grad503-mathewhocking

[grad503-mathewhocking]

WEEK 11 REFLECTION

We continued working on our publication designs and I was able to print out a couple of drafts on Friday afternoon. Overall I am happy with the outcome however I don't think the paper was sitting correctly in the tray because all of the pages are slightly off-centre. I will employ the changes I want to make and print off a final copy this week before hand-in after some experimentation with paper stock.

Alternative cover where I used ‘OEUVRE’ instead of ‘Pioneer of Swiss Design’

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DRAFT #2

My second draft sketch of my publication layout. I introduced new techniques here which better represent my designer and feel a lot sharper and whole than the last. I want to experiment with prominent headings, asymmetry with the text and paragraphs, page borders and numbers.

Page 1: Cover page

I decided to go with a square grid as it’s more synonymous with Ruder. A similar design is also used in his book Typographie: A Manual of Design. I tried to emulate the way the type sits on the cover of his book but it was quite difficult considering he only has 9 letters in his name so it’s placed in a 3x3 grid here. I also placed the letters left aligned and I quite like how because the ‘I’ is a smaller glyph it creates this ‘flush left, ragged right’ composition. To occupy the negative space at the top I added some additional text. This was a question of ‘how can I say something without saying too much?’ I also decided to use the Akzidenz-Grotesk typeface for the body text as it’s one Ruder often used during his career. Overall I think this is successful but I will revisit it to see if I can adapt something better.

Pages 2-3: Quotes/images

Making use of the parent pages feature in InDesign, I added a top section of text which will be present throughout. This took some experimentation in terms of what the text would be, as I wanted it to serve a purpose while simultaneously not seeming too intrusive to the design. I considered using my name, ‘GRAD503 Materials + Media’ and something similar to what is at the top of the cover. I also added large page numbers via the parent page feature and these will exist depending on the content of the page. I shifted the portrait onto page 3 to make space for the index (which did not exist in my previous design) on page 2. I think this is a really helpful feature for the reader when looking at a publication. This style of the index box was informed by a design I looked at during my research. I decided to also include the German translation of each section to give it more substance and it also refers back to Ruder’s Swiss and German roots. I used Akzidenz-Grotesk for the body text and Helvetica only for the headings. I think the index box could be made smaller and the lines from around it could be removed. The quote also needs some adjustments as the hierarchy feels off and it’s also sitting in too much due to the quotation marks which should sit on the outside of the paragraph.

Pages 4-5: Timeline

I changed all the images to B&W for my timeline as I think it just keeps everything clean and streamline. I also removed the excess space from around the photographs of the books to assume they are more of a product rather than photographs of a product. I removed the ‘19′ from each date as it felt too repetitive but I do think a single ‘19′ could be included somewhere so that there is a suggestion (otherwise it could be mistaken for his age?) of the year. I fixed the hyphenation on the body text from my last draft but it’s still quite messy in some areas so that will need to be adjusted. 

Pages 6-11: Article and references

Some changes I made to the article spread include a full-black page with the heading, adjustment of paragraph positioning, adjustment of paragraph alignment and justification and fixing any widows and orphans. My focus here was to create a clean, readable, and tidy format. To add some interest at this stage of the publication, I decided to exclude the top-of-page text and change the colour of the page number on page 6, exclude the second heading line on pages 7, 9 and 10, and exclude the page number on page 9. These are just minor changes which I think are quite visually effective. The reference page now also features the same index box as page 2 and I’ve changed them from reading as ‘links’ to the original titles featured where I found them. The poster design featured on page 9 is not great quality so I’m considering finding one of a higher resolution because I don’t want to print something that has blurry images - it just looks bad! The article also features a lot of quotes and, similar to page 3, the (optical margin) alignment needs to be fixed.

Page 12 - Back cover

Similar to my previous draft design where it reflects the cover in a very minimal way. I think this is just a nice way to compliment the cover without being too accessorised.

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WEEK 10 REFLECTION

Due to being sick with what was suspected to be covid (but thankfully was not) I was unable to attend class this week, however I did manage to catch up on the lecture via MS Teams and the SDL tasks via Canvas.

Todays lecture was workshop driven so it was primarily to assist with the design of our publications.

Paul covered grids and how important it is to get comfortable using them. He suggested we look at the works of Jan Tschichold (famous for his 9x9) and Josef Müller-Brockmann - both helped shape how we know grid theory in graphic design today. I found it really interesting to think about a grid system as being modular, so it will allow you to move things around in a more technical and productive way. In the Western world we read things a certain way, so we kind of already know where to place the title, subheading, body paragraph etc, and the grid can help you work within those modules instead of just working with a blank page.

When setting up a document in InDesign, remember to make the correct decisions regarding colour modes (print vs. web), appropriate units to work with (picas is generally what typographers use!), and document naming conventions. Command+S is your friend!

Parent (master) pages are important for keeping consistency throughout a document which can assist with things such as page numbers, graphics, colours, etc. Anything that you want to appear throughout the document should be created, and therefore can be altered, via the parent pages. This will save you a lot of time! Effectiveness of workflow! Command+shift will allow you to edit your document pages after the parent page has been applied. 

V > selection > hold down option key > drag - duplicates and creates margins based on Tschiholds 9x9. The idea is when you look at it, the eye has been forced to come into that content area. This is where you can place your content!

Select the frame > hold shift > select right side > drag both down > shift W to preview.

Process of exploration, ideation, review, and reflection.

Parent page > Create a text box > Insert Special Character > Markers > Current Page Number Object > Text Frame Options > Vertical Justification Center - this is going to ensure your page number is always positioned centre within the text box no matter the adjustments you make.

Because this is a printed publication - remember it will be imposed spreads! File > Print Booklet will take your pages from the reader spread format and shuffle them into an imposed spread format. This will be revisited next week so make sure to have a draft ready.

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DRAFT #1

My first draft sketch of my publication layout. I began by doing this to explore how each page might work together as a whole. I took this design into InDesign to see how it would look digitally.

Page 1: Cover page

Inspired by the cover of Grid Systems in Graphic Design by Josef Müller-Brockmann. I like the obvious nod to Swiss design this has, but it feels too direct of Brockmann’s work, rather than to Emil Ruder. I included a few pieces of text which I thought would work well to emphasise the importance of Ruder as a designer. I think the font size is also slightly too large. The grid system you see here is what I used on each page.

Pages 2-3: Quotes/images

I wrote the introduction piece to the right using some of the information I found in my research phase while producing my timeline. I kept it pretty brief as I didn’t want to repeat myself in the timeline (with dates, events, accomplishments) and I thought if either one should be trimmed down it’s the introduction. The quotes have both been pulled from an online source. I think there could be a bit more experimentation happening here with type.

Pages 4-5: Timeline

The text in the top left hand corner was initially just a placeholder but I think it could be kept and altered. The design itself was influenced by a Dieter Rams timeline which I’ve referenced a couple of times on my blog. I think there could also be some more experimentation happening here with the sizing and placement of both type and image.

Pages 6-11: Article and references

Article has been sourced from https://www.typeroom.eu/in-grid-we-trust-emil-ruder-aka-the-iconic-pioneer-of-swiss-style. Again, the text in the top left corner was initially just a placeholder (here it should say ‘an article’ not ‘an interview’) but I like how it occupies the blank page here. I also used all lowercase for the titles (a timeline, an interview, references) as that is something Ruder exercises in a lot of his designs. I like the break that the graphic poster gives this sequence but I think overall these pages need some fine tuning as some of the placements are a bit off, the columns are too close to each other/the edge of the page, and the paragraphs feel a little messy..

Page 12 - Back cover

Visible grid with no text. I considered putting my name here which I might revisit in the future. I think this is just a nice way to compliment the cover without being too accessorised. 

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WEEK 9 REFLECTION

This week we reflected back on the brief and what is expected for our summative. We looked at different kinds of publications such as magazine, cookery, academic, and bespoke and what visual language each one uses. We also learnt how to work more efficiently with type formatting tools to create paragraph styles and text frames. In class we completed a 1 hour activity called the Typographical Roulette Design Challenge where we were all given 4 randomised typefaces (1x display, 1x sans serif, 1x serif and 1x dingbats font), a document of text and various images to produce our two-page spread. The requirements were

- Use the entire text and at least one image - Use all 4 fonts at least once - Include a pull quote - Credit the author - Give image captions - Include a typographical colophon listing - Export design as a PDF and upload it to MS Teams

I revisited my design after class and noticed that I forgot to close off the quote on the left page so that is something I would want to change.

I’ve began sketching some designs for my summative and creating assets for the publication which I will document here this week. I have also continued to research other bespoke publications that will assist with some of my decision making.

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PUBLICATIONS

I looked at other publications to further understand how to incorporate a Swiss style into my design.

Some prominent features include:

- Sans serif typefaces - Flush left, ragged right text - Asymmetrical layouts - Photographs instead of illustration

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TYPOGRAPHIE

I found some inside pages of Emil Ruder’s book Typographie: A Manual of Design which I will look to for inspiration as I begin my publication sketches.

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WEEK 8 REFLECTION

This week we were in class for the first time. Paul spoke about our timeline designs and gave us some overall feedback on our formative submissions. The advice and techniques he shared can be applied to strengthen our work for the summative. The rest of the session was presented by himself and David where we focused on using InDesign. The content of this tutorial was primarily focused on frames for image and text and how one might use these elements to occupy space in a design. So we covered things like placing images inside of shapes at the correct ppi, shaping text around objects and filling frames with text. For our SDL task we are to continue researching bespoke publications and developing material for our own designs.

While exploring the building I found two publication designs on Emil Ruder which were made by previous students. I had a quick look through them to see how they interpreted the brief and what design elements they used to highlight Ruder.

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PUBLICATION RESEARCH

Before I start creating my own publication, I looked at the works of other designers to seek some inspiration and guidance. There is plenty of content out there, so I wanted to make sure I was taking the time to find work that would help inform my own decisions and further speak to the style of my designer. I looked at publications which used serif fonts, grid layouts, photography rather than illustration, and simple colors.

Various Objects

This publication explores the ethos of objects that have been inspired by modernism. It uses only 3 colors, with red being applied to full pages, rather than as smaller accents which I think is very effective. I like the way text is used to create borders around products and I think overall there are some really great techniques used with the typography such as the negative space created by the placement of text. The treatment of black and white photographs keeps the publication consistent and bold. It’s clean, legible and easy to follow, which is something I hope to master during this process.

How to Survive a Pandemic - Self-Care Tips from 2020

This publication was created by New York art director and designer Anjela Freyja. I came across this work through the Adobe Live channel on YouTube where Anjela gives a step-by-step tutorial on how to design a print-ready book using InDesign and Photoshop. Although it’s quite loud compared to what I would like to create, it was super interesting to watch this video and see how a professional uses just 2 typefaces and a few photographs to produce something special. What I really like about this is the pops of red and green, the use of photography where each photograph compliments the text it sits amongst, and the shapes used to break up the sharpness of everything. I’m mostly inspired by the typographic treatment and the clever use of imagery.

Inevitable Distances

This publication is an exhibition catalogue for Renée Green, by Carolina Aboarrage, an art director and graphic designer from the Netherlands. It complies a collection of images, essays and ephemera selected by the artist. What I really like about this is the minimal colour pallette and interesting typography techniques. It feels very formal but I think there is a nice balance of playfulness too. The 4th image features a page of text which plays by a very different set of rules and is something I’ve not seen a lot of. It almost has quite a DIY/paste-up feel to it which I enjoy. I would like to explore some fun ways to use type and this has definitely helped foster some ideas.

A Type Book Abt Type In Book

This publication is a collection of essays on typography styles, movements and ideologies from the designers of the Master of Communication Design at RMIT Melbourne, Australia. The overall typographic treatment in this publication is just really fun. I think the use of only black and white was a smart idea and compliments the imagery well. The placement of imagery is interesting as a few photographs have a slight tilt to them which is probably not something I will experiment with but is one of the features I enjoy.

Vizuelna Kultura Publication

This publication focuses on the International Typographic Style and some of its pioneers, including Emil Ruder, so it’s very close to my topic for this project. I think everything about this publication speaks to what Swiss style is. It’s clean, legible, uses photography rather than illustration, and operates within a grid system. I like the use of language translation on some pages and, on the index page, the mirror effect on the typography is quite cool. The big page numbers and visible grid lines are also really great features. On the last page, the placement of photography is smart and I will definitely look into doing something similar for my publication.

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WEEK 7 REFLECTION

Due to the public holiday we missed our Friday session but were able to watch the Monday classes stream via Teams. This was an introductory lesson to InDesign, which will be the software we use to create our publication for the summative. This will be a 12 page publication about the life, works and inspiration of our allocated designers. Paul covered a lot of the important features of InDesign including document preferences, file formats, master pages, grids and guides and typography tools. This application is highly regarded in the industry for both print and online use. We set up our InDesign documents with the correct requirements for our designs. 

Over the break we are to engage with the ‘Where’s The Grid’ exercise which will help us to further understand how publications operate within this system. These will be exported as a PDF with the correct settings and uploaded to our MS Teams folder. We should also take some time to watch the InDesign tutorial videos inside the application, as well as doing our own research on bespoke publications. 

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TIMELINE POSTER + REFLECTION

After some consideration and experimentation, I’ve produced my final timeline design. Since my previous draft I have changed the typeface to ‘Univers’ as I think it better suits the overall design, I put place names and publications in bold to make them easier to identify, I enlarged the top-left picture to fit proportionately with the grid, and I did a spell-check to make sure everything was grammatically correct. Overall I’m really happy with my final timeline design.

Reflection

During this process I’ve learnt a lot of valuable skills working with the Adobe Suite. Using Illustrator to create my timeline was a challenging but overall rewarding experience. I’ve found a new appreciation for Ruder’s work and this has also led me to explore others from this movement i.e. Keller, Hofmann, Muller-Brockmann. I began with a different designer, Philip B. Meggs, who proved to be an interesting character to work with as personal design material was scarce, but writings and historical documentation was aplenty. This made it difficult for me to reference his work, however, after changing my designer to Emil Ruder, I was lucky enough to find a third edition of Meggs’ book A History of Graphic Design in a shop around the corner from me for a discounted price, so I’ve been able to spend some time with his work regardless. What made this an enjoyable process for me was being a fan of Swiss Design in general, so it was quite a cathartic experience to engage with design techniques that I admire. I can definitely see how it has influenced my own style. My biggest takeaway from this project is how crucial it is for me, as a young designer, to become more comfortable with a pen and paper, because that is where it all begins. Something I remember Paul saying at the beginning of semester was “Computers are tools for creation not ideation. They can help improve your process but not create it.” and the more time I spent with my sketchpad and pen, the more I enjoyed the process. I was able to let my ideas free flow. Typography has become a point of interest for me during this time as well, after learning about Ruder and watching the Graphic Means and Helvetica documentaries. I’m really looking forward to the lessons and brief next semester.

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DIGITIZED #2

I started this concept by creating a grid for my canvas. I did this by creating a rectangle and then using Object > Path > Split into Grid. Based on my sketches, I knew I wanted to either have three columns of 4 or four columns of 3. Because this is portrait-oriented so I thought the former would work best. I adjusted the gutters to suit and then turned the grid into guides using View > Guides > Make Guides. I introduced a title, a quote and, unlike my previous design, decided to include Ruder’s life dates in that section too. This poster will be designed using Helvetica which is another classic sans-serif font associated with Swiss design. I knew I wanted to include photographs in this timeline so I brought them in at the beginning to see how I might position them within my guides.

I roughly placed my dates/text and assigned each photograph to the appropriate section. I then inspected what the text looked like and adjusted the kerning and leaning as it needed. During this process I was able to refine a lot of the dates and add some additional information which I think is where my previous design lacked. At this stage I was wondering if I wanted the timeline to go from left to right like I planned or up and down because while arranging the images around my text I noticed it started to become confusing to follow. My eye was not sure which direction to go in so I had to explore some different options. It was a question of either positioning the text around the images or positioning the images around the text. Something I really wanted to achieve was using the images in a way where they would interfere with the guides and cross-over at certain points to break up the order of things.

I added 2 grey lines to the gutters to expose the grids in a sort of industrial style way. They also signify the use of a grid system. I also noticed some of my text boxes were hyphenating words so I removed that feature in the Paragraph window to keep things flush. I continued to experiment with how the text and images occupy space. Finding a way that negative space could exist while also keeping things somewhat ‘formal’ was a challenging task.

Below is where I started to feel like things were coming together, although it still appeared a little messy.

I began to think of the photographs as a tool for direction. My design doesn’t feature any arrows or lines for the viewer to follow so I wanted to find a way to do this. By placing the 2 photographs flush right of the grids, it creates an asymmetry and gives them function. I increased the font size for the dates as I thought they felt more like a headings this way. I also realised some of my text had been cut off due to this. The ‘1938 Studied in Paris’ date was removed because I couldn't find any more information about this so it felt somewhat insignificant. It levels out the amount of info in each grid too and gave me more room to experiment.

I’m happy with my design so far but there are a few things I want to change.

- I noticed the grid lines are not reaching the edge of the page which I think is caused by inexperience working with a bleed.

- I need to adjust the layers so that the text is in front of the lines. In the life dates you can see it passing through.

- The title section overall feels a little flat compared to the timeline.

- One of the photographs has a Getty Images watermark on it so I may need to source another one.

- The dash line in the life dates kerning needs to be corrected - it’s too heavy towards to 4.

- There is a black stroke around my canvas which I will need to remove.

- Is there a way for me to introduce another form of direction?

[grad503-mathewhocking]

DIGITIZED #1

Using Adobe Illustrator, I began digitising my first timeline design concept. The idea is based off a 1958 poster designed by Emil Ruder which features ellipse shapes as a form of graphics and I knew I could utilise that element in the way of a timeline process. The colours I have chosen are swatches taken from the same poster and I think they have nice contrast. 

I started by experimenting with a title and some shapes. I used the same sized ellipse 12 times to map out how I wanted the timeline to occupy the page. These were joined by lines which helps guide the eye through a sequence rather than only seeing a collection of circles. At this stage I wondered how the text would fit inside the shapes as some of my dates had lengthy explanations. I also considered how it might look with circles and no lines, or lines and no circles.

Something I kept in mind when creating this form of circles and lines is how Ruder used a lot of asymmetry in his work which was always done in an effective way. Next I adjusted the title section where I capitalised his name and added a bio. I think this adds some nice structure to the page as the timeline itself is very sparse and playful. I experimented with some colour, trialled some photographs using clipping masks, and considered what form it would take if I removed the fill from each ellipse. Could I just use this on a select few?

I decided to keep the palette of this poster neutral and remove the red border. I also felt as though the unfilled style of ellipses didn’t work. The main change I made here was adjusting the size of each ellipse which took some experimentation to find the right balance. I like how using different sizes can indicate areas of importance or focus. I then introduced the dates and text using ‘Univers’ as this was one of Ruder’s favourite typefaces. Ruder often proposed that text should be ‘aligned-left, ragged right’ and this proved to be a challenge as employing that technique inside of a circle border does not always look good. Some of the dates I previously documented on my blog have been changed to fit this design. I experimented with a bold font for the date and then a regular font for the text to make things more legible. The date is slightly larger in size as well. Ruder preferred photography over illustration so there is a single portrait photograph of him in the bottom right corner.

I wasn’t sure about how the portrait looked being positioned at the bottom so I decided to move it to the centre. I think this works well within a design concept and it also communicates who the artist is effectively. I considered how the bio read amongst the dates and this encouraged me to adjust it. There was no point in having when/where he was born in the bio if the first part of the timeline is exactly that. I finally made sure all text was positioned correctly inside of each ellipse and as a whole sat centre.

This is my final design for concept 1.

I worked with layers during this process to operate in a less destructive workflow and keep everything organised. I will follow through with this technique with my 2nd concept.

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PLANNING - SKETCHES

These are some draft sketches I completed at the end of last week in preparation for my timeline poster. I started by producing lots of small works and then took two of those to further develop. Each idea was inspired by the research I did on timelines and also Ruder’s style of work.

This is the first concept I will take into my digital workspace. It’s inspired by a poster Ruder produced in 1958 which features four black ellipses on an off-white canvas. Because he relies so much on type in his designs, I thought this could be a good way to introduce a complimentary element, while still visually communicating his signature style. The text will be sans serif.

Emil Ruder poster (1958)

This is the second concept I will take into my digital workspace which is very reliant on the grid system that Ruder used and advocated for. His book Typographie features a very distinct grid system where each letter of the title occupies a part of the grid to produce the cover. I think I will need to incorporate some form of imagery specific to Ruder, as this style is very Swiss in nature, so it could very easily lose the reference. A timeline I found on Dieter Rams’ Principles of Good Design has also informed some of my choices here (mostly the placement of imagery.)

Typographie: A Manual of Design (2001 edition)

Dieter Rams Timeline design (PLY)

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SCHOOLS

These are the two schools Ruder taught at during his career around the time he was active. I think this could be a great way to introduce a photographic element into my design.

Zurich School of Arts and Crafts

Allgemeine Gewerbeschule in Basel

Hans Arp (left), Emil Ruder and Armin Hofmann (right), Allgemeine Gewerbeschule in Basel, 1961

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WEEK 5 REFLECTION

This week in class we looked at some more tools in Illustrator, specifically setting up colour swatches, adding colour to grayscale images and using clipping paths. The Global option when creating a new swatch is useful for future editing so I will definitely be using that feature more. We also got to look at some iterative work done by previous students which was really interesting to see considering they had the same brief. Because designers have such a wide range of practices and visions it’s great to see how other creatives (us) interpret them through their own work. Some techniques for saving and exporting files were discussed and the use of marks and bleeds were further reiterated.

Paul showed us the timeline Karol designed for Emil Ruder which was really helpful for me as he is my chosen designer. It was interesting to see the dates she used as well as the overall aesthetic and I think I will revisit that in the coming days. Near the end of the session, Paul asked a few of us to volunteer to share some of the work we’ve done. It was good to get some feedback from him and David and I really appreciated their critiques. They were both pleased with my research but want to see that material filtered and refined and I completely agree with them. I have enough groceries in my trolley, now I need to bring it all into the kitchen.

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PLANNING - TEXT

Drafts of the text I will include in my design.

Title

Emil Ruder Timeline (emil ruder/EMIL RUDER)

Biography

Emil Ruder was a Swiss graphic designer and typographer born in Zurich in 1914. He is often noted as being a pioneer in the development of graphic design in the 50s and 60s and played a major role in the establishment of the Swiss Design style. Ruder taught that typography’s purpose was to communicate ideas through writing and especially in sans-serif. His designs emphasise grid systems, asymmetric layouts and objective clarity, influencing web design as we experience it today. He disregarded what he considered “merely playful designs” and introduced a new set of compositional and typographic rules which better suited the modern era. Although his conviction for straight-forward communication and legibility was apparent, it never excluded aesthetic effects.

Quotes

“A printed work, which cannot be read, becomes a product without purpose.”

“Typography has one plain duty before it and that is to convey information in writing. No argument or consideration can absolve typography from this duty.”

“To design is to plan, to order, to relate, and to control. In short, it opposes all means of disorder and accident.”

Dates

1914 - Emil Ruder is born in Zurich Switzerland on the 20th of March.

1929-1933 - Trained as a typesetter in Basel through a compositors apprenticeship.

1938-1939 - Studied in Paris. (?)

1940 - Attended Zurich School of Arts and Crafts.

1942 - Began teaching at the Allgemeine Gewerbeschule in Basel.

1946 - Emerged in the Typografische Monatsblätter journal as an exponent of Modernism.

1947 - Became the head of the Department of Apprentices in Applied Arts alongside Armin Hoffman. He was appointed in-charge of the typography for trade students.

1952 - Became a chief figure in typographical thinking with the new TM magazine.

1955 - Gained an international reputation for his teachings.

1957-1959 - Wrote four articles entitled Fundamentals: The Plane, The Line, The Word and Rhythm.

1962 - Founded the International Center for the Typographic Arts (ICTA) in New York.

1967 - Wrote and published Typographie. This would eventually became a primary text for graphic design and typography programs in Europe and the United States.

1970 - Passes away in Basel at the age of 55