Exercise 03: Type Anatomy and Classification Infographic
Arrange various letters from each approved classification and adjust the opacity and color of the layers to make two beautiful compositions. Design a system to label each typeface, font variation, and pt. size. Use another typographic system to label the anatomical parts of the letters. Label the typefaces and as many parts of the letters as you can.
For this exercise, I thought of the letters less so as letters per se and more so as shapes, which explains the general lack of consistency in the groupings across the revisions. Throughout the design process, I chose letters and typefaces based on how they interacted to fill up the allotted space (the square), rather than starting with any letters or typefaces in particular and composing from there.
A good example of this process is the revisions I've labeled 1, 2, and 3 above. I was happy with the "L" and the "h" where they were and in their respective typefaces, but I had to try a few letters in a couple different typefaces to find one that filled up the right side of the space the way I wanted. The "g" in Baskerville looked okay, but left some pretty big spaces on the right edge. The "d" in Bodoni did a better job with the edge, but created a space up at the top. I finally decided on an "a" in Bodoni because it reinforces the center with the "h," fills out the right edge like the "d," and occupies the top with its prominent ball terminal.
In the lefthand composition above, the “L” is a fairly dark blue to reflect its strong boundary-defining strokes; the “h” is a subdued reddish color to contrast with the “L,” with low transparency so as to not dominate the composition; and the “a” is a very light blue color to reflect its “floating” placement.
In the righthand composition above, the "H" is in SchwarzKopf Old, which is based on Schwabacher Blackletter, a style widely used in Germany in the 15th century; in accordance with this, the yellow and red colors are both pulled from the contemporary flag of the Holy Roman Empire. I chose a subdued blue color for the “Z” so that it would contrast with the colors of the other letters, but wouldn’t stand out excessively (mirroring its light stroke weight).
