Studio Brief 2 - Production and critique response

From several suggestions within the group critique, starting to look at the typeface from a different perspective was one idea to follow up with. From this I began looking at how the problem with the geometric shapes and sharp corners could be altered so that the letterforms look more flowing and rounded, yet uniform when put together in the alphabet.

As you can see here, I started to manipulate the apex on the 'A' so that it made a subtle curve, giving the letter a less sharp feel to it. The same idea can be applied throughout other letter forms, including the crossbar on the capital 'H', the arm on the 'T' and the crotch on an 'N' etc.

 

As I began applying this technique throughout the alphabet, it started to look more uniform and relaxed. However, some letters needed more altering than others so that they would look more rounded. For example, the counter space inside the 'P' and the 'R' needed to have a curve that would run almost parallel with the lobes, otherwise the shape inside the letters would look odd. 

 After manipulating several letters, I became confident that this was the direction that the typeface would go in. Therefore, I started to sketch up the designs in a sequence, which also showed that the letters flowed better than they had before. From this stage in the development process, these designs can be used as a starting point for the digital version which will show a more accurate representation of my ideas.

As you can see here I also applied the same technique to the Berthold typeface, just to see whether it would improve the uniformity of the alphabet in the same way that it has with Univers. However, I feel that this version isn't as effective as the Univers typeface because some letters that were manipulated would look as though they interrupt the pattern, such as the 'Q' tail.