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ART BATTLE!!!

Typographic Goodness

Hey guys I just found a website with a some interesting stuff on type. I will leave the url so you may enjoy people.

http://typographica.org/

question

I know they are making this course required, but i was wondering what everyone hopes to gain out of it. I know personally i just want to understand type, i want it to come easier to me, but i know that comes with practice and time. i also would really like it if as a class we communicated more. i think that maybe this laptop thing has hindered communication at the school. it was already bad because of our self-segregation of the floors, but i think it has gotten worst due to the fact everyone has their own stuff on their laptops. i would just like to hear some thoughts and some opinions (that is including but not limited to rex, brandon, jason, josh, and myself because we seem to be the only ones commenting/posting)

wrath

i really hope somebody posts. theres no way i'm gunna be in the shittiest class that bore the mighty Jason wrath. fuck that. i'm willing to sacrifice dignity and social life for typography. whats up with the rest of you? now i had to go and sound like a total elitist ass kiss jack ass...super. have a great weekend all!

just in case...

you didnt see it the first time



word

Cell Phone Fonts

I was wondering if anyone knows if you can get different type faces for cell phones? I was also wondering if someone knows if certain company's like Verizon or Alltell have one or more certain fonts designated to them? For example Helvetica or Times.

Does Anyone Else Blog?

i.e. on blogger, livejournal, whatever? If so comment with the url i'll subscribe and we can be blog buddies, or floggin bloggers.

Helvetica I Hate Your Face

When it comes to "love it or hate it" one typeface seems to always find itself at the front lines. It's used, its abused, its Helvetica.

If someone would punch someone in the nose over a typeface, Helvetica would probably be the topic of conversation. Well, that or Papyrus. Nevertheless the war has waged for years. So what are the points of attack? Helvetica is corporate scum. It is the most usable, readable typeface. And so on and so on. The game is two fold. Why do you think people hate or love Helvetica? And if you had to grab a sword and jump into the battle yourselves what would your argument be for Helvetica's lack luster or greatness?

S.O.S, HELP, OMG, WTF.

So, thanks to everyone who sent me messages for a quick recovery.  I'm feeling quite a bit better now and am looking forward to class next week.  
I am still having difficulty with this first project.  Maybe someone could give me a call or aim me and we could chat about it.  I think I just need to bounce ideas of someone to get back on track.  Or maybe Jason could get ahold of me this weekend?  My aim is brandonsatterlee@mac.com and my cell is 616.498.0278  thanx guys.  hope to talk to you soon.

Chaaaarrrrlieeeeeee

This has nothing to do with typography, but apparently it haunts Jason's dreams now.

Charlie the Unicorn

My post won't be very long or detailed, I just have a question for my own personal knowlege. I don't know as much as I would like to know about type, specifically examples of interesting type (such as post typography). I just wanted to ask if any of you are aware of good books, websites, magazines, ect. that you find helpful or interesting when it comes to type.

typies blog

Just something I happened upon while wandering the vast expanses of the internet in search of graphic guidance.  Some really good vector instruction if anyone is creating a font.  

TYPIES

Typographic Smorgasbord

Let us bring up a new issue within this blog. It is here that we will discuss the rapid rape of typography in the digital age. Take a look around and see all the wonderful things that are being done with type as well as the mass hoards of random typefaces strewn together forming something similar to what we like to call advertising. I was reading an article that had to do the use of type on the Internet. I believe that Internet advertising is perhaps one of the leading culprits of type misuse. They use typefaces that conflict each other and the message of the piece as well . Ebay is one example of where bad advertising can be found. Surf for a while and you are bound to find some small space with three typefaces. Blogs are also hot spots for advertising with bad typography. Where are the responsible designers? Where are these individuals getting their education. It seems a staggering number of graphic designers are given improper training in typography. Just look at some of the college websites advertising their graphic design programs. Some of them make you want to puke. It seems typography is becoming a lost art. So I now propose some questions. How has the internet effected typography, and what does that mean for the future of typography? Also with the lack of typographic awareness what can we as designers do to better this large problem at hand?
* Article (http://www.graphicarts.org/nalc/articles/type2.htm)
* Crappy art school websites (http://www.arts.usm.edu/), (http://www.finlandia.edu/artdesign.html)

it was just a matter of time
before someone posted a pootube
video so i suppose ill be the first



all this talk about type experimentation
reminded me of a music video i stumbled
upon. i dont like the audio half as much
as the visual, but check it out.

Dude

its far from my time to post for this class, but I'm pretty sure, quoting Jason "we should have a whole type project using the word 'dude.' It'll be great."

Experimental Typography. Whatever That Means.

I've recently been having some trouble wrapping my head around my project. I found myself concerned with to things, how to start and what the end will be. Because of that, I have gotten no where. I've been turning in circles, wandering aimlessly, and over all treading water. I don't know if anyone else has been having the same problems (I am currently working on project 1)? I stumbled upon this article at Typotheque, and it reminded me that I wasn't asking the wrong questions, just asking them wrong. Perhaps instead of asking "where the hell do I start" I should ask myself, "What is the start, what am I trying to do". And instead of asking "What do I make/what is the result of where I beging" just ask, "How do i get there?" I think I was looking at experimentation in entirely the wrong way. So, I read this and it cleared up a lot of things for me. Hope it helps anyone else having the same problem.

"Experimental typography. Whatever that means.

by Peter Biľak

Very few terms have been used so habitually and carelessly as the word ‘experiment’. In the field of graphic design and typography, experiment as a noun has been used to signify anything new, unconventional, defying easy categorization, or confounding expectations. As a verb, ‘to experiment’ is often synonymous with the design process itself, which may not exactly be helpful, considering that all design is a result of the design process. The term experiment can also have the connotation of an implicit disclaimer; it suggests not taking responsibility for the result. When students are asked what they intend by creating certain forms, they often say, ‘It’s just an experiment…’, when they don’t have a better response.
In a scientific context, an experiment is a test of an idea; a set of actions performed to prove or disprove a hypothesis. Experimentation in this sense is an empirical approach to knowledge that lays a foundation upon which others can build. It requires all measurements to be made objectively under controlled conditions, which allows the procedure to be repeated by others, thus proving that a phenomenon occurs after a certain action, and that the phenomenon does not occur in the absence of the action.
An example of a famous scientific experiment would be Galileo Galilei’s dropping of two objects of different weights from the Pisa tower to demonstrate that both would land at the same time, proving his hypothesis about gravity. In this sense, a typographic experiment might be a procedure to determine whether humidity affects the transfer of ink onto a sheet of paper, and if it does, how.
A scientific approach to experimentation, however, seems to be valid only in a situation where empirical knowledge is applicable, or in a situation where the outcome of the experiment can be reliably measured. What happens however when the outcome is ambiguous, non-objective, not based on pure reason? In the recent book The Typographic Experiment: Radical Innovation in Contemporary Type Design, the author Teal Triggs asked thirty-seven internationally-recognized designers to define their understandings of the term experiment.
As expected, the published definitions couldn’t have been more disparate. They are marked by personal belief systems and biased by the experiences of the designers. While Hamish Muir of 8vo writes: ‘Every type job is experiment’, Melle Hammer insists that: ‘Experimental typography does not exist, nor ever has’. So how is it possible that there are such diverse understandings of a term that is so commonly used?
Among the designers’ various interpretations, two notions of experimentation were dominant. The first one was formulated by the American designer David Carson: ‘Experimental is something I haven’t tried before … something that hasn’t been seen and heard’. (fig. 1) Carson and several other designers suggest that the nature of experiment lies in the formal novelty of the result. There are many precedents for this opinion, but in an era when information travels faster than ever before and when we have achieved unprecedented archival of information, it becomes significantly more difficult to claim a complete novelty of forms. While over ninety years ago Kurt Schwitters proclaimed that to ‘do it in a way that no one has done it before’ was sufficient for the definition of the new typography of his day — and his work was an appropriate example of such an approach (fig. 2) — today things are different. Designers are more aware of the body of work and the discourse accompanying it. Proclaiming novelty today can seem like historical ignorance on a designer’s part.
Interestingly, Carson’s statement also suggests that the essence of experimentation is in going against the prevailing patterns, rather than being guided by conventions. This is directly opposed to the scientific usage of the word, where an experiment is designed to add to the accumulation of knowledge; in design, where results are measured subjectively, there is a tendency to go against the generally accepted base of knowledge. In science a single person can make valuable experiments, but a design experiment that is rooted in anti-conventionalism can only exist against the background of other — conventional — solutions. In this sense, it would be impossible to experiment if one were the only designer on earth, because there would be no standard for the experiment. Anti-conventionalism requires going against prevailing styles, which is perceived as conventional. If more designers joined forces and worked in a similar fashion, the scale would change, and the former convention would become anti-conventional. The fate of such experimentation is a permanent confrontation with the mainstream; a circular, cyclical race, where it is not certain who is chasing whom.
Does type design and typography allow an experimental approach at all? The alphabet is by its very nature dependent on and defined by conventions. Type design that is not bound by convention is like a private language: both lack the ability to communicate. Yet it is precisely the constraints of the alphabet which inspire many designers. A recent example is the work of Thomas Huot-Marchand, a French postgraduate student of type-design who investigates the limits of legibility while physically reducing the basic forms of the alphabet. Minuscule is his project of size-specific typography (fig. 3). While the letters for regular reading sizes are very close to conventional book typefaces, each step down in size results in simplification of the letter-shapes. In the extremely small sizes (2pt) Miniscule becomes an abstract reduction of the alphabet, free of all the details and optical corrections which are usual for fonts designed for text reading. Huot-Marchand’s project builds upon the work of French ophthalmologist Louis Emile Javal, (fig. 4) who published similar research at the beginning of the 20th century. The practical contribution of both projects is limited, since the reading process is still guided by the physical limitations of the human eye, however, Huot-Marchand and Javal both investigate the constraints of legibility within which typography functions.
The second dominant notion of experiment in The Typographic Experiment was formulated by Michael Worthington, a British designer and educator based in the USA (fig. 5): ‘True experimentation means to take risks.’ If taken literally, such a statement is of little value: immediately we would ask what is at stake and what typographers are really risking. Worthington, however, is referring to the risk involved with not knowing the exact outcome of the experiment in which the designers are engaged.
A similar definition is offered by the E.A.T. (Experiment And Typography) exhibition presenting 35 type designers and typographers from the Czech Republic and Slovakia, which coincidentally will arrive in the Netherlands shortly (fig. 6). Alan Záruba and Johanna Balušíková, the curators of E.A.T. put their focus on development and process when describing the concept of the exhibition: ‘The show focuses on projects which document the development of designers’ ideas. Attention is paid to the process of creating innovative solutions in the field of type design and typography, often engaging experimental processes as a means to approach unknown territory.’
An experiment in this sense has no preconceived idea of the outcome; it only sets out to determine a cause-and-effect relationship. As such, experimentation is a method of working which is contrary to production-oriented design, where the aim of the process is not to create something new, but to achieve an already known, pre-formulated result.
Belgian designer Brecht Cuppens has created Sprawl, an experimental typeface based on cartography, which takes into account the density of population in Belgium. In Sprawl, the silhouette of each letter is identical, so that when typed they lock into each other. The filling of the letters however varies according to the frequency of use of the letter in the Dutch language. The most frequently used letter (e) represents the highest density of population. The most infrequently used letter (q) corresponds to the lowest density. Setting a sample text creates a Cuppens representation of the Belgian landscape (fig. 7).
Another example of experiment as a process of creation without anticipation of the fixed result is an online project . Ortho-type Trio of authors, Enrico Bravi, Mikkel Crone Koser, and Paolo Palma, describe ortho-type as ‘an exercise in perception, a stimulus for the mind and the eye to pick out and process three-dimensional planes on a flat surface…’. Ortho-type is an online application of a typeface designed to be recognizable in three dimensions. In each view, the viewer can set any of the available variables: length, breadth, depth, thickness, colour and rotation, and generate multiple variations of the model. The user can also generate those variations as a traditional 2D PostScript font.
Although this kind of experimental process has no commercial application, its results may feed other experiments and be adapted to commercial activities. Once assimilated, the product is no longer experimental. David Carson may have started his formal experiments out of curiosity, but now similar formal solutions have been adapted by commercial giants such as Nike, Pepsi, or Sony.
Following this line, we can go further to suggest that no completed project can be seriously considered experimental. It is experimental only in the process of its creation. When completed it only becomes part of the body of work which it was meant to challenge. As soon as the experiment achieves its final form it can be named, categorized and analyzed according to any conventional system of classification and referencing.
An experimental technique which is frequently used is to bring together various working methods which are recognized separately but rarely combined. For example, language is studied systematically by linguists, who are chiefly interested in spoken languages and in the problems of analyzing them as they operate at a given point in time. Linguists rarely, however, venture into the visible representation of language, because they consider it artificial and thus secondary to spoken language. Typographers on the other hand are concerned with the appearance of type in print and other reproduction technologies; they often have substantial knowledge of composition, color theories, proportions, paper, etc., yet often lack knowledge of the language which they represent.
These contrasting interests are brought together in the work of Pierre di Sciullo, a French designer who pursues his typographic research in a wide variety of media.
His typeface Sintétik reduces the letters of the French alphabet to the core phonemes (sounds which distinguish one word from another) and compresses it to xx characters. Di Sciullo stresses the economic aspect of such a system, with an average book being reduced by about 30% percent when multiple spellings of the same sound are made redundant. For example, the French words for skin (peaux) and pot (pot) are both reduced to the simplest representation of their pronunciation — po. (fig. 8) Words set in Sintétik can be understood only when read aloud returning the reader to the medieval experience of oral reading.
Quantange is another font specific to the French language. It is basically a phonetic alphabet which visually suggests the pronunciation, rhythm and pace of reading. Every letter in Quantange has as many different shapes as there are ways of pronouncing it: the letter c for example has two forms because it can be pronounced as s or k. Di Sciullo suggests that Quantange would be particularly useful to foreign students of French or to actors and presenters who need to articulate the inflectional aspect of language not indicated by traditional scripts. This project builds on experiments of early avant-garde designers, the work of the Bauhaus, Kurt Schwitters, and Jan Tschichold.
Di Sciullo took inspiration from the reading process, when he designed a typeface for setting the horizontal palindromes of Georges Perec (Perec has written the longest palindrome on record, a poem of 1388 words which can be read both ways, see http://graner.net/nicolas/salocin/ten.renarg//:ptth). The typeface is a combination of lower and upper case and is designed to be read from both sides, left and right. (This is great news to every Bob, Hannah or Eve.) Di Sciullo’s typefaces are very playful and their practical aspects are limited, yet like the other presented examples of experiments in typography, his works points to previously unexplored areas of interest which enlarge our understanding of the field.
Although most of the examples shown here are marked by the recent shift of interest of European graphic design from forms to ideas, and the best examples combine both, there is no definitive explanation of what constitutes an experiment in typography. As the profession develops and more people practice this subtle art, we continually redefine the purpose of experimentation and become aware of its moving boundaries."

Vacancy in the Vain Brain

A Response to: http://www.designobserver.com/archives/027882.html#more

I've noticed something about my fellow students at Kendall, whether we are at the school until close, discussing projects over a cigarette, or merely chatting about design websites on aim. We take design very seriously. So do our professors. Yet they not only urge us to take the aesthetic seriously they insist on the growth of our ever expanding spongy undergraduate brains; be alert and observant to the world in which we live, and others for that matter. Good design is good, but smart design is better. Right?

Now perhaps we haven't been in the graphic design industry long enough to shake our fists in the air demanding respect from the heavens and so forth. Nevertheless I do find my face going red with the furry of a Viking in the heat of battle when someone asks: "Dur, graphic design? So like, you make stuff looks good?" Or at least that's what it sounds like when it makes it past my ears and into my brain. We find this sort of attitude toward our profession not only frustrating, but down right infuriating. These feelings are warranted, but they also provide a dangerous opportunity: the trap of complacency.

Yes, for me there is a pride in being a graphic designer. It seems it is a lifestyle choice more often than a profession. It is rewarding and has a hint of glamor. But it's easy to get wrapped up in our little microcosm of a world. Rex's blog had mentioned in his blog certain issues revolving around trend. Trend is a strange area for designers. We are also not only ahead of the curve when it comes to trend but in many cases the creators of them. We like everything before it is cool, and when its available and acceptable to the general public we toss it out like a dime store hooker. There is a song by a band called Say Anything that comes to mind "Despite your pseudo-bohemian appearance and vaguely leftist doctrine of beliefs, you know nothing ABOUT art or sex that you couldn't read in any trendy new york underground fashion magazine...Proto-typical non-conformist. You are a vacuous soldier of the thrift store gastapo."

It's a difficult crossroad. Jason and I were discussing the celebration of ignorance in today's culture. Where as 100 years ago the wealthy spent their leisure educating themselves and reading all the time, we have Paris Hilton. She goes to parties. Now in a culture that seemingly adores the abolition of the intellectual, should we not be concerned? At the same time, in order to be taken seriously maybe we should take ourselves a little less seriously.

Like I said before, I feel fortunate to say that I don't see much of that at our school. Mostly I just see a passion for our craft, and an eagerness for information. We take design seriously, in what we do, and what were doing it for. Thats a good thing i think. And as a side note i personally think that design should be smart and sexified. i.e. Ms. South Carolina would have been much more attractive if she would have talked about the design of maps and information systems to better educate our youth, or "U.S. Americans."

student community

if youre looking for a place online to post your
artwork, get critique and look up other student
artists a decent online community is 5oup.net
it has a nice user interface, and it seems like the kids
with profiles are pretty serious about what they are
doing. more-so than jokers you will find on flickr
and deviant art. ive got a profile on there as well
pretty easy to start and you can upload as many
samples of your work as you want. cool beans.

-josh finck

Distressed type certainly has its time and place. It could possibly gain more respect if it were used correctly and given the appropriate type treatment. Im not fully against it, but I am still waiting for someone to really impress me. Maybe it is just a passing trend.