(The white frame on cover page is present because it was printed on A4 printer)
Self critique
This task was extremely demanding and complicated. When I
look back and remember how I had no idea where and how to start, I am surprised
in certain way that I managed to finish it. I have no particular experience
with typography although I knew some very basic terms but it was not enough to
say that I know anything. This past few months really changed my point of view
regarding typography although I am aware that is a beginning of the beginning.
When I was developing ideas about cover design I was only sure that I will do something with inks. This is media I have never worked with and this was a good opportunity to try it. Inks are closely related to typography so I know that I have so many options. I made some rought sketches of layout but I knew that main inspiration comes when I start to explore media on paper. Playing with inks and creating the effects of old papers using food dyes was a very interesting part of design. when I produces a huge amount of different beautiful (and less beautiful) prints and effects I examined my sketches and tried to get the most of it. I finally created this one with 9 circles where three coloured are the main ones and they represents a subtitles in this case. Circles bellow refer to their sections. Circles as shapes can be regarded in more than one way as symbol. The old typewriter had that round types which make them recognizable and the circle as a geometric shape is also a base for letter like with Roman Majuscule. In second cover design I placed coloured circle in a form of a triangle which is a base for a letter A. I must say I even surprised myself with a such a colourful design. I have always held to something more calmed and simple but I wanted to try something different. I think such a smudged and colorful cover points on creativity and therefore is eye-catching for creative people.
Creating font gave me a lot of headache although I knew it will be hard. The more I read about it, the more it seems complicated. At first I was considering to create some more classic solution like some clean sans serif but I wanted to take a chance and to do it this way. I drew a lot of letters on millimetre paper and just when I picked a few of them to make fine-tuning in software I made a decision to create a this one which looks like an messy print, like types were overfilled with ink . I wanted to celebrate the pre computer era because some of the most beautiful typefaces I have ever seen were a handiwork. Typography is generally more than computer fonts; there are typographic illustrations, handwriting, graffiti, vernacular typography and more. I positioned title on a bottom part because I liked it, however the most magazines place their titles on the upper part probably because it is more practical. Often in the shops magazines are lined in such a way that title is visible only if it is in upper part. Probably the title is more eye-catching when positioned in upper section. I was also concerned about this colourful box where type are positioned. I tried to add it stroke, decrease opacity, make it fade away but I didn’t like it with those effects so I left it like this. I was also concerned about kerning and tracking because I am not sure if I did it right. Typographic illustrations was a very interesting part in this process, I enjoyed doing it although I have some fights with Illustrator. It was highly beneficial learning a new stuff using DTP software. Manual work is fantastic, creative and unique but this is a modern era where software is essential tool.
Anyway it was a valuable experience and I had to made it through to get a feeling what is like a be typographer (and it is not easy!) I have learned some basics and got a good starting point toward further development.
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