Week 2

This week I embrace lettering as I attempt to create a playful and joyous word mark for the area of Grünerløkka. I experiment with lettering within a 3D dimension and practice the balance between detail and play.

Lecture notes


Lecture reflections

The interview with Colophon Foundry was a great start to this week as it gave me some starters as to how I might tackle this week’s challenge. It was quite reassuring to hear that the foundry had only had medieval references at hand when designing the typeface (Tolley, 2021), as I was a bit unhappy with last week’s collections. I did not feel that the letterforms represented anything I would like to create and so it was eye opening to see how one might use historic references to create a contemporary design, using subtle, yet effective details. 

Fig. 1: Colophon Foundry 2017. Wales. [Typeface]

Special characters as a visual foundation
I also liked how Cymru Sans’ identity focused on letterforms from the Welsh alphabet (Tolley, 2021). My chosen district for this brief, Grünerløkka, uses two special characters – ‘Ø’, which is part of the Norwegian language, and ‘Ü’, which is not. It could be interesting to pay extra attention to these characters in my type design, perhaps by using them as a foundation for the whole word mark.

Fig. 2: Wuman and Murdoch 1968. Mexico 68. [mockups]

A vibrating design that is based on traditional references
Further, I was fascinated by the case study of the Mexico 68 visual identity. For this week’s challenge, I hope to create a set of letterforms that feels contemporary, but that is based on historic references. Thus, seeing how the modern and sleek Olympics identity was based on historic references, was a good insight, as it proved that a historic foundation doesn’t necessarily have to lead to a boring or typically classical aesthetic.


Resource notes


Resource reflections 

What potential do variable fonts offer?
The TYPO Labs 2017 video was a bit overwhelmingly technical to me. However, I was intrigued by the concept of variable fonts and what potential there might be to using them. I have previously experimented with Adobe’s variable fonts in InDesign, and although I did enjoy the freedom it provided, I struggle to see the full potential of variable fonts as per now. As Rhatigan mentions, there is a question about what role variable fonts might play to the average day to day user and I do hope to get a bigger understanding to the answer of this as we move forward (Rhatigan, 2017). 

Fig. 3: Landes 2016-2019. Digestive. [typeface]

Who’s the typography audience?
The Creative Review podcast episode provided some useful insights for the workshop challenge. I think the notion of keeping potential visitors of the area in mind when designing for tourists is interesting (Burgogyne, Williams and Steven, no date). Although our type design for this week isn’t necessarily a design that is supposed to attract tourists, I think it could be interesting to keep the potential users of the type set in mind. 

Further, the notion of designing for the public (Burgogyne, Williams and Steven, no date) was intriguing, as it would be cool to create a set of type that the public of Grünerløkka could interact with, perhaps by attempting to make a variable logo of sorts?


Further research

A revival of a vernacular sans serif typeface found in Copenhagen

Copenhagen is a typeface inspired by street signs found across Copenhagen, created by A2 Type (A2/SW/HK, no date). This type is very similar to the original typeface, yet A2’s version seems more balanced and structured. I love the details of the typeface, like the slanted top of the ‘t’ and the square cut off ‘g’.

Thaw: a modern typeface inspired by Russian type from the 60s

Thaw is a modern, variable typeface created by Ilya Bazhanov who used Russian typography from the 60’s as inspiration (Angelos, 2020). I think this is a great example of how one might create something that feels cool, modern and experimental, whilst drawing on something historic. Thaw combines Latin and Cyrillic characters (Angelos, 2020), which to me feels like a comment on community and finding one’s identity by mixing one’s nationalities.

JÄGER

Jäger was designed by Jérémy Schneider for VJ Type and is inspired by craftsmanship (VJ Type, 2020). I love the details in the hollowed out stems, which is reminiscent of engravings, sculptures and working with chisels (VJ Type, 2020). I would love to look into the details of the iron letters from last week’s findings, and perhaps incorporate them in a similar manner.

Fig. 6: Schneider 2020. Jäger. [typeface]

Workshop challenge

The runic alphabet

Last week’s research shows letterforms that hints to the industrial past of Grünerløkka, but inspired by the lecture, I wanted to look back even further. This made me think of The Runic alphabet, which was used in the germanic areas (thus Norway) until Christianity brought the Latin alphabet (Heyerdahl, 2019).

The Runic alphabet doesn’t link to Grünerløkka spesifically, but rather Norwegian cultural in general. Thus, I’m not interested in using these letterforms as my main inspiration. However, I think it could be interesting to experiment with incorporation some of it’s stiff characteristics, or the way the characters uses diagonal double lines, which could be used as cross bars.

Fig. 7: Unknown maker. ca. 2000-2020. Runes [the oldest, common German rune alphabet with 24 runes]

Notes on last week’s findings

I decided to begin the challenge by annotating some of the images from last week’s research. I think my findings have some interesting details and quirks, but I don’t think it’s necessary to use them as they are, as they feel a bit outdated for trendy Grünerløkka. My main take away from the annotations was that I would like to make something bold, with quirky details, that perhaps mixes fluidity and square shapes.

Sketches

After annotating my references I started sketching in order to establish some ideas. They started as direct translations, but after a while I was able to come up with more contemporary and unique shapes.

Digital experiments

I decided to established two main concepts from my sketches, which I then explored further in Glyphs.

Concept 1: Bold and detailed
My first concept was a bold typeface with quirky details. The oval gaps symbolise traces from the past, as they are supposed to mimic dents from the swirls that I found in the “Sagene Brandstation” letterforms. The dents symbolise how the old and new has merged together in Grünerløkka. I was quite happy about the quirky details, but felt as if there was something off with the unity of the letters.

If I had more time, I think it could have been cool to make this into a variable font. Below, I’ve experimented with a set of different components, which the user could have changed by using sliders. On their own, I think the pointy details might be too limiting, and perhaps not representative of the whole of Grünerløkka.

Concept 2: Contemporary swirls
My second concept was a more toned down idea, which focused on translating the swirly iron letters from my research into a contemporary sans serif. I don’t think this is as innovative and expressive as the first concept, but on the other hand, I do enjoy the more subtle details as they feel more in line with the restraint Norwegian people. I initially wanted the ‘Ü’ and the ‘Ø’ to shine in my type design, and I definitely think the toned town details of the other characters lets them do that in this concept. I particularly like the ‘Ü’ as it feels like a smiley face (which suits the buzzing area), without being too apparent.

I a tutorial this week, James and Tim, whom my tutorial was with, preferred concept 2 as they thought it felt more joyous and fun. James also mentioned how it seemed like the maker of “Sagene Brandstation” had had a lot of fun making the wild iron letterforms. These reflections were great as they helped me refine my concept: to create a set of letterforms that communicate the buzzing life of Grünerløkka through a joyful design.

Review

After experimenting in Glyphs, I decided to follow an advice from Paul about printing the letterforms in various sizes in order to review them. This was a good exercise as I ended up experimenting with adding and removing details, using a black marker. As I was drawing I got interested in investigating ways to make the letterforms even more fun and joyful, but also wether or not I could improve any details or shapes.

Fig. 15: Reigstad 2021. Type experiments 4

After experimenting with markers and annotations, I visited Glyphs again, which eventually led to my final flat word mark.

Angles and application

I received an interesting insight from Paul on the ideas wall about angles, and that we have all photographed letterforms in 3D, but designed in a 2D format. I have wanted to try Adobe Dimension (Adobe’s 3D software) for a while, and so I decided to have a go at experimenting with my word mark using 3D.

Unfortunately I wasn’t able to experiment as much as I would have liked, as I didn’t have enough time with my limited 3D skillset. However, I think the letterforms worked well in a 3D space as the extra dimension contributed to the round friendliness of the letterforms.

I wanted to use natural materials that reminded me of Grünerløkka. I used cement as it looked like the material which most buildings in the area are made of. Rather than using iron for my letterforms (as done in my original reference) I wanted to use a softer and more contemporary material. In Grünerløkka, many apartments feature original wooden floors. This is something I associate with the indoor aesthetic of the area, and so I thought wood could be a suitable material for the word mark.

To me, the shadows produced from the letters are really interesting and I would have liked to experiment further with shadows, perhaps by applying them to a flat design, if I had more time.

Result

After several experiments, I came to the conclusion that the baseline for my type design would be a flat word mark. The word mark is inspired by the swirly iron letters from my “Sagene Brandstation” reference, both in terms of organic curves, but also in terms of communication. The word mark is meant to represent the buzzing and lively area of Grünerløkka. Therefor I have taken inspiration from my reference by trying to make the letters as fun and joyous as the iron ones, whilst maintaining a contemporary aesthetic.

The organic essence of the word mark suits the ever changing trendy area where restaurants and shops are changing constantly (a point made by James in my tutorial). The gaps between each letter also symbolise this development, as well as the fact that a city never stands still in time. This organic theme is elongated in the dots of the ‘Ü’, which can be moved around in order to change the look of the U-smiley face.

As advised by James, I decided to experiment with my word mark in different contexts. Thus, I ended up creating the beginning of a branding system, with colours as well as a typeface combination for text. If I was to take this further, I would have loved to experiment with a text version of my type design by making them more suitable for a smaller scale.

I wanted the colours to feel fun and energetic, but also timeless and bold as a way of keeping in line with the hip public. I’ve chosen a set of grey and beige base colours, that translates well to organic materials, which can be used in physical contexts in order to build upon the organic sense of the word mark. The red and blue are vibrant and fun, but slightly toned down as they are supposed to match the more subtle base colours.

With the little time I had left I decided to try and animate the word mark. It’s not as smooth as I would have liked, but the idea is there. If I had more time it would have been great to experiment further with this.

Fig. 25: Reigstad 2021. Grünerløkka word mark animation

In conclusion

Although this week has been quite a bit of work for me, I’ve really enjoyed it. I’ve learned a lot about letterforms and how to use an historic reference and turn it into something modern. This is something I’ve never done before, but I will definitely try to make this approach a part of my practice.

I’m pleased with the concept I landed on for my type design, as I think joy and liveliness suits my district well. However, I would have liked to experiment further with innovative approaches (like 3D and shadows) in order to come up with a more unique design. I also would have liked to work further on the animation, as well as a text/micro version of my letters in order for the word mark to be legible on a smaller scale. Further, I think it could have been fun to incorporate an illustration style to go with my branding system, and perhaps look at ways to take the system with the dots of the ‘Ü’ even further.

The methods I’ve used these two past weeks have been very enjoyable and the brief has inspired me to pursue typography further in my work. I will try to make an effort to develop my personal typography library from week 1, but also to experiment further with illustrative typography and typeface design in general.


REFERENCES:
A2/SW/HK (no date) ‘Copenhagen’, A2-Type. Available at: https://www.a2-type.co.uk/copenhagen (Accessed: 31 January 2021).

Angelos, A. (2020) ‘Comprising a new typeface, Ilya Bazhanov’s bachelor thesis examines Russian typography from the 60s’, It’s Nice That, 13 February. Available at: https://www.itsnicethat.com/articles/ilya-bazhanovs-the-spring-is-coming-graphic-design-130220 (Accessed: 31 January 2021).

Burgogyne, P., Williams, E. and Steven, R. (no date) ‘Making, changing and documenting places’. (The CR podcast). Available at: https://www.creativereview.co.uk/the-cr-podcast-episode-14-making-changing-and-documenting-places/ (Accessed: 30 January 2021).

Heyerdahl, G. H. (2019) ‘Runer’, Store Norske Leksikon, 30 May. Available at: https://snl.no/runer (Accessed: 31 January 2021).

Rhatigan, D. (2014) Dan Rhatigan on Ryman Eco. Grey London. Available at: https://rymaneco.co.uk/about.html (Accessed: 30 January 2021).

Rhatigan, D. (2017) TYPO Labs 2017 | Dan Rhatigan | Variable Fonts: Progress Report. YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOUWDGsT8DE&ab_channel=TYPOInternationalDesignTalks (Accessed: 30 January 2021).

Tolley, S. (2021) ‘Story told: Reforming and projecting a new future in a type design’. Canvas Falmouth Flexible [online], 29 January. VJ Type (2020) ‘JÄGER’, VJ Type. Available at: https://vj-type.com/15-jager.

LIST OF FIGURES:
Figure 1. COLOPHON FOUNDRY. 2017. Wales. Colophon Foundry [online]. Available at: https://www.colophon-foundry.org/custom/wales/

Figure 2. Lance WYMAN and Peter MURDOCH. 1968. Mexico 68. 99 % invisible [online]. Available at: 

Figure 3. Jeremy LANDES. 2016-2019. Digestive. Oh no type company [online]. Available at: https://ohnotype.co/fonts/digestive?epik=dj0yJnU9YVVoYllhQzhzMVVfSXBPWHl1a0ZnU2g0b3hfTGphREImcD0wJm49ZmVmSGVZekE5bmt2QWJlUmkxbms5dyZ0PUFBQUFBR0FWZVBZ 

Figure 4. A2 TYPE. ca. 2008-2010. Copenhagen reference. A2 Type [online]. Available at: https://www.a2-type.co.uk/copenhagen [accessed 4 Febuary 2021].

Figure 5. Ilya BAZHANOV. 2020. The Spring is coming. It’s Nice That [online]. Available at: https://www.itsnicethat.com/articles/ilya-bazhanovs-the-spring-is-coming-graphic-design-130220 

Figure 6. Jeremy SCHNEIDER. 2020. Jäger. VJ Type [online]. Available at: https://vj-type.com/15-jager 

Figure 7. Unknown maker. ca. 2000-2020. Runes. [the oldest, common German rune alphabet with 24 runes]. Store Norske Leksikon [online]. Available at: http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O78128/lining-paper-print/ [accessed 4 February 2021].

Figure 8-11: Ingrid REIGSTAD. 2021. Type references with annotations. Private collection: Ingrid Reigstad.

Figure 12: Ingrid REIGSTAD. 2021. Type experiments 1. Private collection: Ingrid Reigstad.

Figure 13: Ingrid REIGSTAD. 2021. Type experiments 2. Private collection: Ingrid Reigstad.

Figure 14: Ingrid REIGSTAD. 2021. Type experiments 3. Private collection: Ingrid Reigstad.

Figure 15: Ingrid REIGSTAD. 2021. Type experiments 4. Private collection: Ingrid Reigstad.

Figure 16: Ingrid REIGSTAD. 2021. Type experiments 5. Private collection: Ingrid Reigstad.

Figure 17-18: Ingrid REIGSTAD. 2021. 3D experiments 5. Private collection: Ingrid Reigstad.

Figure 19-21: Ingrid REIGSTAD. 2021. Grünerløkka word mark. Private collection: Ingrid Reigstad.

Figure 22-24: Ingrid REIGSTAD. 2021. Grünerløkka word mark. Private collection: Ingrid Reigstad.

Figure 25: Ingrid REIGSTAD. 2021. Grünerløkka word mark animation. Private collection: Ingrid Reigstad.