Monday, 14 September 2015

Brief 1 : Client Collaboration : Carnage Typeface

Introduction to Brief


In September, I was employed as Head Designer at a small graphic design company. The owner of CARNAGE Cricket equipment, asked myself to further develop his already existing glyphs (CCE/CARNAGE) into a working typeface. This would make the designs and brand much more professional as they would have an identity which is used throughout all of their products.
 The designer at FX had created the 'CCE' in previous years and so this is more of a collaborative brief.

Cricket Typography Research

GM;
- Bold, uppercase type to reflect the game and players
- 'G' is rounded like ball/equipment
- 'M' reflects shape of wickets and is italicised to represent movement and speed (sport)
- Broad, minimal, sans serif
- Still elegant and 'traditional' looking
- Strength of letters reflect the game/players

Adidas;
- Lowercase
- Rounded
- Sans serif type
- Reflects the ball and curves of equipment (bat etc)
- Logo leans to the left to reflect movement and speed (sport)

MH;
- Tall
- Serif
- Uppercase
- Show class, elegance and importance whilst reflecting the shape of the bat/wickets
- Represents height and 'class' of the game

Spartan;
- Strong
- Uppercase
- Sans serif
- Italicised to represent speed/movement of players and game

Overall, this research has shown that to acheive a typeface which is as succesful and appropriate as the previous ones, the following should be done
- Uppercase
- Bold, strong strokes/lines
- Sans serif
- Uas shapes to reflect the game/players

Previous Designs

2015 Edition
This is the 2015 sticker edition created last year by a designer at FX.

I actually had an input into the shapes and rendering of these letters when I worked there for a few weeks back at the end of 2014

- Lowercase
- Rounded and small to reflect the ball
- Sans serif
- 'e' reflects the cricket wicket
- 'a' reflects the ball and the bat (on it's side) in an abstract way

 
The type is aesthetically inspired by Cricket equipment. The letter 'e' is based on the model of the Cricket Wicket, shown above. The three stumps are reflected within the horizontal crossbars, whilst the other glyphs use this very straight and structured letterform as influence. The type holds a representation of the game and equipment.
 The 'a' on the other hand is an abstract representation of the bat and ball together.

 The design of the letter 'e' appears to be written in uppercase compared to the other characters. However, this works aesthetically when presented as a typed word due to the similar x-heights. These already existing glyphs and images will be used to influence the rest of the alphabetic characters.


Colleague Type Design Decisions

"When designing the letters 'CCE' and 'Carnage', I used the appearance and shape of the cricket equipment to influence my work. The letters are very structured, informed and representative of the model of the cricket wickets as well as the bats themselves"
"The Client required a typeface that was strong enough to work alone as a type based logo, if needs be. It is a recognisable typeface and will stand out against the others because of this sharp, 'square' and structured shape. It visually represents and embodies cricket within the characters themselves."
Phil Hughes 
FX Head Designer 


Design Decisions

After speaking to the client and the designer at FX, it was ultimately agreed that it would be suitable and more appropriate to create the typeface using only lowercase as it will only be used to advertise the Carnage brand as a 'header font' rather than body copy. In addition to this, the already existing glyphs, such as the letter 'g' is lowercase.

 In addition to the alphabetic characters, the following  glyphs will also be designed " " ' , ..  By creating these strictly influenced glyphs and punctuation, it allows for more of a versatile usage of the typeface.

Such things identified within the previous research, the italicising of the type, although appropriate for the purpose of the type and brand, the already existing letters do not use this design aesthetic. This is something which could be developed in the future.


Measurements

Stroke 1cm
Height 5cm
Width 6th

As mentioned previously, the already existing glyphs will be used as inspiration, including overall aesthetics, size and shape.
 The above image shows the measurements of the already existing glyphs, as to ensure that there is consistency between the original and the new characters.


Basic Research of Type Anatomy

As the typeface is based on an already existing letter which is rather strict in design, it is not essential to research into how type is structured in comparison to other letters. The size, width, line weight etc has already been decided from the original design. Although, it is important to know the basic rules of type anatomy when sketching and designing.

Alphabet: Upper and lowercase
This image shows the comparison of the letters and how they relate and differ from each other in width, height, stroke etc as well as shapes of counters and other elements. For example, the 'm' and 'w' are the same width as each other, whilst being much wider than the other glyphs.

Upper and lowercase used in context
This provides more in-depth understanding of these comparisons. Although the designs will only consist of one 'case' rather than the two featured here, and previously, it is important to be able to see the letters being used with each other. 

Alphabet: Uppercase

The labelled image above reveals how the uppercase glyphs work together and to one another. Their shape is more 'square' in comparison to lowercase which relates well to how the CCE/Carnage typeface also needs to be designed. This is the most influential image so far. It is now possible to compare and contrast between the letters to reveal how they differ and are similar to each other when designing.

- They are all of the same height (Cap Height)
- 2 Stroke widths are used throughout the alphabet
- Set angles are used as to keep the design of the glyphs consistent appearing professional and 'part of a set'

Initial Sketched Typeface

Using 1cm squared paper ensures that the sketches are accurate and in proportion. The original measurements provided by the designer at FX colleague (1cm stroke, 5 cm height and 6 cm width) are used as a 'guide' and will ensure that each character uses this size as a rule.
 As for the ascender and descender, 2 cm's re added to either as this provides enough of a change to be able to see that this letter is falling below or reaching above the baseline/x-height, yet it keeps it's square and structured shape to create constancy.

  
  
 
Using 1cm squared grid paper

As influenced by the research and original glyph design, provided by the designer at FX, the full alphabet has been sketched out. The cap height is the same throughout as shown in the research images. The width of the strokes are also the same size, this is simply because of the original digital design provided. It is essential to keep them continuous to provide a balanced, professional and aesthetically pleasing typeface.

Feedback From Initial Sketches

It was important to gather some peer feedback before digitising the designs. It was all very positive and was mentioned that each character looks very structured and proportionate.
 It will only be revealed whether the glyphs need to be edited once they can be seen in context.

When referring back to the original letters provided (CARNAGE/CCE) the client, peers and colleague all agreed that the newly designed characters have obviously been influenced by these (an the Cricket equipment) and look to be a working, continuous alphabetic set.


Initial Digital Typeface


Alphabet : Typeface digitised from sketches

When set out as an alphabet, the typeface looks clean and professional, continuous from glyph to glyph and very aesthetically pleasing. The size and shapes of all of the characters are very similar throughout showing that there are rules and limitations that have been put in place to ensure an aesthetically strong, continuous and conceptual typeface. These glyphs work well as a set when shown like this, above.

Pangram : Working Typeface 

On the other hand, once the typeface is used in context, some of the letters prove to be illegible and therefore unreadable as words. Letters such as 'm', 'f',  these need to be altered.

Peer/Client/Colleague Feedback

"The 'L' looks too large and stands out as a capital letter, which looks strange mid-sentence. As for 'm', although I see what you have tried to do (use and rotate the letter 'e'), the stems blend into the neighbouring letters"
"On the word 'quick', the spacing between the 'q' and 'u' looks odd. Maybe take away the flourish - like the 'p' but flipped vertically. This would then look more professional and continuous as your other letters if you used the same shape, just rotated"
"The letter 'f' when used in a sentence looks rather odd as the crossbar sits on the baseline. The height of the 'k', although looks fine at the end of a word also looks odd when it is placed within a word"


Amendments & Response to Feedback

 
Type Amendments

'f' :
Problem: The cross bar on this letter is too low and looks more to be a baseline (lowercase)
Solution: Remove the ascender and raise the height of the cross bar.
This will create a more square shape and allow the form of the letter to be much more legible.

'j' :
Problem: The descender is too low and therefor, distracting
Solution: Remove the descender.
This will create a more 'square' base to start from, creating a more similar appearance to the other glyphs in the alphabet.

'k' :
Problem: The ascender on the letter 'k' means that it stands a lot taller than the other letters.
Solution: Remove the ascender and reduce the height of the stem down to the original x-height.
This will then be more similar to the other characters and appear more professional as it will not stand out against the others to appear 'uppercase'.

'l' :
Problem: The height of the ascender combined with the strength and length of the baseline stroke all integrate to create a character which appears to be uppercase.
Solution: Remove the ascender
This will create a more square letterform which will look much more continuous and similar to the other glyphs.

'm' :
Problem: It is hard to differentiate these vertical lines from the ones on the neighbouring characters.
Solution: Add a crossbar at the top of the letter, as with the bottom of the letter 'w'.
This glyph is still influenced by the original 'e' yet, with a simple addition to ensure the readability and legibility.

'q' :
Problem: The flourish/serif at the bottom of the descender/tail alters the spacing of the next letter.
Solution: Remove the serif/flourish from the end of the tail.
This will remove the extra spacing (between 'q' and 'u') thus becoming more readable. This appears to be the same design as the letter 'p', but reflected vertically.

Overall, this would create a more professional, continuous and aesthetically pleasing typeface as the 'q' and 'p', the 'w' and 'm' and lastly the 'b' and 'd' are all reflective of one another and keep the theme of simple, structured, symmetrical, squared shapes continuous throughout the design.


Final Typeface

Alphabet : Typeface digitised from sketches

This is the final typeface, above, which shows that the letters have been amended (f, l, m, q, k and j) as mentioned previously. This alphabet looks just as professional as the previous.

Pangram : Working Typeface 

The removal of the flourish from the letter 'q' has removed the space between the 'q' and 'u'. This is now more readable. The removal of the descender and raise in the crossbar creates a more square shape which appears more continuous within the alphabet and the pangram. The crossbar is now clearer to see and will not be mistaken for a stroke on the baseline.
 As explained previously, a crossbar had to be added on the x-height on the character 'm'. This defines the shape and letter to appear much more legible and thus, readable within a word. It can now be identified as the letter 'm' and is not mistaken for 'i' since the left and right stem appeared to blend into the neighbouring characters.
Lastly, the letter 'l' (lowercase L). The removal of the ascender means that the glyphs now looks like a lowercase letter and appears to be more balanced when used within words.
 The typeface now looks much more conceptual, continuous and professional.


Glyphs & Symbols Sketches & Digitising

Initial Glyph Sketches

Influenced greatly by the typeface and the cricket equipment presented previously, the following glyphs were to b created , . " " '

Glyphs digitised from sketches

Above, are the digitised vectors of the sketches. These, similarly to the typeface, are reflective of the sports equipment.


Working Typeface

 


To develop the working typeface a website named 'My Script Font' was used. As you can see, above, the characters were duplicated so that the upper and lowercase use the same design, otherwise a blank space would appear when attempting to use an uppercase letter.
 Now, a character will be shown, no matter whether you try to use upper or lowercase.


Typeface Used & Presented


   
A2

The design, above, was created to present the final typeface. A tall portrait design was chosen as to represent the shape and height of the cricket bat. This is also the orientation that would be chosen when printing the type onto the bat/decals. Since the type is relatively square, it is readable when presented horizontally, vertically or rotated.
 As for the material, the piece was printed onto acetate so that it has a more 'vinyl finish', as a vinyl bat sticker would be, yet it can be clearly seen when displayed and hung on a wall. The purpose of this was so that the type can be layered and placed over other materials/colours enabling the client to see how it could be used.

A3

Similarly to the design previous, this poster was created to present the final typeface. Yet the specific purpose of this particular poster is more to 'advertise' the typeface itself and show how it works as an alphabet.
 This version is set out in a more 'square' fashion as to reflect the shape of the type. The positioning and layout of this second poster holds the alphabetic characters in a more traditional way.

Advertisement/Typeface Used in Context

The type has been used in context here, showing how it could be used on an advertisement. In small header sections like this, it is easy to read and yet I fear that if more than a line was written, it would be difficult to read, as shown earlier.
 An off white background was chosen as reflect the colour of the wood in a subtle way. Whilst the horizontal, thin shape of the ad was simply to reflect the shape of the bat whilst also being the right dimensions for a billboard ad.

Photographs of Physical Posters

 

 

Photography of acetate prints

Using acetate, again, makes it easier for the client to physically see how else the type could be utilised.

Further Physical Presentation

 

 

Photography of wood laser etching

As an example of how else the type can be applied and used on the cricket equipment, it was decided to use the technique of laser etching. The above images show how the type can be embedded within the bat/cricket equipment itself. The same design was used on the long acetate work shown above to provide some kind of continuity throughout the physical presentation pieces. Wood was chosen as the material to represent the bat itself and how it would/could appear if applied.
 Using this method could open the door to more 'personalisation', where a customer could get their name or quote, etc, etched onto the bat either using the outline (top two images) or fully etched and shaded (the lower two images).

Note: This would have to be done before the stickers are applied as the laser and heat from the machine could potentially melt them.


Final Feedback Colleague

"The precision and accuracy used to develop and create the full typeface using my original designs is very professional. The influence from my initial work and the brand/equipment itself is visually obvious and is continuous throughout the whole alphabet. The addition of the punctuation opens up the possibilities for use of this type". 
Phil Hughes
FX Head Designer
 


Final Feedback Client

"I asked for a full typeface to be developed so that my designs were not limited to use only the letters 'CARNAGE'. When Taylor returned with a full typeface and punctuation too, it was clear to me that she is a hard worker and likes to develop and push briefs as far as possible.
 The typeface and symbols can now be used in other appropriate situations such as advertising.
I am more than happy with the results and would love to work with Taylor again"
  
David Murray
Owner of Carnage

As you can see, previous, the client and FX Designer are both impressed with the professionalism, aesthetic and overall final outcome of the work.


Evaluation


This brief required the use the already existing glyphs, created by the FX Designer, as inspiration to the develop and design the rest of the typeface for the Cricket Bat brand, Carnage. It was essential for the characters to appear part of a set and be seamlessly continuous from the existing glyphs to the newly created ones. This ensures that the typeface would look and perform professionally.
 The overall aesthetic of the typeface needed to reflect the strong, sturdy equipment used within the game. The letter 'e', especially, was obviously influenced greatly from the Cricket Wicket. This was used as a main guide to determine how the rest of the alphabet would look.

Along with the characters themselves, 5 accompanying glyphs were also created, as follows " " ' , ..

This allowed the type development and experimentation to be pushed further by creating these strictly influenced glyphs. Although the typeface will only be used to advertise Carnage, it was appropriate to design and include punctuation marks for the possibility that the client would ever use the typeface in other ways, for leaflet/brochure advertisement for example. Only create one font variation has been designed, regular, as this is all that is required. Yet, if this brief was to be developed further, a light, italic and bold variation could also be created.

 This brief is more than completed. The work required was developed further by presenting the typeface appropriately and in multiple ways. Although, as mentioned at the beginning, if more time were available, it would have been appropriate to develop and design an italic version of this typeface.
 In addition to the typeface, a poster was created to display the full alphabet and punctuation marks, almost to advertise the typeface itself. This also visualises how the type would look when used on a larger scale, if the client should ever choose to advertise with it. As for material choice, acetate was chosen as the client tends to use a lot of transparency within his decal designs which is going to be the main use for this final product.
 The full final typeface has been written onto a CD as this the intended format for the digital file.
Lastly, the laser cutter was used to present the type on wood. This was to show how it would look if the client ever wanted to use a different method of applying the brand name to the equipment itself. This would be much more expensive for the client, yet is more environmentally friendly. In addition, the equipment could be personalised, using this technique to etch the name of the player into the grain.

Overall, the brief has been completed and outcomes/requirements were exceeded. By producing a full, working typeface, it is much more versatile to design with. The client is now able to use the type for not only advertising the brand name 'Carnage' but also to advertise in general as the punctuation will allow for this extended use.

 The aesthetic of the characters are influenced and justified throughout whilst being visually linked from one letter to the next. The measurements and accuracy used when designing and creating this outcome ensures the professionalism and continuity of the alphabet and extra glyphs.
 It is readable, legible and versatile as shown in the presentation and physical examples created.
 This project has been thoroughly enjoyable, working with the client and FX colleague to create something strong and bold which will be used throughout an upmarket brand.

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