The third lecture was called the "Origins of Typography", covering languages that had to be learned, rather than interoperated, and the development from abstraction to more complex markings, and the importance of literacy during the different ages.
And, in all honesty, I found it very difficult to get myself inspired over this topic. I understand the importance of typography, and its relevance in not only communicating an idea in an informative sense but also conveying it on a more pictorial level, but it is not something I have really put much thought into in the past. So I guess it would be best to start with the history.
In previous centuries, before the development of the printing press, books had to be hand scribed, which was both very expensive and time consuming, so typefaces were created which allowed scribes to use a specific set of letter styles to stick to in order to reduce the time taken, as well as making it easier for printing. The original typefaces, like Blackletter, were only really ideal for hand scribing, due to the thick nature of them, so thinner types were created specifically designed for printing called Roman Type, based on the inscriptions on ancient monuments, buildings and temples from the Roman era. After that, in order to keep with the times and demand for more publications, like posters, billboards, fliers and magazines, more simpler geometry based types were invented, like Futura, as well as more creative, specialised and downright bazaar fonts. And with the introduction of enhanced technology came pixel type, as well as the ability for anyone to create their own type styles. This has allowed for a sudden boom in new type faces in the past few decades.
What especially interests me however isn't the history of typography, but how it is being used today and how constant development allows there to be a future for typography as well. For example, the combination of Typography and other modern mediums, like animation. I have found some of the most effective and convincing advertisements, music videos, and other animated films have included typography using appropriate fonts, timing and movement to create visual impact to emphasise certain points in a sequence.
This student production (by Tamara Connolly, 2007) of a music video for the song "Feeling Good" by Nina Simone is a fantastic example of the use of animated typography using appropriate timing combined with suitable type, along with graphic elements as well, in order to enhance the impact of the song and it's lyrics.
What I find especially satisfying about this video is the way the size of the typography itself changed in accordance to the dynamics of the music, for example the use of larger, bolder writing whenever there is a crescendo. It proves that typography isn't just a tool to get people reading, it can be an art form in itself, getting the mind flowing along with the movement of animated pieces like this. Typography has gone through a lot of changes and has morphed into its own art form over the years, and I believe that with the use of animation and film it will continue to develop and grow.
The font I am currently using to write this blog post is fine- it does the job in providing a legible form for me to write in and for others to read and understand. However, in the words of the American Typographer Ed Benguiat:
And, in all honesty, I found it very difficult to get myself inspired over this topic. I understand the importance of typography, and its relevance in not only communicating an idea in an informative sense but also conveying it on a more pictorial level, but it is not something I have really put much thought into in the past. So I guess it would be best to start with the history.
In previous centuries, before the development of the printing press, books had to be hand scribed, which was both very expensive and time consuming, so typefaces were created which allowed scribes to use a specific set of letter styles to stick to in order to reduce the time taken, as well as making it easier for printing. The original typefaces, like Blackletter, were only really ideal for hand scribing, due to the thick nature of them, so thinner types were created specifically designed for printing called Roman Type, based on the inscriptions on ancient monuments, buildings and temples from the Roman era. After that, in order to keep with the times and demand for more publications, like posters, billboards, fliers and magazines, more simpler geometry based types were invented, like Futura, as well as more creative, specialised and downright bazaar fonts. And with the introduction of enhanced technology came pixel type, as well as the ability for anyone to create their own type styles. This has allowed for a sudden boom in new type faces in the past few decades.
What especially interests me however isn't the history of typography, but how it is being used today and how constant development allows there to be a future for typography as well. For example, the combination of Typography and other modern mediums, like animation. I have found some of the most effective and convincing advertisements, music videos, and other animated films have included typography using appropriate fonts, timing and movement to create visual impact to emphasise certain points in a sequence.
This student production (by Tamara Connolly, 2007) of a music video for the song "Feeling Good" by Nina Simone is a fantastic example of the use of animated typography using appropriate timing combined with suitable type, along with graphic elements as well, in order to enhance the impact of the song and it's lyrics.
What I find especially satisfying about this video is the way the size of the typography itself changed in accordance to the dynamics of the music, for example the use of larger, bolder writing whenever there is a crescendo. It proves that typography isn't just a tool to get people reading, it can be an art form in itself, getting the mind flowing along with the movement of animated pieces like this. Typography has gone through a lot of changes and has morphed into its own art form over the years, and I believe that with the use of animation and film it will continue to develop and grow.
The font I am currently using to write this blog post is fine- it does the job in providing a legible form for me to write in and for others to read and understand. However, in the words of the American Typographer Ed Benguiat:
