Task 3: Type Exploration and Application | Advanced Typography
Task 3: Type Exploration and Application
22/04/2024 - 15/05/2024 (week 4 - week 6)
Rafa Maritza Hertrian [0364958]
Bachelor of Design (Honours) in Creative Media/ Taylor's University
Advanced Typography GCD 61004
INSTRUCTION
PRACTICAL
Chosen Idea: My final decision will be Idea 1 from the proposal which
is creating letterforms with similar traits to Balinese script
Research
To start the exploration, I will do a brief research about the fundamentals of
Balinese script so that I get a better understanding on how I can expand the
script based on its history and origins.
Origins:
- Derived from the Brahmi script of India, introduced around the 1st century CE.
- Directly evolved from the Kawi script, used in Java from the 8th century.
Characteristics:
- Structure: Balinese script is an abugida, meaning that it is primarily consonant-based, with vowel diacritics modifying the consonants. It includes 47 basic letters, consisting of 14 vowels and 33 consonants, along with various diacritical marks.
Usage:
- Used for Balinese, Old Javanese (Kawi), and Sanskrit.
- Found in religious texts, literature, inscriptions, and lontar (palm leaf) manuscripts.
- Integral to Hindu rituals and temple inscriptions.
Modern Usage and Preservation:
- Declined with the introduction of the Latin alphabet during Dutch colonial rule.
- Resurgence in interest for cultural preservation.
- Taught in schools and supported by digital fonts and Unicode.
Cultural Importance:
- Featured in Balinese art, carvings, paintings, textiles, and temple architecture.
- Used in traditional performances and festivals, such as wayang kulit and classical Balinese dance.
The tool used to write Balinese Script
The majority of the Balinese manuscripts were written on lontar, or
dried and processed palm leaves. Texts on significant topics like religion,
sacred formulas, rituals, family trees, legislation, medical treaties, art and
architecture, calendars, poetry, prose, and even magic are included.Sadly, a
large number of Lontars that have been found and are either owned by private
families or included in the collections of various museums are in a state of
deterioration as a result of age and poor storage circumstances.
Pengerupak, a unique writing instrument resembling a little knife, was
used to write and inscribe on lontars. It is composed of iron, and to make
both thick and thin inscriptions, the point has been sharpened into a
triangle. After that, the manuscripts were cleaned with natural dyes, which
left the text on the parts that had been scratched black.
Observation
As a reference, I will be using this specific image of Balinese script vowels
to see consistent traits. I will use this observation to create rules of
strokes I will set for the font that I will create.
#1
#2
Digitalization
I started the digitalization by just following the sketch and taking reference
to the digitalization from an existing font. I used Universt Lt font for this
digitalization.
After consulting with Mr. Vinod, he said that the font must be created
from a specific grid that will make all the letters in the typeface look
uniform. Therefore, I re-do the digitalization by creating a grid first.
Then I created the letters' strokes using Shape Builder in
Illustrator.
Then I proceed to create the uppercase and lowercase using these shapes. Below
are the uppercase letters that I have digitalized.
When creating the uppercases, I used the grids and used shape builder tool to create the shapes step by step. However, I find this technique to be difficult and time-consuming. Therefore, I planned to just make the lowercase by taking some shapes from the uppercase and combining them into the letters.
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| Font Outline |
After the digitalization is done, I proceed to copy and paste the
letterforms to Fontlab. I made sure that the space between the letters are
according to the suggested sidebearings of each letters.
Presentation and Application Process
FINAL SUBMISSION
Font Result
or copy this link https://drive.google.com/file/d/1OGT6EbMHPJDvfhk7ppml11LGO7ZZlkG9/view?usp=sharing
Font Presentation
Font Presentation 1
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| Font Presentation 1 |
Font Presentation 2
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Font Presentation 2 |
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Font Presentation 3 |
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Font Presentation 4 |
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Font Presentation 5 Font Presentation PDF |
Font Application
Font Application 1
Font Application 3
Font Application 5
Experience
Font Application 2
Font Application 4
Font Application PDF
FEEDBACK
Week 9
General Feedback: make sure that the proposed font have a solution to a
problem
Specific Feedback: my proposed font comes from a script, not an
alphabet, make sure to learn what tool was used to write the
script.
Week 10
General Feedback: make the font based on a grid.
Specific Feedback: Make sure that the strokes of the font are consistent
by making the basic shapes first
Week 11
General Feedback: To prevent inconsistent font size and width, ensure
the font size stays the same while exporting to FontLab.
Week 12
General Feedback: Start importing the uppercase, lowercase, numbers, and
punctuation in FontLab.
Week 13
General Feedback: Make sure to have a color scheme for the font
presentation but the color scheme in the font application does not have
to be the same.
REFLECTION
Compared to previous tasks I have done, I personally think this task is the most challenging one so far. This is because I have to go through a lot of process of designing and refining. However, this task made me realize that before starting any design project, I have to have a clear plan on how to make it first so that the design process wouldn't be so stressful.
Observation
I noticed that the most important of making a font is having consistent strokes. From Mr. Vinod's Suggestion, basic form of the strokes have to be created first. This would make it easier and faster to create each letterforms too.
Findings
An important aspect on processing a font is kerning and spacing. To have a balanced text, the side bearings have to be adjusted and followed consistent spacing. There is a certain rule to side bearings, but the rule must be adjusted to the font itself because some fonts can have a unique shape of itself. 
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