LA BIFUR
A TYPOGRAPHY ZINE BY EUGENIE RIDENT-TIERCELET
N1103021
INSPIRATION ZINES
Typography Zine by Junbae Choi
Designed around 5 essential typefaces Bodoni, Futura, Helvetica, Century and Times New Roman. I was inspired by this Zine as I really liked how she incorporated the information into the imagery. I feel that the use of the fonts to both create art and communicate messages was really successful in this Zine. The minimal use of colour in this Zine was also inspiring as we are tasked with only using 3 colours.
https://sva.design/projects/12789/typography-zine/
KADAR Magazine by Natalia Michalak
This magazine was also a source of inspiration for me. Although a larger scale, the use of space and colour was interesting. I really liked the overlapping of imagery and incorporating imagery across both pages of the spread. The way she used blocks of colour and hierarchy to draw your eye to certain elements was also really clever. I also really like the way she organised her text on the pages.
https://www.behance.net/gallery/146781623/KADR-magazine
FINDING MY FOCUS FONT
For my zine I knew I wanted to focus on a font that I was unfamiliar with. I really like bold, decorative fonts so decided to look for typefaces designed in the Art Deco era. This is where I discovered A.M. Cassandre, a french poster artist and typographer from the mid- early 1900s. I was really inspired by both his poster designs and font designs.
https://retrographik.com/a-m-cassandre-art-deco-poster-artist/
In my research I landed on three possible options to focus on for my zine; Peignot, Acier and La Bifur
https://www.cassandre-france.com/typography
In the end I decided to go with La Bifur. The most decorative of the fonts, I found the linear details and geometric shapes really interesting. I felt that the font would not only be an interesting case study but also fun to play around with when I came to designing my document.
In my research I also found a typographic display book which was created by Cassandre and Peignot to show off the font when it was released. This almost zine like book was very inspirational and helped me to inform my colour choices and layout ideas.
DESIGN PROCESS
THUMBNAIL SKETCHES
I started my design process by sketching out different layout options and zine structures.
Structure I chose for my zine:
PAGE 1 - Front cover; Overlapping letters to emphasise letter details
PAGE 2 - Contents page
PAGE 3 - Imagery of Cassandre to lead into feature article
PAGE 4 & 5 - feature article on Cassandre and his role in the typographic world
PAGE 6 - continuation of feature article
PAGE 7 - For your typographic information; Serif vs San Serif
PAGE 8 & 9 - La Bifur font introduction and information
PAGE 10 & 11 - La Bifur font specifics and details
PAGE 12 &13 - Art Deco trend in typography
PAGE 14 & 15 - Font imagery and Reflection
PAGE 16 - Back Cover; Minimal and sleek
ZINE COLOUR PALLET
For my colour pallet I wanted something that reflected the Art Deco era, Cassandre's work and also paid homage to the original display booklet for the font. I chose to use the same yellow colour from the original display booklet. I also went for a slightly teal shade blue which was a popular art deco colour that i felt would contrast nicely with the yellow. It is also a common colour used in Cassandre's poster work. Finally I chose a grey toned off white which I felt would work well as a bas colour and compliment the other two colours nicely.
FONT CHOICES AND IMAGERY
The first and only piece of imagery I needed to create for my zine was the portrait of Cassandre. I was originally going to create the portrait out of the text as we per the brief however I decided to go a slightly different direction and create a portrait which is directly inspired by the font and the fonts features.
I would have created his portrait out of La Bifur, however reducing the font to the size I would have chosen to create it meant that the details in the font would have been lost. This alternative combines the key solid and linear features of the font and creates a "La Bifur" portrait of Cassandre. I created it on illustrator and outlined the solid shapes before placing fine stripes over it.
I was quite challenged with what font to use to compliment La Bifur and the design of my zine.
Initially I used Arial, I thought that it was easy to read but almost too fine. I felt that a San serif font like arial would work best but I wasn't quite sure which one to go for. I then went back to Cassandres other typefaces which is where I discovered that he didn't actually make any lowercase fonts. That being said I tried using Acier Noir for the paragraphs. Acier Noir compliments La Bifur well as it follows the same geometry, just simplified and more legible. I really weighed up whether using an all capitals font for the paragraphs was a good idea or not as typically the paragraphs would be in lower case. In the end I chose to stay with it as I felt it not only tied back to my feature typographer but that aesthetically, the visuals were just as important as the text and although it is not as legible, it plays into the visuals really nicely and gives the zine a more artistic, graphic feel.
Once I was in Indesign I did play with the layout a bit more and experimented with different ideas on how to incorporate La Bifur as a focal art piece. I did stick to my thumbnail layout sketches in some areas however changed a few of my creative directions on some pages. Comparing the first and second layout you can see I experimented and changed my title page, the lettering on pages 4 and 5, added in the FYTI on page 7 in the boarder of the graphic, completely changed pages 8 and 9 so incorporate more interesting graphics emphasising the exclamation mark. I also moved around pages 10 and 11 so that they were more effective in explaining the font variations.
I wanted the layout to be quite maximalist and to emphasise the different details and aspects of the font. Art Deco itself took on quite a maximalist style which I felt would work best to showcase the typeface. My aim was to highlight a different part of the font on each page with some focussing on the line work, some focussing on the shapes, some focussing on the lettering of the different font variations. I feel that the bold colours and emphasis on different shapes and characteristics of the font really plays into the style and era of La Bifur. I wanted each page to feel different but still cohesive, playing with the composition and layout of each spread. I also really enjoy extending the graphics across both pages. I feel in a smaller format of a zine this moves your eyes across the page and gives you more room to emphasis different elements.
I chose to keep all of my bodies of text within the border boundaries set in In Design and for consistency sake made sure they were all aligned to either the left or right border. I kept the body of the font to a font size 11 and adjusted heading and decorative sizes to suit the layout of each page. Keeping the body font consistently smaller and in helps to create visual hierarchy and allows the reader understand the content and to follow the page more easily. Ensuring visual hierarchy to separate headings, visual features and body text is important and ensure the content is clear.
TEXT AND RESEARCH
PAGE 4
Adolphe Jean-Marie Mouron, otherwise known as A.M. Cassandre was a master of French advertising design and an experimental typographer par excellence in the Art Deco era. He was born on the 24th of January 1901 in Kharkov, Ukraine to French parents and spent time between Russia and France before the outbreak of WW1. After moving back to Paris 1 he enrolled into the prestigious Ecole des Beau-Arts in 1918. Following his passion, he then started at French artists’ Lucien Simon’s studio before continuing with his formal schooling at another private art school in Paris called Académie Julian.
PAGE 5
In the 1910’s poster advertising was incredibly popular in Paris and Cassandre took advantage of this support his own living. After working at a printing house, he then moved to his own studio in 1922 where he was able to refine his own style which was heavily inspired by cubism and surrealism. Art Nouveau style was also evident in his work with schematic curves and sleek geometric features. His fame truly started after the creation of a poster “Au Bucheron” for a cabinet maker. This poster went on to win prizes at the Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes and was printed and distributed across Paris. With his own company, Alliance Graphique, he created numerous typefaces. He collaborated with the French type foundry Deberny & Peignot in 1929 to create the typeface Le Bifur. In 1935 he created the sans-serif typeface Acier Noir and in 1937 developed the typeface Peignot.
His incorporation of his own typography in his posters became a trademark of Cassandre. He continued creating his posters as well as magazine covers, theatre and movie posters and also designed the iconic Yves Saint Laurent Logo. Suffering from depression, at age 67 Cassandre took his own life in Paris on the 17th of June 1968.
PAGE 6
“The artist expresses himself, but the designer does not – his job is to communicate messages.”
A.M. CASSANDRE
PAGE 7
Developed by the ancient romans, serif fonts are perceived are academic, classic and are more readable in lengthy pieces of text. They are more common in printed text as the serif details are easier to see. San serif fonts are considered more modern and became popular in the 1800’s in advertising due to their clarify and legibility. They are more common in digital text due to their simplicity. As a font designed for advertising and poster design, it makes sense that Cassandre chose a San Serif font when creating La Bifur. Although serif fonts have been around for longer, San serif fonts are more popular today. this is due to the popularity of consuming information digitally.
PAGE 8
Director of French type foundry Deberny & Peignot, Charles Peignot, sponsored the creation of Cassandres Le Bifur in 1929. A melange of thin lines and bold shapes, the font was a shock to the typographic world with Peignot later stating “There was no new or innovative typefaces which existed at the time…Bifur created a real scandal…at least in the small world of publishing and printing”.
There were two versions of Le Bifur released commercially. the original version known as regular and features one colour and the second variation which is printed in two colours in two different stages. as the second variation can be printed in two stages you can seperate the font into two parts that reveal different shapes to create the alphabet.
PAGE 9
As an poster and advertising designer, Cassandre designed the font for large scale and decorative use. He only designed fonts in capitals as he believed they were more legible and practical, especially for his line of work.
That being said, La Bifur was designed in a way that the typeface is impractical in most contexts outside of poster and advertising design. On a small scale the font loses its impact and as the details are harder to see and appreciate. The lack of a lower-case alphabet also limits the use for this font. However, for its intended use, La Bifur is striking and bold. The details are eye catching and intriguing to the viewer and both variations print nicely with colour. This typeface is a statement and works effectively to draw people to a message.
PAGE 10
FINE PARALLEL LINES INTEGRATED WITH SOLID SHAPES TO FORM KEY LETTER STROKES.
DESIGNED TO BE PRINTED IN 1 COLOUR.
PAGE 11
SECOND VARIATION USES THE SAME KEY SOLID LETTER SHAPES HOWEVER SWAPS OUT THE LINEAR DETAILS FOR A SOLID CONTRASTING COLOUR.
DESIGNED TO BE PRINTED IN 2 COLOURS.
PAGE 12
French Art Decoratifs, otherwise known as Art Deco, appeared in France in the 1910s although became popularised across Europe and America in the 1920s and 1930s. The name is derived from the Parisian Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes in 1925. Art Deco appeared across architecture, visual arts, and product design. However, in the typographic world and unlike other typographic movements, A.M. Cassandre was the sole pioneer in the Art Deco font creation. Art Deco typography typically uses a San Serif base decorated by geometric bold lines contrasted against detailed finer lines and hard edges. Some fonts contain taller letters with an exaggerated x-height. All capitals were also popular with many typefaces not including a lowercase alphabet. Formative influences include Art Nouveau, Bauhaus, and cubism.After the birth of Art Deco in the early 1900’s, the was a resurgence in 1960’s and 1970’s. Inspired by the Roaring 20’s, the New York nightclub Studio 54 was enormously popular and known for its Art Deco style logo.
PAGE 13
Another resurgence came with the release of Baz Luhrmann’s ‘The Great Gatsby’ and the bold art deco typeface which was used throughout the film and across advertising for the movie. Many of the art deco inspired fonts we see today have been developed in more recent years, inspired by the trend and typographic movement that began with La Bifur. In 2019, Digital type foundry P22 reissued their own version of la bifur. alongside a re-creation of the original variations, they also created a matching lowercase alphabet. In 2023, the sleek geometry and modern feel to art deco design and typography remains appealing. Fonts with clean lines, interesting geometry and classical influences are still seen and are popular. although often less decorative than la bifur, typography that undertakes modern art deco principals are common in logo designs, posters and advertising today.
PAGE 14
FINAL DESIGN
REFLECTION
I had never created a zine before this experience, and I am proud of what I was able to achieve. I really enjoyed putting the zine together and having the creative freedom to pick the colours, the topic and play around with the layout. What I possibly enjoyed the most about this task was also researching the font, the trend and Cassandre. I had never looked into his work before, and I find him really inspirational as a designer. I feel that his work will continue to inspire me for years to come. This unit has helped me to understand how importance of typography and has instilled a deep appreciation for the use of typography and the significance of choosing the right typefaces alongside how they should be placed on a page visually. Even researching Cassandre’s work and how he would develop his own typefaces for posters and advertising was really inspiring. Understanding how typography can impact messaging is also incredibly important and is something I have some to better understand and appreciate through this task.
I feel that my zine well encapsulates the details and essence of La Bifur by Cassandre. I am really happy with how the colours came together and how I was able to use the font to decorate the document. One aspect I found challenging was cutting down the word content. I did quite a lot of research so I had a lot that I wanted to include so I am not too sure If I included too many words, however all of the eroded content I did include I found interesting, and thought would be relevant to include in the zine. I also feel that some of the visual elements could have been a little bit more dynamic at times. In the future I would like to see how I could have hand printed some of the elements as well. Overall I am really happy with my final product and have come out with a heightened appreciation and more enriched understanding on the intricacies of typography.
REFERENCES
Art Deco Style, M. (2010 ). AM Cassandre. Retrieved from Art Deco Style : http://artdecostyle.ca/art-deco-style-blog/art-deco-artist-am-cassandre
Brittanica. (2023). Art Deco . Retrieved from Brittanica : https://www.britannica.com/art/Art-Deco
Cassandre. (2023). TYPOGRAPHY & LOGOS BY A.M.CASSANDRE . Retrieved from Cassandre France : https://www.cassandre-france.com/typography?pgid=jcqhnen7-372d446b-1623-11e8-be88-12dd26dd586a
Clarke, G. A. (2011). Adolphe Mouron Cassandre - Bifur promotional brochure . Retrieved from Graphic Nothing : http://graphicnothing.blogspot.com/2011/04/adolphe-mouron-cassandre-bifur.html
Easil. (2023 ). SERIF AND SANS-SERIF FONTS – WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE? . Retrieved from Easil: https://about.easil.com/serif-vs-sans-serif/
Grapheine. (2023). The Great Cassandre 1901/1968 . Retrieved from Grapheine: https://www.grapheine.com/en/history-of-graphic-design/cassandre-the-magnificient
Heller, S. (2019). Cassandre’s Most Eclectic Typeface . Retrieved from Print Mag : https://www.printmag.com/daily-heller/bifur-cassandre-typeface/
Penney, M. (2016). Type in History . Retrieved from Notes On Design NOD: https://www.sessions.edu/notes-on-design/type-in-history-cassandres-art-deco-type/#:~:text=Art%20Deco%20type%20is%20immediately,one%20designer%20only%2C%20A.M%20Cassandre
Retro Graphik . (2023). A.M CASSANDRE (1901-1968) . Retrieved from Retro Graphik : https://retrographik.com/a-m-cassandre-art-deco-poster-artist/
Scottish Schools . (2023). A. M. CASSANDRE. GRAPHIC DESIGNER. . Retrieved from Scottish Schools : http://www.scottishschools.info/Websites/SchSecWhitehill/UserFiles/file/Higher%20Art%20Homework/Graphic%20designer%20AM%20Cassandre%20facts.pdf
Thomas Phinney. (2020). History of Type : Decorative & Display Type styles . Retrieved from DT&G Magazine : https://graphic-design.com/2020/10/24/display_typestyles/#:~:text=First%20appearing%20in%20the%201920s,Renner%2C%201927%2D39
TypeType.org. (2022). Serif and Sans serif: Font differences . Retrieved from Type Type: https://typetype.org/blog/serif-and-sans-serif-font-differences/
