Typography - Task 3: Type Design and Communication

(Week 8 to Week 12)

Muhammad Baihaqi Desya (0377271)

Typography

Task 3 : Type Design and Communication

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Table of Contents

1. Lectures

    1.1 Onsite Lecture

    1.2 Lecture Videos

2. Instruction

3. Progress Work

4. Feedback

5. Reflection

6. Further Reading

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1.Lectures

All Lectures have been completed in Task 1

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2. Instructions

3. Progress Work

3.1 Font Sketches (Week 8)

I started sketching that pop out randomly in my head.

After Showing These To Mr.Max, he choose the first design that i took a Reference from racing team. therefore i started to experiment with the words

after showing all of this Mr Max Approved to the next step make into digital version.

3.2 Letter Dissection (Week9)

3.3 Font Digitzation (Week 10)

After Making it into Adobe Ilustrator Now we need to use fontlab

3.4 Fontlab (Week 11)

After completing the setup, I imported each letter into FontLab individually. The screenshot below displays the Font Library, where all characters are organized and ready for refinement.

After importing all the letters into FontLab, I adjusted the spacing and kerning using the reference graph provided by the lecturer. This helped enhance the overall balance and legibility.

After applying the initial spacing, I manually refined the kerning between specific letter pairs that seemed misaligned, achieving a more consistent and balanced look across the typeface.

3.5 Poster Process

With the font that i just made and i download the font style so i can continue making my progress.

"A Big Day Demo Top"

After Showing This Poster Design to Mr.Max, he apporved it.

FInal Outcome:

Google Drive Link For All - CLICK HERE

Link to download font - CLICK HERE

4. Feedback

Week 8

General Feedback:

Mr. Max gave an overview of Task 3, highlighting key typographic components such as x-height, ascenders, descenders, and baseline consistency. After the briefing, we were invited to begin sharing our concept sketches.

Specific Feedback:

I decided to base my typeface design on a musical notation theme. Mr. Max reviewed my initial sketches and provided valuable insights for improvement. After a few iterations, one version of my design stood out, and he was satisfied with the direction it was taking.

Week 9

General Feedback:

This week focused on the practical execution of Task 3. Mr. Max demonstrated how to deconstruct and build typefaces digitally, showing different techniques using shapes, strokes, and paths to create letterforms.

Specific Feedback:

He assessed my completed alphabet sketches and was mostly pleased with them. However, I found it challenging to apply my concept consistently to the punctuation marks. Mr. Max offered helpful suggestions and design solutions to keep the punctuation visually cohesive with the rest of the font.

Week 10

General Feedback:

Mr. Max organized a consultation session to check our progress in sketching and digitising our typefaces.

Specific Feedback:

While my digitisation was progressing well, he pointed out areas for refinement. Some letters, such as "A," "B," and "P," appeared too prominent, and the overall spacing needed better consistency. With these improvements made, he confirmed that my typeface would be ready for use in FontLab.

Week 11

General Feedback:

This session focused on final consultations before completing Task 3.

Specific Feedback:

Mr. Max gave targeted feedback on final refinements—such as softening the tail of the “A,” adjusting the “Y” to better match the font style, aligning the comma’s design with the full stop, and elongating the exclamation mark to meet the cap height. Once these edits were applied, he approved the digitised version.

Week 12 

General Feedback: 

Started putting everything into FontLab and adjusting the kerning and other details.

5. Reflection

Creating this typeface and accompanying poster was both a challenging and rewarding process. The typeface, titled Racing, was developed with a strong emphasis on dynamic, angular forms that convey speed and forward motion. Inspired by geometric and futuristic aesthetics, I limited myself to using only select characters (A, B, D, G, E, I, M, O, P, T, Y) and a few punctuation marks. This constraint encouraged me to focus more on consistency, balance, and creativity in the construction of each individual letter.

The process began with sketching out ideas for how the letterforms would carry a visual rhythm while maintaining legibility. Once the design principles were set, I digitized each letter in FontLab, carefully refining their structure and ensuring that each glyph followed a unified stylistic approach. Importing the characters one by one allowed me to focus on the precision of anchor points, stroke angles, and proportions.

Spacing and kerning were a critical step. After applying basic side bearings, I adjusted the kerning manually for specific letter pairs to eliminate any awkward gaps or collisions. This fine-tuning greatly enhanced the visual flow of the type when placed in actual words and phrases.

For the poster, I arranged a bold phrase—“A BIG DAY DEMO. TOP!”—using only the available letters from the typeface. The composition was intended to showcase the personality and rhythm of the typeface in a playful and expressive way. I emphasized alignment, scaling, and spacing to create a clear hierarchy and maintain viewer interest.

Through this project, I learned the importance of precision and consistency in type design, and how even small adjustments can drastically affect readability and tone. I also developed a greater appreciation for the complexity behind type construction and the patience it requires. Overall, this project not only improved my technical skills in typography software but also deepened my understanding of typographic expression and visual language.

6. FURTHER READING

Thinking with Type by Ellen Lupton (2nd Edition)

Thinking with Type by Ellen Lupton is an insightful and engaging guide to typography, aimed at designers, writers, editors, and students. While it's tailored for those in the creative field, I believe anyone who works with text can benefit from its clear explanations and thoughtful examples. What makes this book stand out is that it goes beyond technical instruction—it explores the why behind typographic choices and emphasizes how typography influences communication.

The book is organized into three main sections: Letter, Text, and Grid.

In the Letter section, Lupton discusses the anatomy and evolution of letterforms. She also explains the emotional and visual impact of different typefaces, such as serif vs. sans-serif. This helped me better understand how font selection can affect the tone and meaning of a design.

The Text section focuses on how letters function together in blocks of content. Topics like spacing, alignment, kerning, and leading are covered in detail. I found this part particularly useful, as it highlighted how small adjustments can greatly improve readability and user experience—especially in digital formats where attention spans are short.

The final section, Grid, explores layout systems and the importance of structure in design. It explains how columns, margins, and modular layouts can bring clarity and order to a composition. At the same time, the book encourages breaking the grid intentionally to create emphasis or visual interest—reminding me that rules in design are most powerful when we understand how and when to bend them.

What resonated with me most is the idea that typography is not just about making things look good—it’s a form of visual communication. Every choice, from font to spacing, shapes how a message is perceived. Lupton’s use of real-world examples, design references, and visual experiments makes the content approachable and relevant.

Overall, Thinking with Type deepened my appreciation for typography and challenged me to be more thoughtful in how I use type in my own work. It's a must-read for anyone looking to improve their understanding of type as a core design tool.