Typography project on illustrator
Digital Typographic Specimen
Type specimens have become more experimental, plus they remain a compelling way to promote and explain typefaces to designers who might want to buy and use them. Your type specimen can use any “content” to display the typeface/fonts at different sizes and in different conditions, like a headline or a paragraph.
Project Goal
– Develop conceptual thinking skills
– Create a compelling composition using several disparate pieces of information
– Research and learn about the history and usage of a particular typeface
– Express the content selected visually and verbally in your storytelling
– Strengthen your system of visual hierarchy, pacing, legibility, sequencing throughout the book
– Apply the knowledge of typography skills learned in your book
Approach
1) Selected a typeface. Make sure the typeface has at least 6 type styles of multiple weights/styles of the typeface For instance, regular, bold, italic, bold italic, extended, compressed, etc. Do this research before you begin… make sure the typeface you select has met this requirement.
2) Set up a document that is 5 x 5 inches, 10 x 5 inches.
3) Software, I recommend Illustrator, set up Art board like this
4) Number of pages = 12
The document will read like a book – the 10 x 10 wide as spreads and 5 x 5 single pages.
5) Book Setup and Page Flow
The page layout/content listed below*
– Page 1 – Front Cover
– Page 2 / 5– About the typeface history, the maker, year made, uniqueness of the typeface
– Page 6 / 11– Specimen, a sampling of characteristics of the typeface – using characters from A – Z upper case or lower case, a few numbers, unique punctuation or glyphs
– Page 12 – Back Cover – DO NOT LEFT BLANK – try wrapping your cover around to the back
*If you want to shift or reorganize the flow of the pages, that is fine; make sure all are featured in your design solution.
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PHASE 01
Begin with the Pages 6-11 – Specimen Pages
Explore how to design, and feature the uniqueness of your selected typeface.
