April 29

Last day of class! I will see you on Monday, May 4 for your individual final crits. Here is the PDF of the final crit instructions in case you need another copy. Remember that all final crits are in my office (103). Here is the schedule:

MONDAY, MAY 4

4:30 – 4:45: Courtney Rosenberg
4:45 – 5:00: Kat Moyer
5:00 – 5:15: Taylor Leonard
5:15 – 5:30: Jason Bonilla
5:30 – 5:45: Nikole Raskovic
5:45 – 6:00: Carolyn Whyley
6:00 – 6:15: Jacob Sauer
6:15 – 6:30: Lauren Duffy
6:30 – 6:45: Tabatha Detrixhe
6:45 – 7:00: Jill Rice

Please allow for 5-10 minutes leeway time on either side of your time slot.

STUFF TO CHECK OUT:
the clichéness of Trajan
archetecture & functional design
how to type upside down
obama's first 100 days (did you see this in GoodMagazine?)

specifically for those of you in the iPhone mafia:
What the Font? for iPhone
FontShuffle app for iPhone
This one is for Courtney Rosenberg. (Courtney might share with you.)
Kerning game
font game
more typography backgrounds for iPhone

for Wednesday, April 23

1. Have your concept all written out (in your sketchbook) if you haven’t done so already. (have ALL decisions made and finalized regarding subject matter for this project)

2. DO SKETCHES!
Look at the sketches in your sketchooks— are they random sketches from your research? Are they sketches BASED UPON YOUR CONCEPT? If not, they aren't pertinant sketches. If they are, do more of them.If you don't have many sketches in your sketchbooks for your concept, then do MANY. At least 12-15 sketches! Then, open up InDesign and literally translate all of your sketches on-screen so that you can see how these ideas are going to translate on the computer.

I want to see all of this DONE the second you walk into class on Wednesday. I will be walking around discussing your progress with you.

Check this out: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123992364819927171.html?mod=yhoofront

Also, I'm VERY excited to say that Steve Reich (American composer & the father of minimalism) WON THE PULITZER PRIZE yesterday! Why am I telling you this? Well, because he won with EIGHTH BLACKBIRD's commission of _Double Sextet_. They recorded it, but the album hasn't been released yet. You can check out videos of rehearsals on youtube directly from the article on this site: http://www.newmusicbox.org/article.nmbx?id=5958

Congrats to Steve Reich and 8bb!

4/17/09

Check this out: http://www.spd.org/2009/04/glamour.php

for Monday, April 20

Research and concept development is due to be presented in class on Monday. Here is the spec sheet for Project 6. Make sure you are ready for your 10-minute presentation to the class. Again, you can do your presentation any way you want to: Keynote, Powerpoint, or you can just run through PDFs or Photoshop layers. Be creative. YOU think about it. YOU plan it. This is a formal presntation of your concept. Scan in your sketches and any other pertinant research and information.

for Monday, April 13

Write out your concept (print out). Do several drafts of this, as part of your project development.

Collect at least 6 specimens that directly influence your project. Write about them in your sketch books.

for Monday, April 6

Be ready for the on-screen working critique. Have your work saved as PDFs and copied up to PAWN before class. Please write out your concepts and make sure you have them fully detailed so that you can share this with the class. Your projects are due on Wednesday, April 15!

STUDY FOR QUIZ #3 on Sentence Typography. Study your notes from the lecture and you'll be all set. KNOW THE RULES!!!! STUDY!

for Monday, March 30

Prepare sketches, research & planning for Project 5. You will meet with Anne Dutlinger in your one-on-one meetings in class. The rest of class will be a lab class, working on Project 5.

Heads up:
Monday April 6, we will have the working critique of Project 5 AND Quiz #3 on Sentence Typography. Start looking over your notes ahead of time!

for Monday, March 9

Read Chapter 5 in TypeSense: Setting Type in a Sentence, in preparation for lecture on Monday. Be ready for critique on Wednesday.

for Wednesday, March 23

Study for the Quiz on Movable Type/Digital Type.

Pick which design you are going to take further and make it 10'x10' before you arrive in class.

Monday, March 9

Here is the Hierarchy handout that you need to read to base your sketches upon. READ the handout and as you do your sketches in your sketchbook, label each one which type of hierarchy you are using!!

Here is the _updated_ version of Project 4.

Regarding Class on Wednesday:
Ted Colegrove will be covering class on Wednesday, March 11. He will take attendance. **Change of plans! You will be going to a lecture in Foy Hall 7:00 PM. The lecture will be about an hour. You will have time from 6:30–7:00 as well as after the lecture until 9 PM to work on your sketches for Project 4. Info about the lecture.

Check this out:
did anyone hear Erik Spiekermann on BBC this morning speaking about the Rupee redesign problem? Here's the link–listen to the interview: http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/news/2009/03/090310_rupee_lh.shtml

+ March 7

I forgot to give your Quizzes back before you left for break. I will give those to you on Monday!

Here is my grading rubric and my grade breakdown sheet for you to download.

Check out some of the new sites on the links page.

+ due: Wednesday, February 25

ASSIGNMENTS:
Prepare for Wednesday’s on-screen critique. Make PDFs of your work and put into your Pawn folder.

+ due: Monday, February 23

ASSIGNMENTS:
1) Read chapter 1 in Typesense in preparation for Monday’s lecture of Movable Type & Digital Type.

2) Gather type specimens for sketchbook. Make sure you have at least 5 new specimens for this week.

+ due: Monday, February 18

Sketchbook Assignment:
Do your sketching and concept-planning for Project 3. Individual meetings with me on Wednesday.

I want very detailed CONCEPTS (as many as you can think of) drawn in your sketchbooks. Begin by printing out the full essay text and taking some notes on it. Ask yourself who your audience is, what the voice of the essay is. What are some things you can extract from the essay that might be substance enought to support a particular concept? Your concept has to mean something. Don't build a concept on arbitrary shapes or hollow typefaces — build your concept from a concrete idea from the text; or a concrete reaction to the piece.

PROJECT 3 FILES:
PROJECT 3 handout
Project 3 text


Study:
Quiz #1 on Wednesday. Quiz will be on Type Anatomy, measurements, and classification. Review your notes from class.

+ due: Monday, February 16

Sketchbook Assignment:
Find examples of contrasting typefaces!

Assignments:
1) Complete Project 2: Initials Study
2) Read chapter 3 in Designing With Type
3) Heads up: Quiz #1 on type anatomy, measurements, and classification will be on Wednesday, February 18.

+ due: Monday, February 11

Sketchbook Assignment:
Collect examples of successful and unsuccessful rag.

Complete Assignment 1, Part 1: Rag Studies.
This assignment is due at 7:00 PM at Wednesday's class.

+ due: Monday, February 9

Sketchbook Assignment:
1) Make ONE (1) trace of BODONI on tracing paper (both uppercase and lowercase) and tape both sheets into your sketchbook. Use PENCIL only. Remember to fill in your letters (don't just do the outline).

2) Label your traces with type anatomy vocabulary terms from your reading in Typesense.

Label the following terms (you only need to label each term one time):
•baseline
•capline
•meanline
•x-height
•arm
•bowl
•counter
•ascender
•descender
•bar
•crossbar
•eye
•leg
•spine
•stem

Assignment: COMPING DISPLAY TYPE
+ Make two comps of the word "Typography" — one in all-caps and one in all lowercase. Use Helvetica Neue 55 Roman, 72-pt for two, and Bodoni Roman, 72-pt for two.

+ Make two compos of your first and last name — one in all-caps and one in all lowercase. Use Helvetica Neue 55 Roman, 72-pt for two, and Bodoni Roman, 72-pt for two.

1) Make print-outs of these type specimens on InDesign and print them out for you to do your traces from.

2) First, lightly draw a baseline on the tracing paper using a ruler. Next, lay the tracing paper over the letter to be traced, making sure the baselines are properly aligned. Using a sharp pencil, trace the outline of each letter. As you trace the letters consider the letterspacing carefully. Try to keep the spacing between letters visually even.

3) When the outline is finished, use a softer pencil to fill in each letter with a uniform density. Be aware tha the type, when set, will appear blacker and more assertive than your comp.

4) Tape your final traces in your sketchboks.

5) Repeat this process on the computer using digital type. Adjust your letterspacing (kerning) manually — again, trying to keep the spacing between letters visually even.

6) Print out your digital type and tape them in your sketchbooks.

!! CLASS CANCELLED for Monday February 2 !!

ASSIGNMENTS for 2/4:
- Make sure you have your Helvetica assignment finished and in your sketchbooks (see assignment due 1/28)
- Finish reading the rest of Chapter 2 in your TypeSense books (pp. 27–39)
- Keep collecting your specimens (you should have at least 5 more from this past week)

See you all on Wednesday. I will be giving a lecture on Type Anatomy & Type Classifications. We will go over all of the terms you have read about.

Please EMAIL ME and make sure I know you got this message (or my email).

+ due: Wednesday, January 28

Reading assignments:
1) Skim back over Chapter 1 in Designing with Type
2) Read from Chapter 2 in Typesense: pp. 21–27.

Sketchbook Assignment:
1) Make TWO (2) traces of HELVETICA on tracing paper (both uppercase and lowercase) and tape both sheets into your sketchbook. Use PENCIL only. Remember to fill in your letters (don't just do the outline).
2) Label your traces with type anatomy vocabulary terms from your reading in Typesense.

Label the following terms (you only need to label each term one time):
•baseline
•capline
•meanline
•x-height
•arm
•bowl
•counter
•ascender
•descender
•bar
•crossbar
•eye
•leg
•spine
•stem

+ due: Monday, January 26

Reading assignments:
1) Read Chapter 1 in Designing With Type.
2) The Art of the Pencil Comp by Doyald Young

Sketchbook Assignment:
1) Research HELVETICA. Find out some basic history about this typeface. What it was designed for; Who designed it; Where is it used today?
2) Collect 5 more specimens that you find even MORE engaging than last week! Find new designers!

+ Today: Tuesday, January 20

Just a quick note to make you aware of an addendum to the syllabus: There is a section on Students with Disabilities, which you can read in the "disabilities" link on this site, as well as download the updated PDF of the syllabus.

+ due: Wednesday, January 21

READ
1) Handout from Stop Stealing Sheep book

Sketchbook assignment 1:
Be inspired! Gather a minimum of 5 type specimens and post inside your sketchbooks. Written entry for each: what feeling/emotion does the type convey? (visit Borders, or the Art Office, labs, etc, and find good type.) DO NOT bring me advertisements such as for: cars, health/beauty, alcohol, cigarettes, clothing or food.

Sketchbook assignment 2:
Use the web to research the designers you saw in the Hillman Curtis films:
1) Milton Glaser
2) Stefan Sagmeister
3) James Victore
4) Paula Scher
5) David Carson

Print out a few flagship pieces of their work. Tell me:
• Where do they work?
• What are their most 'famous' works?
• Which of their works is most engaging to you?
• What did you learn from this person about PROCESS?