GC 210 Creative Typography
This course is an INTRODUCTION to creative applications of typography. Students will build upon the vocabulary they have already learned by mastering a series of visual problems typographically. Historic and contemporary applications will be demonstrated. In executing their graphic solutions, students will work in both traditional and digital media. Prerequisites: GC125 Color & Design and GC141 Digital Illustration.

Visual Vocabulary

Graphic Designers utilize a visual vocabulary to help them create, organize and visualize compositions. Often at the beginning level students learn to manipulate images and forms using these conventions or rules, but find difficulty in applying the same ideas to typographic compositions. The primary objective of this exercise is to encourage you to see and understand the concept of “type as image”. Emphasis is placed on the application of basic compositional concepts of Scale, Proportion, Figure/Ground Reversal, Depth and Pattern.

Using one letterform or numeral AND one basic geometric shape, students are asked to develop a series of four visual solutions exploring and experimenting with the conceptual ideas of highly representational, representational, abstract representational and abstract with respect to legibility and readability in a two-dimensional composition. Students are encouraged to utilize the "Interrelationships of form," concepts as described by Wucious Wong.

Black Squares

This unit provides an introduction to the creation, analysis and documentation of a simple composition, using the attributes of scale, value, proportion, size, dimension and depth within a specific format. Concepts of positive and negative space with regard to figure/ground relationships are explored. Emphasis of the exercise is to develop observation, visual documentation and vocabulary skills.

Using 4 or more black squares in each solution, students create a series of graphic compositions that best express the meaning of the following words: grow, dependent, order, contradict, playful, precarious, quiet, and congested. Click on an image to see additional examples of student work.