THE NEXT TEXT

IN REPAIR
This is the first time I will be studying and practicing typography in depth. My lack of knowledge in such an important element in the development of digital and physical interactivity (a field in which I am interested in pursuing), is what has motivated myself to enroll in this practical and studio course. I was really inspired by this weeks readings which introduces a technical perspective on the art of typography. I will admit that I now realize that I have in the past made the very mistakes the readings points out, especially with negative tracking and not using well aligned baselines. I have even stacked letters in the past, an unfavorably used technique that which the first reading ‘Letter | Text | Grid’ harshly criticizes. It is interesting that Adobe Photoshop has included an option, in the character panel, to automatically apply vertical text in this way. Aside from the content, I also appreciated the visual communication of the site as well. By juxtaposing different methods of conveying text and grid styles, I found that it was intriguing to contrast between practiced methods. When each text style is previewed independently, what may have not seemed like an issue is suddenly vividly projected as one. Most particularly for myself is the realization of the abstracted aesthetics of ‘puny’ text. Black and white spaces and ‘hierarchy’ are two other important aspects in typography as well that I had never paid much attention to. Although my skills in typography are at present rather poor, I am motivated to progress immensely in this subject within the next twelve weeks. I am looking forward to the challenges that lie ahead in my first course in typography. See you guys in class.

posted by jason @ 11:21 PM