Category: Class Follow-Up

Hello everyone,
For next week, finish designing your books. We will do a critique at the beginning of class so print and mock-up the idea for your cover (if you’re cutting things out please do so) and print out all your pages. I know I may have mentioned only printing a few spreads to you in class, but since you will have your whole books designed, it makes more sense to print the whole thing.

Those of you who weren’t in class today, please send me a pdf of your books so far. You can also package and upload your indesign file (include fonts) to google drive. I need to see your design to review them and send you feedback before moving forward into designing your whole book.

See you all next week, and if you haven’t yet please review the video and read the links I sent you last week. Information from those will be on your final exam.

Hello everyone, 

Here is what’s due for next week:

• Our Midterm is next week! To prepare review notes from readings, class discussions, films, as well as take a look through the presentations from class. They are all in the Google Drive Folder. Be familiar with classifications, and the list of approved typefaces you used on the last 2 assignments. The exam will be multiple-choice with a few written sections. 
• Font-book. For your Font Book project, have a game plan for what you’ll be making. We will be talking about your ideas in class after your exam next week. Make sure you sketch out and develop your ideas regarding:
  • Book dimensions
  • Spread layouts (include some idea of a grid if you’re using one)
  • Know what fonts you will be using – there is a folder containing all print font options in Google Drive > Assignment Resources > 5. Font Specimen Book
  • Research your fonts and know what content you will be using in your book (page requirements and optional info about type, quotes, fun facts, etc…)
    • If you will be adding content about history, or any fun facts, be sure they are in your own voice. If you copy and paste its plagiarism. If you do copy and paste, consider how you will sight your sources throughout your book.
  • Have your content typed in a google doc so when we move to the computer you won’t have to think about researching anything
  • Don’t start working in InDesign yet. Focus on developing your layouts and ideas through sketches.

If you want any feedback before class, post on the blog – it’s not required for this week because you also have to study but feel free if you’re compelled for your classmates’ thoughts.

Good luck and I’ll see you all next week!

Great work so far everyone on your type posters. Looking forward to seeing how they improve next week.

Here is everything due for 9/23:

• Write a short response to the film we watched in class, Graphic Means. This will be replacing “Assignment 3” in our Syllabus. Please follow the guidelines below:
  • What topic/topics impacted you the most from the film?
    
  • Based on what you’ve learned so far about typography, how will learning certain things from the film impact your work or design thinking moving forward?
  • 2 single-sided, or 1 double-sided 8.5×11 page, Times New Roman, 10pt., double spaced (2.0 in MS Word), 1″ margin.
  • Include your name and class section in the header.
• Read Chapters 1 & 2 of Just My Type. A scan of the book is available in the google drive “readings” folder and I also emailed it to all of you. Take notes and have something to talk about from the reading. We’ll have a class discussion about it.
• Continue revisions on your Typography Posters. We will have another critique on your revised designs at the beginning of the next class, and the final designs will be due at the end of next class.

If you want feedback on any poster revisions, post them on the blog! Also, check the blog periodically to provide feedback to your classmates.

Email me (or comment below) with any questions or if you’d like specific feedback on anything. Enjoy your week!

Hey Everyone,

Here is what’s due before and for next week:

• It looks like I got everyone’s final mounted Quote Iterations (Assignment 1). Please make sure your final .ai file and a .pdf version are uploaded into your Google Drive folder and labeled: “Assignment 1_Firstname Lastname.ai”
• For Assignment 2, post your research and sketches on the website for feedback and also provide feedback for your classmates. If you need to do digital sketches, that’s fine, but do not jump right into creating drafts. Sketching out your ideas for layouts and compositions will be more freeing than locking yourself into the tools you know in illustrator. Here is a link to the Office of Paul Sahre to get you started, and share any of his work you referenced for your designs.
• Before you begin your draft, read this section of Thinking with Type that talks about mixing typefaces.
• For next class, print out your poster draft (11″x17″) and have it ready to critique at the beginning of class. 
• Also, Read this Interview about Douglas Thomas’s book Never Use Futura. It’s an interesting discussion about the historical significance of type, and how culture can impact your choice of typeface. We will have a discussion about it after critique next week.

These are the fonts you are allowed to use for your Typography Poster Assignment:

• Garamond
• Caslon
• Baskerville
• Bodoni
• Palatino
• Clarendon
• Rockwell
• Optima
• Helvetica Neue
• Futura
• Franklin Gothic
• Neutra
• Gill Sans
• DIN (Also DINOT on your computers)

See you all next week, and as always email me if you have any questions.

It was a pleasure getting to meet you all today! I will slowly get better and better with names , I promise.

Here is a list of things due for next week (9/2) and for the next time we meet (9/9):

• For Monday, 9/2 – Class 2
  • Post a reply to the “Hello, my name is “introduce yourself.” blog post.
  • We don’t meet next Monday, but check your Assignment 1 Quotation Iteration assignment sheet for some blog activity that will be due.
  • Continue building your quote variations, post 30 of your variations by 9/3, and comment on your classmates with feedback by 9/5.
  • Please read the sections Anatomy, Size, and Scale in this Thinking With Type article. The terminology explained will help you with your assignment.
  • I will leave the examples I showed in class in our flat file (3rd drawer down). Please be respectful to your classmates and put them back when you are done looking at them.
  • Make sure the type family you’re using is “Helvetica Neue LT Std” not “Helvetica Neue”. Helvetica Neue LT Std is the more up-to-date version and it has numbers next to the different font styles (75 Bold, 53 Extended, 55 Roman, etc.).
  • Roman is regular! There’s a typo in the template so just use the roman version.
  • If you don’t see Italic available for a style option, go with Oblique – for example: Extended Oblique.

• For Monday, 9/9 – Class 3
  • We will begin class with a critique of all your Quote Variations. Have all 4 pages printed (not double-sided) before-hand and bring them to class. 11″x17″ paper is available in the printer. When you open the printer pop-up, you can find 11×17 in the Media Size dropdown.
  • Please bring white foam board, an Exacto knife with a fresh blade, rubber cement, and a ruler to next class. We will be mounting your final quote in class.

I will let you all know via email if anything changes but please email me at csharp@mwpai.edu with any questions.

Good luck!