Keith Chi-Hang Tam

 

Keith Chi-hang Tam
Typography
Hong Kong

         
 
I substituted for a creative process class last Saturday. The theme of the class, as it turned out, was typography (conveniently). To my delight, it was the students’ first formal exposure to typography. I divided the class into five small groups, handed out big sheets of paper and markers and had them brainstorm ideas to the following questions: 1 What is typography? 2 What is typography’s role in graphic design? and 3 What is typography’s role in everyday life? I also asked them to come up with the groups’ favourite typefaces. It was interesting to note that most of their answers centered around the artistic or expressive aspects of typography, and the marketing aspects, which might be close to the general public’s perception of typography. Not surprisingly, Comic Sans, along with other system fonts, came up as some of their favourite typefaces.

Some of their ideas:

Typography is …
a visual element of communication
informative
the artful expression of letters
the stylistic & symbolic way of remembering stuff
drawing without pictures
about the effect of letter styles on perception
modern hieroglyphics
the art of lettering
art as verbal communication
expressive of emotions
a way to communicate spoken words visually
the art of language
both literal & visual
the ‘packaging’ for language
cultural
the art of designing texts

In graphic design, typography …
portrays themes or emotions through text
is used to back up what the copy is saying
is for establishing a ‘feel’ or an image of a company
is eye-catching
is used to get you to buy products
works with or compliment an image
should cater for the requirements different audiences
is part of a brand or corporate identity
expresses emotions and ideas
evokes moods
says something about products or services visually
grabs attention
ensures readability
is used to create appeal for different markets
is used to identify

In everyday life, typography is …
visual communication
for publishing ideas
for expressing oneself
to communicate
information
for our own memory
legible
about variety
for evoking emotions

12/08/2003 10:03:00 AM (0) comments

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