Type Design

Faculty

Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science

Version

Version 3.0 of 11/17/2019

Code of Module

11B1939

Modulename (german)

Type Design

Study Programmes
  • Media & Interaction Design (B.A.)
  • Informatik - Medieninformatik (B.Sc.)
Level of Module

2

Mission Statement

Type characters are the key elements of the visual appearance of graphical user interfaces of interactive products and applications and of classical print products as well. By forming words and sentences out of separate characters, type is a tool for communication of contents and messages. Furthermore, the shape and elements of characters refer to esthetical, social-cultural and historical contexts.Students acquire a detailed understanding of type anatomy from a historical point of view as well as a contemporary perspective. Building on this knowledge the students design and develop an executable font using classical and/or experimental methods and procedures.

Content
  • History of type design
  • Production-related aspects of type design
  • Type anatomy
  • Type classifications
  • Manual type design
  • Digital type design
  • Constructivist approach of type design
  • Context-sensitive, generative, randomized, dynamical type design
Learning Outcomes

Knowledge Broadening
The students who successfully completed this module possess extensive knowledge of the historical evolution of type design and its contemporary variants. They understand the current type classifications.
Knowledge Deepening
The students who successfully completed this module have a detailed knowledge of type anatomy. They know the production-related aspects and the visual esthetics of type design and its evolution that can be experienced in fonts of the 20th and 21st century. They are able to identify historical connections and stylistic relationships between type designs.
Instrumental Skills and Competences
The students who successfully completed this module analyze and evaluate the quality of type design relating to its intended purpose. They design and develop an executable font of a limited extend.
Communicative Skills and Competences
The students who successfully completed this module are able to present the historical and stylistic classification of type designs and its shapes and elements understandable for different target groups. They give reason for decisions in regards to their type design in a comprehensible matter.
Systemic Skills and Competences
The students who successfully completed this module are able to develop realizable type designs using professional methods. They are able to adapt the design methods to the respective requirements.

Mode of Delivery

Seminar, Discussion, Research, Practical project work, Presentations

Expected Knowledge and/or Competences

Basic design knowledge

Responsible of the Module

Arndt, Henrik

Lecturer(s)

Arndt, Henrik

Credits

5

Concept of Study and Teaching
Workload Dozentengebunden
Std. WorkloadLehrtyp
30Seminare
30Labore
Workload Dozentenungebunden
Std. WorkloadLehrtyp
30Kleingruppen
20Veranstaltungsvor-/-nachbereitung
40Projekt
Recommended Reading
  • Lewis Blackwell: David Carson – The end of print, Bangert, 1995
  • Lewis Blackwell: 20th Century Type, Laurence King Publishing, 2004
  • Neville Brody und Jon Wozencroft: From Invention to Antimatter – Twenty years of FUSE
  • Friedrich Forssman und Ralf de Jong: Detailtypografie, Hermann Schmidt Verlag, 2002
  • Adrian Frutiger: Signs and Symbols: Their Design and Meaning, Watson-Guptill, 1998
  • Paul Renner: The Art of Typography, Princeton Architectural Press, 1999
  • Hans Peter Willberg: Wegweiser Schrift, Hermann Schmidt Verlag, 2001
  • Jon Wozencroft: The Graphic Language of Neville Brody, Thames & Hudson, 1988
Graded Exam
  • Field Work / Experimental Work
  • Placement Report, written
Ungraded Exam

Field Work / Experimental Work

Examination Requirements

Detailed knowledge of the design features of typefaces. Knowledge of methods and techniques for typeface design. Competencies for the design and development of a typeface.

Duration

1 Term

Module Frequency

Only Summer Term

Language of Instruction

German and English