Shaping the Future
Custom hand-drawn type is a tough skill to master, but one you only get better at with time and practice. Hand-drawn lettering is unique from a “typeface” in that it has custom forms that couldn’t result from just typing out letters on your keyboard. Some OpenType fonts have so many ligature options that they can look pretty close to hand lettering, but nothing is quite like true hand lettering.
Your assignment is to create a poster, that utilizes hand-drawn/hand-made lettering within the piece, that shares your vision of the future.
The poster can be a warning, a call-to-action, a rally call, a protest piece...Your poster should communicate your idea for the future, the future you want for the next generations. It is your chance as a creative to let your voice be heard as the future is defined by our actions today.
Your poster can focus on equal access to water and to food. Or on climate change. Or basic human rights. It’s your vision of the future—and the focus is up to you.
I encourage you to think about what the proper lettering should be for the content you choose, then set the words / phrase / lyrics in a variety of typefaces you think might be appropriate. Identify the elements you think are particularly fitting and run with them. How can you exaggerate those forms in a unique and appropriate way? Alternately, you might consider drawing letters from scratch without basing them on existing type to see where it takes you.
The ultimate objectives are to get some experience with type—off of the computer—to fit your specific needs so that you aren’t always relying on finding the perfect typeface for your projects, but repurposing more basic type to your needs…and to hopefully come out of it with a self-contained portfolio piece.
THE TRICK TO SUCCESS ON THIS PROJECT IS DRAWING IT IN PENCIL/INK ON PAPER FIRST!
Criteria for Grading
