From the feedback we had to categorise them into three categories: Could be Useful, Ego & Useful feedback.
Could be useful - if more specific
Good range of research - the video especially
Nice to see how research developed
Lots of good examples
Good choice of designers
Ego
Overall very good
High skill interest
Wide knowledge of the topic
Clear & to the point
Really nice examples
Clearly understand the subject matter
Well explained, clear passion, good points & interesting videos
Useful
Not much historical information
Like to know about your opinions of work
What draws you into it?
Task: Set 3 objectives on how to improve my summer brief.
More historical research - the majority of my research was image based and contemporary work, looking more into different designers than the history of how hand drawn type has progressed.
Give my opinions in presentation - What do I like & why?
Look into a specific area/designer who I really like in the subject area
After researching into my three areas, I have decided to focus on Dan Cassaro as a starting point, researching into hand rendered typography/lettering as the main focus.
This is something that I have been interested in for as long as I have been involved in Graphic Design and the subject I feel most confident in researching because of my large interest in it.
I have found that there are two different types of hand rendered type. Type 1 is typefaces created to look like handwriting or of that which is obvious drawn by hand. Type two is illustrated type, which is usually created specifically for the piece of work created.
Hand rendered typefaces:
Illustrated type:
As a designer, I prefer to look at illustrated type, however when it comes to what I would create myself, it is definitely full typefaces where I feel more comfortable.
I looked into the history of typography & lettering to see the difference between the two and how these two types fit into type history & origins.
Historical Research What Is “Typography”? Typography is essentially the study of how letterforms interact on a surface, directly relating to how the type will be set when it eventually goes to press. One definition is stated as “the style, arrangement or appearance of typeset matter,” and is a product of the movable type printing system that much of the world has used for centuries. It is related to typesetting and can include type design. In our current digitally-driven design world, this means working with fonts on a daily basis for most of us. Typography is actually a subset of lettering, because it is the study of letters applied to typefaces. Many designers have also taken up letterpress printing as a hobby or side interest, which also utilises aspects of typography or typesetting, depending on the project. What Is “Lettering”? Lettering can be simply defined as“the art of drawing letters”. A lot goes into making lettering look right, and that’s an entirely different topic, but the concept is very simple: a specific combination of letterforms crafted for a single use and purpose as opposed to using previously designed letters as components, as with typography. Often lettering is hand-drawn, with pens, graphite or brushes, although some people start their work directly in Adobe Illustrator. Engraving and similar arts are related to lettering. Comparing the two The arts of both lettering and calligraphy have been around since time immemorial. Spoken languages quickly developed writing systems, which were then used to communicate through a more enduring medium than speech. Lettering and calligraphy evolved alongside each other, along with other letter-related arts such as engraving. We can follow the progression, from the Rosetta Stone and ancient Roman inscriptions to the works of scribal art mentioned above and more. History has provided us with endless examples of lettering and calligraphy, by engraving, pen and brush.When Johannes Gutenberg built his printing press around 1439, the concept of typography, which had been developing slowly, was revolutionized. The moveable type system, metal alloy and casting methods gave the world a practical solution to printing. This gave rise to the discipline of typography as we know it, with kerning, leading and the terms we still use today. Each letter had its own type block on which it sat, and typesetters would arrange the type character by character. Lettering and calligraphy followed cultural trends, leaving the Rococo era and becoming more sober during the early 19th century, only to flower into ornament once again through the Victorian era and the florid shapes of Art Nouveau. The worlds of type and lettering constantly intermeshed. Many people, such as Oswald Cooper, achieved respect for their lettering and were hired by type foundries to design new typefaces. Lettering figured strongly through Art Deco and Modernism, for posters and ads, logotypes and book covers. The relatively recent art of film titles also provides us with a wide range of illustrative lettering styles from the 20th century. Coming out of the Modern era and through the latter half of the 20th century lettering went through a variety of permutations — the organic styles of the 70′s, the new modernism of the 80′s, and the grungy 90′s styles aforementioned — bringing us to our modern lettering scene, with a smorgasbord of visual references to every period of history imaginable. Designers such as Herb Lubalin and Doyald Young, the metaphorical giants of lettering, have left a huge legacy from this time period. The linotype was just one of the machines used to expedite the typesetting and printing processes, and although some people still hand-set type, the industry as a whole was continuously changing to introduce faster and better techniques. Typography was explored in the various art movements, from Dada to Modernism and beyond, rethinking ways in which type could be used and given expression and meaning. As typography, experimental and traditional, progressed, the techniques segued to phototypesetting and from thence to the digital age in which we find ourselves today. Typography as a discipline looks very different than it did 50 years ago. Lettering has also moved into the digital format in which we enact most of our design work. Many artists, however, stay true to analog media by hand-drawing lettering. Reference: Smashing magazine
My interest in hand drawn type first started when I found designer Mike Perry. All of his work has such an individual look that I instantly took to it and have been following him ever since. His type work is in illustrated type, and he is constantly exploring hand rendered type.
'In this digital age of computer-generated graphics and typography, it's refreshing to see a small subset of typographers who still believe in working by hand'
Since looking into Mike Perry, I have constantly looked into typographers and particularly ones who create work by hand. This is how I came across Dan Cassaro a few months ago.
I particularly liked Dan Cassaro's design work for Ford. It was used as a part of an ad for the company, which was full of text which was all hand drawn type.
Cassaro's contribution:
Ford Fiesta Ad:
Hand drawn type is fast becoming a very in demand piece of design. While the digital technology started to emerge it took a bit of a back seat for the clean and perfect look of digital text, but now all areas of design are looking to incorporate a unique and quirky look that comes with hand rendered design and type.
After looking at the Ford ad, I have decided to go down the route of looking at hand drawn type in advertising and branding as I think this is a current areas of design that I have a large interest and it is a big
NABOB - Hand Drawn Chalk Ad with Jeff Rodgers:
Jeff Rodgers
I came across Jeff Rodgers when I found the ad above, and have found his hand drawn type has a sense of fun and playfulness about it. Rodgers has done a couple of wall murals, and the one that interested me the most was one that he created for McDonalds. This includes the whole process he went through to create this for them.
“I’m perpetually discontent with everything, which is what keeps my work going… It’s what keeps me up at night and makes me work harder.”
Dan Cassaro is a graphic designer who I have been interested in ever since finding him a few months ago. He works predominantly in type, but does work with image as well. Cassaro is a one man design studio based in Brooklyn, New York, with a focus on type, lettering and logo design. He has worked for a handful of major clients, such as Nike, MTV, Ford & The New York Times Magazine. I have a large interest in his work because of the production behind the work and the visual looks of the final outcomes. It is clear in all his work that it all originated from hand drawn designs which are digitally enhanced when necessary. The hand rendering aspect gives each piece of work it's own unique look and gives real personality, which is sometimes lost in the majority of digital design in the modern day.
“If you’re doing work that you love, then other people are going to see that, and they are going to love it too. It’s as simple as that.”
This is a collective and curated project where fifty designers are asked to represent their home state by illustrating it's state motto. Curated by Cassaro, who illustrated for New York, he invited 49 designers and illustrators.
As this is such a big subject, I have decided to focus mainly on the evolution of the mapping system and how it has visually changed over time.
As a starting point I looked into the history of the underground system.
Timeline:
1863 Metropolitan Railway opens the first passenger carrying underground railway in the world between Paddington (Bishop’s Road) and Farringdon Street (now part of the Circle line). It is built using cut and cover construction and is steam operated. 1868 Metropolitan District Railway opens between South Kensington and Westminster (now part of the District and Circle lines). The District is also steam operated and is extended along the new Victoria Embankment towards the City. 1869 East London Railway starts running steam trains through the pioneer Thames Tunnel, built under the river between Rotherhithe and Wapping by Marc Brunel. Construction had taken nearly 20 years and it was originally opened as a foot tunnel in 1843 (now part of the London Overground rail network) 1870 Tower Subway opens under the river near the Tower of London, the first tube tunnel built using a shield. Its cable car railway operated for just a few weeks, then the tunnel became a pedestrian subway until 1894 (now used for pipes and cables only). 1884 Eventual completion of the Inner Circle (now part of the Circle line) through linking up the Metropolitan and District lines at both ends. It was then jointly operated by the two original underground companies. 1890 City & South London Railway (C&SLR) opens the world’s first deep level electric tube railway between Stockwell and King William Street (now mostly part of the Northern line). Access to the station platforms was by hydraulic lift. 1898 Waterloo & City Railway opens (operated by London Underground since 1994 with standard tube trains but still separate from the rest of the network). 1902 Formation of the Underground Electric Railways of London (UERL) Ltd, a holding company known as the Underground Group headed by American entrepreneur Charles Tyson Yerkes. The UERL builds Lots Road power station, electrifies the District Railway and completes three new tube projects in just five years (the Bakerloo, Piccadilly and Hampstead Tubes). 1905 District, Circle and part of the Metropolitan Railway electrified. 1906 Baker Street & Waterloo Railway opens between Baker Street and Elephant & Castle (now part of the Bakerloo line). 1907 Charing Cross, Euston & Hampstead Railway (known as the Hampstead Tube) opens from Charing Cross to Golders Green and Highgate ( Archway). Now part of the Northern line. 1908 Start of co-ordinated marketing across the separate underground railway companies through distinctive UNDERGROUND lettering, free pocket maps, posters and signage, all promoted by Frank Pick. First version of the bar and disc on station platform nameboards, later developed into the Underground’s famous bar and circle logo (now known as the roundel). 1912-13 UERL takes over two other tube lines (Central London and C&SLR) and the main bus company (LGOC). It already owns three tram companies and becomes known as the Combine, the main public transport operator in London, but still privately owned. 1915 Women first employed extensively by UERL and Metropolitan Railway in formerly male roles as ‘wartime substitutes’. 1916 Edward Johnston completes design of a unique sans serif letter face commissioned by Frank Pick for Underground signage and publicity. Johnston later redesigns the bar and circle to incorporate his clear, bold typeface. An amended version, New Johnston, is still used by London Underground today. 1925 Metropolitan main line electrification extended from Harrow to Rickmansworth, with new electric branch line to Watford. 1928 Reconstruction of Piccadilly Circus completed, the Underground’s showpiece station in the heart of London. 1929 New Underground headquarters at 55 Broadway, designed by Charles Holden, opens. This was then the tallest building in London. 1933 First printing of Harry Beck’s iconic Underground diagram, an instant popular classic. It is arguably the most successful and influential map design of the twentieth century. Beck’s format has been used and adapted by London Underground ever since. 1935-40 London Transport’s New Works Programme includes new Bakerloo line extension from Baker Street to Stanmore (opened 1939, part of the Jubilee line since 1979) and Northern line extension beyond Archway to link up with and electrify the LNER’s surface branch lines at East Finchley (through tube services opened to High Barnet and Mill Hill East 1940/41 but work suspended because of the war). 1938 Introduction of 1938 stock, the classic London tube train, a benchmark design by WS Graff-Baker, the Underground’s chief rolling stock engineer. 1939-1945 Second World War. Thousands of Londoners take shelter in tube stations during wartime bombing but the Underground continues daily operation throughout the conflict. Underground workshops and tube tunnels are used for war production, safe storage of artworks and military control centres such as anti-aircraft command. 1946-9 Opening of Central line extensions east and west, started in 1930s but suspended because of war. 1948 London Transport nationalised along with the four mainline railway companies, becoming the London Transport Executive, part of the British Transport Commission. 1952 First unpainted silver aluminium alloy train introduced on the District line. All new trains were now left unpainted until the late 1980s when the rise of graffiti tagging led to a change. Intensive cleaning of unpainted trains to remove tags could damage the bodywork and London Underground adopted a new red, blue and white livery in the 1990s, now applied to all trains. 1963 London Transport Executive becomes the London Transport Board, reporting directly to the Minister of Transport. 1968-9 Victoria line opens between Walthamstow Central and Victoria, the first computer controlled underground railway in the world, with automatic trains and ticket gates. 1977 First airport link for the Tube as Piccadilly line extension opens to Heathrow Central (Terminals 1,2 and 3). It was later extended to Heathrow T4 (1986) and T5 (2008). 1978 First woman driver on the London Underground, Hannah Dadds, starts work on the District line. 1979 First stage of Jubilee line opens between Charing Cross and Baker Street, where it took over the former Bakerloo line branch to Stanmore. 1980 London Transport Museum opens in the former Covent Garden Flower Market. 1983 Introduction of zonal fares and the Travelcard on the Underground following the legal battles over ‘Fares Fair’ between the Labour GLC and Conservative Government in 1981/2. 1985 London Underground Ltd formed as a subsidiary company of LRT but still in public ownership. 1987 Serious escalator fire at King’s Cross Underground station kills 31 people. The public inquiry and Fennell Report on the fire led to major changes to the Underground’s fire regulations and a range of safety improvements. 1993 Reconstructed Angel station opens with the longest escalator on the system. 1999 Jubilee line extension (JLE) opens from Green Park to Stratford and original spur to Charing Cross closes. The dramatic new station designs are widely considered the finest late c20th century public architecture in London. 2000 Transport for London (TfL) established as a new transport authority for the capital, returning it to local control. TfL is responsible to the elected Mayor of London and has a much wider remit than London Transport. This includes Underground and bus services, the DLR, the new Tramlink system, taxis and private hire, river services, walking, cycling, main roads and traffic control as well as Victoria coach station. 2005 7/7 coordinated suicide bomb attacks on three Underground trains and a bus kill 52 people, London’s worst terrorist incident. 2008 Metronet infraco collapses and transfers to TfL control 2011 Start of Crossrail construction. The tunnels of the new east-west line will take mainline size trains below central London with direct Underground interchange at several points. The railway is scheduled to open in 2018. 2013 London Underground 150th anniversary celebrations.
Quick Facts
Worlds first underground train system opened in London in 1863
Metro/Underground system now in 54 countries in the world, including India, China & Turkey
The two most well known systems are the London & NYC
Busiest subway is Tokyo with 3.16 billion annual rides - NYC in 6th with 1.6 billion & London in 11th with just over 1 billion
