Essay Plan

‘Typography is always designed within, and for a specific, anticipated context.’

Investigate the importance of context in relation to the form and function of typography, and address how culture and social context can influence our understanding of type.

Objective_

To gain a complex understanding of the importance of context in relation to typography. Addressing the importance of how culture and the social context influences our understanding of type, as well as addressing the various contexts where we encounter typography in today’s society, namely; the page, the screen and the environment.

Subject_

I will address the social context and cultural influence on typography, its form and its usage. Different cultures have different typesetting conventions, and cultures become accustomed to certain features of typography.

Typography has become something that is no longer static and refined to a page. I will investigate how technologies have opened up opportunities for typography, including interactive and animated typography. We also see many examples of typography that escape the page and screen entirely. I will approach this through investigating three-dimensional typography, as well as looking at typography in very unusual contexts, i.e. the use of the skin, the sky, water etc as a canvas for typography.

Structure_

The Social Context
I will look at various cultures and how they use typography. I will look at their various typesetting conventions and address how semantics, gender, grammar and idioms, all vary culture to culture. Japanese typography, for example is traditionally written vertically, English is written horizontally from left to right etc. I will look at specific designers from a few selected cultures. I will also discuss the purpose of articulating what the culture-specific use of type is.

On the Page
Addressing typography on the page. What various forms are there? Hand-written, maps and information design. Address how personality and tone of voice etc, can be reinforced by context.

On Screen
With the developments in technology over the last 40 years, the opportunities for typography and graphic design are endless. Screens and displays are penetrating to the mass market, and with this typography has been given a fresh challenge. I will address the differences in typographic design for print and screen. Designers such as Peter Cho, David Small have created online interactive displays, which allow the user to interact with typography, creating something which is interactive and changeable.

In the environment
Within graphic design today, more and more designers are creating typography which completely escapes the written page and screen. Many are exploring the dimensional qualities of type through creating 3-Dimensional typography. I will address this, as well as the various ‘canvas’’ that we see typographers using today, including the sky, water, the skin, cityscapes and so on. What does this bring to typography that traditional printed typography doesn’t? An added depth, dimension, texture, realism?

Conclusion
Compare and contrast the forms of typography which we encounter today. What are the positives and negatives of each? Conclude on the importance of social context in relation to typography and its usage. What impact does this have on reinforcing the form and function of the typography? Is it ever possible for typography to not be in a context, to be isolated and neutral?

Bibliography_

Vartanian, Ivan, Typographics: The Art and Science of Type Design in Context, Rotovision 2003

Beirut, Michael, Looking Closer: Critical Writings on Graphic Design, Allworth Press 1994

Tam, Keith, Wolfgang Weingart’s Tyographic Landscape 2001

Elam, Kimberly, Expressive Typography: The Word as Image, Van Nostrand Reinhold 1990

Baines, Phil; Haslam, Andrew, Type and Typography, Laurence King 2005

Grafik Magazine (Edition 160), Special Report Typography March 2008

Grafik Magazine (Edition 171), Special Report A-Z of Typography March 2009

DIMENSION

Dimensional Typography

As I am planning on doing my essay on the importance of context in relation to the presentation and meaning of typography, I came accross this essay on 'The Eye' Blog which is all about Dimensional Typography http://blog.eyemagazine.com/?p=288.