The Type Book
- Complete the Type Book exercise that we began in class: Anatomy and Letterform
- Finish tracing your phrase, making sure you pay attention to the letter-spacing and leading.
- Bring tracing pads and pens.
Author: Prof. Mary Brown (Page 2 of 2)
Classes 3 and 4 —History of Typography and Controlling Space
During our second week, we not only covered The History of Typography and the Five Families of Type, but we also were introduced to Typographical Anatomy.
- If you missed the lecture on the History of Typography and the Five Families of Typography, you can download the slides here.
- We learned the parts of type of similar to our body parts. Download the Type Anatomy sheet and keep it handy to help you identify the different parts of letters.
- We watched several videos in class:
Finish tracing the cut out letterforms we began in class on Wednesday, Feb 7.
- Use one sheet of tracing paper and draw a very light line in the center of the page. Use ruler so the line is straight. This will be your baseline. This page is horizontal (landscape).
- Using 3-5 of the cut out letters, trace them to create a word, paying attention to letterspacing and kerning.
- Label at least 5 parts of the anatomy. Refer to the Type Anatomy sheet that was distributed in class.
- Be neat.
Since there is no class on Monday, Feb 12, now is a good time to complete the other homework assignments so you don’t get behind.
Type Journal
Search for examples of actual typefaces and how they are specifically used.
- Find examples of work that use typefaces belonging to each of the five families of type that we discussed in class. In what scenario are they used?
- For example: a typeface that belongs to the Modern classification of type that was used on a heading for an ad. Do this for each of the 5 families. You can use photos of type you find in your travels or cut out from magazines or flyers you see.
So, we’ve made it through the first week. Hopefully everyone is feeling a bit more relaxed and you’ve made some new friends.
Here is a recap of the topics that we covered the first week of class. Hopefully this will be helpful if you need to review.
- On Monday, Jan 29th we reviewed the syllabus, and if you need another copy, it can be downloaded COMD1167SyllabusSp18
- At this point, of course, everyone should have access to their City Tech email. This will be the way that I will communicate with you. Please check it at least every few days so you don’t miss any important information. Usually when I make a new post, you get an email notification.
- We viewed a few videos on the history of typography:
Typography is the beginning point for good graphic design. There will be things and terminology that will be repeated over, and over during the course of this semester. Trust me, they’re important for you to know them. Eventually they will be second nature to you.
Type Journal
Take 20-30 pictures of type in your neighborhood, write a 1 page paper on what that typography tells you about your neighborhood, print it and add it to your type journal.
Required Supplies
Be sure to bring your tracing pad, markers and ruler also.
• Purchase the required materials listed on the Syllabus and bring them to class
• Take a photo of your name tag, post it, with a brief bio about you, on the OpenLab site. No more then 1-2 paragraphs. Please title your post Hi, I’m (your name)
The easiest way for me to collect everyone’s contact information is for you to fill it in yourself. Please take a moment to fill out this form today. If I don’t have your email address, you will miss out on important notifications from me, and it is important that you regularly check your CityTech email.
Hello everyone, and welcome to the Spring semester of Type & Media, COMD1167, section D146. This is your class website and part of your required reading. Here you will find loads of resources to help you get through the course. As often as I find interesting materials that will supplement and enhance your learning, I will update this site with them. Sometimes you will find a recap from the day’s lesson. If I find no one is utilizing the info, I will stop posting it. Therefore, you should plan to check in here before and after each class—especially to get updates to class and homework assignments. It is your responsibility to keep up with the information that is posted, and your participation on this site will contribute to it’s usefulness and help to enhance it. So, remember to post and comment when assigned to do so, and as often as possible to keep the discussion going. You contribution can make a big difference
Let’s get started! In the comments below, share a few of the things you hope to learn in this class.
