TYPOGRAPHIC COMPOSITION & EDITORIAL DESIGN
DVB201 | TYPOGRAPHIC DESIGN | ASSESSMENT 2
For the second assignment of Typographic Design, I was tasked to design and create a zine that focused on the history and the development of a typeface of choice. I selected Courier, as it is an iconic symbol within design, and I knew that there were multiple creative styles that I could have chosen to enhance and work with the typeface. This project also gave me an opportunity to gain insight and learn about the font, as well as to express my creative opinion on it. Utilising zine as media to present this topic was quite an effective way as it creatively expresses our thoughts, ideas, and experiences in a unique and personalised method. The assignment additionally provided me with an opportunity to demonstrate my knowledge of font selection, composition, and design principles within an engaging format.
ZINE RESEARCH
Sub by Zeynep Yeşilmaden
This experimental zine contains dynamic visuals which expand beyond the conventional borders of design composition. Each page contains a new and engaging spread, yet the motif of the personalised and eccentric style allows the zine to maintain its aesthetic. I was also inspired by the designer’s use of bold colours and the handwritten style of imagery and text. These elements alone create a sense of personality and convey undertones of the zine’s political message.
Leave Your Mark by Yun Xuan
This zine aims to document the abstract connection between a typewriter the designer’s life. It is another successful example of utilising contrasting colours to create an engaging piece. I admired the addition of ink textures to portray a personalised and old-fashioned style, and it speaks to the context of the zine. The designer also manipulates the text to create illustrations as well as using the principle of layering which reflects the stamp-like print of a typewriter.
Type Scans Zine — Vol. 2 Matt Serif
I like how this zine’s contents are minimalistic to place attention to the text that varies between pages and furthermore creating ease in depicting a clear message. I was inspired by the imperfections through the distortions, and they have been manipulated and positioned in such a way that it still demonstrates a sense of editorial composition.
VISUAL RESEARCH
For the basis of my concept, I was heavily inspired by the visual nuances that are commonly seen within classified government documents. I knew that I would have the ability to experiment with this style, and I wanted to play around with how I could present the zine through the visuals and information. Examples of common motifs that I mimicked, included redacted text, handwritten notes and symbols, stamps, and textures. The use of colour in my zine is fitting to these visual examples and the palette replicates the typical appearance of old documents. The black and off-white tones present a sense of uniformity and conformity, with the addition of red to symbolise authority and secrecy in juxtaposition with these tones.
LAYOUT
The thumbnails above illustrate the initial page structure and layout of my zine. Some elements were altered for the final arrangement as I recognised that some of their’ placements were not cohesive with each otherdidn’t look visually engaging. I recognised that some of their’ placements were not cohesive with each otherdidn’t look visually engaging. I did not to include the additional textures and features within these drawings as I wanted to experiment and iterate with their placement on the pages after creating and scanning them.
VISUAL EXPERIMENTATION
My initial experimentation began with carving out from foam sheet and lino to stamp onto different types of paper. Both of these methods were time consuming, especially the lino, in order to precisely mimic the details of the strokes. Although I did like that the silhouettes were imperfect and gave a grunge and withered feel to them, these methods would not have been effective to carve out on a small scale.
Using a variety of mediums including block ink, acrylic paint, and sharpie, I conducted visual experiments which I scanned and utilised as the graphics and background textures within my zine. Techniques included using a rubber brayer in different directions and amounts of force, stamping my fingers as well as paperclips, stencil printing, and simple pen work.
FINAL ZINE
REFLECTION AND CONSIDERATIONS
Inspired by old US state government documents, the inclusion of redacted graphics and withered textures were beneficial to the visual quality of the zine. As well as contributing to the zine’s personality, it allowed for the layout to appear less spacious. I experimented using a variety of principles including scale, space, proximity, repetition, and balance in order to achieve an appealing resolved work. This strategically “disorganised” style also aims to act conflicting to the systematic connotations associated with Courier.
Although further iterations of grids could have been explored to create more overall cohesion, it is purposeful. There is less experimentation and variance in regards to the layout of the pages to reflect the conformist characteristics often associated with the typeface and its contextual applications. To further achieve a sense of uniformity, I found it challenging utilising one primary typeface (with minor exclusions of the Arial font for certain elements. This meant that within the type, a clear structure and management of hierarchy was necessary to create an engaging project. The treatments of weight, colour, size and orientation additionally contributed to this quality.
Apart from a couple pages where i used a three-column grid, the typographical layout includes a four column grid which creates a symmetrical and clean hierachy. However, a number of pages only include bodycopies which expand to the margins, thus the columns were not necessarily required. Although the addition of the redacted lines throughout the pages were included as a visual enhancement, I strategically positioned and scaled the sizes of them so that the bodycopy could appear longer and be aligned with other elements. In terms of alignment, I chose to have all of bodycopy left-aligned as this alignment conforms to the left-to-right reading habit of Western languages, which is formally presented within government documents.
MOCKUPS
REFERENCES
Koevoets, S. (2023). Superside. https://www.superside.com/blog/typography-trends
Lin, M. (2019). Between the Lines: The Story of Courier. Medium. https://medium.com/@plin14/between-the-lines-the-story-of-courier-760e5311cf6d
Messenger, R (2011). The Wonderful World of Typewriters. ozTypewriter. https://oztypewriter.blogspot.com/2011/03/courier-font-and-typewriter.html
Prepressure. (2010). Courier. Prepressure. https://www.prepressure.com/fonts/interesting/courier
Serif, M. (2019). Type Scans Zine - Vol. 2. Behance. https://www.behance.net/gallery/81056573/Type-Scans-Zine-Vol-2
Xuan, Y (2021). Leave Your Mark. Behance. https://www.behance.net/gallery/120631513/Leave-Your-Mark
Vanderbuilt, T. (2004). Courier, Dispatched. Slate. https://slate.com/human-interest/2004/02/goodbye-to-the-courier-font.html
Yeşilmaden, Z (2023). SUB - Experimental Zine + Poster Design Project. Behance. https://www.behance.net/gallery/163610661/SUB-Experimental-Zine-Poster-Design-Project
Link to my pinterest board of visual resarch: https://www.pinterest.com.au/ellymarschke/typography/
Link to zine mockups: https://unblast.com/download/19786/
