felicity wang

GRAP2199 REFLECTIVE JOURNAL

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Type with Shape Pt 3

We had a lot of people; way more than 26. And everyone was silent for about 2 or 3 minutes, waiting for someone to take on the obviously necessary role of the leader so that someone could tell us what to do.

After the leader stepped up we compiled all the shapes onto one table. We had a lot of shapes and therefore a lot of possibilities that could arise from them. After to-ing and fro-ing we decided to have one person make one letter. The shapes being most accessible to those closest around the table, those closest around the table were allocated to do it. This wasn’t very inclusive, but no-one could come up with a better idea than that. Anyhow, I was thankful to the leader because this way at least the job would get done.

In hindsight we probably should have set up a rule so that the typeface was more cohesive. I think those making the letters brought along with them what they had learnt from the previous activities, which of course were quite different from each other. Many of them didn’t use more than 2 different shapes, which suggests to me that no one really experimented and just stuck with what they already know. Using different shapes for different purposes also results in different sizes and different styles. After it was completed, no one was brave enough to suggest edits or alternatives either, so this was the result.

It’s not bad but it’s not great. I think ideally, we could have assigned different roles for everyone by coming up with important things to do e.g. leading the team; making a rule; making alternatives; choosing the best one out of the alternatives; making adjustments for cohesiveness; delivering shapes to the makers; showing and telling to the rest of the group some techniques we’ve discovered and could include in the final design etc. We could even have made more than one typeface.

Of course, there were many difficulties that arose which made that difficult. Firstly, I think we weren’t prepared and were thrown off guard by the idea of working together in one huge group. Not everyone knew each other well enough if at all and the dynamic was hard to grasp. There was a lot of tension and pressure from the demands of the task I think and amongst such a large group of people most of us lacked the confidence to feel significant and influential. I’m sure everyone had thoughts and ideas running around in their heads but sharing it would have been daunting and the idea of so many people following your idea comes with a large feeling of responsibility for not failing.

Also it was hard to communicate because we saw each others as equals which is good, but we needed someone to give us a push so that things could flow and actually happen.

However, we were still technically successful in completing the task as the brief didn’t specify whether the typeface had to be amazing. Our result was legible, bold and diverse and we had many creative ideas incorporated into it.

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Type with Shape Part 2.

After we had a look at the other groups’ work we were told to collaborate with another group. Naturally, as triangles most of us wanted to work with either the squares or the demi-semi circles.

Unfortunately, the squares and the quarter circles had already united as one group, we had no choice but to combine our orange triangles with their green triangles.

At first I wasn’t particularly excited about this combination. Many of their letters were similar to ours, no surprise, and other than having to colour co-ordinate the only other obvious benefit was that  maybe we could choose the better version of each letter.

However things soon got exciting (for me anyways) when we found out that the triangles were different sizes... meaning there was more contrast to work with between the two colours and our typeface could be more interesting. More contrast meant we could have a bit more hierarchy and draw attention to particular areas of the shape of the type and hence the letter itself.

Before we began we decided that negative space was our approach and that utilising the conveniently bright white of the table would make the most use of our different side-of-the-triangles’ lengths and colours. There were some outliers (i.e. “b” and “d”) but they were cool and effective enough to make the final cut.

Interestingly, I think the rule of using negative space allowed for a similar line of creativity and thinking so that not only did the negative shape thing was consistent, the general ratio of orange small to green large triangles was also quite even throughout the entire typeface. The negative space was also a contrast to both triangles’ previous approaches which was to use the shape itself to be part of the type.

I also think there is a more vertical and horizontal emphasis... a sense of a grid going on because we are able to differentiate various areas of each outcome. The triangles were still unapologetically triangles but they were able to harmonise much better so that the overall look would have more squares and rectangles involved.

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Type with Shape Part 1.

This week we set out to make a typeface with paper shapes. My group was allocated the orange triangles.

Our division of labour was one person per letter. However, in order to have better teamwork and be more creative we grouped ourselves into three and each group needed to create the next three letters after the previous groups.

This method was highly efficient, and a chance for collaboration meant a greater chance of a successful outcome because more brains means more ideas. We were also able to build upon a member’s work to improve and suggest alternatives that wouldn’t arise otherwise.

As can be seen in the image above the triangle is so unapologetically a triangle, and the two acute angles allows it to be very individualistic. Hence, we naturally went for a simplistic approach that allowed the triangle to be itself. Even when we overlapped areas of the shape it only emphasised its triangular quality. The result is a typeface that is quite minimalistic, geometric and dynamic.

As we worked we could see the previous groups’ outcomes. So before submitting our group’s three letters we could reference the previous ones to gain ideas and to remain consistent. This is why most of the letters are built with the shape itself. Only some, such as “k”, “m” and “w” rely on the outline of the shape or the negative space created from the triangle. You can also see connections between letters such as “b” and “e” which were made by different groups but follow the same principle.

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Lo-Fi Exhibition

This week we looked at some of the Ask Me Anything Posters that we had created and curated an exhibition show them off.

We brainstormed on the possible spaces that we could use that would be interesting and unique, such as underneath the tables and on the windows. Then, the idea of the elevator came up and the location of the exhibition was quickly decided.

As a fee we decided to make the viewers walk up two flights of stairs to the next level first, before allowing them to see the exhibition. This journey was guided by a roll of pink tissue paper (I think it was tissue paper) which we had unrolled along the edge of the stairs leading all the way to the front of the elevator. Then the viewers would press the button for the doors to open and step into the exhibition.

Usually, inside an elevator is very plain and metal. The walls and the floor are smooth and hard, and the reflective ability allows for the illusion of a larger space than it is in reality. For our exhibition, however, we sacrificed that virtual space and replaced it with burning questions built from type made of everyday objects. The small and narrow space is outlined with the very tangible and layered posters. In effect, this bombards the viewer with information with an explosion of colour in a very in-you-face manner, as if the questions were demanded to be answered or contemplated about. As a bonus, when you arrived at the level below and exit the exhibition you are welcomed by a large group of paparazzi snapping away with phone cameras.

I personally think it was very successful because the inside of the lift created a very intimate experience and it was almost as if the viewer was momentarily inside someone’s head, experiencing all sorts of curiosity and other emotions which lie behind these questions about design.

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I had a look at what the other groups had done.

The wire pangram cleverly used shadow and I like the way it is framed by the shadow of the window panes too.

The yellow rope/string reminded me of our own initial attempts to do something similar with the cassette tape. The rope flows really nicely creating round and soft outlines. I also like how they used clips rather than tape.

[swongg]

material shapes the letterforms

in this week’s practical we explored pangrams, a sentence using every letter of a given alphabet at least once - often used to display typefaces, test equipment, and develop skills in handwriting, calligraphy, and keyboarding.

our first task was to write a pangram with water, which we soon realised was deceptively simple as we discovered how quickly water evaporates on hot concrete.

we were put to the test against the sun to get all the letters down before they disappeared, resulting in our use of cursive script to save time. along with this, we tried using our shadows and different surfaces to convey the pangram as efficiently as possible.

in our second challenge, we were given a kind of garden wire (used to train stems and branches) to build our pangram. again, this was deceptively simple as we found that the wire was springy and while flexible, refused to stay in shape.

we used tape to fasten the pangram down, working in what resembled a production line with some forming the letters, and others sticking them down.

28.3.17

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I love the idea of having multiple people writing at once.

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The task was to write our pangram with water on a surface somewhere in RMIT. Our first attempt was on a strip of concrete which darkened when painted with water and that contrasted nicely with the dry areas of the surface.

As the location was quite sunny it didn’t take long for the words to evaporate and so we had to capture its temporary existence with our phone cameras.

And when we weren’t fast enough we had to touch up some of the words.

So for the next one, we decided that the documenter would use their bodies to create a shadow for the scribe.

Although the thinner strokes still evaporated fairly quickly, we found the shadow method to be quite effective.

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We experimented writing on a variety of surfaces.

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For the group typeface, we decided to embody all of our creative ideas by allocating three or four letters to each member of the group. Interestingly, some made the type with playdoh whereas others, including me, imprinted them into the substance. Against the white of the table, the former communicates its meaning more immediately than the latter. I wonder why those who chose the tablet method didn’t put all the letters on one tablet. It was also fun to see how the approach for “h” “i” and “j” were based on existing machine compatible typefaces. Meanwhile “a” to “g” had more organic forms that were a result of rolling the medium into shape. “n” to “s” had added textures and embellishments. It’s also funny how, except for my three letters, all the similar types were grouped together with another.

[archaicwonder]

Extremely Rare Neo-Sumerian Palace Messenger Tablet from Iri-Sagrig, Dated 2027 BC

A clay pillow-shaped messenger tablet from an important palace archive of the Sumerian city Iri-Saĝrig, dated to 2027 BC, with cuneiform text on both sides: “1 roasted mutton, 5 sila soup Ur-šu-suen, chancellor’s assistant when he came for the ’secretary’ of Nana’s field; 3 sila soup, 2 fish Laqipum, cup bearer, royal messenger when he went for royal offerings; 1 sila soup, 1 fish Suškin, royal messenger when he came from Der to the king’s place; 1 sila soup, 1 fish Kuganum, royal messenger; /REVERSE/ 1 sila soup, 1 fish Ilianum, royal messenger when they went to Der; 1 sila soup, 1 fish Namhani, royal messenger; 1 sila soup, 1 fish Lu-šulgira, royal messenger when they came to the governor’s place; 2 sila soup, 2 fishŠugatum, royal messenger when he came to capture fugitive soldier-workers, servants of Ninhursag; 1 sila soup, 1 fish Pululu, eguary when he went for the sikum-mules; A disbursement for the month Nigenlila, 19th day.”

This text dates to the second year of King Ibbi-Sin, the last king of the Ur III. The text is particularly rare because almost all of the named messengers are followed by a description their mission: “Suškin, royal messenger when he came from Der to the king’s place.” The tablet records rations of food and drink distributed by the government to royal messengers. According to Prof. David Owen the Iri-Saĝrig archive is probably the archive of the governor whose office was in the local palace. The king and other members of the royal family occasionally traveled to Iri-Saĝrig, perhaps on their way to or from Nippur or other towns. No town in Sumer was visited more often by the king than Iri-Saĝrig. This may explain the presence of so many royal functionaries associated with the town.

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I find it quite fascinating that there are two forms of clay tablets here; the flat rectangle and the breadstick shaped one.

The flat version has a strong sense of a grid based on verticals and horizontals to direct the eye and transmute the message that it holds. The use of wedges, triangles and horizontal lines prevail throughout the tablet which suggests that a straight edged tool was used to make those sharp and angular marks. On one hand those lines seem most likely to be the type in question, although the fact that my eye is drawn more to the negative space is interesting.

The breadstick version reminds me of rolled clay or playdoh, which makes me think that it was made with a lack of tools compared to the flat one which has nicely created right angles and straight sides... or maybe it was easier for the messenger to transport? Either way, the surface is still divided into horizontal strips to carry the message. Seeing the type/symbols isolated on the completely smooth vertical strip reveals that the writing/imprinting tool was very triangular and that the type was designed very beautifully.

[richard-miles-archaeologist-dea]

Ancient Worlds - BBC Two 

Episode 1 “Come Together”

The “Kanesh Tablets”, clay Cuneiform tablets found in the archaeological site of Kültepe, ancient city of Kanesh, Anatolia, Turkey.

Kanesh produced, up to now, 23.500 cuneiform tablets, recorded in the Old Assyrian dialect of the Akkadian language using the cuneiform script, the knowledge of which came into Anatolia with Assyrian merchants in the 2nd millennium BC. The city was a major trading center so the majority of the tablets are of a commercial and legal nature. Personal letters describing the quality of trade goods, family relations, prices, foodstuffs, marriage proposals and other daily affairs have also been found.

The tablets are the earliest written documents which illustrated the ancient Anatolian history. 

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As I experimented I came upon using textures as a means of differentiating the type from its background. The rugged texture of scraped playdoh was more eye-catching than the flat smooth surface of freshly rolled playdoh due to its busy surface. This resulted in an effective outcome when applying the texture to the type. However, when I inverted this idea and applied texture to the background the smooth type tended to blend into the background. This problem was lessened by the defining the edges of the type with deeper imprints.

In conclusion, the scraping type is not only more efficient than scraping the background but also more legible.

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Here I experimented with combining multiple outcomes within one tablet. This allowed me to play around with hierarchy and create more interest and dynamic within each design as different imprints attract and direct the eye differently. Some combinations were more coherent than others and I found that the most legible ones were most similar to modern typefaces and embodied simplicity in their formal qualities, particularly line and texture.

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Next, we simulated the part of history in which people adopted the use of tools in their recording of communication. I used this lino tool to create various textures and forms which then would form my initials in the playdoh.

As the tool had harsher and more defined edges compared to our hands the imprints were more distinct, and also much more consistent. It was also faster and more efficient due to the smaller size which allowed for more negative space and also perhaps because now everyone is used to using tools for everything rather than their bare hands.

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Quantity over quality.

Andy S

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After making the hand symbols, we imprinted them into clay to preserve the communication.

In the first one I experimented with directly imprinting the gesture into the clay, so that whatever came into contact with the clay was imprinted. However, in the second one I focused on imprinting the essence of the gesture, which was the “w” and the “f”. This resulted in a less confusing and cleaner form that clearly communicated the fingers and the forms they were creating.

And lastly, I tried imprinting only the fingertips so that the gesture can easily be reproduced by placing the corresponding fingers into the imprints.

I personally like the last one the most, as it is somewhat exclusive in the way in isn’t obviously a depiction of fingers, but is clearly a result of fingertip prints when one is aware of the hand symbols as a means of communication. In hindsight, I wonder why I didn’t include the palm. Perhaps if I made a larger surface area I could have experimented more with that.

[yungcurri-deactivated20180628]

Animated Typography 

Baked Beans

@trapezium-cat @kyliesuyeon7 @izzymackirdy @norfsidejheri @zoeyhsiao @evan-s-turner @bemily1  

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As there was spare time, we formed groups and decided to create an animation involving type with the playdoh.

As can be seen, our theme was baked beans. With the advantage of many frames, we were able to show the origin of the type as beans and create a context for better understanding of the story. The opaqueness of the can contrasts nicely with the transparent and openness of the bowl and I like how the word baked “loads” as the beans are poured into the bowl as if it was reflecting the process of cooking.