft
In this draft I mostly fixed some of the colouring and added more of my own reflections and additional information such as the bonds between the typtoms. I changed the graphic for the tree and also added the types of bonds for each typtom under "Charges". Additionally I played around with the "Alive" graphic so it was less jarring and overall I am pretty pleased with it!
References
Ford, J. (2016) The Molecular Typography Pop-Up Book [Video]. Vimeo. Retrieved from https://vimeo.com/173524096
Gosling, E. (2020, February 12). What Is Molecular Typography, and Why Is It Experiencing a Resurgence?. Eye on Design. Retrieved from eyeondesign.aiga.org/what-is-molecular-typography-and-is-it-having-a-comeback/
Henderson, H.F., Leslie, W. (2019). UNDERSTANDING MOLECULAR TYPOGRAPHY. Ugly Duckling Presse.
Jiménez de Luis, A. (2020, March 28). What is Molecular Typography?. Domestika. Retrieved from www.domestika.org/en/blog/3137-what-is-molecular-typography
Proctor, M. (2020) Advice Zine [Artwork]. Retrieved from www.behance.net/gallery/96211279/Advice-Zine
Serif, M. (2019). Type Scans Zine Vol. 1 [Artwork]. Retrieved from www.behance.net/gallery/81056417/Type-Scans-Zine-Vol-1
Serif, M. (2019). Type Scans Zine Vol. 2 [Artwork]. Retrieved from www.behance.net/gallery/81056573/Type-Scans-Zine-Vol-2
Watanabe-Crockett, L. (2016, December 12). The Critical Thinking Skills Cheatsheet [Infographic]. Global Digital Citizen Foundation. Retrieved from globaldigitalcitizen.org/critical-thinking-skills-cheatsheet-infographic
