Advanced Typography - Task 3: Type Exploration and Application

Investigate relevant typographic practices and references, and identify existing problems, limitations, or areas for improvement within the chosen context.

Execution

Develop the typeface and demonstrate its application through appropriate visual outputs and use cases.

1. Proposal

We were required to present a proposal outlining our ideas and concepts related to the given topic.

Fig. 1.1 Proposal (11-17_W9)

In class, I presented this slides to Mr. Vinod and discussed my ideas. In the end, I thought the first idea was the most suitable to move forward with.

2. Digitization

The idea for this typeface came from my interest in puzzle games, especially the Rusty Lake series. I did not want to design a font that looks clean or decorative. Instead, I wanted it to feel like text that has been used and left behind.

During the process, I focused on spacing, rhythm, and slight irregularities between letters. The goal was to keep the font readable while giving it an unstable and quiet tone. I imagine this typeface being used in letters, records, or in-game messages, where the text becomes part of the story.

I first continued refining my draft in Procreate. I tried two versions of uppercase letters with different stroke thicknesses. Considering that this font is not only suitable for titles, I ultimately chose the thinner version (at the bottom in Figure 1.2).

Fig. 1.2 Draft (11-17_W9)

So in Adobe Illustrator, I used the Rectangle Tool and the Wrinkle Tool to create a new art brush. I want to use it to simulate the feeling of 'rust' and ink bleeding, making it fit the mysterious and eerie atmosphere of the game.

Fig. 1.3 Art brush (11-17_W9)

I used the pen tool to create my letters within a grid. I studied the existing fonts in Rust Lake and found them irregular, slender, and top-heavy—I think this is intended to make a sense of unease.

This is the first version I designed of uppercase letters, lowercase letters, and some punctuation marks. Following Mr. Vinod's suggestion, I added a few dots to the letters to make them look richer and give them a quirky feel.

Fig. 1.4 Digitized initial font(11-24_W10)

When designing the lowercase letters "b, d, g, p, q", I referred to the structure of the lowercase letter "o" to make them look consistent.

Fig. 1.5 Design of lowercase letters b, d, g, o, p, q(11-24_W10)

After making a series of adjustments, I also designed the numbers 0-9.

When I was designing the number "0", I needed to distinguish it from the uppercase letter "O". I made the number "0" look slimmer and longer, while the letter "O" appeared rounder.

Fig. 1.6 The visual difference between the
letter 'O' and the number '0'(11-24_W10)

While adjusting the letter structures, I also noticed some issues with the punctuation marks. The sizes of the punctuation marks I designed seemed off; when placed together with letters and numbers, they were so small that they were almost invisible. So, I enlarged them. Take the period as an example: I made the diameter of this 'circle' similar to the stroke thickness of the letters.

Fig. 1.4 Punctuation before changes(11-24_W10)

Fig. 1.5 Punctuation after changes (11-24_W10)

The following shows the presentation of all uppercase and lowercase letters, punctuation marks, and numbers in Adobe Illustrator, divided into the initial pen stroke view and the outline view.

Fig. 1.5 Pen stroke view (11-24_W10)

Fig. 1.6 Outline view (11-24_W10)

3. Developing final font in Fontlab

At first, I chose Fontforge to complete my final font. However, I encountered a problem while following tutorials: my font had very rough edges, which made it extremely difficult to adjust the glyphs in Fontforge. So I switched to using Fontlab, which I am more familiar with.

Fig. 1.7 Importing letterforms into Fontlab (12-1_W11)

After importing all characters, I adjusted them based on the two letter spacing reference tables posted on Teams.

At this point, the font is complete. I named this font 'Rustmark'.

Fig. 1.8 Process of kerning for uppercase (12-1_W11)

Fig. 1.9 Process of kerning for lowercase (12-1_W11)

Fig. 1.10 Process of kerning for numbers and punctuations (12-1_W11)

4. Font Presentation

My font is designed for puzzle games, so I took the base colors from the Rusty Lake series as inspiration for the color scheme. I hope this can create a visual impact.

Fig. 1.11 Process of kerning for numbers and punctuations (12-8_W12)

I wanted to create a mysterious and quirky atmosphere, so I used glitch-style effects. At the same time, I made extensive use of some keywords repeatedly mentioned in the Rusty Lake games, such as 'memory' and 'past,' as well as the famous phrase 'the past is never dead; it's not even the past.'

In classroom feedback, Mr. Vinod mentioned that the strokes of my font are very thin, so I need to enlarge these letters in the font presentation, which would look much better. So I made some modifications.

Fig. 1.12 Adjusted Font Presentation (12-8_W12)

Final font presentation:

Fig. 1.13 Font Presentation 1 (12-8_W12)

Fig. 1.14 Font Presentation 2 (12-8_W12)

Fig. 1.15 Font Presentation 3 (12-8_W12)

Fig. 1.16 Font Presentation 4 (12-8_W12)

Fig. 1.17 Font Presentation 5 (12-8_W12)

5. Font Application

I plan to further connect my font with a decryption game. The most important thing is whether the font looks good in the game. So I tried creating some mock gameplay screens.

Fig. 1.18 Process Screenshot 1 (12-8_W12)

The remaining two apps gave me the idea to create game merchandise. Since I really love Rust Lake's art style and soundtrack, I decided to make postcards(Image from Pinterest) and an album.

Fig. 1.19 Process Screenshot 2 (12-8_W12)

Mr. Vinod mentioned in his feedback on my assignment that my postcard design should emphasize the typography rather than the illustration. So I added more text.

Fig. 1.20 The redesigned postcard (12-8_W12)

Final font application :

Fig. 1.21 Font Application 1 (12-8_W12)

Fig. 1.22 Font Application 2 (12-8_W12)

Fig. 1.23 Font Application 3 (12-8_W12)

Fig. 1.24 Font Application 4 (12-8_W12)

Fig. 1.25 Font Application 5 (12-8_W12)

Final Task 3: Type Exploration and Application

Click here to download Rustmark

Final Font Design

Fig. 2.1 Finalized letterforms -PDF (12-8_W12)

FontLab screen grab

Fig. 2.2 FontLab screen grab (12-8_W12)

Five font presentations

Fig. 2.3 Font Presentation 1 (12-8_W12)

Fig. 2.4 Font Presentation 2 (12-8_W12)

Fig. 2.5 Font Presentation 3 (12-8_W12)

Fig. 2.6 Font Presentation 4 (12-8_W12)

Fig. 2.7 Font Presentation 5 (12-8_W12)

Five font applications

Fig. 2.8 Font Application 1 (12-8_W12)

Fig. 2.9 Font Application 2 (12-8_W12)

Fig. 2.10 Font Application 3 (12-8_W12)

Fig. 2.11 Font Application 4 (12-8_W12)

Fig. 2.12 Font Application 5 (12-8_W12)

Fig. 2.13 Font Presentation and Font Application - PDF (12-8_W12)

FEEDBACK

Week 9

General Feedback： We conducted preliminary feedback on Task 3. We presented our three options to the professor in the form of slides. The professor pointed out that we should not criticize existing fonts as being bad, but rather propose improvements based on the context of the problem.

Special Feedback： My plans are as follows: puzzle game font design (referencing Rust Lake), improvements based on last semester's font, and improvements to font Eros. Regarding option one, the professor pointed out that my self-designed version is too complex and might affect text readability, suggesting I do more exploration. There are no comments on option two. Font three is actually a very good font, so I decided to discard this plan. In the end, I chose option one.

Week 10

General Feedback： This tutorial continues the exploration of task 3. The professor provides feedback based on the capital letters we have already completed. He emphasizes that we are not allowed to 'draw' the outlines of the letters; we should construct the letters using rectangles.

Special Feedback： Mr. Vinod basically approved of my uppercase letter design. He suggested that if I want the letters to look scarier or more mysterious (matching the game's theme), I could try adding dots around the letters, but not too many.

Week 11

General Feedback： This week, the main work focused on improving font design in AI and importing it into FontLab. Mr. Vinod reminded us to pay attention to following the letter spacing rules.

Special Feedback： I was approved to move on to the next stage, which is refining my font in FontLab.

Week 12

General Feedback： This week continues with online feedback. My font design on FontLab has been approved. Next, we will move on to the assignments for font presentation and application.

Special Feedback： My font display and application need to match my theme.

REFLECTION

Experience

This font design task was meaningful to me because it is closely related to my future direction. However, the process was more challenging than I expected, and I had to redesign the font several times. At first, I focused mainly on style and atmosphere, especially the Rusty Lake–inspired feeling. During testing, I realized that some letters had spacing and readability issues, which forced me to slow down and rethink the structure of each character. I spent a lot of time adjusting spacing, line weight, and overall consistency. Although the process was tiring, it helped me better understand type design and the importance of testing instead of relying on first impressions.

Observations

Through this task, I learned that a font cannot rely on style alone. Even if individual letters look good, they may not work well in sentences. Spacing and rhythm between letters are just as important as their shapes. Testing the font in different contexts, such as posters, game text, and longer paragraphs, made many issues more noticeable and helped me evaluate my design more objectively.

Findings

From this project, I realized that good font design requires a balance between personality and usability. A font needs character, but it must also remain readable and practical. I also learned that consistency is essential, as small details like punctuation, numbers, and spacing can greatly affect the overall quality. This task strengthened my confidence and gave me a clearer understanding of how fonts work in real-world applications.

FURTHER READING

The VIGNELLI CANON

Massimo Vignelli

Fig 3.1 The cover of The Vignelli Canon

For my further reading, I chose The Vignelli Canon by Massimo Vignelli. I selected this book because I already knew a little about the author and felt that his ideas would be helpful for someone who is still learning design. As a beginner, I often feel confused by the large amount of design content online, especially on social media, where many works look similar and focus mainly on visual trends. I wanted to learn from a designer with solid experience and clear principles, which is why I chose this book.

In the first part of the book, Vignelli introduces three key aspects of design: semantics, syntactics, and pragmatics. Semantics focuses on meaning, reminding designers that every element should have a clear purpose and that unnecessary decoration should be avoided. Syntactics refers to the structure and organization of design, such as layout, grids, spacing, and typography, which help information communicate clearly. Pragmatics emphasizes that design must work in real situations and that functionality should not be ignored for the sake of appearance.

One idea that made me think was Vignelli’s belief that designers should lead instead of fully relying on user testing. I do not completely disagree with him, but I think user needs are still important in many cases. For me, finding a balance between professional judgment and user experience may be the best approach. Overall, this book helped me think more clearly about design and gave me useful guidance at this stage of my learning.

Yang Shuo (0384037)

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Advanced Typography - Task 3: Type Exploration and Application

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