Exercise: 313 Type

Something involving making type… Instructions will be shared live in class.

Type Show and Tell

This will be a chance for the class to get to know each other in terms of typography. Students will each give short presentations on their work so far, addressing their type choices and arrangements (+ questions, anecdotes, regrets, learnings, etc.), as well as speaking to their influences.

Come prepared to share 2–3 examples of your work that use typography. You can talk about type that you’ve designed and/or type that you’ve used, focusing on how you’ve used it and why, what happened, project details, and more. In addition, bring in 2–3 examples of work by other designers/out in the world that are compelling to you, influential in your practice, or simply on your mind lately.

Presentations are meant to be casual! We can look at projected images or physical materials. If referencing a book (or anything else) that you have access to, please bring it in as opposed to showing images.

Exercise: Performing Words

Something involving scores for reading aloud… Instructions will be shared live in class.

Project 1: Quick Alphabet

READING

Inhabiting the Negative Space, Jenny Odell (2020) pages 17–71
Loose Associations and Other Lectures, Ryan Gander (2008) introduction and lecture 1.1
“Gerardo Velázquez: Work in Progress,” Nat Pyper (2023)
Thinking with Type, Ellen Lupton (2004) to flip through only

PROMPT

In just one week, design a custom alphabet (letters A–Z, uppercase or lowercase or both) and numerals (0–9). Other glyphs and symbols are allowed but not required.

Upon completion, present your alphabet to the class in 2 ways: (1) in isolation (printed on paper and pinned up), and (2) in use, relating to a specific context (set in a book, as a poem, projected, as stickers, sculpted, performed, read by a chorus, read by a specific interlocutor, unreadable, painted, texted, coded, etc.). For the latter, and in general as you design, consider what this work is for and why.

Exercise: Collective Type Specimen

Related to Project 1… Instructions will be shared live in class.

Exercise: 313 Poetry

Something involving found type… Instructions will be shared live in class.

Project 2: Pamphlet

READING

“EF’s visit to a Small Planet: Some Questions to Ask a Play,” Elinor Fuchs (2004)
“Once It’s Typed It’s Published,” J. Christopher Jones (1979)

The following are for flipping through enough to understand what’s going on formally:
Species of Spaces and Other Pieces, Georges Perec (1974) pages 9–15
Is God Is, Aleshea Harris (2018)
The Medium is the Massage, Marshall McLuhan and Quentin Fiore (1967)
“On the Unspeakable,” Samuel Delany (1999)
Works, Aram Saroyan (1966)
Dictée, Theresa Hak Kyung Cha (1982)
Pool 4, Nora Turato (2020)
“The World and Words Fuck Each Other,” Nat Pyper (2021)

PROMPT

Design a pamphlet that typographically changes (affects, in any which way you desire: enhances, subverts, contradicts, critiques, etc.) the meaning of a chosen text or combination of texts.

Requirements:
• No more than 8 pages
• Any paper size (standard formats encouraged) with any folding you’d like
• No binding
• Type only, no images

PART 1

Taking from discussions around Project 1, our class readings, your semester readings, or any other readings that relate to your practice at this moment, come up with a content idea for your pamphlet. You may choose to work with one source or a combination of materials.

Come prepared to speak in detail about your selected text(s) and how it relates to your work. Bring in a sample of your text(s) for everyone to read (one letter-size page, enough copies for everyone in class).

In addition, start thinking about how you’d approach design for your pamphlet. What could be the format of your pamphlet and why? How will you change your text through typography and/or material, production, etc.? Material explorations and sketches are encouraged. Be prepared to present your progress to the class.

PART 2

Responding to feedback from last session, design your pamphlet and bring a printout to class. If you’re testing out a few directions, please bring them for discussion.

There are many possibilities at this stage so think about how you’ll set guidelines for yourself as you design. What gestures will you deploy to affect your text? Consider all elements of your source content: headers, author bylines, page numbers, paragraph breaks, captions, footnotes, etc. Which will you include and which will you omit? What changes and what stays the same? What typeface will you use? How will it be set? What are breaks like? Are there spaces? Margins? Is your pamphlet loud or quiet? Does it pretend to be something it’s not?

PART 3

Finish your pamphlet and bring its final version to class. Consider your distribution strategy: should you make an edition of 10, 20, 50 pamphlets? Does your pamphlet exist as a copy of 1?

Pamphlet presentations will be followed by a collective class reading.

Book Show and Tell

Bring to class two examples of publications: one that unfolds linearly and another that is experimental in its reading experience. Look into these materials deeply and come prepared to speak about your findings in detail.

Exercise: Copying

Find a physical book or periodical that is at least 10 years old and interests you. Research to understand as much as you can about it including who designed it, when it was made, how it was produced, what you find special about it, and more.

Choose a complex spread that contains many type elements (header, subhead, body copy, captions, page numbers, etc.). Using InDesign, create an exact replica of it. Use a ruler or measuring tape to find the publication’s trim size and make your pages match in size. Research to find the typeface used or one that resembles it closely. Pay attention to leading, tracking, alignment, and margins. Print your work out as you go to see if things look the same. When done, print out your, trim, and fold.

Bring to class your publication (or a picture or scan of it) and the designed spread. Be prepared to talk about your research and process for the project.

Project 3: Non-linear Book

READING

If on a Winter’s Night a Traveler, Italo Calvino (1979) pages 25–33 and 253–259
“Every Book Starts with an Idea,” Armand Mevis (2009)
“The Book as Physical Object,” Laura Coombs (2020)
The Book, Amaranth Borsuk (2018) pages 1–19, 61–69, 111–117, and 197–204

PROMPT

Design a book that challenges linearity.

PART 1

The first part of this brief is dedicated to figuring out what book you want to make and why… Select a publication topic/theme/idea and research it extensively. Write a casual editorial statement for your book addressing what it is, what kind of content/ideas it explores, why it’s being published, etc. in 50–100 words. Print this out and be ready to share it in class.

PART 2

Explore conceptual ideas and gestures for your book. Consider how the information it will house will be organized, and put together a diagram for its contents. Think about how the book challenges linearity and its system for doing so. In addition, come up with ideas for the book format/size/production method and design 2 sample spreads. Bring printouts to class.

In parallel, continue to compile content for your booklet: collect/extract/transcribe/track down text, images, credits, and any other information you will need.

PART 3

Incorporate feedback and design more spread types + 2 options for covers and back covers. By now, you should have all of your book content collected. Bring printouts to class in addition to any relevant material samples.

PART 4

Design, typeset, and produce your final book. Be ready to share with the class.

Collaboration with Richmond Young Writers

We will work on a collaborative project with Richmond Young Writers, pairing designers with writers to make book spreads. Take note that this work will happen outside of class time on Sunday 10/20 at 822 W Broad St and Sunday 10/27 at Pizza Bones. Find more details here.