Advanced Typography: Task 3 Type Exploration & Application
TANG LILIN (0376668)
Advanced Typography
Task 3 - Type Exploration and Application
9/6/2025 - 15/7/2025 （ Week 8 - Week 13 ）
Bachelor OF DESIGN (HONERS) IN CREATIVE MEDIA
LIST
LECTURE
INSTRUCTION
PROGRESS
In this task, we are asked to design a font including uppercase and lowercase letters and form symbols.
week 8
Mr. Vinod asked us to prepare final Task 3 presentation (Google Slide / PPT) to explain your intention, show examples, and make an attempt (at designing the font for the ideas you selected). You should explore at least 3 possible ideas in you presentation.
Mr. Vinod asked me which idea I wanted to make the most. I chose the second one, which was to make a tech-style font to solve the problems of tech companies.
When making the PPT, I made an initial font for experimentation. For the tech font, I made the three letters ABC, using Univers LT Std 67 Bold Condensed as a reference. But Mr. Vinod thought that this font was very basic and not good, and I needed to make more changes to the font.
fig 1.1.1 Font Attempt in Sorting Ideas
I was looking for a tech company, and I found a cloud computing company with an interesting logo. I decided to use this logo to make my capital letter O. First, I looked for references on Pinterest. Then, I created a document in AI, a 1000pt x 1000pt file. And set the xheight to 500pt. The capital letter height was set to 750pt. But during the production, I found that this method was not convenient for production, and the fonts made in this way were difficult to be unified even after the stroke limit. So, I chose to make it in the grid.
fig 1.1.2 Font Inspiration
Uppercase Making Progress
fig 1.2.1 Process of Making Uppercase "H O I A"
I began by defining the width and height of each stroke. For all uppercase letters, the stroke width is 85pt, with a maximum height of 680pt. Designed within an 8x8 grid layout, each letter maintains consistent height (680pt) and width (680pt). I started by designing the letters H and O to establish the style for the entire font family.
Letter H: The crossbar is placed on the fourth row of the grid, slightly above the centerline.
Letter O: Since I designed based on the FONGWELL CLOUD trademark of Guangzhou Fanghe Data Co., Ltd., rounded corners were added to the top-left and top-right corners, with the radius of the quarter-circle arc being three grid widths.
Letter I: Width is 85pt, height is 680pt.
Letter A: Next, I began creating the letter A. First, I outlined the structure of the letter A within the grid. Then, following the style of the letter O, I rounded the top-left corner and designed the crossbar with an open structure to enhance its sense of breathing space.
fig 1.2.2 Process of Making Uppercase "D U X E"
Letter D: Next, I began creating the letter D, as its structure is very similar to that of the letter O in this font set. I experimented with two forms of the letter D. Both feature an open structure on the stem to maintain consistency with the previously created letter A. One version uses a three-grid (85pt) width as the radius for the rounded corners, while the other uses a four-grid (85pt) width as the radius. After comparing the two, I found that the second version of the letter D appears more harmonious in terms of overall style.
Letter U: Based on the letter D I created, I rotated it 90 degrees to create the letter U.
Letter X: For the letter X, I found that using a four-grid (85pt) radius rounded corner did not look harmonious and did not align with the overall style. Therefore, I opted for the first three-grid (85pt) radius rounded corner and created the letter X's spur to balance the overall composition.
Letter E: For the letter E, I created numerous styles, experimenting to find the one that best fits the style. I gradually adjusted the balance between right angles and rounded corners, ultimately determining that the top-left corner of the letter E should be a right angle, while the bottom-left corner should be a smooth rounded corner.
fig 1.2.3 Process of Making Uppercase "C G J L"
Letter C: Next, I began creating the letter C. Based on the structure of the letter O, I created several different styles of C. By adjusting the curvature of the rounded corners, I ultimately decided to maintain the structure and form of the letter O, creating the letter C within the letter O to ensure a consistent style.
Letter G: The structure of the letter G is similar to that of the letter C, so I began creating it. I retained the structure of the letter C but changed the original right angle at the top right corner of the letter G to a rounded corner with a radius of two grid squares. I also added a crossbar on the fourth-to-last grid row, with a width of four and a half grid squares. This length appears more harmonious.
Letter J: J is similar to L, so I created them together. J is based on the structure of O, with the right-bottom corner's right angle changed to a rounded corner with a radius of three grid squares (85pt) in width, symmetrical to the right-bottom corner. I used the Pathfinder to remove the top-left portion while retaining three grid squares at the top to maintain overall consistency.
Letter L: Flip J but remove the top horizontal stroke.
fig 1.2.4 Process of Making Uppercase "E S B P R K "
Letter S: I used the letter E I had created earlier (although it wasn't the final version of the letter E, I thought it was very suitable for creating the letter S). I flipped the upper half of the letter E vertically and shortened the top stroke by half a grid width to make the overall design more harmonious.
Letter B: Vertically flip the entire letter E and add an open-structured stem. I tried two different open structures and ultimately chose the same open structure at the top as letter D.
Letter P: Now determine the overall structure of letter P in the grid, which will affect the structure and form of letter R. Next, I found that I could use the upper half of letter B, but this time without the open structure.
Letter R: Based on the letter P, add rounded corners with a radius of four grid units, a height of five grid units (85pt), and a width of eight grid units (85pt).
Letter K: Retain the basic structure of the letter R, but modify the upper part to a rounded corner with a radius of three grid units.
fig 1.2.5 Process of Making Uppercase "M N Z"
Letter M: While creating the letter E, I also attempted to create the letter M by rotating the letter E. During this process, I temporarily named the image “fig.” The third version in the first row of the image is the letter M. After completing the letters M and V, while experimenting with variations of the letter W, I discovered that mirroring the left half of W and then vertically flipping it resulted in a structure I believed was suitable for creating M. I adjusted it to make the structure more stable, resulting in the version on the far right of the first row in the image.
Letter N: First, I created the structure of N in the grid. Then I added rounded corners, but I found that the resulting effect looked too thick at the corners. So I retained the structure of N but redefined the corner rules. I created a three-grid circle (85pt) with a diameter equal to the width of the grid and a one-grid circle (85pt) with a diameter equal to the width of the grid. I aligned these two circles as concentric circles with the main stroke on the left side of N and used the Shape Builder tool to create the new letter N.
Letter Z: I rotated the letter N by 90 degrees to obtain the letter Z and shortened the top stroke of the letter Z by half a grid.
fig 1.2.6 Process of Making Uppercase "Q T Y"
Letter Q: I started by vertically flipping the letter O and shortening it by one grid height. I then created an 85pt x 255pt rectangle (three grid heights) to construct the letter Q. To unify the font style and language, I restored it to the structure of the letter O (with rounded corners at the top left and bottom right).
Letter T: I initially used the structure of the letter I to construct the letter T, but later found this combination too ordinary. To align with the overall font style, I added a half-grid (85pt) radius curved corner in the middle to match the overall stylistic characteristics.
Letter Y: The creation process was similar to that of the letter T, but I found that using the same curved arc as the letter T made the overall design appear slightly disharmonious. Therefore, I opted to use a single-sided curved arc for construction.
fig 1.2.7 Process of Making Uppercase "V W"
Next, only the letters V and W remain, which are the two letters that have given me the most trouble. I made multiple attempts at adjustments and placed the completed V and W together to see if they looked harmonious when viewed side by side.
Letter V: I created the corners of the letter V using the same approach as when creating the corners of the letter N. First, I built the structure on the grid, and once it was finalized, I used the shape generator to create the letter V. I created two versions of the letter V: one with a more inclined Diagonal Stroke and another with a moderately inclined angle. Ultimately, I selected the version with the moderately inclined angle.
Letter W: I continued the same approach used for the letter V to create the letter W. I also created two versions with different inclined angles for the Diagonal Stroke. Ultimately, I selected the version with the moderately inclined angle.
fig 1.2.8 Process of Adjusting Uppercase "M W V"
Based on the feedback I received from Mr. Vinod in Week 10 class, I widened the letters W and M. I continuously experimented with width and angle, and after completion, compared them with the letter V. I made modifications using the same approach as during the creation process.
The final letter M is within an 8x10 grid (85pt x 85pt). The final letter W is within an 8x12 grid (85pt x 85pt). This appears more harmonious.
Below is a screenshot of the AI source file.
fig 1.2.9 Screenshot of Uppercase AI Source File
Lowercase Making Progress
Next, I began creating lowercase letters. Since my uppercase letters were created using an 8x8 grid, I decided to create my lowercase letters using an 8x5 grid.
fig 1.3.1 Process of Making Lowercase
My initial idea was to start with some of the more difficult letters, such as lowercase z and s. These two letters looked easy to create, but due to compression, the size of their corner arcs changed. So I remade them.
Lowercase letter z: I created concentric circles with an outer diameter of two and a half grids and an inner diameter of half a grid to create the corner curves.
Lowercase letter s: Initially, the corner curves were created using concentric circles with an outer diameter of three grids and an inner diameter of one grid. However, after creating them, I noticed that the upper and lower parts of the s were the same size. I then adjusted it so that the upper part had an outer circle diameter of two grid units plus two-thirds of one grid unit, and an inner circle diameter of two-thirds of one grid unit. This distinguished the upper and lower parts.
Lowercase letter v: I restructured the lowercase letter and adjusted its curvature.
Lowercase letter w: The same process as for the lowercase letter v. However, the width is the same as the uppercase letter W.
Then, I proceeded to create the letters in alphabetical order.
Lowercase letter a: The overall framework is similar to that of the lowercase letter s, but the corner curves are concentric circles with an outer diameter of three grid units and an inner diameter of one grid unit.
Lowercase letter b: First, I constructed the overall framework, then created the curves of the lowercase b. The outer diameter is five grid units, and the inner diameter is three grid units, forming concentric circles.
Lowercase letter c: The same curvature as lowercase letter b. It is essentially lowercase letter b without the main stem.
Lowercase letter e: Initially created using the framework of lowercase letter c with added curvature. However, I found that this e did not align well with the overall style of my font, so I enlarged the counter portion of e. But it still looked odd. Later, I changed the upper-left arc into a right angle with the same size as the previous counter to align with the overall style.
Lowercase letter f: I first constructed the overall framework and then adjusted the arc. However, I found that this f was too wide, so I shortened its width by two grid units.
Lowercase letter g: Designed based on lowercase letter b.
Lowercase letter y: Designed based on lowercase letter g.
Lowercase letter n: First, I built the framework, then carefully adjusted the curvature. From this point onward, I did not use the graphic generator but directly adjusted the overall rounded curvature using the rounded corner tool.
Lowercase letter h: Added the main stem based on the lowercase letter n.
Lowercase letter m: Modified the framework of the lowercase letter n, adjusting the overall curvature. The width is 12 grid units.
Lowercase letter j: If the width is 8 grid units, the overall appearance is not very harmonious. Therefore, I shortened it by two grid units.
Lowercase letter k: Based on the framework of the uppercase letter K, reduce the height.
Lowercase letter o: Based on the framework of the uppercase letter O, shorten the height by three grid units. Also, reduce the corner curvature to better fit.
Lowercase letters p and q: Designed based on the lowercase letter b.
Lowercase letter r: First, the framework of r was constructed, then the rounded corners were adjusted. The width is 4 grid units.
Lowercase letter t: Designed based on the framework of the lowercase letter r. The height is 6.5 grid units, and the width is 4 grid units.
Lowercase letters u: Based on the framework of the uppercase letter U, shorten the height by three grid units.
Lowercase letter x: Build the overall structure based on the framework of the uppercase letter X, and adjust the overall rounded corner radius.
When I showed the completed work to Mr. Vinod, he provided feedback stating that uppercase and lowercase letters should be viewed together to assess compatibility. Therefore, I made adjustments to some of the letters.
fig 1.3.2 Process of Adjusting Lowercase
I changed the width of all lowercase letters from the original 8-grid width to 6-grid width. For some special letters, such as lowercase k, l, t, and r, the width is 4-grid.
Numerals & Punctuations Making Progress
Next, I started creating numbers and punctuation marks.
Similarly, all were created within the grid. This time, the design strictly adhered to the overall letter style language. No perfect circles appear in the numbers; only arcs are used.
For punctuation marks, I followed the tutorial published by Mr. Vinod.
fig 1.4.1 Process of Making Numerals & Punctuations
Kerning Progress
I then imported all the content into FontLab and adjusted the kerning.
fig 1.5.1 Process of Kerning
Next, I began creating the font presentation and application.
Font Presentation
fig 1.6.1 Process of Presentation 1
Presentation 1: Showing the uppercase application of the word "OPTIMIZED"
Purpose: To show the overall visual style of uppercase letters through a technical word.
Feature enhancement:
Add “offset blue and white stroke (multiple shadows)” effect to create a visual sense of "overlap" and "digital signal";
Stretch the rhythm and linear characteristics to highlight the individual strokes and angle cutting design of the font.
fig 1.6.2 Process of Presentation 2
Presentation 2: Font promotion main visual page
Advocacy: "GRID-BUILT. TECH-DRIVEN. UNMISTAKABLY MODERN." Construct three elements of font design concept.
Image-text relationship:
The font name above uses the largest font size to highlight identification;
The background uses technology blue and a slight texture to avoid monotony;
The path node diagram of the capital G is displayed in the lower right corner, indicating that the font is built based on the grid path, expressing its design engineering.
fig 1.6.3 Process of Presentation 3
Presentation 3:Displaying the complete character set and structural proportions (Gg)
Purpose: To clearly demonstrate the integrity and consistency of Techline fonts in terms of uppercase and lowercase, numbers, and symbols.
Content hierarchy:
The main visual letter is Gg, indicating that its symmetrical structure can represent the overall characteristics of the font design;
The background is added with a standard grid to highlight the "grid-based" design logic;
fig 1.6.4 Process of Presentation 4
Presentation 4: Changes and contrasts in lowercase letters
Highlights:
Show the various changes in style design of each letter such as a, e, g, x, q, s, r, y, etc.;
Use color changes (blue highlights) and transparency to emphasize the structural evolution process;
Purpose:
Show that font design is based on "systematicity" rather than "randomness";
Show version derivation logic, structural consistency and future optimization direction.
fig 1.6.5 Process of Presentation 5
Presentation 5: Paragraph display font effect
Purpose: Intuitively present the application effect of Techline in the text sentence structure.
Content strategy:
Sentences such as "IT'S ADAPTIVE. BUILT ON LOGIC..." are not only used as demonstration terms, but also convey the philosophy of font design;
Keywords (such as ADAPTIVE / GRIDS) are emphasized in blue to form a visual rhythm;
Proper white space is left, and readability and expressiveness coexist.
Other attempt:
fig 1.6.6 Other Attempt
Font Application
fig 1.7.1 Process of Making Application 1&2
Application 1: Company promotional clothing (Hoodie)
Design ideas:
Goal: Use fonts to express the brand's sense of the future and action, and convey the corporate spirit "REV YOUR FUTURE".
Composition: The fonts are combined with wireframes to form a technological composition logic. The company name "YMSL" is emphasized in blue to make it recognizable.
Layout logic: Use square outlines to frame the text to enhance the sense of order, which is consistent with the "modularity" and "grid sense" of the font.
Application 2: Company promotion keychain
Design idea:
Goal: Infiltrate the font style into brand derivatives to form a complete identification system.
Slogan design: "REMOVE YOUR HEART" has the meaning of future machinery and bionic technology, calm and strong.
Layout logic:
The upper left corner is left blank and the lower right corner is "pressed", showing strong visual tension;
Blue background and white text, continuing the brand's main visual color;
The font is sharp and angular without losing the curve, making small objects also have technological meaning.
fig 1.7.2 Process of Making Application 3
Application 3: Company business card style
Design ideas:
Goal: Use fonts as the core element of brand identification to show rationality, professionalism and technological texture.
Front: Company name + person in charge information are arranged in Techline font, reflecting order, clarity and unique font style.
Back: Large area of pure blue background, with transparent embossed logo (A1), creating a sense of technology and future.
Composition: Strong contrasting tones and clean white space echo the "logical/programmed" visual language of the font.
fig 1.7.3 Process of Making Application 4
Application 4: Company ID card
Design ideas:
Goal: To strengthen identity and position, while embedding brand style into daily corporate materials.
Design language:
Use blue and white text on a black background to echo the technological tone;
Use small serifs to display "since 1998" to contrast with the main font;
The information is clear, simple and rational;
The website and "Company Core A1 System" are merged into the lines at the bottom to emphasize the ability to control typesetting.
fig 1.7.4 Process of Making Application 5
Application 5: Company promotion light box
Design idea:
Goal: Display brand image in public space, and use dynamic images and text to create a strong sensory impact.
Text part: Three lines of slogans "PRECISION LOGIC, RESPONSIVE SYSTEMS, DIGITAL INNOVATION." are presented in Techline to highlight the company's technical strength.
Dynamic background: Use a technological blue light beam background to enhance the visual association of "speed", "algorithm" and "data flow".
Application scenario: Suitable for exhibitions, subway stations, corporate headquarters walls and other occasions.
Final Font Presentation & Application
fig 1.8.1 FInal Presentation 1
fig 1.8.2 FInal Presentation 2
fig 1.8.3 FInal Presentation 3
fig 1.8.4 FInal Presentation 4
fig 1.8.5 FInal Presentation 5
fig 1.8.6 FInal Application 1
fig 1.8.7 FInal Application 2
fig 1.8.8 FInal Application 3
fig 1.8.9 FInal Application 4
fig 1.8.10 FInal Application 5
TASK 3 FINAL SUBMISSION
Font Download Link & ttf File
"Techline-Regular" Font download link:
Fontlab Screenshot
fig 2.1.1 Fontlab Screenshot fot Uppercase
fig 2.1.2 Fontlab Screenshot fot Lowercase
fig 2.1.3 Fontlab Screenshot fot Numerals & Punctuations
fig 2.2.1 FInal Presentation 1
fig 2.2.2 FInal Presentation 2
fig 2.2.3 FInal Presentation 3
fig 2.2.4 FInal Presentation 4
fig 2.2.5 FInal Presentation 5
fig 2.2.6 FInal Application 1
fig 2.2.7 FInal Application 2
fig 2.2.8 FInal Application 3
fig 2.2.9 FInal Application 4
fig 2.2.10 FInal Application 5
fig 2.2.11 FInal Presentations & Applications
HONOR Competition Submission
fig 2.3.1 HONOR Competition Submission
FEEDBACK
Week 13
General Feedback: Mr. Vinod gave comments on each of our work.
Special Feedback: Mr. Vinod said the font of the presentation part is fine. But the font of the application part is too small and not so visually impactful. It can be enlarged.
Week 12
General Feedback: Mr. Vinod gave comments on each of our work.
Special Feedback: Mr. Vinod said my work was good.
Week 11
General Feedback: Mr. Vinod gave comments on each of our work.
Special Feedback: Mr. Vinod said that my lowercase letters should be placed together with the uppercase letters so that the difference can be seen.
Week 10
General Feedback: Mr. Vinod gave comments on each of our work.
Special Feedback: Mr. Vinod gave me feedback that my font looked funny. He asked me if I had made any changes based on the font, and I said no. He said that the letter M and W should be wider. They should be half the width of the square. I made the changes as Mr. Vinod asked. Then, I showed the newly modified M and W to Mr. Vinod in class. Mr. Vinod asked me what I thought. I said I decided that M was a little strange, but W looked nice. He said if you think M is still a little strange then you can continue to adjust it, but for now, it looks OK to him.
Week 9
General Feedback: Mr. Vinod first told us in class what we should pay attention to in terms of the structure and content of the eportfolio, and then gave each of us feedback.
Special Feedback: Mr. Vinod gave me feedback that it is necessary to choose a specific company to make a technology font to solve the problem of a technology company. In addition, the current font design is not very good, and the most important thing is to try to change the font.
REFLECTION
Experience
In Task 3, I tried to explore how to build a font system with a sense of technology and clear structural logic based on the grid, starting from the problem of "the lack of uniqueness and system sense in the fonts of technology companies". My initial idea was to refer to Univers LT Std 67 Bold Condensed to design the letters ABC, but my mentor Mr. Vinod pointed out that this set of letters was too basic and unoriginal.
To solve this problem, I began to study the brand logos of real technology companies and selected the LOGO of Guangzhou Fanghe Data Co., Ltd. as the starting point for the design of the letter "O". This inspired me to shift from "logo structure" to "systematic stroke construction" and decided to uniformly set the size and stroke thickness of each letter in the grid system to lay the foundation for the style of the entire font.
During the production process, I completed the uppercase letters first, then made lowercase letters, numbers and punctuation, and constantly fine-tuned the width, height and rounded corner ratio according to Mr. Vinod's feedback. Finally, I imported all the characters into Fontlab for fine-tuning and kerning, and completed the complete font display and application design.
Observation
Systematic design is better than inspirational design
I found that if the "grid + modular rules" are not established, it is difficult to ensure style consistency even if the original intention of font design is clear. At first, I made letters by free drawing, which caused problems such as inconsistent stroke thickness and unbalanced glyph tension. But when I uniformly set the stroke thickness, corner radius and width-to-height ratio in 8×8 and 8×5 grids, the overall style gradually became unified and the production became more efficient.
Starting from the logic of letter construction, promote the common development between characters
For example: I used the letter O as a structural reference and successfully derived C, G, Q, J, etc.; based on the letter E, I developed S and B; based on P, I developed R and K. Through logical decomposition and conformal design, the language connection between characters is closer, reducing the sense of abruptness of style.
Different uppercase and lowercase letters need to be observed together
Mr. Vinod reminded me that the design of lowercase letters cannot be completed alone, but should be combined with uppercase letters to observe whether they are coordinated in the text paragraph. Inspired by this, I readjusted the width of lowercase letters from 8 to 6, and adjusted special letters such as t and r to 4 to enhance the visual response between uppercase and lowercase letters.
Findings
The "systematicity" of fonts is itself a kind of visual language
My font "Techline" adopts a strict grid system and rounded corner module design. While expressing the "sense of technology", it also builds a clear recognition logic. This structural feature not only improves the overall unity, but also enhances the memorability and brand adaptability of the font in visual communication.
Font display is not only to display the font shape, but also to convey the concept
In the presentation, I tried to use the word "OPTIMIZED" to show the style of uppercase letters; use "Gg" as a representative letter to explain the font system; and present the design evolution through color, transparency and other methods. These are not only visual effects, but also strategies to let viewers understand the logic behind the font.
Font application display can extend the vitality of design
I strengthen the actual communication ability of fonts by applying fonts to brand carriers such as corporate promotional clothing, work badges, light boxes, and business cards. These attempts not only expanded the usage scenarios of fonts, but also made me realize that font design is not only a shape design, but also a part of the brand visual system.
FURTHER READING
fig 3.1.1 Design Font Principle
The design of uppercase letters should follow a similar logic to lowercase letters, but attention should also be paid to differences in shape, proportion, and visual weight.
1. Start with key letters
When designing uppercase letters, priority should be given to the following letters:
H and O:
- O represents a curved line structure
- These two form the foundation of uppercase design and share structural characteristics with many other uppercase letters
- Additionally, they should maintain stylistic harmony with existing lowercase letters.
2. Determine Proportional Relationships
To establish the proportional relationship between uppercase and lowercase letters:
- The goal is to maintain visual unity and stylistic consistency.
3. Adjust stroke thickness
- it is recommended to use **interpolation tests** to find the appropriate stroke thickness.
4. Add a second set of key letters
The recommended letters to design next include:
- P or D (structures with arcs)
- V (diagonal structures)
5. Note width and structural differences
The width variation of uppercase letters is often greater than that of lowercase letters and is not a consistent fixed width:
- N, V, and H are similar but may be slightly wider;
- D may be similar to or wider than H;
- The structure of O determines the treatment of C, G, and Q;
- The structure of H inspires the design of the left half of I, J, B, D, E, F, K, L, P, and R;
- A inspires V, and V inspires Y, W, and X;
- Z is a relatively independent and unique design.
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