I received Mrs Eaves for my typeface, which was something that‘s new and exciting. I’m lean towards geometric, grungy, dark aesthetics, so this is an interesting challenge to me.
Adjectives to describe Mrs Eaves:
- Friendly
- Organic
- Familiar
- Loose
- Collaborative
- Unorthodox
- Open
- Poetic
11/11/21: Legibility and readability
I also experimented a bit with 3-column text, which was a slightly more difficult challenge. My essay has quite a few text, so widows occurred more often than if I simply stuck to the 2-column structure.
After printing a few of these, I decided that the 3-column structure definitely helps with how long my text is (though it is awfully wide) and that the ideal readability level out of these were 10 pt font size along with a 14 pt tracking size.
I also wanted to see how the text would look as a slightly different style guide with an added tagline, so I took the beginning sentence of my essay and used italics to create some more text contrast.
11/12/21:
After analysis the ideal grid structure for readability, I began thumbnailing spreads and layout ideas.
I also looked into potential imagery, color schemes, and photography that might spark interest in my layout aesthetic. Given that Mrs. Eaves is quite elegant, friendly, and dates back to earlier times, I thought of formal, lighthearted and floral photos would be a good start.
Vibes I get:
11/16/21
Beginning with some spreads, I was really trying to aim for more of the “modern” aspects through contrasts in letter sizes and color. Hopefully, the imagery I choose will call back to the more dated aspects of this typeface.
When I think of ways to describe my approach, I definitely consider the feminine aspects of it. However, I tend to then correlate adjectives such as “refined, elegant, and put-together,” as opposed to the more scrambled, forgotten, and shadowed qualities. This may be because of how strong Mrs. Eaves stands as a header, showcasing its strength in minimal doses.
My biggest fear during this spread project was having a lack of “energy” or creating something too stagnant in composition, so I played a bit more with type size emphasis, with the background being quieter and with light textures/shadows.
While I really enjoyed playing with background textures and having the character contrast take up the most compositional energy, Vicki pointed out that there was a lot of potential with the “pinkness” of the teacup spread. She encouraged me to go further with that spread, as there were a lot of compositional elements that could be set up and utilized well.
11/22/21
I worked on shifting the text over to ensure better readability + rigidity in structure. After playing with rag, hyphenation, and modifying the sentences just slightly (I tried to avoid justification), I had a much more rectangular and strict body text. I increased the overall height of the body text’s second column to also allow breathing room for the page numbers.
Moreover, this minor height increase also aids in the diagonal leveling of the text composition, where the stitched ligature, the subheader, and the body text creates a diagonal line of direction that adheres to the line of direction the teacup and decorative sprig creates.
I realized that the layout needed more room to breathe (and have more cohesion from left to right; the image wasn’t enough) so I played around with color, sizing, and especially font title alignment.
In-class (or remote on my end?) feedback:
- The bottom right gap provides good breath and prevents it from being static
- Top right slogan has a nice “quiet” to it; how can the left side mirror that energy and make it more cohesive? Also slogan must be aligned >:(
- The dashed graphics apparently have split opinions: it has a nice allusion to embroidery and stitches, but is it really necessary? Maybe try to make it softer?
12/08/21:
After entering the animation portion, I made a couple extra edits before showcase:
- Lowered the opacity of the dashed “stitches” so that they’re still there, but softer
- Changed the font of the left side and colors to match the right → incorporates more of that “quiet” energy
FINAL SPREAD
Reflection
I had a hard time with the process for this one, as I sometimes struggled to see the good qualities in this spread. Everything was unfamiliar to me, from the font style, to the photography, to the excessive use of that specific shade of pink. I am pleasantly surprised by how it turned out, for if you showed this to me at the beginning of the school year I would not have believed that I was the one that created it.
Overall, I think this was a good opportunity for me to grow as a Communications Designer. It was a new experience with different challenges, and my solutions incorporated softer, quieter things that I hadn’t thought of before.
