Advanced Typography | Task 2 : Key Artwork and Collateral
April 21,2025Typography / Bachelor of Design (Honours) in Creative Media / Taylor's University
Task 2 : Key Artwork and Collateral
ZHOU BOYING / 0369087
LIST
1. Lectures
2. Instructions
3.Task 2 : Key Artwork and Collateral
4. Feedback
5. Reflections
6. Further Reading
Lectures
AdTypo_4_Designing Type
He highlighted two core purposes for designing type:
Social Responsibility – Typeface design must constantly aim to improve legibility for better communication in society.
Artistic Expression – Designing type is not just functional but also a form of personal or artistic exploration.
These two ideas remind us that typography is both practical and expressive—a balance between clarity and creativity.
Frutiger & the Purpose of Typeface Design
The Frutiger typeface was designed in 1968 specifically for the newly constructed Charles de Gaulle Airport in France. Its main purpose was to create a typeface that was clean, distinctive, and highly legible from both close-up and far away, making it extremely functional for use in public signage.
This Matthew Carter, a British type designer known for creating fonts that address technical limitations. One of his most important works is Verdana (1996), designed for Microsoft during the early era of web and digital interfaces.
Purpose: Verdana was created to remain highly legible even at small sizes on low-resolution screens. This made it especially useful for websites and digital platforms in the early days of the internet.
Johnston Sans and the London Underground
Edward Johnston created the iconic Underground typeface (later known as Johnston Sans) in 1916 for the London Underground. He was commissioned to design a typeface with “bold simplicity” that felt modern but remained rooted in classical tradition.
Purpose: To unify the visual identity of the London Underground’s signage and advertising, which at the time lacked consistency.
Design Characteristics: Johnston’s type was based on classical Roman capital letter proportions, fused with humanist qualities. The result balanced tradition and modernity, making it both elegant and functional for public communication.
Gill Sans was designed by Eric Gill, a former student of Edward Johnston. Gill openly acknowledged that his typeface was heavily based on Johnston’s Underground lettering. He once wrote,“Gill Sans owes all its goodness to your Underground letter.”
Typeface Relationship and Features:
Gill Sans followed the structural logic of Johnston Sans but introduced a more commercial and modern tone.
Both share humanist qualities, but Gill Sans is more simplified and adaptable for broader use.
This highlights the influence and ethical dynamics in type design lineage.
Research
Start by understanding type history, anatomy, and conventions. Learn key technical terms such as metrics, side-bearing, and hinting. Identify the typeface’s purpose—whether it’s for signage, digital screens, or print—and examine existing typefaces for inspiration and usage context.
Sketching
Designers may choose traditional tools like pens and paper for sketching, or digital tools such as a Wacom tablet. Hand-drawn sketches provide natural flow and control, while digital methods are faster and more consistent. Both approaches have their strengths and limitations.
Digitization
Fonts are digitized using professional software like FontLab and Glyphs App. Some designers begin in Adobe Illustrator before importing to font editors, though purists often discourage this. At this stage, both the letterform shape and its counterspace must be carefully considered to ensure readability.
Testing
Testing includes prototyping, refinement, and gathering user feedback. Readability is critical for text fonts, while display fonts may prioritize expressive design. This phase helps identify and fix issues before final use.
Deploy
Even after a typeface is launched, unexpected issues may arise. Ongoing revision ensures the font performs well across contexts. Effective pre-deployment testing reduces the chance of major problems.
Typeface Construction
Roman Capitals:
The letterform construction is based on a square grid containing a circle that touches all four sides of the square. Inside the square, a centered rectangle occupies three-quarters of the square’s width.
This geometric framework—combining squares, circles, and rectangles—provides a structured approach to designing Roman capital letters. Using such grids can help guide proportion, alignment, and form, making it a practical method for constructing or developing typeforms.
Construction and considerations:
When designing a new typeface, various letterform constructions and visual adjustments must be considered. One key adjustment involves extending curved or protruding elements slightly beyond the baseline and cap height to achieve optical balance. This correction also applies to aligning curved and straight forms vertically, ensuring they appear visually consistent.
Another essential adjustment is the spacing between letters. Simply placing letters side by side with equal mechanical spacing will not produce balanced results. Instead, the spacing must be adjusted to achieve a consistent visual white space between characters. This process is known as fitting, and it ensures that the letterspacing appears optically uniform to the reader.
Designing a typeface involves many decisions that cannot be fully addressed in a single lecture or slide. It is recommended to explore further reading on the topic, as there are numerous approaches and technical aspects beyond what is briefly introduced.
AdTypo_5_Perception And Organisation
Typography Contrast Summary
Typography contrast plays a fundamental role in shaping how we perceive and interact with visual content. Throughout this study, I explored nine key principles of contrast—Size, Weight, Form, Structure, Texture, Direction, Colour, Type Style, and Negative/Positive Space—based on the theoretical framework introduced by Rudi Ruegg.
Each type of contrast serves a specific function in guiding the reader’s attention, building visual hierarchy, and enhancing clarity and rhythm within a design. For example, size contrast emphasizes titles over body text; weight contrast adds boldness and structure; direction contrast breaks traditional flow to create dynamic compositions.
By understanding and applying these contrasting principles thoughtfully, designers can achieve not just aesthetic variety, but also functional efficiency—making typography more communicative and impactful.
This visual exploration deepened my understanding of typographic organisation and helped inform my own key artwork development in this project.
Week 6
Physical Class
This week, I received feedback from Mr. Vinod regarding my key visual artwork. He pointed out that my current color palette was not effective—the overall tone appeared too dull and lacked visual impact. He emphasized that a visual identity system must feature colors that are bright and dynamic to ensure that the design communicates clearly across different mediums and leaves a lasting impression. The current color scheme, however, came across as too muted, which weakens both the recognizability and emotional expression of the design.This feedback made me realize that color choice is not just about stylistic preference—it plays a crucial role in conveying brand energy and personality. I will revisit my color palette and explore brighter and more contrasting color combinations to enhance the visual strength and overall appeal of the work.
Week 7
Physical Class
In this week’s class, Mr. Vinod gave us specific and constructive feedback on our typography design, color choices, and overall visual presentation.
He pointed out that certain parts of my work still have room for improvement, especially in terms of decorative details. He encouraged me to refine these elements to enhance the aesthetic quality and overall completeness of my design.
I presented four versions of my Key Artwork & Collateral design, and received his approval. Based on his feedback, I began refining my product mockups, turning my initial concepts into more practical and visually appealing design applications. In addition, I have also completed the animation for my typography, which adds a dynamic layer to the overall presentation of the project.
Week 8
Physical Class
In this week’s class, Mr. Vinod walked us through the full requirements for Task 2 (Parts A + B), which include lecture notes, process, feedback, reflection, and further reading. He reminded us that the final submission is due on June 17 at 11:59 PM. He also showed strong blog examples and gave individual feedback—he said my idea was interesting, but some details still need refining. In addition, he introduced Task 3 – Type Exploration and Application, where we can choose to create a new font, improve an existing one, or experiment with unique type formats. He encouraged creative exploration and showed inspiring examples, such as special type variations from Taylor’s and llmnormal fonts.
Instructions
Task 2 : Key Artwork and Collateral
TASK 2A: KEY ARTWORK & COLLETARAL
In this task, we need to explore and create multiple versions of key artwork using our name, presented in the form of a wordmark or lettering. The final design should be clear, well-balanced, and elegant. It shouldn't be overly complex or hard to read.
Mind Mapping
To begin the process, we started by making a mind map based on our personality, interests, and visual preferences. This helps guide the direction of the lettering style later on.
Sketches
Throughout this task, I explored different visual interpretations of my identity through typography. In the first attempt, I experimented with variations of my pseudonym “YUEZI,” aiming for a structured and professional feeling. However, the outcomes didn’t fully align with my visual identity – they felt too rigid and lacked the emotional softness I was trying to communicate.
In the second round, I shifted the focus towards more rounded, bubble-style lettering. While the sketches had better emotional tone, I still found them lacking in refinement and clarity. The forms were playful but didn’t yet achieve the balance I was aiming for between softness and legibility.
In the final iteration, I decided to move forward using my real name “BOYING” as the wordmark base. This decision allowed me to reconnect with my personal identity while continuing to express emotional warmth. I refined the letterforms into a more compact, bold bubble style, emphasizing roundness, visual weight, and a friendly tone. The 2+4 letter grouping (BO /YING) helped me structure the layout symmetrically while maintaining character consistency. The final direction better reflects the themes in my mind map: softness, rational structure, and a quirky but composed visual personality.
This final wordmark design reflects my evolving identity as a designer—bold, expressive, and unapologetically unique. Inspired by graffiti and bubble lettering aesthetics, the letterforms are exaggerated, rounded, and closely packed, forming a unified block that radiates youthful energy and confidence.
Each letter flows into the next, creating a sense of rhythm and movement. I intentionally avoided using a strict grid or symmetry, instead allowing the shapes to grow intuitively. The addition of small highlight marks and curves enhances the playfulness of the composition, while the heavy black strokes ensure strong visual impact and clarity.
This artwork is not just a representation of my name “YUEZI,” but a personal statement. It shows that I am not limited by conventional structure—I embrace freedom in form and celebrate individuality in design. The outcome is both bold and approachable, reflecting a side of me that is spontaneous, fun-loving, and visually daring.
Color Selection
After digitising my key artwork, the next step was to explore a suitable colour scheme that would enhance its personality and visual impact. To do this, I referred to the websites and resources recommended by Mr. Vinod, which provided a variety of inspiring palettes and typographic case studies. These references helped me understand how colour can influence mood, tone, and emphasis in typographic design.
This week, I created a text animation in After Effects based on my approved wordmark “BOYING.” Guided by my keywords “playful” and “expressive,” I aimed to bring the design to life with a handwritten, bouncy rhythm that reflects emotional warmth and friendliness.
During the production process, I first separated each letter into individual layers and used the Pen Tool to draw custom stroke paths, setting rounded caps and joints for a soft and cohesive look. I applied the “Trim Paths” effect to these strokes, animating them as if the letters were being written by hand—enhancing the personal and inviting tone of the piece.
To create a handwriting-like reveal effect, I combined the animated strokes with the filled text using track mattes. I then duplicated the entire pre-composition twice, applied different fill colors to each version, and offset them slightly on the timeline. This layering approach introduced depth, rhythm, and a sense of dimensional movement.
Finally, I added a subtle scale animation to give the text a gentle bounce, reinforcing the playful tone. The resulting animation is smooth, rhythmically engaging, and visually dynamic—capturing the core themes of my design identity through motion.
- Black wordmark on white background
- White wordmark on black background
- Colour palette
- Wordmark in actual colours on lightest shade of colour palette
- Wordmark in lightest shade of colour palette on darkest shade of colour palette
- wordmark animation (Gif format)
- *1080px (W) x 1350px (H), 300ppi
TASK 2B: KEY ARTWORK & COLLATERAL
Self-Portrait Description
This self-portrait is a visual reflection of my identity as a designer—structured yet expressive. I combined a black-and-white image of myself with bold bubble typography spelling out “BOYING,” representing both my real name and my creative voice.
The high-contrast composition balances playful visual elements with a calm grayscale portrait, symbolizing the duality of my personality: energetic and introspective. The circular white cut-out acts as a spotlight on my profile, while the curved text—“Be soft. Be true. Be you.”—serves as a personal manifesto and reminder to embrace authenticity in both life and design.
The strong blue background, playful type, and gentle facial expression together reflect the core values behind my design keywords: playful, expressive, bold, and structured. This piece visually unifies my identity, values, and voice through color, form, and type.
1. Mug – Bringing Visual Identity into Daily Life
Why I chose mugs:
Mugs are common, functional objects found in both personal and shared spaces. They are friendly, accessible, and allow design to naturally integrate into everyday routines.
How I designed it:
I applied the “BOYING” wordmark on purple and blue mug surfaces with an orange background for contrast. The rounded, bubbly letters wrap smoothly around the mug, highlighting warmth and playfulness. This creates a cheerful, approachable tone that mirrors the softness and boldness of my brand personality.
How it reflects my identity:
This mug design strongly represents my keywords: playful, friendly, and bold. It shows how my brand can live within everyday objects while still communicating emotional resonance and strong visual character.
2. Cap – Youth Culture and Urban Expression
Why I chose a cap:
Caps are everyday wearables that symbolize youth, confidence, and casual self-expression. They're often associated with streetwear and are strongly connected to urban visual culture.
How I designed it:
I placed the orange “BOYING” wordmark on a black cap to create high contrast and visibility. The rounded type maintains a friendly tone while the color scheme enhances the boldness. The combination feels energetic without being too aggressive, making it suitable for casual, expressive fashion.
How it reflects my identity:
This application reflects the keywords bold, urban-inspired, and expressive. It also aligns with my personal interests like streetwear, boxing, and youth culture, making it a true extension of my identity.
3. Badge Pins – Graphic Symbol Derived from Letterforms
Why I chose badge pins:
Badges are small-format objects that can be worn, shared, or collected. They’re great for expressing identity in subtle but meaningful ways and often serve as symbols of community or values.
How I designed it:
Although the badges do not use the “BOYING” text directly, the cloud icon is not random—it’s an abstraction of my wordmark’s structure. The round, puffy forms of the letters inspired the cloud shape, turning my typography into a symbol. I used soft color palettes like purple, pink, and blue to reflect my visual tone and reinforce softness and youthfulness.
How it reflects my identity:
This badge design is an evolution of my visual system. It represents soft, youthful, and expressive values, while exploring how my design language can extend beyond text. It shows my ability to extract visual DNA from type and build a consistent brand symbol system.
Collateral
Below are some links to mockups
Unblast:https://unblast.com/
Mockups Design:https://mockups-design.com/
Mr Mockup:https://mrmockup.com/free-mockups/
Mockup Bee:https://mockupbee.com/
Task 2B requirements :
- Collateral 1, 2, 3
- Instagram handle & link
- IG screen grab with good resolution. IG featuring 9 tiles (profile must feature a bio).
- *1080px (W) x 1350px (H), 300ppi .
Final Task 2 Outcome Compilation
Dimensional requirement
*1080px (W) x 1350px (H), 300ppi
Feedback
Week 4
Specific feedback:
In this week's class, Mr. Vinod reviewed our completed Type & Play projects and provided feedback on my application of typography in the poster design. He pointed out that my choice of dark font colors resulted in insufficient clarity, affecting both readability and visual hierarchy. He advised me to prioritize text legibility in future works, especially when dealing with complex images or low-contrast backgrounds, by carefully considering the contrast between text color and background.
He emphasized, "Even if a typeface design is highly distinctive, it must serve the purpose of conveying information." This made me realize that typography is not just about visual form but also a medium of communication.
General feedback:
Additionally, Mr. Vinod introduced the upcoming Task 2(A): Key Artwork and its extension, Task 2(B): Collateral Design. Task 2(A) requires us to design a wordmark or lettering based on our own name or pseudonym, serving both as an identifier and an artwork. The key artwork should:
Be elegantly balanced with clear structure;
Be deconstructible into graphic modules to extend into a rich visual system;
Possess both communicative and aesthetic qualities, applicable to items like lapel pins, T-shirts, posters, etc.;
Integrate typographic systems and Type & Play knowledge acquired this semester.
He encouraged us to explore various permutations and combinations, delving into the potential of letterforms to express individuality while establishing a cohesive visual identity system.
Week 5
Specific feedback:
This week, Mr. Vinod gave me direct feedback on my digitised key artwork. He pointed out that my design appeared too traditional and encouraged me to explore more creative and unconventional directions. He suggested that I go beyond my initial idea and experiment with alternative forms and expressions to better reflect my personal identity. Mr. Vinod also recommended reviewing the reference materials he shared, as they could help broaden my visual language and inspire new ideas for refinement.
General Feedback:
Posting the idea sketches and key artwork online allowed me to receive constructive feedback and observe my peers’ design processes. This experience reminded me that typography is not just about technical accuracy but also about expression and innovation. I realised the importance of stepping out of my comfort zone to develop a design that is not only clean and readable but also unique and communicative. This week helped me understand that refinement is a continuous process and that exploring different directions can lead to more meaningful design outcomes.
Week 6
Specific Feedback:
This week, Mr. Vinod commented on the color scheme I used in my key visual artwork. He noted that the chosen palette was too dull and lacked the vibrancy needed for a strong visual identity. According to him, an effective visual system should incorporate colors that are bright and powerful, ensuring that the design stands out across different platforms. He emphasized that my current color selection reduced the impact and recognizability of the design, making it appear flat and uninspiring.
General Feedback:
This feedback helped me better understand the functional role of color in branding. I realized that color decisions go beyond aesthetic preferences—they are central to communicating the energy, tone, and uniqueness of a brand. Moving forward, I plan to revise my color palette by incorporating brighter hues and stronger contrasts to improve the visual clarity and emotional appeal of my design.
Week 7
Specific Feedback:
This week, I presented four versions of my Key Artwork & Collateral design to Mr. Vinod. He provided detailed feedback on my typography and color choices, as well as the overall visual execution. He encouraged me to make the decorative elements more refined and to pay closer attention to detail, especially in the pattern design. His comments helped me recognize the importance of visual precision and finishing quality in professional design work.
General Feedback:
After receiving the feedback, I started refining my product mockups and worked on translating my concept into practical applications. I focused on improving the clarity and aesthetic consistency of my design. In addition to that, I also completed the typography animation, which enhanced the visual expression of my work and added motion to the final presentation. This week has helped me develop a more critical eye for detail and balance between creativity and functionality in design.
Week 8
Specific Feedback:
This week, Mr. Vinod reviewed my updated key visual and collateral designs. He noted that the adjustments I made to the color palette were a step in the right direction—brighter and more eye-catching—but there were still areas where the contrast between background and text could be stronger. He also pointed out that while my layout had improved, some of the spacing between elements still felt a bit tight. Overall, he encouraged me to pay closer attention to visual balance and breathing space in the composition.
General Feedback:
This week really reminded me how much small adjustments can influence the overall feel of a design. Even though I thought I had made solid improvements, it became clear that details like spacing, contrast, and alignment still need to be carefully considered. Getting feedback at this stage helped me slow down and re-evaluate my choices more intentionally. I’m starting to see the value in revisiting my work with fresh eyes, rather than just rushing to finish it. Next, I’ll focus on refining the composition and ensuring all elements work together more harmoniously.
Reflections
Experience:
Throughout Task 2, I explored how a type-based artwork could express personal identity while functioning as a cohesive visual system. Starting from a mind map, I experimented with several wordmark directions—initially with “YUEZI,” then transitioning to my real name “BOYING”—before finalizing a playful bubble letterform that reflects both emotional warmth and structured personality. I digitized the artwork, created animated motion graphics in After Effects, and applied the design across multiple product mockups including mugs, caps, and badges. The entire process pushed me to think beyond static typography and consider interaction, application, and communication.
Observation:
One of the key takeaways was the importance of visual clarity and contrast—especially in color selection. Feedback from Mr. Vinod made me aware that muted tones can weaken impact, while bolder hues help solidify identity and emotional tone. I also observed that type alone can act as a visual symbol if carefully constructed and systematized. The shift from pure lettering to visual identity required me to consider not just form, but also scalability, rhythm, and adaptability across physical and digital media.
Findings:
This project deepened my understanding of how typographic design is both expressive and functional. I found that even small design adjustments—like refining spacing, adjusting color vibrancy, or adding animation—can significantly enhance communication and brand strength. By translating my wordmark into collateral and Instagram feed layouts, I saw how a single visual idea could evolve into a coherent brand narrative. Overall, Task 2 helped me connect concept, technique, and emotion in design, and gave me the confidence to define a visual voice that is uniquely mine.
Further Reading
Further Reading – Typographic Systems by Kimberly Elam (Part 2)
In the second half of Typographic Systems, Kimberly Elam shifts the focus from explaining individual typographic systems to exploring how these systems can be combined, disrupted, or reinterpreted. This part of the book is particularly valuable for understanding how structure can support more expressive and complex visual compositions.
1. Combining Systems: Beyond Purity
Rather than adhering strictly to one layout method, designers can combine two or more systems to create layered and dynamic layouts. For example, a bilateral structure can coexist with modular alignment, or a grid can be combined with radial motion. These hybrid systems allow for more nuanced communication, accommodating both order and complexity.
This insight helped me reflect on my own work, especially when planning layouts for Instagram feed posts. Rigid use of a single system often felt limiting, while thoughtful combinations created rhythm, hierarchy, and variation.
2. Breaking the Grid: Creative Disruption
Elam also emphasizes the importance of breaking away from established systems. Introducing visual tension through deliberate disruption—such as misalignment, scale contrast, or unexpected rotation—can strengthen a composition’s energy and draw attention to focal points.
This principle resonated with what Mr. Vinod mentioned in class: clarity and creativity must work hand in hand. When designing my key artwork and collateral, I found that slight misalignments or playful scaling actually improved visual interest, as long as the composition remained legible and cohesive.
3. Case Studies: System as Invisible Structure
The book’s latter chapters feature case studies with transparent overlays that reveal how designers embed hidden systems beneath expressive designs. Even highly dynamic and organic compositions often follow a rigorous underlying logic, such as modular spacing or invisible grid lines.
These examples reminded me that structure does not need to be visually obvious to be effective. In my own designs, I began asking whether each layout decision had an internal rationale—even if the system wasn’t explicitly visible to the viewer.
4. Typographic Play with Purpose
While Elam advocates for expressive freedom, she insists that effective typographic play must still be guided by purpose. Playfulness that lacks structure often results in chaos, but when grounded in clear typographic principles, it becomes a powerful form of communication.
This idea was especially relevant as I refined my wordmark and animation. My bubble-style lettering aimed to be expressive and fun, but I ensured it remained balanced in composition and spacing, drawing on what I learned about form relationships and optical adjustments.
Final Reflection
The second half of Typographic Systems expanded my understanding of how systems function not only as design tools, but also as conceptual frameworks. I learned that systems can be flexible, combinable, and even intentionally broken when guided by purpose.
This reading enriched my design process during Task 2 by reinforcing what I learned in class while challenging me to evaluate my visual decisions more critically. I now see typographic systems as flexible frameworks that support both creativity and clarity in communication.
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