October 25th: Typography--Part 2

You know...I've got a fever
I've got a fever...and the only
prescription is more
typography*

Plan for the Day

We've got a few things to do today, so below is a list:

• Jennifer and Greg A. Leading Class Discussion
• Effective Repetition: ethos, pathos, logos
• Chapters 9, 10, and 11 in The Non-Designer's Design Book
• Typefaces Groupwork--Discuss what you brought last week
• Document #4 Preview
• Introduction to Text and Subtext
• Preview for next week--working with graphics

Don't forget to hand in your Document #3

Leading Class Discussion

Please direct your attention to Jennifer and Greg A. as they lead us into discussion this evening. Here are two links they might want you to visit:

Deep Font Challenge

What Font are You?

Perception, Culture, and Rhetoric
(possible)

A few weeks ago, I asked you to have a typeface that you'd be able to explain. With a partner (no more than 3), create a new webpage that displays or, at least, links to your typefaces and explains what the typefaces convey. Do your best not to conflate ethos and pathos. We've talked quite a bit about ethos and typefaces because it seems to be more common. But I'm sure we can find typefaces with emotional appeals.

All partners should link to this new page you create.

Ethos, Pathos, Logo

Again, type is probably more of an appeal of ethos, but, as Robin Williams suggests regarding decorative type (p. 160), it may also evoke emotions. Remember, ethos and pathos aren't either-or when it comes to design. After we go over some of the reading, it'll be your turn to describe the ethos and pathos of the typefaces you found.

Ethos

• character: an assumption of one's moral or ethical nature--good, bad, ugly.
• credibility: an assumption that an individual or group is fair minded, believable, trustworthy.
• characterize: marking an individual, organization, idea, situation, or text (e.g., document) with specific attributes or characteristics.
• look and feel: this is an idiomatic expression we use in American English to refer to the qualities, attributes, characteristics, and textures of an item, person, or text.
  • Feel in this phrasing has NOTHING to do with a speaker or document trying to evoke an emotional responses of an audience.

Pathos

• emotion: sadness, anger, happiness, joy, celebration, etc.
• affect: response to emotional stimuli.
• feeling: can refer to emotions but is also used for senses like touch, which has NOTHING to do with a speaker or document trying to evoke an emotional responses of an audience.

Logos

• logic: as in a formal study and not an audience's interpretation of what's "logical"
• argument: reason behind supporting a position through evidence or formal logic (as in syllogism)
• facts: evidence claimed to, assumed to, or known to be true
• statistics: collection, interpretation, and organization of data; often numerical or chart-based representations

Please consider the above elements when doing your assignments and use the terms in your discussions and memos.

Chapters 9 and 10

Try your best to use these terms when you describe your assignments (in memos and reflections). Of course, when I say use, I really mean know them and use them properly. The following come from Robin Williams' book (p. 145):

• Concord--typefaces have little or no variety within a document; elements are of the same family.
  Not to be confused with Concord, NC.
• Conflicting--typefaces are similar (but not the same), and that similarity is what's distracting; such type looks like a mistake. (this is usually considered an ineffective design)
• Contrasting--typefaces that are moderately to dramatically different. (this is considered an effective design)

When you use the above terms, make sure you explain why typefaces are concordant or contrasting and why you chose conflicting typefaces...why you broke the rules.

Categories of Type

We mostly think of (at least in my design classes and research) two types of fonts and sometimes a third--serif, sans serif, and script. Of course, artsy, crunchy Robin Williams has to have six types (p. 153). Well, she is the design guru. What do the following category types say? In other words, when might you use them? In even other words, describe their perceptual, cultural, and rhetorical effects.

Oldstyle

Modern

Slab Serif

Sans Serif

Script

Decorative

Hey, at least we have choices. But why?

Chapter 11

Are you ready to be bold? What have you learned from Williams this semester?

LET'S BE BOLD...or should we?

Chapter 11 concludes Williams' book (we still have Chapter 7 in two weeks), and she commands designers to be bold. So I have to ask, when can/should you be bold, and when should you be...more reserved?

Type and Culture

Read over this section. Before we start discussing it, though, I want you to do something. Get on Moodle and describe your culture(s). How do you define the culture(s) to which you belong?

A few weeks ago I asked you to have a typeface that you'd be able to explain. Let's discuss these as a larger class. If possible, point us to an online display of your font.

Consider the following cultural questions:

• Are there any regional conclusions I can make about type?
• What is the dominant industry, organization, bureaucracy, or condition that seems to govern business standards?
• What is the dominant industry, organization, bureaucracy, or condition that seems to govern social standards...
  • in the country?
  • in the world?
  • in the region?
  • in the city?
  • in what part of the city?
  • in the community?
  • in your occupation?
• What defines Charlotte life? Or what defines your hometown's life?

What Video Game am I?

Text and Subtext

I want us to start thinking about implicit communication, the communication conveyed outside of standard language. Whenever we approach a communication situation, we have a priori ideas about a speaker/author based on previous assumptions. Also, sometimes a speaker communicates a message he or she did not necessarily intend, but the context creates the meaning for the listener. Sometimes the speaker is trying to be subtle about an implicit communication (e.g., You're a "really" good dancer).

Based on our discussion of assumptions, culture, and experiences, consider the following communication acts and discuss with a neighbor the subtext of the communication. The text is there, but the context clues might present different subtextual meaning(s). Try to discover the subtle, subtextual message/s in the communications. The rows below correspond to the class rows:

• Rows 1 and 4
  
• Rows 2 and 5
• Rows 3 and 6

Next Week

Well, you've successfully dodged the documentary Helvetica. Even I can't figure out how to work it into class. Oh well, we've got plenty to do...Can you believe it'll be November in a week!?!

Make sure you read Chapter 7 in Document Design before coming to class next week (11/01). Chapter 7 in The Non-Designer's Design Book is assigned for the following week (11/08) when we discuss color. We'll be discussing graphics next week, and Gifty and Kadee will be leading the class discussion.

For next class, review November 1st's links to graphics and ethics related topics. Don't forget to bring in graphics that you can work with for next week's in-class webpage assignment on digital graffiti and/or doctoring assignment.

*Not to be confused with topography.

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