Letter History Series

What's new with Q?

Letter History Poster Series | Typography

Project Statement

This project highlights the history of the letter Q from its origin to its current use in the English alphabet in a series of three 10" × 10" posters. Each poster’s design focuses on a different visual hierarchy: symbol, headline, and body copy. An Internet search forms the research process, educating the designer about Q’s beginnings and the journey to its current place among the 26 letters. This information builds a paragraph that questions Q’s origin and usage. Question marks are a central motif of each design, representing this questioning. What’s new with Q? Not much. The minimal changes in the Q’s design reflect its stability and wish not to be forgotten, and its gradually slanting tail informs the angled elements in the poster series. The paragraph culminates in Q’s pairing with the letter U, never fearing loneliness again.

The headline and symbol utilize Marion, a transitional typeface with serifs that contrast the body copy’s use of a sans serif typeface. The Marion Q styles its tail as a slant that does not protrude through the body, illustrating the Q’s complete change in shape throughout time. The geometric sans serif Avenir Book complements Marion with its large x-height and wider counters without being too difficult to read. The geometric style adds a hint of minimalism to the design, which ties in with the monochromatic color palette.

Representing stability, the patient color blue depicts Q’s relatively unchanging letter form, sound, and place in the alphabet throughout history. The ancient letter has stood the test of time, and blue portrays this reliability. The monochromatic color scheme does not distract with varying colors, allowing the design and its concept to shine through, so the audience remembers the letter Q and its history.

Process

(left to right) research notes about the history for the letter Q from various Internet sources; pre-writing for body copy paragraph, including a list of words that start with the letter Q, some ideas for the direction of my paragraph, and a headline brainstorm; screenshot of Word document with more headline brainstorming and an official outline for my paragraph

(left to right) symbol prominence thumbnails; headline prominence thumbnails, body copy prominence thumbnails

(left to right) Pinterest board used for inspiration in Q stylization, design layout, and design concept; different versions of styling the Q to look like a question mark and using the question mark as the tail of the Q

(left to right) the headline prominence design features a manipulated text box that harkens back to the slanting of the Q's tail; the body copy prominence design features the body copy written on the outside path of the Marion question mark

Versioning