Monday, December 28, 2009

Typography 02: Journal

INSPIRE...The journal assignments are set up to get you looking, listening and experiencing design outside of class and outside of Kansas. As a blog it should inspire. Its contents; reflections, thoughts, questions, answers and “found stuff”. Each week has a different task {read, watch or listen}. After you have completed the task, post on your blog: a written summary of the the reading/ video/ or audio, a considered reflection/opinion, and answer any additional questions listed for that entry.

Your blog/journal should show your engagement to typography and graphic design. Besides the task you should be inspired by stuff around you and that stuff you find on the web. "Found stuff" means found examples of typography/design in the environment, signage, magazines, books, posters, “good” type, “bad” type, "ugly/beautiful" interesting fonts, handmade fonts, letterforms, packaging... Carry a camera and take photographs of type/design in your environment as well as find examples that you can copy, scan and upload into the blog.

The dates listed are the dates the journal is assigned. The journal will be checked/graded weekly. And it counts for 10% of your final grade. To get an “A” for the journal you must have completed every entry by the next class period, it must have visuals, all content (your comments etc.,) should be well written/complete and “considered”. Also to do above and beyond (to get an “A” ) you need to have consistently throughout the semester added other content you found interesting and inspiring to you. And commented frequently on your classmates blogs. Minimum effort will receive a C or lower. If you complete everything but not on time it will be considered below minimum effort.

After you completed each task, summarize it: information about the author and what did they say..., reflect upon it, what questions would you ask the author? what questions do you have about what they said... and answer any additional questions listed for that week. see journal for details

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

This is for you, Chris Klee.


Helvetica through the years.




Not type, but nice.


The Seed from Johnny Kelly on Vimeo.

There's also a making of (stop motion drawings and paper craft) if you follow the link above.

Sunday, April 26, 2009

HOMEWORK

Translation: refine a translation of your object
Fronts: Choose a set and begin to refine idea. 1 set with 3 variations for each "front".
Catalog: looking the the catalog as a whole: explore 3 different ways the type and images can work.

print out everything, in color
-- poster: to fit on 11 x 17
-- catalog full size: spreads on 11 x 17
-- web page: print out 70% on 8.5 x 11
-- translation: black and white on 8.5 x 11

PRESENTATIONS: Have your presentation on the server before the next class starts. Practice it, keep it to no more than 15 minutes. Remember you need to face the class so the projection will be behind you. That means someone in your group will have to click the next slide for you. PRACTICE.

that means
you have chosen a direction and then you are still exploring the fronts so you should have
for monday: 4 posters, 4 catalogs fronts, 4 website pages
3 FULL catalogs = catalog has 4 spreads = 12 spreads printed
all printed out to the sizes listed above

IF you are still deciding between some options that means you have more homework.

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

lulu

before you send your book to lulu please watch the video
make SURE you don't make it public.
http://www.lulu.com/en/help/video_tutorial#cover_video/?cid=042109_en_email_coverwiz_mylulu

you can design a cover or keep it just a color, you can also make bookjacket once you get your book back.

don't send it until you are sure everything is perfect and you have a dynamic book.
you can always email me a pdf.
it must be well designed, don't over design, don't decorate.

Monday, April 20, 2009

Type Faces

Soo...while I was researching my part for the Cult of the Ugly I got a little sidetracked and found these type faces. Some of them are pretty awesome. There's more of them on this link Maybe you guys have already seen these but I haven't and thought it was cool!






Friday, April 17, 2009

Paul Lee does good work.

Paul Lee is a web designer based in LA who has done work for Google, Adobe, and Sony plus many others. I found his work while looking through Graphic Exchange, and found some stuff that is pretty applicable to our current project. Take a look:



GREAT examples thanks for sharing -- andrea

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Workbook last page

on the very last page.
single left side only page please add this copy hopefully it will satisfy anyone who would be concerned that we ripped off text without permission.... you won't get in trouble it would only be me or the university.

Designed by ______. Class project for Professor Wertzberger's Typography 02 at the University of Kansas, Spring 2009. Text for the book was compiled from the following sources: Elements of Typographic Style by Robert Bringhurst, Getting it Right with Type: the Do's and Don'ts of Typography by Victoria Square, Mac is Not A Typewriter by Robin Williams. This book is not to be sold to the public and to only be used by the designer for their student design portfolio.

Wednesday, April 15, 2009


Missourian Illustrator/Designer and optimist Frank Chimero posted an article called Getting Better over at Thinking for a Living. Its a pep talk for design students in our so-called "uncertain times" and its well worth the read, student or not.

Also, the Thinking for a Living blog is pretty easy on the eyes if you ask me.
Open your workbook and package it put the package and the pdf on the server.
If you have a print out hand it in. I will grade and correct your books as fast as I can. So you will have time to refine and correct before you send it to Lulu. Last date to Lulu is April 27.

small groups 3 people: crit workbooks
go through the workbooks by each member in your group.
20 minutes
group: Addie Miller, Alexandra Avila, Alyissa Johnson, Sarah Rew

group: Brian Rio, Camile Myers, Casey Walsh

group: Cat Coquillette, Chris Klee, Emily Tuel

group: Gavin Angell, Hilary Cook-Berg, Jamie Padzensky

group: Janell McDonald, Joesy Kruse, Jordan Jacobson

group: Jovan Nedeljkovic, Kaitlyn Mackey, Michael Selby

+ spend some time looking at other workbooks from the class

translation: 40 minutes work in groups at the table out side
3:00 - 3:40: Jovan, Kaitlyn, Michael, Gavin, Hilary, Jamie
3:40 - 4:20: Janell, Joesy, Jordan, Cat, Chris, Emily
4:20 - 5:00: Addie, Alexandra, Alyissa, Sarah, Brian, Camile, Casey

When you are not working on translations by hand at the table, work on the computer on a translation, cropping and type studies. try everything in class before you leave so that you know what to do over the weekend and get any questions that you have answered.

Monday, April 13, 2009

DSVC Photos

DSVC is slowly getting winners photos up for each of the categories. Check them out here.

Of particular note are the "Recast Dominoes" which won 3 awards total (Miscellaneous, Judges choice and a vendors scholarship if memory serves right) and the Pyrex packaging. The photos don't do justice to either of these pieces but it gives you an idea of what kind of work was there. We (KU) could easily be winning these awards. There's a lot of strong work coming out of our class and I would encourage any of you to submit work to the DSVC show and others like it.

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Presentations (change of date)

All groups put Cult of the Ugly presentation on the server before class on April 27
Presentation Schedule:
April 27 : Groups 1, 2, 3
April 29: Groups 4, 5

PRESENTATIONS: Have your presentation on the server before April 27th class begins. Practice your presentation as a group. Keep it to no more than 15 minutes. Remember you need to face the class so the projection will be behind you. That means someone in your group will have to click the next slide for you. PRACTICE. (Handouts would be a nice touch.)

No journal entry for the week of April 20th.

above answers Sarah's Question...
Are we presenting on April 20 or 27? the assignment says one thing and the journal says another. And if we are presenting on the 20th, what is that weeks journal entry?

Saturday, April 11, 2009

Never Disappointed

when I go to this site the work shown is NEVER disappointing. check it out, keep it bookmarked.

Monday, April 6, 2009

Sunday, April 5, 2009

This Week...

Wednesday, Bruce Mau: April 08, 7:30-9:30 p.m. Massive Change: The Future of Design and Life on Earth. Don't miss out on this mega name at the Woodruff Auditorium, Kansas Union
*if you want it to count for a Hallmark see me and get a form.

Thursday: AIGA Kansas City (in Kansas City)
Patrick Coyne: April 09: Celebrating 50 Years of Communication Arts.
Patrick Coyne will discuss the history and philosophy of the magazine... more information

Friday, Studio Tour April 10 {Reactor + MK12
click here for more info.

Friday, April 3, 2009

Monday, March 30, 2009

put your portfolio online


those of you getting your resume, coverletter and pdf's ready for internships should put your stuff online. krop.com is very easy and looks great and it is free for 10 images. that is all you need. i did a test using your bookcovers. if you want to spend a few minutes on it in class we can on wed. bring your electronic files.

take a look or here is a seniors

Sunday, March 29, 2009

Friday, March 27, 2009

Upcoming Events...

Bruce Mau: April 08, 7:30-9:30 p.m. Massive Change: The Future of Design and Life on Earth. Don't miss out on this mega name at the Woodruff Auditorium, Kansas Union

Patrick Coyne: April 09: Celebrating 50 Years of Communication Arts. Patrick Coyne will discuss the history and philosophy of the magazine, how CA's competitions work and how creatives are chosen for profiles in the magazine. He will also present a selection of award-winning design and advertising projects produced on limited budgets and discuss the future of creativity in the post-information age. AIGA event in Kansas City. A great opportunity to network. We can take a van or 2 to this event if so if you want to go... let me know.

Studio Tour April 10 {Reactor + MK12

Studio Tour April 17 {Hallmark Cards. All Day Tour: be there at 8:40, bring cash for lunch, tour end around 1pm. Space is limited, sign up. (date has changed from the 24th)

Lecture: Thursday April 24: Sam Shelton
"It's All About the PR"
JRP 150 (Design History room), 6:30 p.m.

It's all about the PR. When it comes to finding a job, no matter where you are in the arc of your career, it all comes down to having good PR. PR, in this case, is professional relationships. After all, the classic PR, or public relations is really about relationship building. It's not just about what you send out, but about how you present the whole package: your work, your creative process, your inspiration, and your personality. Be ready—you're beginning a process that continues throughout your entire career.

Thursday, March 26, 2009

  1. When working with sound, be sure to match up your keyframes with your Audio waveform, not with what you hear. It will enable you to visualize what the sound is doing and where sound actually starts versus when you think it starts.
  2. Try and discover all of the quirky little things after effects has to offer, be they different effects or shortcuts on your keyboard. 
  3. Use the pre-compose feature. It helps keep your main composition organized and will save time in the long run.
  4. Always think of your composition as a 3D world, where you can go back, forth, turn around, look up, down, etc. It will be easier to use cameras/null objets when you think in a 3D state of mind. 

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Start with a concept.

Realize that AfterEffects is not a solution, it's a tool
that will help you execute your all-ready-developed idea.
1) Learn how to work with a null object. Parenting your camera to a null object will make camera movements exponentially easier.

2) Figure out all the idiosyncrasies of masks. My project would be nothing without them. Especially pay attention to :

a. Whether the mask is set to "Add" or "Subtract"
b. Changing mask position with nodes - Shift+Click on one of the anchor points on a mask. This allows you to alter the mask shape as you move keyframe to keyframe, creating the illusion of something growing or receding.
c. Working with mask feathering is tricky but can add a great illusion of depth if used correctly.
Watch the tutorial videos and have ideas of what you want to do before you start so you're not clueless and just clicking around aimlessly. It saves you time, so none is wasted!
Don't be afraid to get into your video and start editing. Unlike flash, you do not have to start over with every edit, you can simply move your layers around.
add your sound first.  it is much easier to time things and make them line up with the words being spoken if you go ahead and put it in first.

Monday, March 23, 2009

Type on the outside

Sunday, March 22, 2009

Type En Espanol!


This spring break I went down to Cd. Juarez to visit my family and during my time in the city with my cousins I took pictures of additional found type.

I found it interesting how the majority of the type was hand painted while most of the type I see here in the U.S. is printed. Hmm...


Take a Look!
(Btw...these shots were taken in a moving vehicle so excuse the blurriness in some.)



Thursday, March 19, 2009

So when do we get to learn something like this?

just kidding, but I figured I'd post this to show some cool things that they did with timing. Plus the music is nice :)



Edit: Oh, and this!

Saturday, March 14, 2009

periodic table of typefaces















The Periodic Table of Typefaces is obviously in the style of all the thousands of over-sized Periodic Table of Elements posters hanging in schools and homes around the world. This particular table lists 100 of the most popular, influential and notorious typefaces today. here is the full story

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

learning aftereffects

the other type 2 class is going to do aftereffects as their next project. if you could give them 1 or 2 tips how to learn aftereffects, how to set up a file, how to do ___. what would that be?

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

font id

to begin we must know the classifications of fonts, anatomy, and who designed the font. make sure for your 2 fonts you are "in charge of" that you tell us some distinguishing characteristics of the font.

some resources:
Jonathan Hoefler's Type Styles 101 (typophile.com)
Twenty Text Typefaces: Textism.com (Dean Allen)
Type Classification (RedSun.com)
Type Classification by Ellen Lupton (Thinking With Type)

Monday, March 9, 2009

sounds

To find sounds, besides what is on the server you can google free sounds or try these.
a1freesoundeffects.com/
simplythebest.net/sounds/
freesound.org
partnersinrhyme.com/pir/PIRsfx.shtml
soundsnap.com/
http://www.soundsnap.com/

Sunday, March 8, 2009

ProtoTYPE meeting: Wed at 6pm






















Guest Speaker:
VisCom Alumni: Dan Padavic and Tad Carpender of vahallastudios.com. See their work, hear how they got where they are and join us for the raffle of some of their great posters.

AGENDA: Studio Tour, March 27: Design Ranch and Rush Wade. CONFERENCES: dallas and aiga conference. UPCOMING SPEAKERS: April 8, Bruce Mau at the KU Union and April 9, Patrick Coyne in Kansas City. Check the prototype website for full list of upcoming events and information.

Friday, March 6, 2009

The AIGA Design Conference is in Memphis,

October 8–11, 2009, it is a great event and if you volunteer then you can get in for FREE if you volunteer. Information is attached. (normally would cost you $350 just to get in the door) * you do have to be a student member so if you are not currently one but are interested please see me.

There are 70 volunteer opportunities available for “Make/Think: AIGA Design Conference” in Memphis, Tennessee. Student groups get first dibs! If you are at all interested volunteer NOW.

information about the conference: http://designconference.aiga.org

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Hallmark Internship: info


















Hallmark has great internships for the summer they are open to sophomores, juniors and seniors. They get more than 400 applicants but out of that 400. It is a long shot for you all but you are welcomed to try and so DO IT. We did have sophomore last year get one. IT is free to apply, need a cover letter, resume, no printouts, just electronic.

here is the application

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

type poster

From NOW until Monday please think of your poster as a poster, what is the essence of the speech? who is speaking, what is the date (and how can you show that), how can you express the speech into a POSTER. Stop thinking about how the poster is going to become motion. Choose 1, 2 or 3 words or a phrase and start there. Include the speech on the poster but it can be small or edited down to the essence 50 to 100 words. Start striping your poster to a clear idea. Do as many as you can for Monday. EXPLORE.

Right now they are not looking like a poster and they are looking similar. PLEASE consider: space, sCaLE, contrast.. Don't hold back BUT don't do things just becuase they are "cool", always have a reason and it has to go back to the meaning, emotion, feeling... of the speech.

Try for a poster that gives the viewer information in layers, when they are 20 feet away they should see be able to read something, at 10 feet something else, and 1 foot away to be able to read the rest.

I will be around part of the weekend if you want me to take a look. The examples below are just examples not all super great but hopefully they will get you thinking. Try not to be overly influenced by them.



















Tuesday, February 24, 2009

comments

NICE JOB class on the comments about the bookcovers! I read them all and makes me proud that you all seem to like commenting. Those of you who haven't uploaded them yet -- get to it.

Sunday, February 22, 2009

This weeks journal

Don't forget to get this weeks journal entry {What is animated typography?} done before Monday's class. So far Cat has done an excellent job. If you want to add youtube to your blog, scroll down.

for your viewing pleasure

Saturday, February 21, 2009

postponed a week

since there is only one printer working this weekend, please don't try this weekend. let the jr's get their project done. print next week and have it done by Monday March 2. IF you are already done, your project IS already printed bring it to class with you on monday.

Just a heads up

I'm sitting in the print lab at A&D right now and only one of the three Epson printers is working.  There is another class printing, other than our type class this weekend, so things could get crazy. 

Hopefully the situation will improve, but no guarantees.

Thursday, February 19, 2009

the art of the title













for all you title lovers this is for you: they show storyboards and have links to watch. and you can download them all through itunes (which i have done and will put on the server for you)