Typography - TASK 1: EXERCISES

TYPOGRAPHY - TASK 1: EXERCISES

23.9.2025 - 

week1 - week14

HIYORI HYAKUICHI / 0373128

Typography / Bachelor of Design (Honours) in Creative Media

Taylor's University

---

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1.  LECTURES
2. INSTRUCTIONS
3. PROCESS WORK
4. FEEDBACK
5. REFLECTION
6.  FURTHER READING

---

1. LECTURE

Lecture 1: Introduction 

 

1. What is Typography?

Typography is the art and technique of arranging text in a way that makes it legible, readable, and visually appealing.

2.  The Evolution of Typography

Typography has evolved over a long history of 500 years. It has developed from its origins in calligraphy, to lettering, and finally to modern typography.

3. Terminology

Font: Font refers to an individual style or weight within a typeface (e.g., Georgia Regular, Georgia Italic, Georgia Bold).

Typeface: A typeface refers to the entire family of fonts/weights that share the same characteristics and styles (e.g., Georgia, Arial, Times New Roman, Didot, Futura).

Lecture 2: Typo_1_development

・Development / Timeline

1. Early letter form development : Phoenician to Roman

　 ・Writing means carving into wet clay with a sharpened stick or engraving into stone with a chisel.

・For nearly 2000 years, only uppercase letters existed, and they are thought to have originated from the tools and materials used. The shapes of uppercase letters are simple structures made up of combinations of straight lines and parts of circles, which were inevitably formed by those tools and materials.

Fig 1.1

・A style of writing called [boustrophedon] developed, in which lines of text were read alternately from right to left and then from left to right. However, later the Greeks, like the Phoenicians, did not use spaces between letters or punctuation, and eventually shifted to a strict left-to-right writing system.

Fig 1.2

2. Hand script from 3rd-10th century C.E.

Fig 1.3

1450: Blackletter - The earliest form of printing type was based on handwritten styles used for books in Northern Europe. (e.g., Cloister Black and Goudy Text.)

1475: Oldstyle - This style was based on the lowercase forms used by Italian humanist scholars for book copying, combined with the uppercase letterforms found inscribed on Roman ruins. (e.g., Bembo, Caslon, Dante, Garamond, Janson, and Palatino.)

1500: Italic - The earliest italic typefaces, which reflected the cursive handwriting styles of Renaissance Italy, were condensed and tightly spaced, enabling a greater number of words to be placed on each page.

1550: Script - This category of typefaces was originally developed to replicate engraved calligraphic forms; however, it is generally considered unsuitable for extended passages of text. (e.g.,  Kuenstler Script ・ Mistral ・ Snell Roundhand)

1750: Transitional - This style represents a refinement of the Oldstyle typefaces, achieved largely due to advancements in type casting and printing techniques.　(e.g.,  Baskerville ・ Bulmer ・ Century ・ Times Roman)

1775: Modern - This style can be seen as a further rationalization and refinement of the Oldstyle typefaces.

 (e.g., Bell ・ Bodoni ・ Caledonia ・ Didot ・ Walbaum)

1825: Square Serif/ Slab Serif -  This style was originally characterized by serif typefaces with pronounced brackets (curved connections) and minimal contrast between thick and thin strokes. 

(e.g., Clarendon ・ Memphis ・ Rockwell ・ Serifa)

1900: Sans Serif - The typeface was originally introduced by William Caslon IV in 1816, marking the beginning of this style’s development. (e.g.,  Akzidenz Grotesk ・ Grotesk ・ Gill Sans ・ Franklin Gothic ・ Frutiger ・ Futura ・ Helvetica ・ Meta ・ News Gothic ・ Optima ・ Syntax ・ Trade Gothic ・ Univers)

1990: Serif/ Sans Serif -  This relatively recent development broadened the notion of the typeface family by unifying serif and sans serif alphabets—often including transitional stages between the two—into a single family. (e.g.,  Rotis ・ Scala ・ Stone)

Fig 1.4

Lecture 3 : Typo_03_Text_Part1 

1. Typography: Text / Tracking : Kerning and Letterspacing

　・ Kerning: The automatic adjustment of space between letters.

　・ Letterspacing: Manually adding space between letters.

　・ Tracking: The process of adding or reducing space between letters.

Fig 2.1

Uppercase letters: Designed to stand on their own.

Lowercase letters: Designed to maintain the flow of reading (line connection) through the spaces created between adjacent letters.

Letterspacing lowercase letters within text: There has long been strong resistance to this practice within the typography community.

2. Typography: Text / Formatting Text

Fig2.2

Designers must pay great attention to the arrangement of type, as the primary purpose of typography is to clearly and appropriately convey the message.

3. Typography : Text / Texture

Also, choosing the typeface that best matches the message you want to convey at that moment greatly influences the work. (For example: impression, feel, brightness, and atmosphere.)

Fig 2.3

4. Typography : Text / Leading and Line Length

Type size: Large enough to be read comfortably at arm’s length.

Leading (line spacing): Should not be too tight, so the reader does not lose track of which line they are reading.

Line length: For short lines → use less leading.

                       For long lines → use more leading.

  

Fig 2.4

5. Typography : Text / Type Specimen Book

Type Specimen Book: A book that shows samples of typefaces in various sizes.

Fig 2.5

Lecture4: Typo_4_Text_Part 2

Generally, the width of an indentation is the same as the font size or the line spacing.

　

Fig 3.1

Major mistakes:

・ Widow: A short line that is left alone at the end of a paragraph or column.

・ Orphan: A short line that is left alone at the beginning of a new column or page, separated from the rest of its paragraph.

Lecture 5: Typo_2_Basic

Typography: Basic/ Describing letterforms

Baseline :  The imaginary line the visual base of the letterforms. 

Median :  The imaginary line defining the x-height of letterforms.  

X-height :  The height in any typeface of the lowercase ‘x’.

Fig 4.1

Stroke : Any line that defines the basic letterform

Apex/ Vertex : The point created by joining two diagonal stems (apex above and vertex below)

Arm : Short strokes off the stem of the letterform, either horizontal or(E, F,L) or inclined upward(K,Y).

Ascender : The portion of the stem of a lowercase letterform that projects above the median.

Bard : The half-self finish on some curved stroke.

Bowl : The rounded form that describes a counter. The bowl may be either open or closed.

Bracket : The transition between the serif and the stem.

Cross Bar : The horizontal stroke in a letterform that joins two stems together.

Cross Stroke : The horizontal stroke in a letterform that joins two stems together.

Crotch : The interior space where two strokes meet.

Ear : The stroke extending out from the main stem or body of the letterform.

Em/ en : Originally referring to the width of an uppercase M, and em is now the distance 

equal to the size of the typeface (an em is 48 points, for example). An en is half the size of an em. Most often used to describe em/en spaces and em/en dashes.

Final : The rounded non-serif terminal to a stroke.

Leg : Short stroke off the stem of the letterform, either at the bottom of the stroke (L) or inclined downward (K, R).

Ligature : The character formed by the combination of two or more letterforms.

Link : The stroke that connects the bowl and the loop of a lowercase G.

Loop : In some typefaces, the bowl created in the descender of the lowercase G.

Serif : The right-angled or oblique foot at the end of the stroke.

Shoulder : The curved stroke that is not part of a bowl.

Spine : The curved stem of the S.

Spur : The extension the articulates the junction of the curved and rectilinear stroke.

Stem : The significant vertical to oblique stroke.

Stress : The orientation of the letterform, indicated by the thin stroke in round forms.

Swash : The flourish that extends the stroke of the letterform.

Tall : The curved diagonal stroke at the finish of certain letterforms.

Terminal : The self-contained finish of a stroke without a serif. 

This is something of a catch-all term. Terminals may be flat (’T’ above), flared, acute, (’t’ above), grave, concave, convex, or rounded as a ball or a teardrop (see finial).

Fig 4.2

Fig 4.3

Fig 4.4

Typography: Basic/ The font

Uppercase : Capital letters, including certain accented vowels, the c cedilla and n tilde, and the a/e and o/e ligatures.

Lowercase : Lowercase letters include the same characters as uppercase.

Fig 4.5

Small Capitals : Uppercase letterforms draw to the x-height of the typeface.Small Caps are primarily found in serif fonts as part of what is often called expert set.

Most type software includes a style command that generates a small cap based on uppercase forms. Do not confuse real small caps with those artificially generated.

Fig 4.6

Uppercase Numerals / Lowercase Numerals

Fig 4.7

Fig 4.8

Typography: Basic/ Describing typefaces

Fig 4.9

---

2. INSTRUCTIONS

---

3. PROCESS WORK

Final Type Expressions

Fig 5.1

FADE:
I designed it with the idea of fade-in and fade-out. I also used perspective to make the concept easier to visualize.

DROP:
I recreated the state of the “O” falling while being suspended from above.
By adding a shadow as the “O” drops, I was able to express the falling motion more clearly.

MELT:
I used a wavy expression to represent bending or melting. By creating a curved design, I made it resemble something melting from heat.

CUT:
I designed it to look as if it were cut with scissors or a knife. By slightly shifting the cut pieces, I made it look more realistic.

Other fonts (practice and others)

Fig 5.2

Fig 5.3

Animation

Fig 5.4

Drop animation: GIF

 

                                                     Fig 5.5

I recreated the moment when the “O” falls from top to bottom. To make it clear that it is falling, I slightly stretched the font of the falling “O” and added a shadow-like effect.

Task 2: Exercise 2 - Text Formatting

Fig 6.1

 

 Text Formatting

Fig 6.2.3

Text Formatting layout

Fig 6.4.5

FINAL DESIGN

Fig 6.6.7  Task1_Text Formatting

I created it while considering the balance of empty space and the spacing created by the margins and font size.

HEAD
- Font/s: Janson Text LT Std - Bold

- Type Size/s: 32H

- Leading: 56H

- Paragraph spacing: 0mm

 

BODY
- Font/s: Univers LT Std - Roman

- Type Size/s: 12

- Leading: 15H

- Paragraph spacing: 3mm

- Characters per-line: 55-60

- Alignment: Left

 

Page Margins

- top + left + right + bottom: 12.7mm

- Columns: 4

- Gutter: 5mm

---

4. FEEDBACK

week1

 At the beginning, the lecturer explained the module and its rules, and then gave us an assignment to create a total of 100 designs using four words, as well as to prepare 

an e-portfolio.

Feedback: 

It is important to have a clear understanding of the rules and the lessons.

week2

 Completed 100 design variations and converted the designed letters from analog to digital format.

Feedback:

Express the design in a way that matches the character of the letters.

week3

I had my draft fonts checked and selected the better ones based on the feedback.

Feedback:

Make the letter cuts more drastic, and ensure the distortions are smoother.

Week 4
Create a text format by selecting from the 10 chosen fonts.

Feedback:
I was advised to check the font size, overall balance, and whether it looks too ordinary.

Week 5
Select from the 10 fonts and create Text Format 2 (prototype).

Feedback:
I received approval for the Task 1 text format.
For Task 2, I was instructed to make both pages more balanced.

---

5. REFLECTION

In the Task 1 and Task 2 classes, I learned about the history and techniques of typography, which have evolved over a long period of time. From letterforms and carving methods to the many types, layouts, balance, width, and height, I realized that most of the things we casually use and see in our daily lives are created through typography. Through the assignments, I also learned the purpose and meaning of typography.

In the Type Expressions task, I selected four words (FADE, DROP, MELT, CUT) to express the meaning of the letters and created a total of 100 letter designs. These were eventually narrowed down to one design for each word. Through this process, I learned how to communicate clearly to the viewer what I want to express and what the letters represent. In addition, by choosing one design from the four and animating it, the meaning became even clearer and easier to understand.

Next was Text Format. In this section, I learned how different layouts affect balance and readability. By carefully adjusting the baseline and detailed settings, and by aligning the arrangement, spacing between letters, and vertical spacing, I was able to create a layout that is clear and easy to read.

---

6. FURTHER READING

This content covers the basics of typography, including its history, the structure of type, grids, and layout.

The key point is that typography is not merely about “making letters look beautiful” but is a design practice meant to communicate information effectively. Furthermore, page balance, visual hierarchy, line spacing, letter spacing, and paragraph structure all significantly affect readability. In typography, it is crucial to convey information clearly and understandably to the reader.

Additionally, by engaging in practical exercises and analysis, one can learn how the design actually appears, gaining a third-person perspective and broadening their understanding objectively.