Assignment
Create artwork using a collage of letters from “found” sources—magazines, newspapers, posters, advertisements, bags, etc.—from any printed materials you can find.
A fun exercise to prove that not all design solutions must come from the computer and to explore the design potential in “found” typography. Discover, create, and combine interesting letterforms to compose an interesting collage of type that also presents as a work of art. In other words, it has a design or aesthetic rationale and is not just a random selection of type.
Objectives
• Recognize the many different appearances of letterforms
• Consider how reading conventions come into play
• Appreciate the abstraction and arbitrary nature of letterforms
• Recognize challenges with creating across traditional & digital mediums
• Develop digital documentation techniques & presentation
Process
Sketch and conceptualize your design—final designs should present as fine art and or graphically designed artwork.
Collect an assortment of type specimens cut or torn from “found” printed resources. Be creative with your sources—find examples that emphasize color, shape, style, scale, etc. Use the collections as needed to finalize your intended design.
Assemble the collection of letterforms utilizing rhythm, tempo, color and/ or random selection if intended, while also paying attention to other design principles. Use any desired substrate to adhear letterforms while also allowing for additional design and/or art, as intended for final presentation.
Final presentations will need to be presented via digital form, so final works will require documentation via photography and/or scanning. Final image(s) must be a minimum 300dpi and will be graded accordingly in regards to their presentation quality.
Final Report
The quote: Imagination is the only weapon in the war against reality - Cheshire Cat
This quote was really my biggest motivation when it came I came to George Mason to study to become a graphic Designer. Using letters from magazines I found in my house.
Assignment
Create a poster, the subject of which will be a type designer of your choice. Select an influential individual such as Francesco Griffo, who “cut” the typeface Bembo in 1495. Alternatively, select a typographer like Jonathan Hoeffler, Claude Garamond, John Baskerville, or Erik Spiekerman.
Objectives
Research and present information about the history of typography
Sketch and Design Rough Comps
Utilize type as illustrative elements
Develop functional skills in Illustrator & InDesign
Finalize files for print production
Process
You must research the typographer’s background, and include between 150-200 words as part of the poster design. The Adobe and Lintotype websites both contain extensive information on both typefaces & type designers. Type your research into Pages or Word. Typed document will be presented and collected. The content of your poster should be typographic only. That means no photographs or images. You can use any glyphs from the typeface you choose to create illustrations or textures for your design. Somewhere in your design represent the 26 upper as well as lower case letters, numbers, and any special characters from your designer. As an option, you can include an infographic— a timeline—of notable events, both for the typographer as well as society, during their lifetime. Use one typeface created by your chosen designer, for example Futura, which was designed by Paul Renner in 1928. The poster can include as many weights of that type family as you wish (bold, italic, condensed and so on), but it should use just one type family.
Specifications Size:
11 x 17 inches, either vertical or horizontal
Software: Illustrator & InDesign
Color: Up to three PMS colors
