Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Jack Minogue - CH 1,3,6 Reflections

Chapter one focuses on the history and evolution of typography. This chapter was composed of mostly images, not text. The provided images show a gradual shift in the use of typography from B.C. all the way to present day. What I found interesting about this chapter was that it allows the reader to make their own observations about how typography has changed over this long span of time. I've found that typography is now used in a more illustrative manor compared to before. I feel that this is a result of the new technologies created, specifically digital illustration and printing. Compositions that used to take days can now be completed in minutes, and the modern art that we are used to today is a result of that.

In chapter three is based on the syntax and communication involved in using type. From how I absorbed the chapter, I concluded that there are two subcategories associated with syntax in type: The letter's interaction within the words, and the text's interaction with the surrounding space as a whole. The section talking about columns and margins really hit home for me, as it gave me constructive advice on how to lay out text in a manner that doesn't effect the clarity of a design. I learned that a designer must emphasize horizontal or vertical movement when working with columns and margins.

Chapter six mainly describes the messages conveyed by various uses of typography. Several examples are provided, showing how type has been manipulated into giving off different meanings and emotions. What I found interesting about this chapter is the part that talked about the two ways signs are interpreted. The syntactic approach, which concerns the form of a sign, and the semantic approach, which involves associating a meaning with a sign. Additionally, I find it interesting how text and imagery can be manipulated in order to visually communicate a play on words or a hidden message, much like in the exemplified pictures.

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