#teachingtypography

I am not a type designer and have no proper training in it, but as a graphic designer, it’s good to familiarise and sensitise yourself with what goes behind the making of letterforms, and I especially feel that it’s important to look at the counter forms in letters as alive spaces. I am trying to keep this course very hands-on, and it’s only when you start drawing or cutting letters that you start paying attention to the shapes involved in the making. Each of the student did a simple sans-serif of their initial, and then made another version of it, slightly stylised, with the negative shapes.

This is my submission for the assignment. I will be sharing my student’s work today too. :)

After staring down at letterforms for a couple of days, I thought it will be good to introduce page layouts made by primarily using typography. I sat and brushed up my understanding, found references to show, but the assignment I had planned felt a little chore like. While collecting references, it occured to me that it will be good to throw the students in a problem solving situation where grids are made through accidents and then you work your way out of it. I took an A4 sheet and folded it six times, when I unfolded it, it had criss cross lines going through the page. I sat and worked out this assignment by myself. I did enjoy working on it, so I thought the students would too. I am glad that the students found it exciting. I have been throwing slightly advanced assignments at them even though they are in Foundation, but the response has been very encouraging. Hope I can follow my instincts and work it out as I go along.