Advanced Typography - Task 2 / Key Artwork & Collateral

14.05.25 - 11.5.25 (Week 4 - Week 8)

PAN RUINING (0378138)

Advanced Typography / Bachelor of Design (Honours) in Creative Media

Task 2 / Key Artwork & Collateral (30%)

CONTENT LIST

· LECTURES
· INSTRUCTIONS
· TASK 2
PART A – Key Artwork
PART B – Collateral
TASK 2 OUTCOME COMPILATION
· FEEDBACK
· REFLECTION
· FURTHER READINGS

LECTURES

Lecture 05: Preception & Organization

Perception in typography relates to how readers visually navigate and interpret content through contrast, form, and organization. Although content can appear as text, visuals, graphics, or color, our primary focus today is on typography.

Fig 1.1.1 Methods of Contrast by Rudi Ruegg, Week 5

- 7 Types of Contrast by Carl Dair

Fig 1.1.2 Methods of Contrast by Carl Dair, Week 5

1. Contrast / Size

Fig 1.2 Contrast / Size, Week 5

Using a contrast of size helps direct the reader’s attention to a specific point.
A common way to use size is by making titles or headings significantly larger than the body text, making them stand out clearly.

2. Contrast / Weight

Fig 1.3 Contrast / Weight, Week 5

Describes how bold type can stand out in the middle of the lighter type of the same style.
Incorporating rules, spots, or squares can also create visually weighted areas that highlight and emphasize key points of interest.

3. Contrast / Form

Fig 1.4 Contrast / Form, Week 5

Creating contrast through different type weights plays a key role in presenting information effectively.
A clear distinction can be made by using capital versus lowercase letters, Roman versus italic styles, or condensed versus expanded versions of a typeface.

4. Contrast / Structure

Fig 1.5 Contrast / Structure, Week 5

The different letterforms found in various typefaces, such as monoline sans serif, traditional serif, italic, and blackletter, each present unique visual qualities and styles.

5. Contrast / Texture

Fig 1.6.1 Contrast / Texture, Week 5

Fig 1.6.2 Example of Contrast / Texture, Week 5

Formed by combining contrasts in size, weight, form, and structure.
Texture describes the overall appearance of type lines when viewed both closely and from a distance.

6. Contrast / Direction

Fig 1.7 Contrast / Direction, Week 5

The contrast between vertical and horizontal elements, along with the angles that lie between them.
Rotating a word on its side can produce a striking visual impact, and text blocks themselves possess both vertical and horizontal directional qualities.
Combining wide blocks of long lines with narrow columns of short lines can also generate a strong contrast.

7. Contrast / Colour

Fig 1.8.1 Contrast / Colour, Week 5

Fig 1.8.2 Example of Contrast / Colour, Week 5

The use of color often means the secondary color has less emphasis in value compared to plain black on white.
It’s important to carefully consider which elements should be highlighted and to pay close attention to the tonal values of the colors chosen.

- Form

Fig 1.9 Form Week 5

Form refers to the overall appearance and style of the elements within a typographic composition.
It contributes to the visual impact and shapes the viewer’s first impression.
Well-designed typography captures attention, guides the eye smoothly across the layout, engages the viewer, and often leaves a lasting impression.

The word typography originated from the Greek words 'typos' (form) and 'graphis' (writing), which means to write in accordance with the form.

Typography can be seen as having 2 functions:

1. To represent a concept

2. To represent a concept in a visual form

Using type as a form highlights the unique features of letterforms and allows for a more abstract visual expression. Here are some examples that showcase effective combinations of typographic forms:

Fig 1.10 Examples, Week 5

The interplay of meaning and form brings a balanced harmony both in terms of function and expression. When a typeface is perceived as a form, it no longer reads as a letter due to the manipulation of its letterform by distortion, texture, enlargement, and being extruded into a space.

Below are some examples of how form and communication come together:

Fig 1.11 Examples, Week 5

- Organization / Gestalt

Gestalt is a German word meaning the way a thing has been "placed" or "put together".
An attempt to understand the laws behind the ability to acquire and maintain meaningful perceptions.
A Gestalt psychologist, Max Wertheimer developed a number of laws that predict how perceptual grouping occurs under a variety of circumstances.
Emphasizes that the whole of anything is greater than its parts—based on the idea that the things we experience are a unified whole.

- Perceptual Organization / Groupings

Fig 1.12 Gestalt Laws, Week 5

Gestalt Laws:

Laws of Similarity
Laws of Proximity
Laws of Closure
Laws or Continuation
Laws of Symmetry
Laws of Simplicity (Praganz)

INSTRUCTIONS

Task 2 (A) — Key Artwork (10%)

Timeframe: Week 4 - Week 6 (Deadline Week 6)

In task 2A, we were given instructions to create a wordmark of our own name/pseudonym.

We need to submit:

Black wordmark on white background
White wordmark on black background
Colour palette
Wordmark in actual colours on lightest shade of colour palette
Wordmark in lightest shade of colour palette on darkest shade of colour palette
wordmark animation

Task 2 (B) — Collateral (20%)

Timeframe: Week 6 - Week 8 (Deadline Week 8)

Building on the wordmark we developed in Task 2A, we were asked to extend the visual identity by applying its concept and design to selected collaterals. This also involved designing a layout for our personal Instagram page.

We need to submit:

Expand your key artworks identity into your chosen collateral.
Instagram link
IG screen grab with good resolution

Task 2 (A) – Key Artwork

Mind mapping / Inspirations

To begin, we were asked to create a mindmap about ourselves. Below is a brief mindmap that represents me：

Fig1.1 Mindmap 'About Me', Week 5

Fig1.2 Moodboard, Week 5

Personally, I like script typefaces and retro logotypes, so I gathered these font references from Pinterest for inspiration.

Sketches

Next, I chose my pseudonym - Reii to design the wordmarks and selected three of my personal interests as key themes.

Chosen keywords: Universe, Seashell, Music

Fig 2.1 Initial sketches, Week 5

But during class, Mr. Vinod reviewed my sketches and said that the keywords I chose did not have a strong connection to my designs. He suggested using "exploration" as a keyword based on the idea of the universe and advised me to look into futuristic typefaces.

I thought this was a great idea, so I collected new references of futuristic typefaces and redrew my sketches.

Futuristic Font Reference

Fig 2.2 Futuristic font reference, Week 5

Final Sketch

Fig 2.3 Final sketch, Week 5

Combining the keyword "futuristic," I experimented several times and eventually decided to connect the two I's in "REII" with the right side of the R. This not only adds a sense of technology but also allows the second letter E to link seamlessly, forming a unified whole.

Digitization

Fig 3.1 Digitization, Week 5

In class, sir told me that I should use a grid as the background in AI to maintain consistency in the lines.

Fig 3.2 Digitizing process, Week 5

Fig 3.3 Final digitized wordmark, Week 5

Colour Application

I selected my color palette from Color Hunt and tried applying it to a colorful version of the wordmark.

Fig 3.4 Color palette, Week 5

Fig 3.5 Final Color Wordmark, Week 5

Create a GIF animated wordmark:

As for the color scheme, I used Coolors to find a combination of colors I liked.

Fig 3.6 Colour combination, Week 5

Before creating the GIF, I took a closer look at my wordmark. I felt that the "R" on the left resembled a gun, the top two strokes of the "E" looked like bullets, and the "II" on the right, once disconnected from the base of the "R", looked like two small figures. Combining this with the keyword "futuristic", I decided to simulate a bullet-shooting effect for the GIF.

Fig 3.7 GIF animated wordmark process, Week 5

After designing the wordmark in Adobe Illustrator, I imported it into Photoshop to adjust it frame by frame and create the GIF, since I wasn't able to use After Effects.

Fig 3.8 Photoshop process diagram, Week 5

Fig 3.9 GIF animated wordmark, Week 5

Task 2A Final Outcome

Fig 5.1 Black wordmark on white background, Week 6

Fig 5.2 White wordmark on black background, Week 6

Fig 5.3 Colour Palette, Week 6

Fig 5.4 Wordmark in actual colours on lightest shade of colour palette, Week 6

Fig 5.5 Wordmark in lightest shade of colour palette on darkest shade of colour palette, Week 6

Fig 5.6 Key Artwork Animation, Week 6

Fig 5.7 Task 2 (A) PDF Compilation, Week 6

Task 2 (B) – Collateral

When selecting promotional items, I used the Freepik website to browse and filter options. In the end, I chose three products: a T-shirt, a cap, and badges. After finalizing the selections, I imported the PSD files into Photoshop to replace the wordmark.

Fig 6.1 Workmark replacement process, Week 7

Expansion & Exploring Variations:

When expanding the design, my initial idea was to use two "P"s as a pattern, since my surname is Pan, and I felt this could represent my identity.

Fig 6.2 Process diagram, Week 7

However, Mr. Vinod told me that the pattern using the two "P"s doesn't immediately connect to the wordmark I created earlier. He suggested that I could use the two "I" on the right side to design the pattern instead.

So I tried redesigning the pattern.

Fig 6.3 Process diagram, Week 7

Key Collateral：

First key collatera design:

Fig 7.1 Process diagram, Week 7

Fig 7.1 Badges, Week 7

Fig 7.1 T-shirt, Week 7

Fig 7.1 Cap, Week 7

Instagram Feed Design Layout:

First Instagram Feed Design Layout:

Fig 8.1 First Instagram feed design layout, Week 7

Mr. Vinod told me it was limited in expansion and just barely acceptable, so I made some changes to collateral patterns and the T-shirt design to make them look cleaner and more comfortable, and I replaced the cap with a bag. I also rearranged the order of each page.

Fig 8.1 The improvement process, Week 8

Fig 8.2 The improvement process, Week 8

Fig 8.3 The improvement process, Week 8

Fig 8.4 Final Instagram Feed Design Layout, Week 8

Task 2B Final Outcome

Fig 9.1 Badges, Week 8

Fig 9.2 T-shirt, Week 8

Fig 9.3 Bag, Week 8

Fig 9.4 Self-Portrait, Week 8

Fig 9.5 Collateral patterns, Week 8

Fig 9.6 Color palette, Week 8

Fig 9.7 Final main elements, Week 8

Fig 9.8 Color workmark 1, Week 8

Fig 9.9 Color workmark 2, Week 8

Fig 9.10 Final Nine-Grid Layout, Week 8

Fig 9.11 Final INS screenshot, Week 8

Instagram link:

https://www.instagram.com/reii_iiie?igsh=MWx0YTk4MndyM2FweQ==

Fig 9.10 Task 2 (B) PDF Compilation, Week 8

FEEDBACK

Week 5:

General Feedback: This week, Sir reviewed the name sketch designs we created for Task 2 and gave us some feedback. He mentioned that our logo design should be memorable at a glance and not too complicated to the point where it's hard to recognize.

Specific Feedback: Sir said that my "universe" idea is very interesting, and suggested that I could refer to futuristic style typography for the design.

Week 6:

General Feedback: This week, Sir told us that the logo design should clearly show which letters it is made up of at a glance, and it shouldn’t be overly decorative.

Specific Feedback: Sir demonstrated how to design a logo on the grid background in Illustrator and told me to follow the proportions strictly.

Week 7:

General Feedback: Sir mentioned that the format should be changed to a 4:5 Instagram portrait ratio for all collaterals. Mr. Vinod also encouraged us to further develop the wordmark design to explore more variations.

Specific Feedback: Mr. Vinod told me that the pattern using the two "P"s doesn't immediately connect to the wordmark I created earlier. He suggested that I could use the two "I" on the right side to design the pattern instead.

Week 8:

General Feedback: Finalising our task 2 and starting to research for next task 3 for next week.

Specific Feedback: Mr. Vinod told me the Nine-Grid Layout was limited in expansion and just barely acceptable

REFLECTION

Experiences:

At the beginning, Task 2 really excited me because it allowed me to dive deeper into typography design and combine art with my own identity to create a personal wordmark. However, throughout the process, I faced many challenges. For example, when I needed to create a GIF, I couldn't open Adobe After Effects, so I had to manually place each frame one by one in Photoshop, which was very time-consuming. Despite the difficulties, I felt happy to create branded merchandise that represents my personal identity. Although I experienced a lot of confusion during the process and wasn’t fully satisfied with the final outcome, I see this as a valuable learning experience. I believe that in the future, I will have better ideas and inspiration to build a brand that truly belongs to me.

Observations:

I observed the importance of using a grid background when designing any type of font, as it plays a key role in ensuring that each line maintains consistent angles and thickness. In addition, while creating the nine-grid layout, I realized that the placement of each image requires careful consideration. It takes a lot of experimentation to discover the arrangement that feels most comfortable and visually appealing to the viewer.

Findings:

Through this task, I found that creating a wordmark is not easy. It requires clear planning and must express the right message. Choosing the right color and design is very important. I enjoyed turning the wordmark into patterns, which made the brand more interesting. I also learned that every design should have a clear purpose—without meaning, it’s hard to keep improving. Expanding the brand was harder than I expected, especially placing the design on products without losing its style. Overall, building a brand takes careful thought in every detail, such as the logo, font, and color.