Typographic Design
The Zine
Zine Research
Brutalism is defined as a style of architecture or art characterised by a deliberate plainness, crudity, or violence of imagery (Valenti, 2019). The term ‘Brutalism’ was coined by the British architects Alison and Peter Smithson and popularised by the architectural historian Reyner Banham in 1954 (SOSBrutalism, 2022). The term was first applied to functionalist buildings of the 1950s in the United Kingdom, among the reconstruction projects of the post-war era (Design Buildings, 2022). Brutalist buildings are characterised by massive, monolithic and blocky appearance with a rigid geometric style and large-scale use of poured concrete (Design Buildings, 2022). From the perspective of graphic design, brutalism creates visual tension in designs.
Below are examples of brutalism architecture in Brisbane, featuring the Queensland Cultural Centre (Chua & Wheeldon, 2014).
Zine 1: NTF Tout
(Cowan, 2020).
This zine is created by Nick Barry and draws on the idea of Brutalism with concrete-like textured surfaces, unusual shapes, heavy-looking materials, and straight lines. The type displayed leans towards a sans serif/geometric font with sharp corners and thick, bold lines. The zine uses white, black, and pink colours which creates an effective contrast. Pink is represented as a more feminine colour, which contrasts heavily against the striking dark black. There is a form of spacing and alignment within each spread, but the entire zine does not follow a specific structure as it is quite abstract.
Zine 2: Hour
(Ugre, 2021).
Created by Nick Ugre, this zine incorporates some elements of Brutalism through its heavy elongated shapes, rectilinear edges, and simple colour schemes. The shapes on the left side of the page appear to form a building structure and also the word 16 Hour. The 16 and Hour are aligned together which guides the viewer's eye along with the structure. The beige coloured background pairs aesthetically with the heavy black shapes and sans serif type. The shading of the '0' in '20' provides a three-dimensional element to the page, which will further engage viewers. The '0' is also placed in front of the 'U' and 'R' in 'HOUR', connecting the three letters to form a flowing shape. A quarter of the 'O' in 'HOUR' is also cut off and appears to curve in a similar shape to the '2' below it. This adds an interesting element to the design. The paragraph texts are left-aligned to the large numbers and letters, further increasing the effectiveness of the page's shape and alignment. There is also a successful use of white space.
Zine 3: Sindeed
(Thomas, 2022).
Tawfiq Dawi's Sindeed incorporates a heavy high contrast Arabic display font with contemporary elements. This design portrays some aspects of Brutalism with its use of geometric forms, sharp curvy corners, unusual shapes, and straight lines. The shapes formed from the type appear to convey a building-like image, correlating to Brutalism architecture. The orange/reddish colour and black contrast effectively against each other, allowing the type to become the focal point. Additionally, the type portrayed on this spread is thick and blocky, which also connects with Brutalism.
Zine Concept Description
The concept of my zine will be on the typographic trend, Brutalism (Gerkules, 2022). The concept of dark and light, thick and thin was a recurring theme throughout the semester for my design work. Thus, it will be interesting to explore deeper into the dark, textured, bold elements of Brutalism.
The zine will explore the meaning of Brutalism and its significance in the design world. It will delve into the variations of Brutalist typography, highlighting its dramatic, heavy, and dark shapes. It will also dissect different textures, such as concrete. This zine will not only be visually appealing, but also informative, and will draw on aspects of the analysis of the zines above.
Zine Thumbnails
Revised Final Thumbnail Draft
Zine Context
Pg1:
Image: Brutalist shape created from the Helvetica letter 'l'.
Text: 1950s, United Kingdom, Brutalism.
Pg2:
Image: Large scale of the Helvetica letter 'B', with three 'l' letters placed on the side to create a Brutalist form.
Text: Brutalism is a style of architecture or art characterised by a deliberate plainness, crudity, or violence of imagery.
Pg3:
Image: Large scale of the Helvetica letter 'B', with three 'l' letters placed on the side to create a Brutalist form.
Text: Brutalism creates visual tension. It is raw, unpolished and stands out, giving way to dynamism and self-confidence.
Text: Brutalism creates visual tension. It is raw, unpolished and stands out, giving way to dynamism and self-confidence.
Pg4:
Image: None.
Text: Brutalism is characterised by massive, monolithic and blocky appearances with a rigid geometric style.
Pg5:
Image: Brutalist building made from the Helvetica letter 'l'.
Text: None.
Pg6:
Image: Helvetica text with lines extending over the page.
Text: The elements of sharp corners, rectilinear edges, and straight lines in Helvetica symbolise the style of Brutalism.
Pg7:
Image: Form of building made from Helvetica text.
Text: None.
Text: None.
Pg8:
Image: Gosha Sans text with lines extending over the page.
Text: Gosha Sans type, inspired by vintage Russian currents uses strong lines, bold squared corners, and bowls, representing the pure rawness of Brutalism.
Pg9:
Image: Geometric stair shape formed from text.
Text: None.
Pg10:
Image: Welbeck Street car park created from the V in Helvetica, extending to page 11.
Text: None.
Pg11:
Text: The Welbeck Street car park was designed in 1971 by Michael Blampied and Partners. Its famous and distinctive diamond patterned facade and sharp geometry held a prominent role in Britain's brutalist history.
Image: Extended Welbeck Street car park.
Pg12:
Text: The term Brutalism is derived from ‘béton brut’, meaning raw concrete. It is distinguished by its rough, unfinished surfaces, unusual shapes, heavy-looking materials, and straight lines.
Image: None.
Pg13:
Text: None.
Image: Brutalist shape created from Helvetica letter 'l'.
Pg14:
Text: 'BRU' in Brutal text using Helvetica.
Image: 'BRU' text with a textured concrete-like surface.
Text: 'TAL' in Brutal text using Helvetica.
Image: 'TAL' text with a textured concrete-like surface.
Pg16:
Text: Brutalism written in Helvetica.
Image: As the word Brutalism travels down the page, the top section becomes increasing cut away.
First Zine Draft
Final Zine
Below are images of the final zine, showing the 3 by 6 grid column layout.
Final Zine
Final Zine Mockups
Design Decisions
Typeface
There are two typefaces used for this zine. The main typeface used throughout is Helvetica and Gosha Sans is shown on page 8.
Helvetica was used as its sharp corners, rectilinear edges, and straight lines effectively symbolise the style of Brutalism. Helvetica Bold is used in the written textual elements on the zine to contrast against the background and allow viewers to read the text more easily (Arora, 2018).
Gosha San was displayed as its vintage Russian currents represent strong lines, squared corners and bowls (Pangram, 2022). The elements of this type were able to symbolise the rawness of Brutalism.
Colour
The colours used in the zine are orange and black. The choice to use these colours is because orange is associated with flamboyance, freedom, and expression, while black symbolises power, mystery and rebellion (Interaction Design Foundation, 2021). These colours support the rawness and crudity of Brutalism and contrast aesthetically against each other.
Hierarchy
This zine creates a sense of visual hierarchy through its heavy, bold, and contrasting elements (Soegaard, 2021). The entry points for the spreads are the large visual elements that draw the viewer's eye and guide them along with the page. The textual features are placed in specific positions on the page that helps to bring the elements together and add an important informative note to the spread.
Grid
The zine's spreads use a 3 by 6 grid column layout. This provided flexibility in the design of the zine and aided in specific placements of text and visual features. However, some visual and textual elements did not adhere to the grid structure and extended over the page to create more flow, contrast, and effective positioning.
Alignment
The text on pages 2 and 3 of the zine uses right and left alignment to create a balance in the spread (Mika, 2020). Page 4 and 12's text is centre aligned as it is the only element on the page, and it was appropriate to place the text in the middle to centre the focal point. The text on page 6 is left aligned and positioned with the 'ICA' text, which allows it to guide the viewer around the spread (Soegaard, 2021). Additionally, the text on page 9 flows down the 'a' line in Gosha, making it appear as though it is directing the reader down the steps of the structure. The text on page 11 is right aligned to balance with the image of the Welbeck structure.
Visual Elements
All visual elements of the zine are composed of Helvetica text. The visual building on page 9 is created from the manipulation of the Helvetica letter 'l'. Helvetica Regular was used to created the structures on pages 7 and 9. The choice of using Helvetica Regular was because it can create thin lines that will will still portray clearly against the background and allow the form of the building to stand out. Both structures on pages 7 and 9 are also in the same perspective, providing connection and balance to the pages. The Welbeck Street car park was created from the Helvetica letter 'V' and the structure on page 13 used the letter 'l'. On pages 13, 14, and 15, there is a rough, scratchy, concrete texture created to portray the appearance of Brutalist buildings.
Final Zine Reflection
Overall, I am quite happy with the final design of my zine. I believe my zine is engaging and effectively educates viewers on the fascinating aspects of Brutalism. The contrasting colours, types, and shapes can portray the dramatic and crude nature of this topic. I hope that the reading experience of this zine is enjoyable and informative for viewers and that they can appreciate Brutalism and the significance it has on the design world.
Throughout the design process of this zine and during the semester, I have learned a lot about typography and the importance of each structure, weight, kerning, spacing, hierarchy, alignment, and so on of each element. I have also learnt how to critically analyse and design labels, conference flyers, information sheets, and magazine spreads. I enjoyed this task and the other tasks completed throughout the semester, and a key takeaway I have gained is how critical it is to pay attention to the small details.
References
Arora, H. (2018). How typography determines readability: Serif vs. sans serif, and how to combine fonts. Free Code Camp. https://www.freecodecamp.org/news/how-typography-determines-readability-serif-vs-sans-serif-and-how-to-combine-fonts-629a51ad8cce/
Chua, G., & Wheeldon, D. (2014). Architects fight to protect Robin Gibson's iconic brutalist architecture in Brisbane. Architecture Design. https://www.architectureanddesign.com.au/news/architects-push-for-heritage-listing-of-queensland
Cowan, K. (2020). Designer Nick Barry releases NTF Tout, a display font inspired by calculators and Chinese characters. Creative Boom. https://www.creativeboom.com/resources/designer-nick-barry-releases-ntf-tout-a-display-font-inspired-by-chinese-characters/
Design Buildings. (2022). Brutalism. Design Buildings. https://www.designingbuildings.co.uk/wiki/Brutalism
Gerkules, M. (2022). 10 awesome typography trends for 2022. Web Design. https://elementor.com/blog/typography-trends/
Interaction Design Foundation. (2021). Colour theory. Interaction Design Foundation. https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/topics/color-theory
Mika, V. (2020). Principles of design alignment. Designyup. https://www.designyup.com/principles-of-design-alignment/
Pangram. (2022). Gosha Sans. Pangram Foundry. https://pangrampangram.com/products/Gosha-sans
Soegaard, M. (2021). Visual hierarchy: Organizing content to follow natural eye movement patterns. Interaction Design. https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/article/visual-hierarchy-organizing-content-to-follow-natural-eye-movement-patterns
SOSBrutalism. (2022). #SOSBrutalism. SOSBrutalism. https://www.sosbrutalism.org/cms/15802395
Thomas, E. (2022). Experimental type foundry Hey Porter! plays with typefaces like they’re made of “Lego bricks”. It's Nice That. https://www.itsnicethat.com/articles/hey-porter-graphic-design-090222
Ugre, N. (2021). Experimental Typography. Dribbble. https://dribbble.com/shots/15685832-Experimental-Typography
Valenti, M. (2019). The return of Brutalism: From architecture to design. Elle Decor. https://www.elledecor.com/it/best-of/a26307581/brutalist-architecture-design/
