Type: Written words

From the beginning, I originally was working with the question, ‘ how can a pre-existing typeface be manipulated to fit into a specified grid?’ I began with using book fonts because I felt like the fonts (Helvetica and Bodoni) would give me a better understanding of the characters between thick and thin lines, and serifs and sans serifs. I decided to start off with the traditional grid and work towards the complex, which made me realized I need to have a rule of how I would fill in the shapes. The rule was if the letter form was contained within the shape, it would get filled.

Through this beginning stage, I figured to have seven steps to see the progression from geometric to more organic forms, which is something I learned about with the more complex the grid the more the letter form would become more organic or still contain the original attributes with small changes.

Continuing, I decided to work with display fonts to see if there would be a difference with clarity. I also wanted to see if it was also true with the size of the font. This would answer the possibly if the letter form becomes abstracted.

This experiment confirmed the likeness from before, which I learned the forms change by the size and become more clear to where the smaller forms became illegible. On the other hand Cooper Black was the only font that pushed the legibility in each grid, which was learning experience with its thick form.

I tried some experiments with color overlays to represent the levels of different grids and how the typefaces reacted, but I personally think it didn’t go well. I also determined that cooper black would be the best to carry out the rest of my experiment and revise my question to, ‘ how can a pre-existing typeface be manipulated to fit into a specified grid and make the manipulation into something new?’

What I learn from putting the manipulated typeface into a grid was no matter what I tried it only was clear in the simple grids compared to the complex.

It was at this put in which discovery that cooper black was a great decision to go forth in because by putting it into a new grid it got a new personality in a triangular grid, which manipulated the font into a Gothic black lettering. This is when I decided that I would work with the grid and break my rule a bit, so I can get the letter forms of the manipulated font to look like it was a family.

In the process of making a typeface family I learned that there are many ways of creating a letter form and it comes down to the similarities as a whole. This process took a lot deciding on what could work, but finding out there were many ways to get to this point was a new experience.

I feel over all that legibility was key in my project, which tended to get broken by each step I experience. I also feel that I learn quite a bit on separation (where the type could work by itself) and fragmentation (where the initial forms got disrupted) on how the typography plays as a whole. Through this I feel I have a better understanding that type can be manipulated in so many ways, either by hand and by using a grid. I still want to explore.