Week 13 - Week 14 (13/7/2026 - 26/7/2026)
Emily Wong Jing Lin | 0394765
GCD 62704 | Typography | Bachelor of Design (Honours) in Creative Media |
Taylors University
Final Compilation & Reflection
TABLE OF CONTENT
1.2
Exercise 2 - Text Formatting
1. PRACTICAL TASKS: EXERCISES
Week 1 - Week 4 (20/4/2026-10/5/2026)
1.1 Exercise 1 - Type Expression
Figure1.1.1 Exercise 1 - Type Expression (JPG)
Figure1.1.2 Exercise 1 - Type Expression (PDF)
Figure1.1.3 Exercise 1 - Animated Type
Expression (GIF)
1.2 Exercise 2 - Text Formatting
Figure1.2.1 Exercise 2 - Text Formatting (JPEG)
Figure1.2.2 Exercise 2 - Text Formatting (PDF)
Figure1.2.3 Exercise 2 -
Text Formatting with Grid (JPEG)
Figure1.2.4 Exercise 2 -
Text Formatting with Grid (PDF)
HEAD
- Font/s: Univers LT Std, 55 Roman
- Type Size/s: 30pt, 26pt, 11pt
- Leading: 29pt, 29pt, 14pt
- Paragraph spacing: 0mm, 0mm, 3.881mm
BODY
- Font/s: Univers LT Std, 55 Roman
- Type Size/s: 8pt
- Leading: 11pt
- Paragraph spacing: 3.881mm
- Average Characters per-line: 41characters
- Alignment: Align left
PAGE MARGINS
- top + left + right + bottom: top:12.7mm + left:12.7mm +
right:12.7mm + bottom:12.7mm
- Columns: 3
- Gutter: 5mm
2. PROJECT 1: TYPOGRAPHIC EXPLORATION & COMMUNICATION
Week 4 - Week 8 (11/5/2026-14/6/2026)
Figure2.1.1 Project 1: Typographic Exploration &
Communication (JPEG)
Figure2.1.2 Project 1: Typographic Exploration &
Communication (PDF)
Figure2.1.3 Project 1: Typographic Exploration &
Communication with Grid (JPEG)
Figure2.1.1 Project 1: Typographic Exploration &
Communication with Grid (PDF)
HEAD
- Font/s: Futura Heavy
- Type Size/s: 137.43pt , 24pt
- Leading: - , 27pt
- Paragraph spacing: 0pt
BODY
- Font/s: Adobe Caslon Pro Regular
- Type Size/s: 10pt
- Leading: 13pt
- Paragraph spacing: 0mm
- Characters per-line: 34 words (Average)
- Alignment: Align left
PAGE MARGINS
- top + left + right + bottom: top:10mm+ left:10mm+ right:10mm+ bottom:10mm
- Columns: 3
- Gutter: 5mm
3. PROJECT 2: TYPE DESIGN AND COMMUNICATION
Week 8 - Week 12 (8/6/2026 - 12/7/2026)
Figure3.1.1 Project 2: Type Design and Communication "BE KIND AND CALM"
Screengrab
Figure3.1.2 Project 2: Type Design and Communication
Font 'Spikes' (JPEG)
Figure3.7.3 Project 2: Type Design and Communication Font
'Spikes' (PDF)
Font Details:
- X-height: 424
- Cap Height: 637
- Ascender: 679
- Descender: -212
Download Font Here:
Figure3.7.1 Project 2: Type Design and Communication Poster
(JPEG)
Figure3.7.1 Project 2: Type Design and Communication Poster
(PDF)
4. REFLECTION
Experience
Learning History and Bauhaus: We started the semester by learning about
the history of writing, including Phoenician letters and ancient writing
styles like Boustrophedon. A huge part of this was researching the Bauhaus
school (1919-1928). I did further reading on how designers like Herbert
Bayer made a bold, radical decision to stop using capital letters, which
was a really eye-opening historical experiment for me.
Designing Words: We did weekly tasks where we had to design words like
"free" using only black and white. This was challenging because we
couldn't use colour, so we had to make the letters themselves look like
the meaning of the word just by changing their shapes and spacing.
Making My Own Font and Poster: In the second half of the semester, we
designed our own font. I dissected Adobe Caslon Pro ("HOGBhogb"), sketched
my ideas, and chose the name "Spikes" for my font. Then, I digitalised it
in Adobe Illustrator and generated the font file in FontLab 8. Finally, I
used my font to make a "be kind and calm" poster.
Observations
Bauhaus and Simplified Design: Through my research on Bauhaus, I observed
that typography is deeply connected to utility and function. Their
decision to use only lowercase letters was highly practical for the
industrial age because it saved time, money, and energy. This showed me
that type design can be simplified to be more efficient.
Fonts Have Strict Rules: I observed that even though we use computer
software, letters are still built on very strict geometric rules. When I
dissected "HOGBhogb", I saw that rounded letters are based on circles and
straight letters must align perfectly on horizontal lines.
Simple Layouts Work Better: In our tasks, I noticed that keeping things
simple is usually best. For my word designs and my final poster, I did not
make the layouts too complicated. Ms. Vitiyaa also gave me feedback on my
poster, saying that when a font looks good, a simple, centre-aligned
layout is enough to make it stand out.
Shapes Show Emotions: Through the classes and my extra reading of Sarah
Hyndman's book, I observed that shapes actually carry emotions. Sharp and
pointy shapes make people feel anxious or tense, which is why I chose to
use triangular corners for my "Spikes" font to show the heavy feelings of
mental health.
Findings
Typography is Purposeful: My biggest finding this semester is that
typography is not just about drawing nice-looking letters, and it is not
just random. Every major movement, like the Bauhaus "all-lowercase"
experiment, had a practical reason behind it. Understanding the history
helps me make better decisions as a designer today.
Doing More is Worth It: I found that pushing myself to design all 26
letters of my font—instead of just the few required letters—was a really
good decision. It took more time, but it gave me a lot of practice and now
I have a full font I can use for other projects.
Choosing the Right Font Matters:
Lastly, I found that fonts are a powerful way to send a message. Whether
we are
analysing the history of typography (like the Bauhaus movement)
or designing a modern mental health poster, choosing or designing the
right font shape helps the audience feel the mood of our design
immediately.
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