Typography - Task 3: Type Design and Communication

09/06/25 – 18/07/25 (Week 5-Week 7)

Choong Yee Leng || 0381980

Typography || Bachelor Degree in Creative Media || Taylor’s University 

Task 3: Type Design and Communication

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Lectures

2. Instructions

3. Process Work

    3.1 Research

    3.2 Ideation

    3.3 Final Outcome

4. Feedback

5. Reflection

6. Further Reading

Lectures

Refer TASK 1 & TASK 2 to see all lecture notes.

Instructions

Document 2.1 Module Instruction

Process Work

3.1 Research

Letter Deconstruction: Bodoni Std Roman

Figure 3.1.1 Letter Deconstruction: letter a

Figure 3.1.2 Letter Deconstruction: letter n

Figure 3.1.3 Letter Deconstruction: Letter g

       

Before constructing my own font, I conducted research on Pinterest as usual—not only focusing on different font styles but also exploring visual elements that could be incorporated into my design.

Figure 3.1.4 Reference board

3.2 Ideation

Sketches development

Figure 3.2.1 Sketches on graph paper

I started by sketching four different font concepts. Through this process, I discovered which style I was most drawn to and found it easier to expand on my ideas creatively. During the consultation, Mr. Max suggested focusing on either Font 2 or Font 4. However, after experimenting with multiple iterations, I realized that Design 1 had strong potential and could be further developed with some improvements.     

Figure 3.2.2 Sketches 1, design 1

After the consultation, Mr. Max approved the overall design concept. However, he recommended a few adjustments to enhance visual clarity, particularly for the letters o, y, i, t, and g.

Figure 3.2.3 Sketches 2, design 1

Mr. Max also suggested transforming the curved lines into straight lines connected by dots, resembling star constellations. Additionally, he recommended further developing Sketch 2 to improve visual clarity.

Figure 3.2.4 Sketches 3. design 1

Digitalization

Figure3.2.5 Digitalization development 1

Mr. Max suggested adjusting the design of the letter i to ensure its size and style are more consistent with the overall font family.

Figure 3.2.6 Digitalization development 2

Measurement 

ascender: 1000px

x-height: 500px

baseline: 0px

descender: -500px

Figure 3.2.7 Digitalization development 2 measurement

Font Lab

First, I set up the guideline details according to the measurement obtained above.

Figure 3.2.8 Measurement details in font lab

I imported the letter developed in ai earlier and did kerning based on the guidance given by Mr. Vinod.

Figure 3.2.9 screenshot of kerning measurement in font lab

3.3 Final Outcome

Font download link: HERE

Figure 3.3.1 Final Type Construction—'Stargaze' Regular (JPEG)

Figure 3.3.2 Final Type Construction—'Stargaze' Regular (PDF)

Figure 3.3.3 A4 BW Poster WHITE (JPEG)

Figure 3.3.4 A4 BW Poster WHITE (PDF)

Feedback

Week 8:

general feedback:

Mr. Max conducted a briefing on Task 3, where we were introduced to the fundamentals of font design. He also provided guidance on Task 3, particularly on how to properly present our font sketches within the grid layout.

specific Feedback:

For Task 2, Mr. Max approved the sketch but suggested a few adjustments: the phrase "design revolution" should be thinner, slightly smaller, and positioned beneath the word "Punk’s."

As for Task 3, he approved two of the submitted sketches but noted that the letter 't' in the second sketch could be further refined for better visual impact

Week 9:

general feedback:

Mr. Max introduced us to the process of digitizing our font designs, explaining the steps and tools involved in converting hand-drawn sketches into clean digital formats

Week 10:

specific feedback:

In Task 3, Mr. Max provided several suggestions to improve the legibility and consistency of the font design. For the letter ‘y’, he recommended adjusting the moon shape to face upward, to avoid it being misread as a ‘g’. For the letter ‘g’, he suggested connecting the line to the moon to enhance readability. Regarding the letter ‘i’, he proposed using a moon shape as the base, while for the letter ‘t’, he advised placing the moon at the midpoint of the letter. Both ‘i’ and ‘t’ were encouraged to incorporate the moon shape for better visual coherence across the typeface. For the comma, Mr. Max suggested using a straight line connected to a dot, aligning it more closely with the design language of the other characters. Lastly, for the hashtag, he recommended placing stars only at the intersections to maintain a clean and balanced appearance.

Week 11

general feedback: Font digitization in class

specific feedback: Mr. Max suggested that the moon shape should be aligned with the baseline and x-height, while other decorative elements are allowed to extend beyond the alignment box 

Week 12

general feedback:

Mr. Max gave a demonstration on how to further develop our Task 3 using FontLab.

specific feedback:

He suggested modifying the body of the letter i into a line connected with dots, and replacing the dot above with a moon shape to better align with the overall font family style

Week 13

general feedback:

This week was the final consultation for Task 3.

specific feedback: 

Mr. Max recommended fine-tuning the kerning pairs for the letter t in relation to other characters. He also approved the final design outcome.

Reflection

Experience:

Creating my own font was a completely new experience. I began by identifying the key elements I wanted to incorporate, then developed four different font styles to explore which one allowed me to express my creativity most effectively. Through this process, I discovered a strong interest in the star element, which became the foundation for expanding the rest of the letterforms.

One of the most challenging stages was ensuring consistency across the entire typeface—building a cohesive font family. This required establishing visual similarities between different letters while still maintaining the uniqueness of the design. Most importantly, I had to consider readability. Since fonts are a tool for communication, it was essential to balance creativity with legibility.

Observation:

In this task, I discovered the many detailed steps involved in developing a font. Among them, consistency proved to be the most crucial aspect in creating a well-designed typeface. For instance, during the sketching stage, Mr. Max emphasized the importance of using grids to maintain consistent shapes and proportions, which ensures the font appears clean and structured in future applications. Elements such as the x-height, ascender, and descender were essential in helping us track and maintain visual harmony across all the letters.

Findings:

Through this task, I learned that font design is a balance between creativity and technical precision. Iterative feedback helped me refine small details—like curve angles, symbol placement, and letter spacing—which significantly impacted the overall design. I also discovered how crucial consistency is, especially when integrating unique elements like stars and moons. Most importantly, I realized that a successful font not only reflects a strong concept but must also prioritize readability and functionality.

Further Reading

Figure 6.1 Cover of Typographic Design: Form and Communication

Figure 6.2 Page 37: The anatomy of Typography

On this page, I gained valuable insights into how letters should maintain consistency and which parts need to be properly aligned. It helped me understand how to apply these principles to my own font design. I used it as a reference to identify which elements should remain consistent across characters and where I had the freedom to introduce variation