Typography, 1st Assignment Drafts: Round 2

Second set of six drafts for the first major project: working with the principal Elements of design.

Status: Finished - awaiting response(s) from formal class critique.

*Note: Unable to scan directly due to the large size of the papers; used camera to take pictures of each Element.

-Emphasis on Shape-

-Emphasis on Line-

-Emphasis on Direction-

-Emphasis on Size-

-Emphasis on Texture-

-Emphasis on Color and/or Value-

This time, all six drafts were redone and most of the concepts on Elements were well understood. Overall, the second set is visually better compared to its first counterpart. 

Typography, 1st Assignment Drafts: Round 1

First set of six drafts for the first major project: working with the principal Elements of design

Status: Finished - must redo.

*Note: Unable to scan directly due to the large size of the papers; used camera to take pictures of each Element.

-Emphasis on Shape-

-Emphasis on Line-

-Emphasis on Direction-

-Emphasis on Size-

-Emphasis on Texture-

-Emphasis on Color and/or Value-

Many mistakes were made on the first six drafts; most of the concepts on Elements were misunderstood. Therefore, the first set must be redone. 

Identify that Letter! Part 2: El Camino College (Again!) and a Blissful Man

This is a metallic frame that is an edge of a newly constructed railing located at the El Camino College library. As one can see, the horizontal and vertical outlines of the frame form the shape of the capital letter “L.” Its thickness and boldness insinuates strength, power and vitality; indeed, its shape is quite compelling. Also, the metallic texture of the frame allows it to clearly stand out from the glassy railing and the brick wall.

This is the “endpoint” of a handrail near the entrance of the library. The wide, horizontal handle and its lengthy vertical support are what cause it to take the form of the capital letter “P.” Looking at the right side, the curves at the bottom and top edges of the handle make great representational features that greatly resemble the arc of the letter “P.” Its slenderness and rust markings suggest delicateness – even the slightly bent portion of the horizontal handle can represent frailty.

The two pairs of sticks and wires that reinforce the structure of the tree take form of two capital letters: “A” and/or “H.” A row of these trees can be found in front of the Art and Behavioral Sciences building (facing south).  If the top horizontal wire is visually ignored, then the letter “H” can be seen; however, if neither wire is ignored, then the letter “A” can be seen instead. This is another great example of several objects forming a giant letter when they are combined and seen together as one.

This is a wooden male mannequin that is stretching its arms wide and outward in the “Y” position. Furthermore, its feet are nearly squeezed toward the midline of its body. With its length, straightforwardness of its legs and the spreading of its arms, the shape of the capital letter “Y” can be seen. This object exemplifies the notion that the human body is a flexible and dynamic unit capable of conveying the shape of a letter simply by moving each body part into a specific direction.            

Identify that Letter! Part 1: El Camino College

This is one of the capital O-shaped bike racks that can be found in front of the Administration Building in El Camino. As one can see, it is quite bigger than a wheel of a standard bicycle; hence, because of its large size, it qualifies to be an object that can be identified as an uppercase letter “O.” Its proportioned roundness perfectly epitomizes the shape of an “O.” Also, it is a noticeable object due to its bright cream color.

Together, these objects (perhaps tiny manholes) on a grassy plane in front of the Administration Building form a lowercase letter “I.” If people were to scrutinize these objects as a whole, they will realize that the combination of a column of three squares (though it was actually four total) and a circle on top can create a lowercase “I.” Overall, it is fascinating to see how the assemblage of several objects can take shape of a giant letter.

If an individual was to examine it more carefully, this peculiar-shaped metal pipe structure close to the El Camino library definitely resembles a lowercased letter “N.” Unfortunately, its rusty texture renders it quite unnoticeable and a passerby can easily overlook it. It seems that the only redeemable feature that causes this object to stand out is its shape. The slight curvy part on the top right of the object is what allows it to be identified as a lowercased “N.”   

This capital U-shaped object is actually a pedestal (foot) of a construction fence that was set up in El Camino (that is, if the pedestal was split in half). Usually, pedestals of construction fences are easy to overlook – after all, they are objects that primarily function as bases that make fences stand up straight. The striking feature of this object are the curves at its bottom edges that help justify it being identified as a capital "U."    

Formal Introduction

My name is Nigel, and I am a college student who is majoring in Studio Art. I am currently attending El Camino College to take my General Education classes and get started on my path to become an Illustrator. However, I am planning on transferring into a university that has a great art program for Illustration. As an art major, I am required to take and pass typography class in order to transfer to a university of my choice. Since the world is constantly evolving in terms of technology, many schools require artists like myself to learn about the world of digital art; hence, this is why I am currently enrolled in an art class that specializes in lettering and typography. Although I consider myself a traditional artist (that is, an artist that relies on his or her own hands to create art), I do understand that I must practice to become a digital artist in order to catch up and fulfill the demands of an ever-changing world. I hope that you, the reader, will be able to enjoy looking/reading what I post on this blog.

Ad Examples: The Good and the Bad

This advertisement for the Nissan LEAF™ can be considered unappealing for several reasons. First and foremost, the distracting quotes that surround the car cause the ad to appear to be wordy. Furthermore, despite the display of such quotes that venerate the conservational aspects of the car, most appear to not have great catch-phrases (excluding the punch line). The font chosen for the words seem to be bland and non-expressive as well. However, the most glaring flaw of this ad is how it portrays the Nissan LEAF™ – only the rear view of the car is exposed to the viewer. As a result, viewers have no idea how the car looks like on the front; they are robbed of the chance to either admire or dislike the appearance of its frontal side or the car as a whole. Actually, some customers buy a car because they are attracted to its form (shape) and looks rather than its function. Ultimately, because of such flaws, this ad can easily be skipped over by readers of the magazine.

This simple yet clever two-page advertisement for the Hyundai EQUUS manages to create an illusion the moment its viewers set their eyes upon it. Moreover, the ad is actually attempting to sell two commodities at once – the car itself and the iPad™. On the second page of the ad, it successfully manages to have the picture of the EQUUS on an iPad™ blend into the actual background; such an illusion can impress and bewilder its viewers. Even if the front side of the car is only shown, it is enough to catch the viewer’s attention due to it being a luxury car (some people prefer to pay attention to the front side of the car compared to its rear side). The first page displays a short and effective punch line on a pure black background that appears to be both elegant and commanding due to it being huge capital letters in bold and italics. The purpose of the ad is to promote the idea that the car’s Owner’s Manual can be accessed via the iPad™, and the picture on the second page is an appropriate illustration for the marketing of both innovative products.