Project 1

One-Character Design

Process Questions

Typography I, GRAP301

Describe your process of creating your thumbnail sketches.

1. To begin my creative process I just wanted to fool around with the letters and see what kind of patterns I could create with them. My first thumbnail was made sort of by accident. I was playing around with the letter “B” and I found I could create something that looked like a flower.

2. I used the computer rather than hand-drawing my thumbnails because for one I am not too good with hand drawing. The other reason is because with the computer I feel I have more options and I can see exactly how it would turn out rather than just seeing it on paper.

3. The reason why I chose the letter “B” was I thought that it would make a cool design. I fooled around with it and I decided I liked the outcome of the design with this letter. The typeface I used was Andale Mono. I chose this typeface simply because I though it worked well with the design I chose to do.

4. I did not have a pre-conceived design when I began each thumbnail. I experimented with each one to see what I could do with the letter and what types of designs and patterns I could create.

5. In experimenting I thought about perspective and positive and negative space. In one of my sketches I wanted to do something with the negative space, to kind of create a design using both positive and negative. It didn’t work out as I planned but I tried and experimented with it to see what I could do. Also I thought of perspective using different sizes and seeing out the different sizes looked with each other and what types of patterns they created.

6. In my first thumbnail I think the pattern came out kind of cool but it was really simple. I think there could have been more to it to show perspective and positive and negative space. In my second thumbnail I was going for the pattern in the negative space, which did not work out so that is definitely one of the weaknesses in that thumbnail. However I like how I created a lot of black with just using the letters and not changing the background. In my third thumbnail I was completely fooling around with the letters and I saw I could actually create something other than just a pattern with the letters. However there was really no pattern or much to it.

Describe your process of creating your comp for Project 1.

1.Actually I didn’t really like any of my thumbnails. I ended up with going with a completely different design. My thumbnails were basically used to experiment and see what different things could look like and when I was making my final project I used what I discovered in my thumbnails to come up with a final design.

2. I started off with a bold pink. So all I had was pink and black and I really liked it but I decided I should add more color and I really liked pink with orange and green so I decided to add in those colors. Since I already had a bold pink I didn’t want my orange and green to be too bold so I found a softer green and orange and played around with them in my design.

3. Using color influenced the effects of gravity and weight because different colors can have different effects on how heavy a letter can look.

Lessons Learned

1. In the creation of this design I learned more about the use of letters. I found out the different uses and ways you can do to a letter to make a design with using just one letter. I learned to experiment more with the letters and not just settle for the obvious. I learned that if you change direction and use different typefaces and sizes you can come up with more interesting designs.

2. I learned more about Illustrator and how to use certain tools on it.