PDP - The Field Guide to Typography

I hate typography.

Well maybe not hate. I don't feel deeply enough about it to hate it. But I don't really see it, like posh people don't see their servants. It's just there, doing its job.

However, I accept that I have to develop a working knowledge of typography. So I've read lots of books on the subject. Or tried to at least. Definately looked at them for long enough. And I've learned some stuff about the mechanics of it, mostly from this book, which was recommended by Peter Holden at his lecture.

But on actual fonts, I was totally in the dark. How on earth do I decide what is 'good', and what is 'bad'? How, even, do I tell them apart? If only I could recognise them in their natural environment rather than just on an indesign document, and build up a collection of mental images that correlate with the name on the font list. After all, you can't recognise birds just from pictures in a bird book, you have to equate those images to the real thing.

Then I read this.

It's deliberately styled like a bird identification book, even down to the binoculars on the cover.
Inside there are articles on 125 frequently encountered fonts, containing brief histories of the fonts and their creators, identifying features, and pictures of the fonts in the wild.

 In some cases there are comparison charts explaining the difference between similar or rival fonts, like this one for Arial vs. Helvetica.

It was news to me that Arial was, supposedly, adopted by Microsoft as an 'alternative to Helvetica' because they didn't want to pay the licence fee to Lynotype. This, apparently, really annoys typographers, who all seem to idolise Helvetica for reasons that are lost to me. I rather like Arial, even more now I know it's not the done thing to like it.

But I still can't explain, typographically, why I like it.

PDP - Hopes, Fears and Opportunities

I fear that I’ll be found out. And I hope I won’t be.

What am I? A graphic designer.

"And what’s that, then?"

Ermm….

"Hah! You’re nothing but a charlatan!"

‘Graphic design is the art of communication, stylizing, and problem-solving through the use of type, space and image’ according to Wikipedia. But is it a science, or an art?

I read somewhere, I can’t remember where, that ‘Magicians’, who come up with a product or solution out of their own imaginations, are paid less than ‘Scientists’, who use, or claim to use, a rational path towards their final decision. The reason being that people think of the magician, ‘Oh, anyone could do that’, whereas the scientist has a huge arsenal of confusing facts and figures to convince the public that what he does is far too hard for them to comprehend.

So, which one are we?

Paula Scher wrote – again, I can’t remember where – that she often comes up with THE idea for a brief in a flash of inspiration, then spends ages thinking up two or three less good options. Because if she gives the first, best solution to the client TOO soon, they’ll think “Huh! Didn’t take long. So it can’t be worth much”. The multiple options, and the time taken, prove that work, long, scientific, expensive work has gone into the product. So they think she’s a scientist, not a magician. But in these cases she IS a magician.

With me, it’s almost always an idea from the blue. I’m not even sure what the scientific approach is, apart from looking at what others have done first. So that makes me a magician. And as I’m not so hot on justifying my decisions – with secondary research, for example - one day someone might call my bluff.

Opportunities – well, after my conversation with Patrick Harvey at Love studios I’m slightly more inclined to believe that I might get a proper job in some shape or form. I’m certain it won’t be a conventional graphic designer’s career path – see reasons above, amongst others – but I reckon now there’s a niche somewhere. Perhaps in branding or marketing. And one of the studios we visited got quite agitated when I asked what was their policy on working for an evil client. Obviously touched a nerve there. Now I’m quite relaxed about going over to the dark side, and prepared to be up front about it. If you’re going to be a villain, at least be a full – on, moustache – twirling villain.

And then, as ever, there’s the craft option. I’ve made a pretty good portfolio at my first attempt. Can you buy such things from a British manufacturer? Not to my knowledge. You have to send off to foreign lands and pay a hefty premium for the privilege. So I’m giving serious consideration to taking portfolio construction forward, at least as a sideline. The £44 I spent at Ratchfords bought me enough material to make at least four similar items, so the profit margin is there – just a matter of streamlining the process. Will I need a bigger portfolio to present all my portfolios in?

PDP - Studio visits.

   We had an interesting day trawling around four of Manchester's graphic design studios. The plan is, one day we'll all be queuing up at their doors clutching our portfolios, earnestly seeking employment.
   Trouble is, I've never had any faith in the prospect of getting a 'proper' job. All other things being equal, the rampant  - and illegal - ageism in this country tell me that no-one is going to look past my advanced years - 55 by the time I graduate. But the experience of the day slightly altered my opinion.
   Patrick Harvey, a 'senior creative' at Love studios, talked at length about the portfolios, letters, emails etc. received from the likes of us. And the common denominator is? They are all EXACTLY THE SAME. Everyone says they 'make a great brew', in a hideously self-effacing way. It would appear that all graphic design students are stamped from the same mould.
   Except me, that is. I can do different. While my nuts-and-bolts skills aren't that hot, I can do the 'blue sky thinking' standing on my head. Hell, why only blue? Red sky thinking!
   Another eye opener was at Holden and Sons.They were the only ones who let us wander around the studio - though they didn't actually have much choice, it was so small - and I gravitated to Megan, their Social Media and Account manager.
   Megan was manipulating Twitter to boost the profile of one of their clients. Now I got a taste for social media campaigning with the Zines of Wonder exhibition. Plus, I've always wanted to be a cunning master of puppets, making the public dance as I pull the strings.
   So I can see myself getting work pushing a brand, raising it's profile - like Love did with Johnny Walker whisky - by manipulating public opinion.
   Someone else can do the actual graphic designing.
  

PDP - Bookbinding

We have to present a portfolio of our best work to date.
Portfolios are stupidly expensive. Sixty quid for a cardboard box? Ninety for four bits of wood, two bits of leather and a few screw posts? No way.
In my view, the portfolio case, or whatever you decide on, should be part of the portfolio itself. otherwise its just a demonstration of who's got the most money. So I decided to make my own.
The wood/aluminium variety looks the easiest to make, but I couldn't source suitably nice materials in the time I left available. The hinges are particularly elusive, though annoyingly easy to get in the States.
 
The next best option seemed to be a bookboard/bookcloth type. We're fortunate to have Ratchfords on our doorstep, so for forty quid I got enough fabric and board to make quite a few mistakes with.
 I got this book out of the library. It didn't have exactly what I was looking for, but some patterns came close, and it's full of techniques and ideas.

I looked online for something nearer to my vision, and I found this:



First of all, experiment. I built a small prototype, to practice gluing technique and to see if the hinge folded out flat.

No, it didn't. I think the lining paper is too tight, as it folded nicely before I covered it. Gluing is also trickier than I thought, at least on this type of fabric; one rogue drop would ruin the look of the whole thing. And there were a lot of rogue drops. I'd have to be much more careful next time. Maybe wipe - clean buckram would be a better choice of fabric.

These are the panels, inside and out. Note the reinforced hinge strip bottom left. Now to glue the lining papers.

And it works!

I've spent a huge amount of time this holiday researching, planning and building this. You could argue that my time would have been better spent elsewhere. But I reckon I'm playing to my strengths here. I'll never be more than adequate at the Adobe stuff. So I'll go with what I CAN do well.