PROJECT AREA: TYPOGRAPHY • ACTIVITY 2 Did You Know? MAKE YOUR OWN LETTER Just as spoken languages have their own unique sounds and styles, visual languages have their own images. A good example of visual language is font. Each font has its own, unique visual style. A font is specifically chosen, with intention, because its visual language is the best match for the message. Leading is the amount of space between lines of text. The term comes from the time typesetters would place actual strips of lead on their printing presses to separate each line of print. WHAT TO DO Estimated time: 1 hour Create your own letter in the style of an existing typeface by following these steps: 1. Type out the alphabet on the computer using word processing or design software. Include capital and small letters, and make them large enough so you can get a good look at the letters’ shapes. Handwriting won’t work for this, only because when we write letters, the forms typically are not very consistent. 2. Observe each letter’s anatomy—the terminals, ascenders, descenders, etc. Identify if the font is serif or sans serif. Consider how each letterform fits within the same visual system of that typeface. 3. Trace or free-hand draw a combination of two letters from that font to create an imaginary new letter. Experiment until the letter you create looks as if it belongs within the visual language of the existing font. 4. Make a large printout of the alphabet in the font you chose and place your new letter alongside it. Does it look as if it could be a real letter? 5. Include the alphabet and your new letter in your portfolio. Student Example: abcdefghijklmnop qr stuvwxyz More Challenges Look for good examples of different typefaces in a magazine. Identify which letters are serif and which are sans serifs. How is each used? How many different styles of the same letter can you find? Share what you learn with your project helper. terminal ascender fluffy fluffy serif terminal ascender sans serif descender AWARD OF MERIT PRINT LONG FORM Brian Deep 4-H Seeing Through Graphic Design descender Graphic Designer Brian Deep Author Sarah Doughty Curriculum Manager Jane Wright Content Contributor Brian Deep Editors 12 SEEING THROUGH GRAPHIC DESIGN ACTIVITY 2 SEEING THROUGH GRAPHIC DESIGN 13 Stacy Cochran, Susie Young 63 Photo: Brian Deep Creative Best 2020
66 Publizr Home