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Building character through type

Date

2011

Authors

Hall, Eli Marco, author
Gravdahl, John, advisor
Tornatzky, Cyane, advisor
Lundberg, Thomas, committee member
Moseman, Eleanor, committee member
Rouner, Donna, committee member
Voss, Gary, committee member

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Abstract

Typography, the art of designing with type began in the West around 1455 when Johannes Gutenberg perfected the craft of printing from individual pieces of type. Typography is the graphic designer's domain. It is the vehicle that clearly communicates a message. The expectations of designers are increasingly broadened, and as a result less time is given to understanding the craft. In my professional experience typography has broken down into five specific categories: calligraphy, hand lettering, type design, print design and digital design. Calligraphy is the art of writing, while hand lettering is the art of crafting specific characters for a particular goal. Type design is the creation of an alphabet including all of its characters numbers and glyphs. Print design ranges from movable type to any type where the intended output is print, whereas digital design has been created specifically for digital use. Today's designers are exposed to digital type from the beginnings of their educations. The lack of working, creating and experiencing type in the physical realm combined with the access to thousands of poorly designed typefaces has muddied the understanding of type. In this work, my intent is to expand my knowledge of typography through hand lettering combined with site-specific installations. Within the field of graphic design, typography is the most important element and the hardest to master, therefore it is imperative to learn type through a tactile process. The information you receive through a physical relationship is substantially different than the insight you would receive through an abstract experience.

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Subject

type
typography

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