Typography - Project 1: Typographic Exploration & Communication

25/5/2026 - 14/6/2026 / (Week 6 - Week 8)
Jaden Lim Zi Yi / 0379047
Typography / BDCM / Taylor's University
Task 2
LECTURES

Week 6
Lecture 6 focuses on small details in typeface design such as symmetry, stroke thickness, spacing, counter forms, and optical adjustments. It explains how subtle differences in letterforms affect readability and personality, while also showing the importance of contrast, consistency, and careful observation when designing or studying typography

INSTRUCTION


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Task 1: Exercise 1- Text Formatting 



Fig 1 Initial sketches for my layout


Fig 2 First layout attempt focusing on blocky text layout and negative space



Fig 3 2nd layout attempt trying to be more playful


Fig 4 3rd layout attempt trying to be blocky and playful


Fig 5 4th layout attempt after feedback, focusing on blocky layout and emphasizing 'Bauhaus'


Fig 6 5th layout attempt with teacher's help


Fig 7 Final layout no grid PDF


Fig 8 Final layout with grid PDF


Fig 9 Final layout no grid JPEG


Fig 10 Final layout with grid JPEG

HEAD
 - Font/s: Futura Std Bold Condensed
- Type Size/s: 124pt
- Leading: 158pt
- Paragraph spacing: 158pt
 
BODY
 - Font/s: Univers Lt Std 57 Condensed
- Type Size/s: 11pt
- Leading: 13.5pt
- Paragraph spacing: 13.5pt
- Characters per-line: 53
- Alignment: Justify with last line aligned left
 
Page Margins
- top + left + right + bottom: 12.7mm + 12.7mm + 12.7mm + 12.7mm
- Columns: 2
- Gutter: 5mm

FEEDBACK

Week 7
General Feedback
Lecturer told us to show our text formatting and start to finalize it

Specific Feedback
I was told to emphasis the important words and prioritize designing the text based off the content of the text

REFLECTIONS

Experience
The last two weeks were all about fixing my text formatting to fit the Bauhaus theme. At first, I was trying to do some pretty experimental and "fun" designs, but my lecturer told me to base the design on the content instead. Since the text was about Bauhaus, I had to make everything look blocky. It took some time to figure out how to arrange the body text into those blocks while still keeping it readable, but I eventually got the hang of how the layout should actually look.

Observations
I realized my early designs were way too messy and focused on being "cool" instead of being clear. I tried splitting words up to make it look artistic, but the teacher said that usually makes it hard to read and advised against doing that. I had to focus on the boring stuff, like fixing widows and orphans, which was actually pretty tricky to get right. Once I stopped trying to be too fancy and just focused on making the blocks look clean and structured, the whole layout started to actually make sense to me.

Findings
 I learned that design has to match the topic, like using blocky layouts for Bauhaus. I also learned that sometimes less is more. Even if you want to do something experimental, it’s not worth it if people can't read the text properly. The biggest thing for me was learning that organizing the body text properly is what makes a design look professional, not just adding flashy effects that don't really serve the content. It was a good lesson in knowing when to pull back and let the text speak for itself.

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