Month: September 2016 (Page 1 of 2)

Class 8 – How Text and Paragraphs are Affected by Different Alignments

September 30, 2016 / Prof. Mary Brown / 0 Comments

We took a look at the various formats of text alignments and how text is affected. Here are some the things we noticed:

flush left/ragged right – when using this text alignment, we are given a bit of breathing room, or negative space. This makes the page seem less crowded with text and allows places for the eyes to rest. In our culture, we read from left to right, and setting type flush left gives the reader an exact starting place on each line. The reader isn’t slowed down by trying to find the starting place for the next time.
flush right/ragged left – when using this text alignment, the reader is slowed down because the eye has to find the starting point of each line. Have the left margin set as ragged means each line will begin at a different location. It is ok to use this very small amounts of type such as for captions, but you wouldn’t use this for large bodies of type.
center alignment – not a good choice for large bodies of text. Again, each line of text has a different starting place and this slows down the reading. Poetry and songs often use this alignment.
justified alignment – both sides of the type are justified and line up evenly. Because of this, type is pushed out which can cause excess word spacing, which can cause rivers. In order to fix the word and letter spacing problems, each line may need tracking. Another problem that may arise might be too many hyphenated words. InDesign will try to fit as many words on each line as possible but so justified text can also fit more text on a page.

Homework – Due Wed, 10/5

Type Book – Type Alignment exercise. You can download the pages of instructions here.
Type Book – Type Alignment 2. This packet contains the rest of the exercises for alignment, leading, tracking and kerning. Download that file here. Both assignments are due Wednesday, 10/5. Write the directions for each exercise very carefully.

Class 7 – Text Alignment, Tracking, Weights and Variations

September 23, 2016 / Prof. Mary Brown / 0 Comments

This class was dedicated to the variations in type styles that are available. We discussed the differences in type — width, weight, posture, stress, serifs, and contrast. We also did an in-class exercise to help the class understand how to use the type variations to create emphasis and expression.

width – condensed or extended

weight – light or bold

posture – italic or oblique (fake italic)

stress – vertical or diagonal

contrast – extreme or medium or low/none

serif – bracketed or unbracketed

For more details on this topic, and new terminology, you can review with article: Styles, Weights, Widths — It’s All in the (Type) Family

You can download a copy of the slide presentation here to use for review.

Homework due – Monday 9/26/16

Study for Quiz #1 which will cover EVERYTHING from the beginning of the semester.
Type Book—Weight & Variations exercise that was handed out in class. You can download an extra copy here.
Due for next Wednesday – Textbook reading: Letters, Words, Sentences, pgs 51 – 79

Class 6 – InDesign: MultiPage Documents and Master Pages

September 20, 2016 / Prof. Mary Brown / 0 Comments

During Monday’s class we went through a couple to things that will be helpful for upcoming assignments.

Adding fonts using the Font Book app on the Mac
Where to get quality free fonts – using Font Squirrel
The process of creating a multi-page document and using master pages. If you missed the class or need a refresher, use the following videos for help:

How to Format Master Pages

How to Override Master Page Items

Vocabulary Terms:

master pages – when you have a multipage document, a master page is a non printing page used in InDesign that serves as a template for the rest of the pages. Master pages can contain text and graphic elements, such as photos, headers, footers or page numbers, etc.
running head – sits outside the text area of the grid; these may be the title or chapter name of a book that appear on each page in the exact same location.

Homework Due Wednesday 9/21

Type Book – Complete the 5 Families of Type exercise. You can download the instructions here.
Prepare for Quiz #1 – Monday, 9/26

September 16, 2016 / Prof. Mary Brown / 0 Comments

This is a quick tutorial that should help you if you are having trouble using the line tool for the homework assignment.

September 14, 2016 / Prof. Mary Brown / 0 Comments

As we’ve started to use InDesign, we’ve also begun using the grid system. If you need a review, here are two of the videos we watched in class.

Class 5 – The Grid System and Why We Use It

September 14, 2016 / Prof. Mary Brown / 1 Comment

Here’s a brief recap from Wednesday’s class. One of the main things we covered was how to work with the grid system.

A grid is a non-printing system of horizontal and vertical lines which help the designer align the elements of the layout. This system of alignment helps to create a more organized layout. In multiple page documents, the grid assists in the consistent placement of design elements. Think of the grid as the skeleton of the layout.

Vocabulary used:

text page – the area on a page, within the margins, where text appears.
margin – the area of the page around the text area.
folios – the page number. In most instances this is at the bottom of the page below or outside the text area.
header – the area at the top of the page, outside the text area. A running header is a header that is repeated across many pages
footer – the area at the bottom of the page, outside the text area. A running footer is a footer that is repeated across many pages.
gutter – the gutter separates the columns and rows from each other. It is also the area where two facing pages meet.
active corner – the upper left corner of any field in a grid system. This is where the top of the text is aligned.
passive corner – the bottom right corner of any field in a grid.

Review pages 177-221 of our textbook for full details.

In InDesign we learned to set up columns for a grid, how to use a template, and how to save a file as a PDF. We did this as we were introduced to the Type Book project.

Homework Due Monday, 9/19

Complete the Type Book exercise: Anatomy and Letterform
Read online article about grids: Using Layout Grids Effectively
Quiz #1 will be on Mon, 9/26

Class 4 – Introduction to Adobe InDesign CC

September 12, 2016 / Prof. Mary Brown / 0 Comments

During class we reviewed letterspacing/tracking and kerning. We also began to explore the working environment of Adobe InDesign.

Areas covered:

Creating a new document
The InDesign workspace
Working with text boxes, fonts, point sizes, leading alignment
Leading, measurements, kerning

We also discussed increments of measurements:

type is measured in points (pts)
12 pts = 1 pica
6 picas = 1 inch
72 pts = 1 inch

If you missed the class, or need a review, here is a video that might help you with getting started in InDesign. It is a bit long but pretty thorough in helping your get started:

Others Videos Viewed in Class:

Homework — Due Wed, 9/14/16

Reading Assignment in textbook: Grid System pgs 177 -221 (be prepared to answer one quiz question on this topic)
Spend a some time reviewing the articles posted by your classmates and leave comments.
Watch the video: Typography & Design – How Typography Impacts Design below, and be ready to discuss during class.

Hi!

September 12, 2016 / Niki Li(Fengyi Li) / 0 Comments

I my name is Niki Li and I have a Chinese name too which is FengYi Li. I like Ping-Pong (table tennis) very much and I played in PSAL last year. I am the top 6 single player in NYC. I am in college now, but we still have our own group. Sometimes, we will go to play outside of school. Also, I like drawing and I have some experience in high school. I really enjoy it and love it. I like animals too, such as dogs, birds, and so on. I had three dogs before, and they are very cute. I treated them like a my family. For some reason, the dogs got old and died. I don’t have any dogs right now because I don’t want to lose them, and feel very sad for their death. I did a topic about euthanasia for dogs in high school, and I think people should not do that because they have their life. I think no one wants to die even when they are very sick. No one wants death in life, but we always need to face it, even though we want to live longer for meaning. We are scared for death and dogs are too. So, I suggest we should not do that, even though it’s small animals. It’s very cruel to them.

Class 3 – Kerning, Tracking and Letterspace

September 8, 2016 / Prof. Mary Brown / 0 Comments

The main topic of the discussion was kerning, tracking and letterspace. But as a review of the Five Families of Type, here’s a link to an added resource. Navigate through the links highlighted in yellow: Designing with Type

Kerning vs Tracking

Do you know the difference between kerning and tracking? You need to make sure you understand.

kerning = adjustment of the space between two letters to improve the appearance. Kerning is more specific than tracking. Kerning becomes more important with large or display type.

tracking = adjustment of the space between letters for the a whole word, sentence, page or document.

Other Terms We Covered

points – unit of measurement in typography: 72 points = 1 inch. All type is measured in points.
pica – typographic unit of measurement: 12 points = 1 pica; 6 picas = 1 inch; 72 points = 1 inch.

To help with the concept of kerning, we played The Kerning Game online. If you didn’t get a good score during class, give it another try: www.type.method.ac

Video Tutorial – Kerning and Kerning Pairs
We didn’t use this video in class but I think it’s helpful.

Homework Due – (9/12/16)

Reading Assignment in textbook: Tracking: Kerning and Letterspace pgs 90-93;
Letters, Words, Sentences pgs 52-79. Also, the reading that was due on Monday should be completed. Be prepared to for a quick one question quiz about the reading assignment.
Finish the Letterform Drawing Worksheet
Complete and submit any assignments that you haven’t finished before.

Class 2 – The History of Typography

September 1, 2016 / Prof. Mary Brown / 0 Comments

Wed, Aug 31, 2016

Let’s review some of the things we learned during our second session:

Introduction to the Five Families of Type

Old Style – Garamond
Transitional – Baskerville
Modern – Bodoni
Egyptian or Slab Serif – Century Expanded
Sans Serif – Helvetica

You need to become very familiar with these categories and the characteristics of each.
Download class notes

Typographical Anatomy – This document was handed out in class, but if you need a new copy, you may download it. You should study this sheet and refer to it often throughout the course.

During class as we became familiar with the different characteristics between the 5 families of type, some terms were introduced. Make sure you know these and begin using them in your typography references:

leading – refers to the linespace between the lines of type. The term originated in the days of metal type. During hand-typesetting, thin strips of lead were inserted into the lines of type to increase the distance.
sans serif – a typeface that does not have serifs.
font – one weight, width or style of a typeface.
typeface – the letters, numbers and symbols that make up a design of type. A typeface is part of a type family of coordinated designs. For example, Helvetica Bold is the typeface and is a part of the Helvetica family of type (Helvetica is the type family, Helvetica Bold is the typeface).
type family – the full collection of typefaces that were designed together and intended to be used together. For example, Garamond font family consists of roman, italics, semi bold, and bold weights. Combined together, these make up the Garamond type family.
scribes – they were responsible for writing books by hand before the invention of the printing press. They were usually monks who lived in monasteries.

Videos Shown in Class

Johannes Gutenberg and the Printing Press

Johannes Gutenberg Printing Press Animation

History of Typography

Here are some videos to help with this lesson on the intro to typography:

Type Anatomy and Terminology

Anatomy: Parts and shapes of Type

Type Classification

Homework – Due Wednesday 9/7/16

Reading Assignment in textbook: Basics pgs 1-15 (If you haven’t been able to get your book yet, a PDF version of the book was discovered and can be found here.) Complete the first reading assignment if you haven’t done so already.
Please bring your tracing pads and pens and other materials for class.
Do the lettering assignment we began in class. Using your tracing paper, trace the letter of the alphabet that you selected. First draw a baseline with a pencil, making sure the line is not too dark. When you’re tracing the letter, you are also be coloring it in.
As you’re walking through your neighborhood, commuting to and from school or work, see if you can identify typefaces from the 5 families of type. Take a photo of each. Create a Google Doc and add these photos. One one each page. Write a caption to describe the type family it is from, example Old Style, Transitional, Modern, Slab Serif, Sans Serif. If you can’t find all 5, do as many as you can find.

Additional Reading Source

Thinking with Type – read the following sections:

Anatomy
Size
Scale
Type Classification
Type Families