OUGD504 - Type in Context - Cover ideas and typeface

At this point in the project it seemed okay to begin designing, started simply using a typeface that is engaging and typographically interesting, the NW01 typeface designed by Matt Willey. Experimenting with colour and the layout of type. The composition worked for the context and the information was clear but it seemed to take away from my A letter form and didn't work together with the images. 

With the description pages the typeface choice would be key to the communication and not taking too much away from the photographs as they are the key feature of the publication. Using a different type for each letter gave me an overview of what might work and what definitely didn't work. Although some of these type choices felt appropriate to the context of the book it didn't feel right and an alternate option was needed. 

An area of this project that could really raise the levels of engagement was creating a custom typeface. This seemed an impossible task but after a lot of thinking about what each of the letterforms would look like the drawing began. 

As there was no typeface that fit my target audience of type enthusiasts and people visiting/interested with Orkney, creating an original typeface felt appropriate. Thinking about each letter starting with the A then imagining what each of the rest of the letterforms would look like alongside this A. Drawing three sets of A-Z's meant I could try and make each letter different then pick the best of the three when drawing the type out. The concept of the type is a modern ruin, that would relate to the Viking culture of the island but work in conjunction with my letterforms. Making sure the typeface didn't overpower the rest of the work as it didn't need to be the focus. 

Using a more complex brush in Illustrator added an extra level of detail to the type. Drawing carefully each of the letterforms to make sure they communicate exactly what was originally intended. This process seemed as if it was going to be really time-consuming but it wasn't the case. When in the swing of things the typeface seemed to be made in no time. 

Experimenting with the various length of strokes by stretching out the type showed the type as more traditional Viking-like runes. This however took away from the detail in the type so was not as effective.

As the title was the main communication to the viewer seeing how the type would work as this was key. Making some minor adjustments to the stroke size and composition increased the readability and clarity of the information. All in all this type worked perfectly for the target audience and added another level of engagement and invention to the project.

The name 'Orkney Alphabet' was another part of the book that worked excellently, the word Orkney is key as this straight away shows the context of the book and alphabet shows what part of Orkney that will be explored. 

Experimenting with the type on the cover in context with the cover image allowed me to see what the final design would look like. The green colour I selected as it realted to the naturalistic theme in the book felt much less appropriate. As printing white is not possible in the print room to use the white colour for type that was originally planned didn't seem appropriate. Using a simple off white grey with black type seemed to communicated the name of the book much more effectively.