ADVANCED TYPOGRAPHY FINAL PROJECT

28 October 2019 -  18 November 2019 ( week 10 - week 13   )
Ahmed Baahy Suhail (0333925)

Advanced Typography

Final Project

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LECTURES

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INSTRUCTIONS

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FINAL PROJECT - Design Exploration and Application

Finalised Idea- To bring awareness to mat weaving culture which is slowly dying to to the unwillingness of the youth to carry on the family trade. Mat weaving or as locals call it, ' Thundu Kunaa' is one of the most prominent handicrafts that exists in Maldivian culture and is so scarce today that it is considered a luxury problem

Thus, I decided to get inspired by the patterns within this mats and create a font that carries the essense of this once established and popular industry. I want to reach out to the youth and make them understand the importance of staying true to the roots of their country and preserving the authenticity of their culture for lifetimes to come. 

For the application, I will be making prints to be used as Merchandise such as home welcome mats, on Tshirts and poster with a message to the youth to respect and value their roots. 

Fig 1.1: Thundu Kunaa Handicraft

Below are traditional mats which share similar patterns. Thundukuna is a genuine Maldivian product made fresh from our natural habitat. The art of weaving was passed down from generation to generation however nowadays this is not the case. Only 2 islands from 27 inhabited islands in the southern atolls of Maldives practice this tradition now. WRITE MORE ABOUT THUNDUKUNAA

These are the mats that I observed during this project. As you can see, the main colors are yellow, black and white. 

Fig 1.2: Reference of mat

Fig 1.3: Reference of mat

Fig 1.4: Reference of mat

At first, I really struggled to bring out the nature of the patterns as there were so many of them. I sketched out my first draft and proceeded to digitize. 

Fig 1.5: Tracing out sketches

Fig 1.6: First draft

After asking for feedback, I realized what Mr Vinod said, which was that it cannot be a direct translation of the patterns. It needs to be redesigned and refined much more. I think the most challenging thing was trying to include all the patterns and make it all cohesive at the same time.

I took Mr Vinod's advice and went back to the Finding type principles and process we learned previously in this semester. I managed to find all 26 alphabets within the mats and continued to refine until I got a more consistent result than before. 

Fig 1.7: Extraction of letters from pattern.

Fig 1.8: Refining steps 

Even after refining over and over, I did not manage to make everything cohesive.

Fig 1.9: Second draft

I decided to take a different approach which I should have done earlier. To identify the most common pattern that has been used throughout the act of this handicraft and focus on that rather than try to cluster all the patterns into one. 

This is the most common pattern found in majority of traditional Maldivian mats.

Fig 2.0: Most common pattern found

As you can see, the black creates a zig zag and swirl pattern while the yellow part has diamond shapes and swirls.

Fig 2.1: Pattern broken down

This font depended the highlighted black part of the pattern for the strokes and style. I went to my sketchbook and created some letters using the portrayed pattern just to get an idea of how the font will look.

Fig 2.2: Sketch

I then began to digitize this font in Illustrator and here is the result below.

Fig 2.3: Third draft (from negative part of pattern)

I was a bit uncertain on how this looked at first so I went towards a different approach.

Fig 2.4: All different steps in Illustrator

I decided to take a different approach as I was still struggling to capture the essence of the patterns, so I went back to the sketchpad and took from the positive part of the pattern above. 

Fig 2.5: New sketches from common pattern

After, sketching out some of the letters, I started to get an understanding on the type of direction to take this style of font and started digitizing my sketches and using significant parts to create new ones. 

Fig 2.6: Tracing out sketches

This was the first draft of the new and improved font however there were still some inconsistencies in the thickness of the fonts, especially the C, G, E and F.

Fig 2.7: All letters traced

This is the outcome after refining. I feel that this shows the essence of the pattern of Thundu Kunaa.

Fig 2.8: Thundu Kunaa font refined

Here is the final PDF of the letters created after getting inspired by the most authentic recurring patterns from Thundu Kanaa.

I then started to put in each letter into FontLab 5

Fig 2.9: Fontlab process

Adjusting the kerning took quite some time

Fig 3.0: Kerning process

I then proceeded to work on my application, which was to create an impactful message in the from of a print to be used as a poster or as merchandise.

I explored with the mat texture and it started to look like a mat in itself to which I got the idea of also creating welcome mats for the homes of locals, as a constant reminder to stay true to their roots and respect the traditions. My main target audience for these products are teenagers who do not appreciate their culture enough, but also all these are to bring awareness to the practice of mat weaving.

Fig 3.1: Working on print on Photoshop

Fig 3.2: "Stay True To Your Roots" message to the youth ( Poster/ Print ) 

Fig 3.3: Final "Stay True To Your Roots" message to the youth ( Poster/ Print ) 

PDF of  First Poster/ Template for Tshirt Print ( Before Feedback )



After getting feedback from my teachers however, I had to change my font to a previous one that I did not use. Mr Vinod said this font portrays the nature better as it has relates to the geometrical patterns of the mats.

As for the poster above, I displaced the text onto the harsh texture, which resulted in not doing justice to my font at all.  The patterns also stood out more than my font, which is unfortunate. My teachers suggested getting rid of the textured background and enlarging the text with the font suggested whilst including minimal graphic elements.

Fig 3.4: Going back to previous font

 As, this font was not originally complete, in terms of refinement and consistency due to previous uncertainties, I had to tweak and refine the letters furthermore.

The swirls in C and S were too noticeable so I reduced the swirl to make it more consistent.

Fig 3.5: Refining process

Fig 3.6: Refining process

Fig 3.7: C before

Fig 3.8: C after

Fig 3.9: S before

Fig 4.0: S after

Fig 4.1: X before

Fig 4.2: X after

Fig 4.3: Q before

Fig 4.4: Q after

I also increased the size of the O, C and G as it looked odd since it was sitting below the ascender.

Below is all the letters newly refined.  

Fig 4.4: Font after refining

Fig 4.5: Final ThunduKuna Font (JPEG)

PDF of Final Kundu Thuna font

Application

After generating the font, I made this poster to which my teacher said to explore further and to make use of my font the best way possible. He said that I have not yet figured out how to use my font to it's full potential.

I think that right now, the poster is a bit too safe and stoic and that is where the problem arose.  

Fig 4.6: First poster ( before feedback)

Hence, I began to make several layouts that would suit the style of my font best. I also used the mat texture in the font but unlike last time, I did not displace the text onto the texture. This time around, I just clipped the mat texture into the text whilst keeping the stroke in it's natural form. 

Fig 4.7: Exploration

I decided to break the font from it's fixed position so that I have more freedom to explore. Since my font uses a lot of zig zag patterns and sharp corners, I got the idea of trying to fit the letters together where possible. I don't mean fit them completely as that would be too clustered, but to make them just close enough to each other.

Fig 4.8: Layout exploration

Fig 4.9: Layout exploration

Throughout this exploration, I struggled a lot to make the arrangement balanced as it was a real challenge since I was trying to fit the letters. It did start to become clustered but I first worried about the placement of the text overall as well as the color.

Fig 5.0: Layout exploration

Fig 5.1: Layout exploration

Fig 5.2: First draft of poster

The arrangement above seemed to be the best compared to other thus I then began to explore different colors to see if it would improve the visual outlook of the poster as a whole.

Fig 5.3: Color exploration

Fig 5.4: Color Exploration

Fig 5.5: Color Exploration

Fig 5.5: Color Exploration

Fig 5.6: Color Exploration

Fig 5.7: Color Exploration

Fig 5.8: Color Exploration

 My teacher commented that the image below was the nicest out of all, although he told me that I am still not quite there yet.

Fig 5.9: Color Exploration

I also felt that the color and background could have been more interesting so I began to explore further.

Fig 6.0: Second draft of poster

After settling on the color scheme, which incorporates a gradient from black all the way to an orangish yellow ( staying true to the colors of the mat ) , I then attempted to rearrange and space out letters to try and find the right balance. I wondered if the poster would improve visually if I arranged it better so I began to explore with the layout.

Fig 6.1: Arrangement exploration

I felt that the "to" was in a very awkward position thus I moved it more towards the center.

Fig 6.2: Arrangement exploration

Fig 6.3: Arrangement exploration

Final PDF of "STAY TRUE TO YOUR ROOTS" attached below.

Since my application is merchandise targeted towards youth, I thought it would be best to create a logo using the initials of ThunduKuna, T and K, so that all the products of the merchandise can be tied together under this one brand, that aims to remind youth of their roots and how important it is to appreciate it.

Fig 6.4: First draft of logo

I felt that this was missing an element so I went back to the pattern from which I took inspiration for my font and found this diamond shape as seen below.

Fig 6.5: Diamond shape in mat pattern

I then incorporated this element into my logo and instantly it became a lot better.

Fig 6.6: Second draft of logo

However the diamond stood out too much because of the bold yellow color and hence, took focus away from the main initials.

So, I got rid of the bold color leaving this as the final logo result. I wanted to make it minimalist as lots of logos these days are simple.

Fig 6.7: Final logo

After creating the logo, I envisioned it on a shop signage since I created merchandise for this particular brand.

Fig 6.8: Logo on Shop Signage

I then created a business card with the official logo. I used the zig zag black and yellow graphic element as it is reminiscent of the color and geometric patterns on Thundu Kuna mats. I did not want to over complicate the design thus I took a minimalist approach for this as well.

Fig 6.9: Final ThunduKuna Business Card

After creating the business card, I proceeded to make the official merchandise of the ThunduKuna shop.

For the T-shirt, I changed the phrase to "Love Your Roots" which still gives out the same message as the main "Stay True To Your Roots" phrase.  I used these two phrases only to create the merchandise thus it became sort of like a collection as everything related to each other.

Fig 7.0: Process of creating merchandise in Photoshop

Fig 7.1: Tshirt draft 1

Fig 7.2: Tshirt draft 2

Fig 7.3: Tshirt draft 3

I felt as though the graphic lines on the top and bottom was restricting the design too much thus I decided to get rid of it altogether.

I did not want the T'shirts to have too much graphic elements as I only wanted to showcase the ThunduKuna font. I added zig zag stripes to the sides of the T-shirt, getting inspired from brands like adidas which have the stripes on the sides.

Here are the final T-shirts.

Fig 7.4: Final Tshirt Design "LOVE YOUR ROOTS" 

Fig 7.5: Final Tshirt Design " LOVE YOUR ROOTS" 

Since, the shop is targeted to the youth, I decided to create merchandise consisting of caps, phone cases and lastly tote bag.

For the caps, I did not want to add the message and wanted to showcase the ThunduKuna logo. I wanted to make it bold thus I used contrasting colors. I incorporated the diamond shape using the same pattern discussed earlier.

Here are the final caps.

Fig 7.6: Final ThunduKuna Cap 1

Fig 7.7: Final ThunduKuna Cap 2

  

Fig 7.8: Final Tote Bag "STAT TRUE TO YOUR ROOTS" ( Front ) 

        

Fig 7.9: Final Totebag "STAY TRUE TO YOUR ROOTS" ( Back ) 

Fig 8.0: First draft of Iphone cover

Fig 8.1: Final Iphone Case Design 1

Fig 8.2: Final Iphone Case Design 2

Fig 8.3: Final Iphone Cases "LOVE YOUR ROOTS" 

Fig 8.4: Mock up of Instagram for Brand Concept

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FEEDBACK


Week 10: Public Holiday
Week 11: Specific Feedback:
Mr Vinod said that it is not a good approach to try and restructure how Maldives is being advertised. He suggested that I could either introduce the traditional elements that I want with the fun style that is exisiting in the official Maldives logo or, create something inspired by handicraft and raise awareness of that specific art.
General Feedback:
If there is no lecture for a certain week, leave the section blank instead of putting "no lecture"
Week 12: Specific Feedback:I reached out to Mr Vinod during this week to comment on my progress and he said, "It is far from complete. Long way to go with now time left. It requires a lot of refining and redesigning. Just using a character and forming into other characters does not work. It has to work well, and for that you need to provide an elegant design solution. You need to use the essence of the pattern, not a direct translation of it. If translate directly then the result is your outcome. The finding type exercise should have prepared you for this. This was what the exercise was ade for. The learning and process is the same."
Week 13: Specific Feedback: Mr Vinod said that my poster was horribly executed. I failed to do justice to my font as displacing it made it hard to identify the font in the first place. He also said that my patterns were taking away the attention from my font so to make it more subtle next time. He then said that he likes the previous font much better as it replicates the geometric nature of ThunduKuna pattern. He said overall the font is perfect I just have to fix some minor parts and I'll be good to go. He suggested to enlarge the font when I make the new poster and to make that the main focus as I am showing off my font.  
General Feedback: Eportfolio must be documented clearly so that the people who mark our work can fully understand the process and our thought choices, which would affect the way that they mark. The more detailed the blog is the more marks you may receive.

 

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REFLECTION

EXPERIENCE:

Week 10: I was struggling to have an idea for final project as I am so used to getting a brief and following accordingly. So when given this much freedom, I found it very hard to pick my topic and make my own guidlines.
Week 11: I experienced a setback as I wanted to start as soon as possible on my project however my idea was not well thought out so I had to explore more ideas and dig deeper into handicraft.
Week 12: This was such a tiring week as I had to undergo a lot of redesigns and refined over and over. I worked night and day but even then my pace was a lot slower than I would have liked.
Week 13: I was hit with a massive set back that I did not expect as I thought my font was nice however, when Mr Vinod pointed out the flaws, I started to see his perspective. Overall, although today started off badly, I managed to refine some of the letters and started to kern as well.

OBSERVATIONS:

Week 10: I noticed that I do struggle a lot when it comes to having so much freedom in a project as I am so used to following rules. This project has helped me become more creative and explore my own boundaries as a learning designer.
Week 11: I observed that I am still not capable of judging my own design as I thought that the font I created was nice however my teacher put things into perspective. It was a learning curve.
Week 12: I noticed everyone rushing to complete their final project on time and it was reassuring to see that a lot were still at the same stage as me. Nevertheless, I noticed that even though this was a tiring process, I definitely enjoyed doing something related to my country.
Week 13: I noticed that even if a lot of people like a design, it may still not be up to par.  Feedback varies and it all depends on subjectivity so it is up to me to step back and understand the flaws despite good feedback.

FINDINGS:

Week 10: I found that freedom doesn't necessarily mean a good thing. Freedom is only pleasurable if you know exactly what you are doing and have the goal visualized.
Week 11: I found the importance in seeing things from other perspectives, what is nice to me may not be nice to someone else.
Week 12: I found that despite being low on time, I did not feel as much pressure as I would have last semester. I was able to work through the stress.
Week 13: I found that I can't depend on anyone for their feedback as it varies. The more people I ask, the more confusing it will become.

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FURTHER READING

365 Habits of Successful Graphic Designers: Insider Secrets from Top Designers on Working Smart and Staying Creative: Laurel Saville, Steve Gordon Jr, Joshua Berger, Sarah Dougher.
Week  11 - 13

Fig 8.5: 365 Habits of Successful Graphic Designers. 

This book seemed interesting thus I began to flip through the pages to understand the best habits that make a good designer. Going into the final project, I needed some guidance on how to approach this task so what better book than one that reveals solutions from a wide range of successful professionals in the field. This book emphasized on the daily habits that keep a designer motivated ad healthy to tackle on anything that comes their way. There are many insights from top designers such as Art Chantry, Margo Chase, Ed Fella and more. This was the perfect book to get during a time of fading motivation and creative limitation. Reading the experience and advice from all these opinionated designers have allowed me to think better outside the box and break away from my fear to explore.