Illustrate your favourite quote or lyric through typography

Intro to Typography and Communication

Find typefaces
Depending on how much time you have either take a few of the words or all 10, and find a suitable typeface for each to enhance the meaning on the word. You might decide to hand draw some lettering instead.

Sporty

Beautiful

Simple

Loud

Traditional

Childlike

Ugly

Danger

Futuristic

Flirty
Share your words
Share your words and typefaces with fellow students. Start commenting on other students images and discuss. Are the typefaces similar? or completely different? People can interpret the word Beautiful (for example) in many ways as we all see beauty in different things.
Share your photos
In the classroom share your photos from the typography all around you task and let's start discussing the typography and typefaces we see all around us.
Find 10 typefaces for 10 words
After the first lecture you will be given 10 words to find 10 different typefaces for - thinking about how each typeface will enhance the power or emotion of the word.

The Fundamentals - History and Anatomy

Use on online tool to practise
There's a great online tool here to help you get it spot on: Kern Type - the kerning game
Optional
I'd like to take the word 'Typographic' and in a typeface of your choice layout it out and post it in the classroom. If you don't have photoshop or illustrator try drawing out the letters, cutting them out and placing them together. Ask your fellow students what they think of your kerning.
Practise your kerning!
This is one of the most important aspects of good typography - kerning. This is quite a simple deliverable, simply practise your kerning! If you master kerning, you are half way there to being a good typographer!

Brands and Logotypes

Snap and Share!
Once you've taken your photo share it in the classroom and discuss with other students what the typeface says about the brand.
Task - Photograph a brand
Take a photo of anything in or out of the house that is branded, from food, clothing, cars to toys. Analysing typography in this way will help towards your final project.

Creating your own Typefaces

Copy!
Either by eye or by tracing try to redraw the letters on the resource sheet - Alphabet. This will help us understand letter structure more by looking at different strokes, x-heights and shapes.
Create your own
Let's get creative. Using your initials come up with some creative ways to draw, build or make the letters. Share them in the classroom. If you have access to instagram and/or twitter share your photos and let's try to create the alphabet between us all! use #artoftype to share on twitter and instagram.
Task - Create your own typeface!
Depending how much time you have either create a whole typeface using one of the digital resources mentioned in the lecture or create a letter made out of something physical or hand draw it.

Final Project - Layout your Quote

Choose your quote
Pick a quote or lyric that you really identify with and relate to. This could be anything from a famous quote, song lyrics, your granny's favourite saying or maybe something you've made up.

You might want to keep this below 15 words just so you don't give yourself too much work to do.

If you are stuck for inspiration check out the resources with some links to quotes!
Word hierarchy
Think about which words need the most importance and emphasis. Start making some sketches of possible layouts. Share these initial sketches in the classroom for feedback from myself and fellow students.
Layout your final quote
After getting feedback from your sketches start finalising your layouts - whether you decide to do that in photoshop, illustrator, hand drawn or using mixed media that's up to you.

Keep it simple for now. We will look at adding extra elements in another unit.

Ideally use an artboard / canvas size of 10inches x 8 inches (portrait or landscape). If you are working in Photoshop I'd advise to work at 300dpi or above to ensure good print quality.

Please keep sharing your process in the classroom.
Illustrate your favourite quote or lyric through typography
To start with share your initial sketches and ideas for quotes and possible layouts. Which words are you giving most importance? have you got some typefaces in mind or will you hand drawn it? share and comment on students projects.

My Type of Movie

Think about animation
Don't worry you don't have to animate your quote! that's a whole new class. But try to think about how you would animate it, it might help you decide which words should have most importance...
How would you animate your quote?
Share your progress in your project section to get feedback from other students

Final Project - Adding Other Elements

Does your design need more?
Your design might be perfect as it is. Which is great - don't add anything extra for the sake of it... only add an extra element if your design needs it or if it will help the message.
Decide what should be added
Would colour help your design, or maybe some background photography or an element of illustration? or all three? Post your work in progress in the classroom.
Credit your quote
If your quote is a famous quote or lyric it is good practise to credit the person / band who originally said it at the bottom of your design
Adding other elements
Once you've finalised your typographic layouts you might decide you want to add some extra elements - colour, photography or illustration. When adding extra elements try to keep in mind, for this project, to keep your typography the main focus.

Class Round up and Farewell

Complete steps in Unit 5 & Unit 7
Following the steps in Unit 5 and Unit 7 your final projects should now be ready to upload!
Share your thought process
Describe why you used the typefaces in the way you have - how did this help communicate the message you wanted to convey?
Feedback
Please feedback on fellow students projects and try to take part in the peer feedback sessions.
Final projects
Share your final projects with the class, describe why you used the typefaces in the way you have - how did this help communicate the message you wanted to convey.

Additional Resources

Font websites

Here's a list of websites you can buy and get free fonts from. A lot of the free ones are only free for personal use so please read the licenses. This is by no means the only sites available but should give you a good start.

www.fontsquirrel.com

Fontsquirrel is one of my favourites for free fonts as they seem to have a certain level of quality control with the collection of typefaces.

www.myfonts.com

One of the best places to buy quality typefaces. They also have great articles on typography and design.

www.veer.com

Great quality fonts designed by some top designers so not free - but you get what you pay for sometimes.

www.emigre.com

Emigre had it's own magazine between 1984-2005 and is well respected within the design community. So even if you can't afford the fonts, it's well worth book marking the site.

The following are a list of some free font sites - some good, some not so good!

www.fonts2u.com

www.1001freefonts.com

www.dafont.com
The History of Typography - PDF

You can download the PDF of The History of Typography slideshow below in the class files.
The Anatomy of Typography - PDF

You can download the PDF slideshow I used for The Anatomy of Typography lecture by following this link.
Books and articles

If you'd like to know more about the history of typography and certain typefaces I highly recommend the book Just My Type by Simon Garfield.

If you interested in finding out more about the history of printing, Wikipedia have a good article here - The History of Printing.
Adobe Illustrator Tutorials

Another Skillshare class taught by Brad Woodard! I took his first class and he's very good.

Digital Illustration Communicate with Color Pattern and Texture

Learn the Ins and Outs of Illustrator

Beginner level

There's 12 beginner tutorials here:

http://mashable.com/2010/08/19/adobe-illustrator-tutorials/

Intermediate level +

I love Creative Bloq so much! Here's some great links to some more advanced Illustrator tutorials once you've mastered the basics

www.creativebloq.com/digital-art/illustrator-tutorials-1232697
The History of Typography - Video

A great video created by Ben Barrett-Forrest. Well worth a look here.
Typography Deconstructed website

http://www.typographydeconstructed.com/category/anatomy-of-type/
PINTEREST Inspiration

pinterest.com/fayebrowndesign/logos/
Ultimate guide to logo design

A great article on Creative Bloq to help you on your way to creating amazing logos!
Books

Designing Typefaces by David Earls As mentioned in the lecture - this is a great book looking at some of the top type designers around.

Here's a couple of others worth a look

Creative Lettering

Lettering and Type
Apps and websites

My Script Font - shown in the lecture

I Font Maker - exclusive to the IPad, shown in the lecture

Fontlab - for those who want to get serious about creating typefaces

Fontstruct - an online font building tool
Alphabet sheet - download

Download the alphabet sheet mentioned in the lecture below in the class files.
Tutorials

If you want to get serious and really get into designing professional typefaces here's a few online tutorials that should help

Designing an intricate display font

Design a headline typeface

Fontlab tutorials
Inspiration

Pinterest board - Creating Typefaces

You can download my typeface PIXEL here.
Quote inspiration

Are you stuck for finding a quote? here's a few websites and links that might help you out...

Top 100 motivational quotes

Classic motivational quotes

Song quotes - Rock Wisdom

Famous quote to inspire you
Pinterest board

This board shows a few examples of inspirational quotes and different ways to illustrate them. Inspiring words - click here.
Helvetica - Film

Available to download or rent via itunes here.

Trailers and clips available to see on youtube.
Stranger Than Fiction

Also available to buy or rent via itunes here.

Great opening sequence by MK12 featured here on youtube.
Kinetic Typography Channel

Vimeo has a fabulous channel dedicated to Kinetic Typography. If you search for long enough you will come across one of my animations or could just click here instead to view it!
Art of the Title

Art of the Title is a wonderful website showcasing some of the best film titles that exist, many with interviews from the creators.
Pinterest boards

Follow this link for my board focusing on Colour Theory

Follow this link for my board with lots of examples of colour combinations
Colour association PDF

To download my colour association slideshow as a PDF check out the files below.
Further reading - Jessica Hische

Talking Type with Jessica Hische - click here

This is a great piece by lettering expert Jessica Hische with loads of great advice and tips on typefaces and typography.
Designing for magazines

We didn't really look at this without this course but if this is an area you are interested in here are some useful links

Indesign tutorials for magazine layouts

32 Inspiring examples of magazine layouts

A good website for lots of info is magazinedesigning.com and particularly this article on using columns
Typographic Hierarchy

Great write up here from Fred Design

Laura Foreman

Gardener. Writer. Photographer.

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