254

What the Heck are we doing? Week of March 30th

By the next class period you are responsible for the following:

1. join the 254 flickr group: link here

2. make a tumblr blog and send me the address

3. post your 10 favorite typefaces to your tumblr blog

4. write about what you are thinking about doing in the flickr discussion thread

5. make moodboards and concept sketches for your typeface. Post process to flickr.

Get a TUMBLR!

A Tumblr is a easy to update blog, tailor made to act as a scrap book of images, movies, audio and quotes. It plays nice with long-format original text too. I am requiring 254 students to keep their own Tumblr blog as a means to document visual discoveries while doing research, to serve as a repository for reading responses, and a place to hold your thoughts, observations and process about your projects.

There are tons of ways to post content to a Tumblr blog, but I presume a lot of our posts will follow a few different "formulas." (But! Don't let this limit you.) Links to examples below:

• Juxtaposition of images to compare and contrast
• Summarization through citation  
  
• Juxtapose cited texts from different sources, then come to a conclusion 

Tumblr also has made a handy "bookmarklet," a bookmark that can sit in your bookmarks bar. When you're surfing, if you find a relevant image, just click on the "Share on Tumblr" bookmarklet, select the image you want in the popup and click the Save button. If it's text, just highlight the text you'd like to quote and click the bookmarklet. Easy peasy. You'll be filling up your blogs in no time. Here are some instructions on how to install the bookmarklet.

You can also follow other Tumblr blogs. Here are a few suggestions:

Uppercase Magazine Blog

Frank Chimero (PSU, yeah!)

Bobulate

Waxin' and Milkin'

Land PDX

Folk Object

Ace Hotel Blog

Matthew Buchanan

52 Weeks of UX

Daily Drop Cap

Feltron

This Isn't Happiness

Letterheady

Also check out Tumblr's blog directory for more recommendations.

Start HUNTING!

Pick TEN typefaces that you are intrigued by. These don't have to be your ten favorites in the universe, but ten that you simply like or want to learn more about. Please look through the list of Type Foundry Links from the site Designing with Type and also look through the typefaces in your fontbook. Take your time and look at faces. The objective of this exercise is to have you look at MANY examples of typefaces and to force you to make decisions about styles that you enjoy. Upload your examples to your tumblr! Treat tumblr as a visual archive for type examples that you love. REMEMBER to link back to where you originally found the image that you are uploading.

This is due Thursday, April 1st

Handmade Font Inspiration!

Look at Handmade Fonts, Friends of Type, Typophile opening credits, Sweet Treats Cookbook, Sagmeister, Daily Drop Cap, Marian Bantjes, Jessica Hische.

Assignment ONE: Experimental Typeface Design + Promotion

Clothespin alphabet by Pablo Abad.

Beard alphabet by Tim Yarzhombek.

Cubic alphabet by Svetoslav Simov.

Hairy alphabet by Craig Ward.

Office clip shadow alphabet by Dave Wood.

above all via: RUBEN MILLER

So exciting, RIGHT?!?!

You will be creating an experimental typeface design (3/d or mashup of two faces - like cutting up helvetica and cross breeding it with didot to make helvitot babies). Or you may choose to make your face completely modular (based on shapes and oh so analytic). The second part of the assignment requires you to create a promotional campaign with deliverables advertising the typeface.

Typography Sample Platter

above: poster by Sebastian Lester. It's ironic :) via I love typography

Please click on the following helpful typography links and familiarize yourself with GOOD TYPE. 

One of the easiest ways to start learning about Typography and getting comfortable with Typography is to start LOOKING at great examples of Typography. Type is everywhere and a lot of it is bad. I don't want you to be making or using bad type. Start reading and soaking in the good type on these links.

Flickr & YOU! yes, YOU!

Please make sure that you have your flickr accounts set up. We will be going through how to upload the favorite typeface document that you have just created to flickr. Those of you who know how to use flickr, help each other out! Also, while you are on flickr, make sure to join the PSU 254 Spring 2010 Group. You will also add your images to this group. If you are still looking for things to do, take a gander at the Center of Vernacular Typography, Signpainter and Typography and Lettering groups. Beautiful!