Advanced Typography: Task 1 Exercises
Advanced Typography
22.04.2025 Week 1
Shiqing Li / 0366582 / Bachelor of Design (Honors) in Creative Media
Task 1 Exercises / Taylor's University
Module Information Booklet
Instructions
1) Typographic Systems (1 Week)
• Axial, Radial, Dilatational, Random, Grid, Modular, Transitional and Bilateral.
The exercise task is to be done using Adobe InDesign only.
Size 200 x 200 mm. In addition to black, you can use one other
colour. Graphical elements (line, dot, etc.) can be used but
limitedly.
2) Type & Play Part 1 & 2 (2 Week)
Finding type –
Students will be asked to select an image of a
man-made object (chair, glass, etc.) or structures (buildings),
or something from nature (Human, landscape, leaf, plant,
bush, clouds, hill, river, etc). Ensure that the image
does not contain many different elements.
Students will analyse, dissect and identify
potential letterforms within the dissected image. The forms would
be explored and ultimately digitized. It is expected that through a
process of iteration the forms would go from
crude representation to a more refined celebration that would
reflect to a degree its origins.
Extracted letterforms go from crude representation to a more
refined expression but yet maintaining core features of
its origin. It is good to have a sample font for direction and reference
when refining. Artwork by Phoebie Ng, 2021.
Upon completing the letterforms, students will combine the
letterforms with an image that is the basis of the extracted letters.
The objective is to enhance/support the interplay between the
letterforms and the selected visual. The text must
be woven into a symbiotic relationship with the
image.
Lecture Notes
AdTypo_1_Typographic Systems
Eight major variations：
- Axial
All elements are organised to the left or right of a single axis.
- Radial
All elements are extended from a point of focus.
- Dilational
All elements expend from a centrial point in a circular fashion.
- Random
Elements appear to have no specific pattern or relationship.
- Grid
A system of vertical and horizontal divisions.
- Modular
A series of non-objective elements that are constructed in as a standardised
units.
- Transitional
A informal system of layered banding.
- Bilateral
All texts is arranged symmetrically on a single axis.
Typographical organization is complexed because in order for the
elements to function, its dependent on communication.
This systems are skins to what architects term "Shape Grammars"
Shape Grammars is a set of shape rules that apply in a
step-by-step way to generate a set, or languages, of designs.
Exercise 1：Typographic System
Final Submission
Fig 1.1 Axial System Final, Week 2
Fig 1.2 Radial System Final, Week 2
Fig 1.3 Dilattional System Final, Week 2
Fig 1.4 Random System Final, Week 2
Fig 1.5 Grid System Final, Week 2
Fig 1.6 Transitional System Final, Week 2
Fig 1.7 Modular System Final, Week 2
Fig 1.8 Bilateral System Final, Week 2
Fig 1.9 Typographic System Final (With grid), Week 2
Fig 1.9.2 Typographic System Final (Without grid), Week 2
Fig 2.2 Extractions, Week 3
Fig 2.3 Layout of the Words, Week 3
Fig 2.4 Overall Process, Week 3
Fig 2.5 Font Reference, Week 3
Fig 2.7 Movie Poster, Week 3
Fig 2.8 PDF Movie Poster, Week 3
Feedback
During the first four weeks, Mr. Vinod introduced the module and Task 1,
guiding students through the initial lectures. In Week 2, Mr. Vinod gave
detailed feedback on Exercise 1 and explained the formatting guidelines,
reminding me to place the most recent feedback at the top. In Week 3,
sir provided feedback on Exercise 2 along with suggestions for
improvement. By Week 4, sir offered final feedback on the poster to help
students refine their work before submission.
Reflection
This typography exercise helped me exploring and better understand the
structure and working process of typography. In exercise 1, I make
experiments with the eight variations. Each of the layout requires me
to think in details and focus on alignment, hierarchy, and spacing.
Creating this evercise helped me to better understand on more creative
arrangements that renewed my knowledge.
The most challenging part of exercise 1 was when looking for a balance
between creativity and readability of the layout and texts, especially
in some layout where I used many different font sizes, angles, and
placements to create the effects. After this evercise, I understanded
on how these elements is meaningful in design.
For the Type & Play task, I learned how to work with images and
extracting letterforms. It's the first time I noticed that letter
shapes can be hidden in objects and nature. I learned how typography
is more than just writing and communication, it can also represent
form, texture, and feeling. The working process of changing shapes
into letters improved my observation, digital drawing skills and my
knowledge.
Overall, these exercises helped me gaining more knowledge on
typography and teach me to be more advanced in design tool. But if I
can do it again, I would explore more unusual type combinations and
make the layouts more creative. These tasks helped me develop
and to have a better technical skills in Adobe InDesign, and also on
typography itself.
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