Design Insights: A to Z [repost]

August 15, 2010

Note: this is a repost from my previous blog that mysteriously broke. This post was posted on July 30, 2010.

A to Z is an experiment in typography and a project for my Beginning Typography class at San Jose State University. The composition originally consisted of three separate panels mounted on black posterboard. This digital recreation simulates the position of the three square panels in relation to each other and the posterboard. The assignment contained the following guidelines:

• Every letter from the alphabet had to be used once, and only once.
• While the letters could be assembled in any way in the three panels, they had to be in alphabetical order from left to right in the overall composition. For example, the letter A could not appear in the right panel, after Z.
• Only the typefamily Helvetica Neue was allowed.
• No color.
• The panels had to each follow a theme: Repetition (left), Transition (middle), and Opposition (right).

I remember other classmates having difficulty working with only black and white, or only a single typefamily, but my biggest challenge was to use every single letter in the composition, and in proper order. I actually worked backwards to create my compositions. The first composition I came up with was Opposition (right). I quickly noticed the similar sharp and diagonal shapes the capitals of V, W, X, Y and Z shared (a combination I would utilize later in my Futura poster as well). The angular bold shapes of the last five letters of the alphabet hinted at a subtle dominance or hostility. Building on this, I worked backwards and chose a collection of letters. I chose the make these letters lowercase, small, and thin to emphasize their more “vulnerable” curves.

My second composition (Transition) was the result of an experiment with overlapping leftover lowercase letters I had from my Opposition composition. I quickly assembled a string of letters that reminded of an old childhood toy where you would stack carved-out wooden blocks with canals and holes in them big enough for a marble to roll through. The “O” and “H” where added later, when I realized I had two unused letters that didn’t fit into the other compositions. The “O” fits nicely as a marble analog. The “H,” on the other hand, is the one part I don’t like fully. It feels pretty stuck on.

Finally, I came up with the Repetition composition. I think I had the hardest time designing something I was happy with. After a lot of false starts and experimentation with overly complex designs, I accidentally overlapped a few letters and suddenly liked the appealing grid they formed. I overlapped more letters until I was satisfied, resulted in the crooked tower seen in the final composition.

I’m happy with the overall composition, especially with the sense of movement that glides between the three compositions.

Posted in Design Insights, Graphic Design, School