Fundamentals of communication

Fundamentals of Communication

Fundamenta ls o f Communicat ion

Michal Cuninka

By: Michal Cuninka

Fundamentals of CommunicationWorkshop 1.1

For my primary research I have visited Manchester city center and places around the city’s center to record the font usage in every day’s situation.

I like how font was used in Topman’s magazine but also I liked how Metrolink’s boards were done, really simple yet clear due to the composition and letter size.


This was an exercise where I was asked to draw certain letters from the images I have recorded on my ‘field research’. I have used variety of fonts to create these drawings, in some situations the drawing did end up looking like a random pattern but inf act it was just a part of pixel like font which then I have amended.

I have used variety of techniques such as super enlarging it or over laying two different fonts together.

Once I was done, I have looked at Seb Lesters work since I follow him on Instagram, I really like his work so I tried to create something similar my self with quote from Topman’s magazine (top right image) but I have also added colour to see whether it will give it bigger impact.

Over all my favorite piece was the ‘D4’ image as I like how I used negative space within another letter to create overlaying letter.

Fundamentals of CommunicationWorkshop 2

This exercise asked us to create a pattern from our font choice and what we have already created. I tired to go with a different approach and took bits from the pieces I drew and then twisted them around a little bit to make them look like something I was thinking about, the number 1 pattern was done by simply looking at the negative space of ‘Y’ which was a triangle so I drew bunch of triangles stuck together with two different angles which gave me that interesting pattern. For the second pattern I was looking at the pixel font and pretty much created a criss cross piece which involves squares at different angles too and ended up looking interesting and for the third pattern I have looked at the ‘D4’ piece where I have used negative space so I have done the same here but at different directions and angles too which gave me an interesting outcome.

Once I have done that, I have digitized the patterns and then developed them further which gave me lot of interesting outcomes.


This exercise was to give us an insight on utilizing space within objects and to give us an insight of layout.

We got given a choice of creating 12x12cm squares or 10x14cm rectangles where we have draw all the shapes within the square or rectangle.

We were asked to produce 10 pieces at 90 degrees (square to the format), and a further 5 pieces utilizing 45 degrees (diagonal to the format), and 5 more that encompass both.

This exercise was pretty challenging as it was not the easiest thing to create interesting looking layouts but over all I have enjoyed this exercise as it had challenged me and made me think of creating interesting patterns.


This exercise has followed from the previous 3.1 where we had to create a nice layout by utilizing shapes within a limited space.

Here I have been asked replicate 5 of my best layouts which then I would transform the shapes into text.

This exercise was very simple and easy but I have really liked it as it made me realize how much the previous exercise mattered and how nice the layout looked nice once actual font was in use.

Fundamentals of CommunicationWorkshop 4

Once we had an insight of working with layout, this was the following exercise where were given a recipe and then asked to make it look interesting yet still usable and easily readable.

This exercise was pretty challenging as I had to think which order the information should be included in but also the flow of the recipe so that the user can do everything with easy and is easy to follow.

I have developed once piece which was good but needed a bit more development which then I have done and ended up with the right piece as my final.

This exercise was pretty interesting yet very challenging as it was hard to figure out the flow of information so that it was easy and clear to follow but also the layout to be interesting at the same time.

Fundamentals of CommunicationResearch - Book Size

Once we have finished all of the workshops we were told we are to design a 8 page book (including front and back) and also a poster which would promote a book.

Therefore I have started researching different book formats and binding options there are.

This exercise helped me out with deciding on what layout I want my book to be but also gave me an insight what book layout are used for and also different type of binding there is which helped me to think of how I will want my book to be binded.

Fundamentals of CommunicationResearch - Content Layout

Once I had a look at different types of book formats and binding, my next step was to look at layout of content within the book as it will be the part which will make my book look either successful or boring.

After looking at these pieces I felt a little bit more confident as I wanted to create something thats more unusual to normal book layout so I wanted to make it more interesting to look at just from the content layout which I think will make the reader much more interested into reading the book.

Fundamentals of CommunicationResearch - Front Cover

After looking at book layouts, I thought the next think I need to look at is book’s front cover design as that will play a big role of successful book, if the cover doesn’t look interesting, readers probably will not be too interested to look at it and read it.

Once again I have looked at various types of front cover which are mainly made out of just type (which is the harder thing to do in my opinion since there is no interesting imagery) as that was part of brief, to use only type or pattern I have created.

Up until the research I did not really pay attention to the book cover or what they meant but once looking at this research, I have understood that each front cover links with its title such as the yellow front cover ‘Against Happiness’ but is done in a shape of a sad face which automatically links with sadness just as the books title is.

This research gave me quite a lot to think about when designing my front cover since I want my front cover to be as professional as these are, therefore I will try utilize my pattern or type so that it links with the books title.

Fundamentals of CommunicationBook Size

After doing the research on books format, binding, layout and front cover.

My next step was to start designing and putting all the pieces together. So I started with books format. I thought I’d go against the conventional portrait book format and decided to create a landscape format as it will look more unique and differ from the rest.

To start off with I have added up all the word that are in my chapter which was 1765 words, then I have thought about how many words do I need to include per page so I have done 1765 divide by 6 (6pages that are usable) which gave me an outcome of 296 words per page which could be done in 2 paragraphs per page.

Once I have worked out how many words I need to write per page, it was time to create dimension of my book. I wanted something thats small and compact but not too small to look like a leaflet so I worked out that 8 inches by 5 inches could be a nice size as it only differs little bit from A5 which is usual book size therefore it will not be something surprising for the readers to hold.

Once I created the page, I was happy with its size and looks, next thing I was figuring out was the way I was going to bind my book, I have used normal and usual way of gluing the edges of each page but then I thought of more eco-friendly way which I think looks far better and was my final choice to use, by hole punching the pages together and then the paper that has been left after cutting out the page, cut it into thin stripe and simply use it as a ‘thread’ and tie it around the pages that was it looks smarter and different from conventional binding yet it is strong enough to hold the pages.

Fundamentals of CommunicationContent Layout Development

Once I was done figuring out my book size and binding, I have tried to figure out what layout I will use throughout my book.

I have done some different experiments which gave me an insight which would be the nicest format and also easiest to read it, I have been influenced from the book layout I have been looking out, this exercise was pretty fun as it made me think about readability but also how nice the layout looks.

I have chosen to go with the top left layout as it resembles normal book layout but is deferent yet nice to look at due to the way the text is pointing towards the middle but also looks really simples and works nicely with the spare space around.


9.5pt

9pt

10.5pt

10pt

11pt

Font Size Development

Once I was happy with the layout, it was time to think about the font size.

The font you see here is Minion pro with default leading and tracking. I have left them to default because I was only deciding on what size of the font will be suitable.

I have printed out the pages to see what it looks like in real life, after looking at the different sizes, the 9.5pt font size seemed the best as it wasn’t too small to read but not big, so it looked compact yet clean and smart.


Minion Pro vs. Quatrocentto

New Athena vs. Queens Park

Font Style Choice

This is was the stage where I was getting closer to the final product but first I have decided to look at different font variety. I decided to stick with Minion Pro style font therefore I went online and look at different fonts that are similar but a little bit smarter, I found 8 fonts that caught my eye, printed them out with the same body of text and then eliminated four of them as they didn’t look as good in person as they do on the screen.

That stage left me with Minion Pro, Quatrocentto, New Athena and Queens Park to decide which is the best, just like exercise before I have printed out the same page but with each half of the page with different font. This exercise surprised me as New Athena was the nicest and cleanest looking font out of them all with nice and thin look but not too thin to read and with nice spacing that are by default was the automatic choice to use this really smart and clean font.


New Athena_9.2pt

New Athena_9.2pt_12.1tracking

New Athena_9.2pt_13tracking

New Athena_9.2pt_13tracking_Left_v2

New Athena_9.2pt_13tracking_Left

Further Layout Development

Once I was happy with everything I had I decided to do last final checks to see whether there is any other of improving the layout or anything else.

I have changed the font size to 9.2pt as it looked even better than 9.5 and more cleaner yet not too small but then I was curious to change the tracking to get even cleaner layout so I have done two more experiments with different tracking and out of the two the 13pt tracking looked the nicest with the cleanest look.

At this stage I was happy with everything but just before I would start creating book pages, I thought I should just see what the layout would look like if the content would be pointing the left side and it turned out nicer looking than my previous layout I have done therefore I have changed my mind and used the usual alignment.

Now I was just figuring out where to place the text as it didn’t look right the first time with quiet bit of the line hanging out at the bottom so I chose to move the text down a little bit so it starts where the line is highest and it gave me final outcome which I was really about as I was really pleased with the way it look; how simple and clean it look but also the layout was still a little bit different from a conventional book which made me happy as I still stuck to my unique layout.

Fundamentals of CommunicationUse of Grid System

Now that I had everything I needed to create my page layouts, it was time to start making the pages and their layout, I have stuck to the same layout through the book.

To help me with making each page identical to other, I have used columns and guide lines to make sure everything was perfect and it is position as it should be.

This was wast too hard but a little bit time consuming as each page has different text and differently write so it was hard trying to make the same and stick to the same layout but at the end I have managed to get there which I was happy about as it was challenging yet rewarding.

Fundamentals of CommunicationFront Cover Development

Having finished my actual book pages, I just needed to create front page and back page of my book.

I have read the chapter from Letters on an Elk Hunt since that is the book I chose to work with. The chapter is about a man who visits poor town/village and a hotel where a short woman was working as a dishwasher who tell her story about how poor she is and how she has brought up her little sister after her mother passed away. Also she says how her life goal is to save up to buy her mother a tombstone. By the end of the chapter ‘short woman’ said she managed to save up for her mothers tombstone and that her goal is finished so she can pass away peacefully. Scenery was beautiful; sunset and all its surroundings. Connie (main guy) wished he could share it with his wife/mother.

Based on reading the chapter, I have decided to create a front cover, since I have already created this pattern, it came in actually very handy as I wanted to show ups and down to show how their life differs but also show the sunset and mountains so I thought the triangle can represent mountain and orange and black colour the sunset but another meaning is showing its ups and downs since the triangles go in different directions up and down direction which signify ups and downs but also how their life is going in different direction yet they are the same human being (triangle).

As you can see I have gone a long way in developing this front cover, ranging from colour but also composition of the text goes.

This exercise was fun as it was a good feeling creating something that relates to what the book is about.

Fundamentals of CommunicationBook Making

Once everything was finished, the making process came and I was ready to print after a lot of practice with printing and cutting.

Over all the book came out really good which I am proud of as I have spent lot of paper and time on trying to get it perfect, another reason why I am pleased with this part was that I have gained knowledge with printing and cutting out which will come in handy in the future.

Fundamentals of CommunicationPoster Research

Since I was finished with my book, last step was a poster that can represent the book.

As I have put a lot of effort into creating the book so I wanted to create equally good poster too to go with the book.

My starting point was to look at pre-existing poster that are made out of type only or some shapes, I already kind of had an idea of what I wanted it to look like but I looked at different posters and I seemed to like the posters of what my ideas resembled, I will create at least 5 different variations for my poster and then try to pick one that I will as my final piece.

The piece I like most from here is the bottom left image and the top left image too as one is neatly organized but the top one is all over the place yet it looks really interesting to look and try to read so I will try to take some of the inspiration and create my own.

Fundamentals of CommunicationPoster 1

Here is my first poster I have created, I went for a simple and clean look as I wanted to try it out and see how it worked out, I started wit a simple one and then I have moved its composition around a bit but also added the first paragraph as the brief asks me to, at first I didn’t like it so I have played around with leading which then gave me the final outcome.

Over all I like this but I think it is a little bit too simple for my final poster and doesn’t resemble my book at all.


This is my second poster I have created, unlike my first poster, I really like this one because of how I have utilized my pattern and layed out which I think it makes the poster look far more exciting interesting to look at since I still have utilized the simple and spread out title I have used on my first poster.

I was happy with my first attempt but then I have moved the text box around and also its length with font size until it looked neat and beautifully laid out, also I have a little pattern on top which I think adds more interesting look to it.

So far I will consider this poster as one of my final choice since I like the look about it.


This my third attempt at creating a poster which could be my final one.

I tried to recreate the one letter look by utilizing my pattern and creating letter E with it which stand for Elk as I thought that is a keyword in the title or word that stands out. To make it more interesting I have flipped it which I think worked as its different to what I was used to see, then I have tried to add the simplistic look on the title which I think has worked and finally add the first paragraph on the bottom as I think was a good place to place the text to make it look like a book poster.

Although I like this poster, I do not like as much as my second poster.


This is my fourth poster I have created, once again I tried to utilize my pattern and this is the outcome I have achieved,

I tried making the poster two but also simple and yet interesting to look at, so far this is my second most favorite piece I have achieved as I like how I have added the triangle to where the colurs change.

I have developed three other colour schemes for this poster but I think the white and orange works best. as it seems as the only one that gives out a positive look about it, another thing I like about this poster is the way I have laid outs title, I took an inspiration from one of the posters I have researched which has different sized font scattered around but I have kept it to minimal and only done it do the point where it is still easily readable but looks interesting.


This is my 5th attempt at creating my poster. I have utilized the same title layout as my 4th attempt because I like how it looked and I like the ‘scattered look’ and also the colour combination of it since it links with the pattern.

This time I tried go back to the simple look like I have created with my 1st poster but this time utilize the pattern in a minimal way unlike the previous times, although I did not like this poster as much, as I felt like it looks a bit too simple to look at, I decided to develop it further and add more patterns to it as well as change the text composition but still I just do not like it as much as my 2nd poster or 4th poster.


This is my 6th and Last attempt at creating a poster.

This time I tried to take a different approach and write the paragraph within the triangle but as I tried it, id didn’t work out the both times so I tried to change it around a little, I have places the title on top which looks nice and clean and then I have placed the shapes together as to shape an ‘envelope’ and then add the text right bellow it with orange colour to make it more diverse and utilize colours as I think it makes it look more lively.

This is the 3rd most favorite poster I create it but I still do not like it as much as I like my first poster therefore I will use my first poster for my final.

Fundamentals of CommunicationFinal Poster Development

This is my final poster I decided to use, as you can see I have decided to stick with the first poster I have created but I have refined it a little bit more, I have used columns and guide lines to help me make it more precise.

I have made the pattern a little bit smaller so it does not look too dominant and take all the attention away from the title and text and then I have moved it a bit higher so that it utilizes the space more. Another step was to make the text box little thinner and more refined so that the text looks better and nicely laid out. Lastly I have changed the title layout to the layout from the 4th poster I made as I really liked it and thought it looked really nice and simple but interesting due to the scattered look.

I am really pleased how I combined tow posters to make one but also the refinement I have done to it to make one perfect poster.


“ Dear Mrs. Coney,

Your letter of the 4th just to hand. How glad your letters make me; how glad I am to have you to tell little things to.

I intended to write you as soon as I came back from Green River, to tell you of a girl I saw there; but there was a heap to do and I kept putting it off. I have described the desert so often that I am afraid I will tire you, so I will leave that out and tell you that we arrived in town rath-er late. The help at the hotel were having their supper in the regular dining-room, as all the guests were out. They cheerfully left their own meal to place ours on the table ”

E L I N O R E P R U I T S T E W A R T

L e t t er s O n A n E l k Hu nt

Letters on an Elk Hunt

-Elinore Pruitt Stewart

Connie Willis

Final Outcome

Here are my final pieces, my final book cover and my final poster.

This has been a lengthy journey which has taught me a lot about type and layout which I am really glad as I am really pleased with the knowledge I have gained.

Over all I am really satisfied with the outcomes I have created as I really like them, especially their colour scheme.

Fundamentals of CommunicationSelf Reflective Assessment

This is my self reflective assessment comparison I have recorded, right assessment was created when I begun the project and left assessment is one I have created up on the end.

It seems like a drastic change when I looked at the old assessment as well more than 30 hours at home to create this brief, possibly touching 50 hours or more.

Design

Fundamentals of communication