Welcome to this blog! I (Lis Charman) teach at Portland State and coordinate the Graphic Design program and this blog is a collection of the Typography Two work developed by Portland State graphic design students (with a few extra curricular projects included). I teach Typography 2, a 10 week course that consists of two projects, first an experimental set of Type Constructions (part 1 & 2) and a Cultural Campaign project where students select a fictional or actual cultural organization to promote through print, out-of-home / advertising and motion. Find more information about the class assignments after the jump. Enjoy!
Assignment 1. Part One: Type only constructions.
‘The message does not and cannot supply all the meaning of the transaction, [and] …a good deal of what is communicated derives from the context, the code, and the means of contact. Meaning, in short, resides in the total act of communication.’ —Roman Jakobson, Visual Research
Select a theme or message. Ask yourself: what message/s are most important, compelling, or exciting to communicate and why? Find (or write) language to express your theme or creative idea. Keep it simple—a word, a few words, a phrase… Take risks. When selecting the language for your project be sensitive to words and phrases that are cliché and overused. Credit author if it is not you.
Create a series of typographic constructions (without using images). Experiment with type forms (e.g. typefaces, letterpress, hand-drawn type, stencil) and materials (e.g. paper, paint, ink, wood, metal, cloth, glass, digital screen, wall). Experiment with dimension, size and media.
The project goal is the create a typographic construction that communicates your theme and message creatively. While working consider how the visual treatments you explore alter, enhance, clarify or obfuscate the message. Focus on ways to capture your audience’s attention, to create an intriguing construction and to have your message be remembered. Consider ways to create a treatment for language that touches the viewers hearts and minds. Treat the type so that the meaning is enhanced and words can be read.
Keep these thoughts in mind while you are working: the words make meaning, therefore select the words thoughtfully and your idea / message creates meaning (the creative idea is the most powerful part of development process).
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