Written Description:
This project’s title was “What Language Looks Like.” On first hearing the title, it seemed to be a project based on text and how to make the text physically portray the meaning behind the word. Each word was to be manipulated to make it look like it’s own definition. The main idea of the project was to represent ideological meaning through letters and words. In two-dimensional space, we were to express the meaning of the word through paper and flat proportions. The placement of text can emphasize meaning and we were encouraged to use the text to do so throughout this project.
“Parts of the Letter” Reflection
I was extremely intrigued by the topic of this lecture. I love text and looking at how each one differs from the next. It goes unnoticed to many people that some texts have serifs and some do not. Learning about the x-height was very interesting and will help me later in life with designing my own fonts. I found it very interesting that there are so many different vocabulary terms for each part of the letter such as the apex, cross bar, descender, ascender, bracket, cap height, vertex, terminal, and counter.
Knowing the different parts of the letter extremely assists with designing typography and makes it easier to communicate what could be changed about designs and fonts. In regards to my major, this lecture helped me determine how to use different texts to represent different meanings; even sight differences in text convey a completely different idea than another text. It was nice to see so many different texts all lined up on a line that included the baseline, x-height, and cap height as well. I got to see firsthand how different each font is and how they can all display different ideas.
Written Reflection
The project was overall very inspiring and taught me a ton about articulating ideas through text. Since I had the word change, I had many options for how to change the word, but I thought the most successful ideas were the ones of the entire word the same with an exception of one letter or one opacity that was different.
My designs represented change in many ways. The first way it represented change was through one letter being changed in size, boldness, and rotation. Another way my designs represented change was by the use of color. I used color by making the entire word one color but then changing the color of one letter to represent change from one color to the next. I also represented change through the movement of letter, turning some of them upside-down to represent change and also taking out the counters in some of the letters. I used space to portray change through subtraction and negative space by using the pathfinder tool. I also showed changed through emphasis on certain letters and also focusing on one big change in the design. The unity that I was going for is represented in color palette through each design- each palette has it’s own colors and it they are unified through that.
The nine designs work together to represent change because in each design I changed only one aspect. Each design has a similar color palette with minor changes throughout each one. I used all nine designs together to represent change.
change
verb /CHānj/
changed, past participle; changed, past tense; changes, 3rd person singular present; changing, present participle
1. Make or become different
▪ - a proposal to change the law
▪ - a Virginia creeper just beginning to change from green to gold
2. Make or become a different substance entirely; transform
▪ - filters change the ammonia into nitrate
▪ - computer graphics can show cars changing into cheetahs
3. Alter in terms of
▪ - the ferns began to change shape
4. (of traffic lights) Move from one color of signal to another
5. (of a boy's voice) Become deeper with the onset of puberty
6. (of the moon) Arrive at a fresh phase; become new
7. Take or use another instead of
▪ - she decided to change her name
8. Move from one to another
▪ - she changed jobs incessantly
▪ - change sides
9. Exchange; trade
▪ - the sun and moon changed places
10. Move to a different train, airplane, or subway line
11. Give up (something) in exchange for something else
▪ - we changed the shades for vertical blinds
12. Remove (something dirty or faulty) and replace it with another of the same kind
▪ - change a light bulb
13. Put a clean diaper on (a baby or young child)
14. Engage a different gear in a motor vehicle
▪ - wait for a gap and then change gears
▪ - with business concluded, the convention changes gear and a gigantic circus takes over the town
15. Exchange (a sum of money) for the same amount in smaller denominations or in coins, or for different currency
16. Put different clothes on
▪ - he changed for dinner
