Category: Uncategorized

  • History of Typography and Font

    Typography is an essential and important part of a design. It conveys a visual language that communicates a message, shapes the viewer’s experience, and can influence their perception. Fonts are just as important in a design, as is how the typography will look. So I think knowing the history behind them is an important part of being a designer. To not just know how to work with fonts and how to place typography, but the know where it comes from for a deeper understanding of it. I knew a little from my first year at college but never dug deeper from what my design instructor said. So this blog is to help broaden our horizons on typography and font so we can better understand, as designers, what we are working with, and as nondesigners to better understand what it is.

    History of Typography

    Typography can trace its roots back to hieroglyphs or pictograms. It was used by ancient civilizations to represent ideas, these images soon evolved into alphabets and phonographic writing, which led to the development of various typographic systems. Ancient cave paintings can be credited as the very first recorded written communication. As civilizations advanced, the need to communicate complex concepts grew, hence the development of Egyptian hieroglyphics. The Egyptians began to incorporate symbols or ideograms into their art, architecture, and writings [1].

    However, it is the Phoenicians who are credited with creating the very first alphabet and this same alphabet was used by the Greeks. After several years the Romans used the Greek Alphabet and styled the Uppercase Alphabet, which is still used today. They would also refine the art of handwriting and fashioned several different styles of lettering. Additionally, they also introduced different scripts [1].

    Image from https://sufio.com/blog/brief-history-of-fonts/ of Gutenberg’s Printing Press (Johannes Gutenberg’s printing press Mainz Germany 1450s. Hand-colored woodcut)

    Use of Typography
    Back in the 11th century in the burgeoning days of printing. During the Song Dynasty in China. Typography was invented by Bi Sheng (990-1051). He created a movable type using porcelain but later discovered that wood was easier to replace because all you needed to do was quickly carve a new letter or character. Later around 1230 in Korea during the Goryeo Dynasty a metal movable type was invented. Metal proved to be much more hardwearing than previous materials [1].

    Then around 1440 Johannes Gutenberg (c.1393-1406-1468) invented the Printing Press. His invention was a movable type printing press which kicked off the printing revolution. With this new-fangled press, he could print up to 3,600 pages per day way more than hand printing, which could only manage a measly forty pages per day. Although Gutenberg automated and mechanized the process of printing, Asia was using movable type for almost a century prior [1].

    History of Fonts
    Johannes Gutenberg was actually credited for developing the first font along with inventing the printing press. It was a blackletter variety resembling calligraphy. Then the French engineer, Nicholas Jenson (c.1420-1480) developed one of the earliest Roman typefaces in 1470 [1].

    Later, front classifications came along. Morris Fuller Benton (1872-1948), an American typeface designer, is credited with the invention of font classification. He was the chief type designer at the American Type Founders (ATF) from 1900 to 1937. His designs include Franklin Gothic, Alternate Gothic, and News Gothic. Then, in 1954, Maximilien Vox (1894-1974) developed the Vox-ATypl classification [1].

    Licensing Fonts
    Then in the 1980s, came the era of desktop publishing. The old ways of physical typesetting were gone and fonts and their families had now become software products. And with this new digital technology came the need for licensing. If you wanted a font for commercial use, you had to acquire the right permission. Through licensing, the font owner can allow multiple uses of their designs. Licensing is very important and designers, and others, must watch out for it [1].

    I think both typography and fronts are very important and their development through the ages is very interesting. They have come a long way from when they both first started. It’s amazing how much they were able to remain through the ages. They didn’t fade away and just improved. The way lots of people had a part to play in it and it was not just one person or people group. Lots of people worked and improved on it, and because of them, we have what we use today, which is still being refined today.

    Source:

    [1] Wilson-Blackwell, S. (2023, February 22). A Brief History of Fonts. Sufio.com. https://sufio.com/blog/brief-history-of-fonts/

  • Inspiration

    I think looking at or looking for inspiration is good. As long as you don’t abuse it and copy it. I know most designers have design blocks and use inspiration to help them with their designs. I have had many of those, unfortunately, it’s all part of the job in this line of work. But that ok, There is nothing wrong with needing a little help or inspiration once in a while to help you out.

    Recently I needed some help to find a color scheme for an app I am designing for one of my classes. I had an image in my head but could never find the colors in the software. I wanted a cool color color scheme for this app. This is because when I put out a survey, a lot of the responses put cool colors down for the question, what colors make you feel relaxed. I wanted to design an app where people felt at ease and relaxed when planning or writing something down, not stressed. But what hue or tint those colors should be was the main problem I was facing. They couldn’t be too dark or light, they had to be just the right color.

    So I went to Google, looked up cool colors, and searched for the best color scheme colors. I didn’t like any of the ones I found so far. They just didn’t look right next to each other and would clash. But then I found it, the perfect cool color combination that won’t be too dark or light. They looked so nice together and I fell in love with my design, unlike all the other color variations.

    This is the home page
    This is how I put it into my design (login)
    This is the color palette I saw that gave me inspiration.

    From this, I was about to learn so many things. I enjoyed searching for the perfect colors I had in my mind. I am so glad that I didn’t give up and left it as a one-color base. These colors help my design feel friendly and inviting, without any stressful colors. Colors are very important in a design and are something that can be overlooked. You have to be careful in what colors you use because they really can change someone’s mood. But most importantly you have to always remember a design is just as good as the amount of work you put into it. So don’t give up on a design just because you can’t find what you are looking for, get some inspiration to help you.

  • Learn Something New

    I think learning is fun and important. Throughout my time at Southeast Tech, I have learned much from my instructors and others around me. A lot of the things I was able to pick up right away and develop as I am here, but there are a few things that I am still working on and refining. But there is one thing I have learned from this year, that I have not used before. This new skill is typography, header typography.

    I know I was supposed to already know how to work with typography since last year’s school year. But when I think about it, I never really worked with it. Yes, I had a header and used typography, but I just put it as you would a title. Capitalize the main words and don’t capitalize the smaller words. But when my instructor came over to look at and catch my design, he said my header was lacking. I told him that I just capitalized it like you would a title, and he said design headers capitalizing and English headers capitalizing were not the same. This entire time I was capitalizing my header as I would in English Class and not in Design Class. I was amazed at how often I did this and wanted to change imminently.

    Old Header, font all the same size with style being made the most important because it was bolded.
    New Header, font not all the same size with any, style, it’s, and yours being make important because it’s bolded.

    There is so much you can do with it, with just the header alone. The header is one of the first things your viewer sees, so if that doesn’t catch their eye they probably won’t read the rest of the ad. It makes a big difference which words are capitalized, bolded, or what size it is. It makes what is important stick out and what is not important. I learned a new way to approach header typography. I have used what he said and I am continuing to learn more and more through the videos my instructor told us about. I learned something that I thought I already knew but was doing wrong the entire time.

    Typography is an important and very powerful thing in design. I am very glad that I was about to switch and learn the right way to do it. From this, I learned to not be set with how I do things. Learning and developing skills is very important and is how you get better. Without it, you would be just as good as when you started. So don’t be afraid to learn and change how you do things, especially if it’s the wrong way.

  • Designing an App – App Update!

    As you know from my previous blog “Designing an App” I am designing an app in one of my college classes. It is so much fun and I have learned so much from it. As you know we first had to survey for people to fill out so we could see the target audience for the app. In total, I was able to get thirty-one responses, which were all very helpful. And I was about to use that to my advantage when designing the app.

    The next thing in the process was to sketch out how we wanted our app to look. At first, I didn’t know what I should do. But then I realized, that was what the survey was for. So, I looked at my survey and was able to gather what color people prefer the app to be and what layout worked best. So with that established, I was able to sketch out and design the app for the users, which I thought was very helpful. This is because as a designer you don’t want to make things that you like. You must design things for others so that they like and enjoy it and will want to use or read it.

    Some of my sketches for my app, I did change it a little in my software because I realized I didn’t need some of it.

    After this, we are just starting to put our designs into Adobe XD, which is the software we are using for this. Adobe XD is a really good and fun software to use. Last semester in my first year we only got to do one assignment in this, but it was really fun. This software allows you to preview and prototype your designs, allowing you to see how they should and are connecting. I like this a lot because it’s interactive and allows you to see what is happening and what will happen when you connect different things.

    An early concept for my login screen with some connections.

    This assignment has been super fun so far. I hope to keep on improving after it and be able to do other assignments in it. If you are also designing an app and are wondering about a way to design and prototype it I highly recommend Adobe XD. I know it costs money but, it’s a very good software and is very fun and easy to use.

  • Role Models

    I think it’s crucial to have role models in your life. They can influence, inspire, and motivate you and your decisions. I have had a few role models so far but I never had one that related so much to me. Of course, the others helped me a lot, and I am very grateful, but they didn’t have many similarities. That is why I am very grateful that I was able to meet someone recently whom I now consider a role model.

    Her name is Christy Beving, she is the founder and owner of Downtown Design. I met her when I had to interview someone in the Industry for a magazine I am making in one of my classes. I was lucky enough to be able to interview such and talented and personal person. Throughout our talk, I was able to relate to her not just through industry talk but personally. I loved the way she answered all of my questions, I was able to get to know so much about the industry through what she told me.

    Christy Beving during our interview at Zooks Coffee Bar

    Christy is such a great designer, when I started looking into her before the interview I got to see all her current designs on her website. There isn’t one design in specific that I like. I like looking at all the designs she has on her website. Her designs and so clean and cut, that you can tell the hard work and joy she has for them. In the interview, she said that one of her favorite parts of her job is that she loves seeing the business she designs for flourish. And that is why I admire he so much, she loves working on one with her clients. She is very personal with them and that is the kind of designer I want to be too.

    I admired her and all the hard work she has put into her business. She inspired me to work harder and to know my worth as a designer. I am so lucky and happy to have been able to talk with her. I was about to learn from her experiences and struggles. I was about to find out that we have some things in common, with things like our life experiences and our likes. She is such a great person, and I hope we can keep in touch.

  • Some New Friends – Relationships

    I love meeting new people and recently in college, I have been making some new friends. They are great and I am glad I could meet them and have them around. We talk a lot and get to know each other as the days pass until graduation. Where I hope we can still be lifelong friends. This is the college experience I wanted. Making good friends who last and be able to be myself with them and making and keeping those good relationships

    I have always been known as a quiet-kind person. I didn’t mind it because it was not like they were being mean about it. I was generally quiet and nice to anyone. I am like this because I wouldn’t want someone to not be nice to me. I value kindness, loyalty, and friends who appreciate me and want to hang out. One of the most important parts of a relationship, friendship or not is communication. Without communication, everyone is in the dark, and things that we don’t think are a big deal are.

    I have experienced bad friends before and I am glad I could change that now. Not that everything is perfect, things happen and people disagree. But the fact is that we are still friends who like each other’s company. And it’s not like all my old friends are bad, there are a few that I love and still talk to even now. And those long-lasting friends are the ones I love and cherish, old or new.

    So if you are struggling with a relationship right now. Just know that some things just don’t work out and that is just how it’s going to be. Not to just skip from one person to the next, but if they hurt or you don’t gel together it just wasn’t meant to be. Find the friends and relationships that truly matter and that you want to cherish and keep forever. They are the ones that will truly make you happy and make life worth living.

  • Greek Culture

    Greek Culture

    The Greeks have always fascinated me, from their culture to their architecture, they never cease to surprise me. But overall, the thing I love and find most fascinating about them is their architecture. I just find it so fascinating how they were able to build such beautiful masterpieces. They were an advanced society that where about to build things able to last centuries. So this is a more personal blog about the beautiful architecture of the ancient Greeks and how it is so important to their history and culture as an ancient civilization.

    The Greeks are known for their art, philosophy, and architecture. Also well in advances in art, technology, and poetry. But overall they were able to develop a distinct architectural style that architecture now continues to reference. Their legacy is so profound, that it is known as a period of achievement for many years. This architecture is considered classical architecture, which would also include Roman architecture. It is defined by its uniformity, simplicity, proportion, and harmony. Many of their most iconic designs include stone edifices, along with other materials such as wood and brick were also used. They build various types of buildings including theaters, stadiums, and temples [1].

    The classical orders from left to right: Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian. Photo: J Felton/Getty Images [1]

    There are three distinct styles of Greek architecture known as the classical orders. These were the Doric, Ionian, and Corinthian used different styles of column, proportion, and decorative details. They are most easily identifiable based on the type of column and entablature, which is the structure of moldings and bands that line horizontally across the columns. Doric is easy to recognize and simple, with unadorned columns that sit directly on the stylobate, the top steps of the platforms, without an additional base. Ionic is graceful, with a slender and graceful profile, its columns are in a spiral scroll, and the base separates the columns for the stylobate. Lastly Corinthian are the most ornate and sleek, with its most identifiable feature, is the decorative capital, the very top of the column [1].

    Their architecture was so advanced and a beautiful part of their culture. Also, having uniformity, simplicity, proportion, and harmony reminded me of elements that should be in a good and effective design. This is because Architect is a part of the design industry. So learning more about the history and how they specifically build things, helped me realize they are closely related. Architecture and Graphic Design are two different parts of the Design Industry but are very similar. But more than anything they are both can be very amazing.

    Source

    [1] McLaughlin and Stamp. (2023, June 14). Greek Architecture: Everything You Need to Know. architecturaldigest.com. https://www.architecturaldigest.com/gallery/greek-architecture-101

  • Marketing Relating to the Media Design Industry

    Before I took my marketing class at Southeast Tech, I thought marketing was just the selling of products with just a little bit of advertisement to help it sell. But now that I have taken the class, in just the second and third week I learned that there is so much more to it. Marketing is so much broader than that, it is the process of creating, distributing, promoting, and pricing of goods. This made me understand that the Design Industry and marketing go hand and hand.

    I knew that designers could work in the marketing department of a company. But what I didn’t know is that it is part of marketing, not them just working together. I thought they were their separate things and all that marketing covered was the selling of the product. The more I read and researched for my class the more sense it made to me. A part of marketing is promotion and promotion is getting your product out there so people can see it and want to buy it. Advertisement is part of a promotion, and designers are a part of advertisement. I knew that designers worked with marketing but I didn’t know that they were a part of it. And not just that, from my research, they have some similarities with each other.

    Graphic showing marketing and design go together and are not two separate pieces, just like a puzzle.

    I never thought that taking a Gen. Ed. would bring so much information I didn’t know. I thought that I knew at least a little about marketing going into this class. But now that I am taking this class I realize I don’t know anything about marketing. And I definitely didn’t know how it related to the Design Industry. But now that I do know, I am excited to learn more in my marketing class so that I can be aware of how the market works and how I can use it in my future career.

  • Packaging and Display

    Have you ever purchased something just because of its packaging or the way it was displayed on the shelf? It always made me laugh to think that people buy things because of this and half the time it’s something they don’t even need. But then I realized that I have done this a couple of times, be it choosing one product over another or just because it looked good. I noticed that I have trouble passing things off because of the presentation of it. It’s also surprising how much of a difference it can make seeing an item online vs in-store. So this is one of my experiences that I just had to buy something just because of the box it was in.

    Once I was scrolling through some videos in my room when all of a sudden I saw this advertisement for a product, Cirkul Water Bottles. I knew about this product before but I never showed interest in it or when I did I never looked into it more, so I never got it. But this time when I saw this new advertisement they were releasing new bottle designs. One in particular caught my eye, so I looked it up. I began to think “Yeah I would buy this, but only when I saved up enough money for it or I will just ask for it for Christmas.” I didn’t need it but I thought it would be cool to have, but just seeing it online didn’t give me the drive to buy it right away. That is until about one to two weeks later I saw the exact bottle at a Walmart where I was shopping.

    My Cirkul Water Bottle I bought

    The Box
    I don’t know why but seeing it on that shelf made me want to get it then and there. But what surprised me was the quality of the box the water bottle was in. I just thought it was going to come in a regular flimsy box or not a box at all, but this box made me want to buy it. Looking at the box I thought “Only expensive things come in these types of boxes.” It was heavy-duty and had a magnetic flap to open and close the box. But most of all like the water bottle, the box had a chrome color that changed depending on the lighting. So the packaging played a big role in me wanting to buy the product.

    The Display
    I know I didn’t need it and I already had a water bottle. I went through all the pros and cons of the water bottle. But I stood my ground and told myself that I would get it another time that I didn’t need it and that I could use the money somewhere else, like to get food. But then when I was just about to leave I saw the display case, “Limited Time Bottles.” All of a sudden I wanted that bottle again. I didn’t want it to be gone the next time I came and I didn’t want to have to wait for it if I ordered it online. So I got it, I got the water bottle I just had to have because the box was pretty and the display told me that the bottles were going to go away soon.

    From this experience, I learned that packaging and display play a big role in the promotion and selling of a product. They use these methods to grab your attention and make you want their product. It could be a really bad product and people will still want to buy it. Not saying that the water bottle was bad at all, I still use it a lot. But the fact that the bottles are still on the shelf saying that they are going to go away soon was a little annoying to see. They got me and my money, so next time this happens I am going to be more aware, and not buy something just because of how it looks. You should always research the product before you buy it, and always be wary of the products you spend your money on.

  • Good Friends

    I think friends are one of the most important things in this world. Today I went out with an old friend from high school. I never got to hang out with her since we graduated and only saw her in passing. When I got home today I realized that that was the only time I have ever hung out with her one on one. She was one of my best friends from high school, and today was the first time I hung out with her alone. This made me realize that I took our friendship for granted. But not just hers and I took a lot of my true friendships for granted.

    For me, there were a lot of iffy friendships in high school. I grew up in a small town in South Dakota and went to a school with barely 200 kids from pre-school to 12th grade. As we grew up some of my friends started to act differently than they usually did. Maybe it was just them growing up, but I thought they acted differently and by the way they would treat me, I would question if we were still friends my friends. But this one friend in particular was always the same, of course, we would disagree at times but she was always the same and didn’t change. I always knew we would be friends and never questioned it. But as I grew up I would sometimes change so that I could hang out with my iffy friends. She was also subjected to the same iffy friends, so we were in the same boat. But I didn’t care because I wanted to hang out with my iffy friends and not my real friends. Which is exactly what I didn’t want to happen to me. But I left her for them all the time and now I regret it. and I wish I could have been more of a friend to her.

    A lot of people have bad experiences with friends. Sometimes friendships fade and some end on a bad note. But even after all this time since graduation we still managed to pick up where we left off in high school, without making it awkward, and got to hang out. I never appreciated our friendship until now. Hanging out with her today lifted my spirits and gave me the break I needed. She even went out of the way to come pick me up at my college, because she remembered the one time I told her that I didn’t like driving.

    So all I want to say is pick your friends right? Know who is your actual friends and do not try to please friends who aren’t worth your time. Choose friends that want to and choose to hang out with you. Don’t stress over people you are trying to please and see the friends that are right in front of you. I am so happy that I have such a great friend like her and I hope we can stay friends for a long time.