In this seminar we went into more depth on typography and how it functions on the screen. We looked at headings vs body text and the difference between primes and apostrophes.

Fit for Purpose

In this exercise we made these extracts ‘fit for purpose’ by choosing suitable typefaces and colours to properly represent the genre of the books from which they were from.

For the Frankenstein excerpt body text I used a Serif typeface called ‘DT Nightingale’ to reflect the time period the book was written (1818) and give it an older, more gothic look. For the title heading I used a bold display typeface called ‘MRK Maston’. I chose this font as it is quite eye-catching and clear to read, while still having a vintage quality to it. For my coloured version I used green as this is classically used to depict the skin of Frankenstein’s monster, and has a spooky connotation while still remaining professional and legible.

For the ‘Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep’ excerpt I used the Futura typeface for the body and the headings as I though it gave the excerpt a modern and streamlined look. I used Futura Bold for the heading to make it stand out more. For my coloured version I used blue toned greys, as I though these cold colours are reminiscent of metal, electricity and robots.

Reflection

This exercise was very helpful in teaching me how to create a piece of type that is fit for purpose. It was particularly interesting using the two books we did, as they both belong to the science-fiction genre, but both came out so different. This shows how you shouldn't narrow down your design practice and generalise a particular genre.