Design Skills Evaluation

From the beginning of studio brief 1, I felt there were a lot of things that I didn't understand about typography and how it can be applied to everyday life. However, after completing both studio brief 1 and 2, I feel that I have gaining useful and relevant information that can effectively be applied to future projects. One of the biggest problems that I faced was how to choose a typeface that would be suitable for the context in which it would be placed. This was because at the time I was still unaware of how to perceive each typeface and what intentions they communicate. However, after starting the logotype research stage of studio brief 1, I found how type is used on company branding and what effects they have on their consumers. From this, I was able to create examples of lettering and then show the designs to my peers during group critique sessions, which enabled me to gather feedback on which designs would work and which ones would not. As a result of this, my work then became more effective because I had learnt what others would perceive to be an appropriate typeface for an appropriate context.

Having been introduced to a range of typographical terminology, I began to understand how certain letters flow with one another in a sequence, depending on the shape, size and features that they hold. This became beneficial when creating my logotype because I was able to study different letterforms and their appropriation with the given word of my project. Furthermore, this skill has become transferable, as evidenced during studio brief 2 when tasked with creating our own typefaces. It proved useful when choosing an adjective to use for the project because I now know how the definition of a word could be communicated through a certain typeface.

Being introduced to different ways to manipulate type has also been beneficial, because I now understand how making changes to letterform can impact the message it is conveying. For example, during studio brief 2, I chose a typeface that was perceived by my peers as being a typeface they wouldn't have used to communicate a feeling of 'tranquility'. However, through manipulation of the letterforms of my chosen typeface, I was able to communicate a new message that became well received and relevant to my adjective by the final stage of the project.

Another aspect of this module that has become beneficial and essential to my practice is the use of group critique sessions. This is because I am able to receive constructive criticism about my work and ways that it could be improved or different directions that it can be taken in. Furthermore, this has helped me to understand how my work might look to someone else and the effects that my work has, which is important because it allows me to create work to the best of my ability.

Overall, I think that having learnt new skills in typography I will be more confident in future projects, as I now know the effects letterforms and words have when their features are put into consideration. For example, the use of kerning is one factor that heavily influences the message that a word communicates. Therefore, experimentation with kerning can help to narrow down the choices you make when finalising an idea. Furthermore, I think this will be beneficial to other aspects of graphic design and will inform appropriate design decisions in the future.