31188a – Progress Challenge 04

By Colleen Sedgwick

ENewsletter reflection

Required

Write a 200-word reflection on how your research and experimentation informed your work in challenges 1-3, regarding choice of typography and layout for a design.

Include critical analysis of how you used the fundamental elements and principles of design.

NOTE: You will be able to integrate feedback from discussions and self-check submission, for integration into Assessment 3, Part C.

Answer

Concerning experimentation, I saw how the layout of the tiles in my bathroom resembled particular letters – a, x and g for Learning Activity 3 and t, y, p and e for Progress Challenge 2.  To get the pictures I needed, I had to focus on the lines between the tiles, and angle my camera accordingly.  Other letterforms could be achieved through cutting out some parts in these pictures, or flipping or rotating the pictures.

Other elements in my letterforms included colour (converted from pink to greyscale), pattern (like splattered paint), texture (slightly bumpy) and shape (geometric - squares and right angles).

While I knew about the general history of typography and letterforms[1], what I did not know about were specific times in history, where there was a relationship between technological change and design choices.  One example was the use of sans-serif type with ‘flat’ design for computer and mobile phone interfaces[2].  Another is the onset of computers and phototypesetting, and its effect on print design[3].

I have also learned that not only is there a correlation between type and layout design and technological change, print still exists as long as we read newspapers, flyers signs and packages.

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[1] Jones, S (2013): ‘The History of Typography in Five Minutes’, in Web Designer Depot, http://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2013/10/the-history-of-typography-in-5-minutes;

[2] Open Colleges Australia (2014): Research – History, theory and practice in CUV50311, Diploma of Graphic Design, Study Period 5: Establish, negotiate and produce solutions Module 2 Typography basics, https://learning.opencolleges.edu.au/fe/GraphicDesign/studyperiod5/module2-topic1.php;

[3] Gopinath, C Y (2016): Design or Get Undesigned, in Smashing Magazine, http://www.smashingmagazne.com/2016/04/design-or-get-undesigned;