Project 9: Bit o’ Lit

Design and produce a 5.5 x 8.5 B&W finished booklet with text/image on all pages, front and back. Step 1: Acquire the digital text of a fiction book chapter or short story of at least 1500 words. You must also get a short (paragraph length) biography of the writer(s). In addition, collect imagery (digital or flat art) related to reading and literature. Due: Monday, July 28. Step 2: Design template for opening spread of story and subsequent text pages. Set up style sheets for (at least): 1) Headline/title, 2) Byline (author), 3) Bio, 4) Opening paragraph, 5) Body copy, 6) Folios. Due: Tuesday, July 29. Step 3: Rough design for cover, inside front cover, and table of contents. Set up style sheets for: 1) Cover subhead A, 2) Cover subhead B, 3) TOC headline, 4) TOC subhead, 5) TOC items, 6) TOC blurb, 7) TOC masthead. Due: Wednesday, July 30.

Step 4: Develop these aspects of piece:
Cover (over full bleed image):
[masthead design] Bit O’ Lit
Books: a bit at a time
Volume 1, Number 8
August 4, 2008
Free

Table of Contents (TOC) text:
Book excerpts
[your selection/author]
[another student’s selection/author]
[another student’s selection/author]
[another student’s selection/author]
Articles
Getting kids to read
Booknews
Reviews
Word wit

For additional articles, reviews, news, and information , go to: www.Bit-O-Lit.com

Bit O’ Lit is a book magazine designed to conveniently introduce new books to readers. It is distributed free every other week on Mondays. Look for it in vending boxes at select Metro stops and online. Contact us at contact@bit-o-lit.com

[TOC masthead]
Shannon MacDonald: publisher
Emma FitzGerald: editor
Matthew Spieler: assistant editor
[your name]: graphic design
Casey helig and Maxwell Wimmer: publishing assistants
Printed by Incunabula Press, Ottmar, Virginia
Bit O’ Lit  contains material that is derived in whole or in part from material supplied by Bit O’ Lit and other publishing sources and is protected by U.S. and international copyright and trademark laws. No material may be copied, reproduced, republished, uploaded, posted, transmitted or distributed in any way without the express written consent of Bit O’ Lit and its associated publishers. ©2008 Bit O’ Lit, LLC.

Inside cover/facing page:

Bit O’ Lit

We want to know what you like to read.
Do tell.
Take our online survey. Enter our contest to win your choice of Bit O’ Lit books.

www.Bit-O-Lit.com

Story spread:
Left hand page: title in ‘expressive’ typographic treatment
Author’s name (byline)
Blurb about story
Begin story text on right hand page

Final booklet due: Tuesday, August 5, 8:30 am.

Project 8: Article-ations

Create a two one-page (8.5 x 11, portrait) layouts of this text. The body copy will be set FLRR for one and left justified for the other. Consider your page as a layout for a (design) magazine. Two typefaces are permitted, along with their fonts. Due: Thursday, July 24, 8:30 am.

Summer Continuancy Review, Friday, August 1, 11:00am

The summer continuancy review for graphic design concentration
students will be held on Friday, August 1, 11:00am, in VAB 116.

Why?
All students in the graphic design concentration must pass the
review to register for required classes beyond Graphic Design II.

Who’s eligible?
You must be a currently-enrolled student or transfer, have
completed or given credit for all foundation courses and
required courses for ARTS 271 Graphic Design I, and
have completed or be currently enrolled in ARTS 370
Graphic Design II.

What do I submit?
10-12 examples of your best work. This must include 4-5 pieces
from foundation courses, and 4-5 from design classes. You are
encouraged to revise previous design class work. You may also
include 2-4 works from other studio courses and/or outside of
class (e.g. professionally-produced work). You may include 3D
work. Only digitally-oriented work (web sites, interactive)
should be submitted on disc (this is flexible).

How do I submit?
Deliver your work to VAB 116 by 11:00am on August 1 in a neat
and clean portfolio, case, or folder that allows easy access. Please
clearly label your portfolio with your name and include your
I.D. Number. Portfolios may be dropped off the day before the review.

Who reviews the work?
The full-time graphic design faculty.

Can I get advice on what to submit?
Yes, Kenneth FitzGerald will meet with you to go
over the work you’re considering for submission
and make recommendations.

How do I know if I passed?
Results will be posted and portfolios will be ready for pickup by
2:00p.m. the same day. Students passing the review will be cleared
to register before the end of the week.

What if I don’t pass?
You will be given a copy of a review form which will indicate the
reasons for the decision. You may also meet with design faculty
to discuss your status. Students may resubmit a portfolio at the
next review in the fall.

I have another question!
Contact Kenneth FitzGerald, kfitzger@odu.edu, VAB 112.

Project 7: Light to Dark

Design and produce another 11 x 17 (portrait) type-only poster inspired by 19th century wood type posters: tight fit and snug force-justified display type. An additional aspect is that from top to bottom, the typographic color moves from light to dark evenly. The poster will be set ALL in a sans or sans-serif face. You are allowed only CAPS, but have no limitation of fonts of the typeface as long as you use Roman type only. You may alter point sizes as necessary. 100% black type on white background, all text flush to baselines (no rotation or angling). The goal is to fit the provided quotation (with attribution and a design credit) into a rectangle that is flush even on all edges. Minimal tracking should be employed. Include the attribution of the quote and your design credit in the composition. Note: your text does not have to follow the line breaks given below.

THIS IS A DESIGN STUDIO
CROSSROADS OF CIVILISATION
REFUGE OF ALL THE ARTS
AGAINST THE RAVAGES OF TIME
ARMOURY OF FEARLESS TRUTH
AGAINST WHISPERING RUMOUR
INCESSANT TRUMPET OF TRADE
FROM THIS PLACE WORDS MAY FLY ABROAD
NOT TO PERISH ON WAVES OF SOUND
NOT TO VARY WITH THE WRITER’S HAND
BUT FIXED IN TIME HAVING BEEN VERIFIED IN PROOF
FRIEND YOU STAND ON SACRED GROUND
THIS IS A DESIGN STUDIO

AFTER BEATRICE WARDE (1932)

Due: Friday, July 18, 8:30 am.

Project 6: Blue Notations

Using a pangram again of no more than 10 words set variations of the text in as many different arrangements as you can imagine, inspired by the Blue Note album covers typography. Consider the text a title for an LP from the series. In this project, you are to interject some “expressive” type. You are allowed to give no more than two words an expressive arrangement (move characters off baselines, rotate, invert, etc.), the remaining text must be flat to baselines, 100% K, no mixing of CAPS and U&lc, all Roman. The goal is to come up with as many different variations as possible while respecting the practical need to read the text—you should bend readability/legibility but not break it. I recommend that you begin with standard alignments and move methodically through different ways to combine the words. Keep in mind fundamental 2D principles: balance, symmetry, asymmetry, etc. Perform variations at 24 pt. type in Filosofia Regular and Trade Gothic Condensed, in all upper case and upper and lower case. Note what arrangements work well in caps but not U&lc. 8.5 x 11 pages, no more than 3 variations per page. First step: hand sketches of possible variations due tomorrow. Final typeset versions due: Wednesday, July 16, 9:00 am.

Project 5: Tight Fit Poster

Design and produce an 11 x 17 (portrait) type-only poster inspired by 19th century wood type posters. The poster will be set ALL in a sans or sans-serif face. You are allowed only CAPS, and one weight of the face: in other words, you may Futura Condensed Bold and Futura Extended Bold but not Futura Condensed Bold and Futura Condensed Light. You may alter point sizes as necessary. 100% black type on white background. The goal is to fit the provided quotations (with attribution and a design credit) into a rectangle that is flush even on all edges. Minimal tracking should be employed. Examples of contemporary designers making posters inspired by wood type posters that would conform this assignment (typographically, though not in color) can be seen here and here.

Quote: The one important thing I have learned over the years is the difference between taking one’s work seriously and taking one’s self seriously. The first is imperative and the second is disastrous.
—Margot Fonteyn

Due: Monday, July 14, 8:30 am.

Project 4: Headliners

Select a pangram of no more than 10 words from the “The Pangram Page” under Links and set variations of the text in as many different arrangements as you can imagine. Consider the text a headline for a magazine article. The goal is to come up with as many different variations as possible while respecting the practical need to read the text—you should bend legibility but not break it (just yet). I recommend that you begin with standard alignments and move methodically through different ways to combine the words. Keep in mind fundamental 2D principles: balance, symmetry, asymmetry, etc. Perform variations at 36 pt. type in Bodoni Regular and Franklin Gothic Condensed, in all upper case and upper and lower case. Note what arrangements work well in caps but not U&lc. 8.5 x 11 pages, no more than 3 variations per page. Due: Thursday, July 10, 8:30 am.

Project 3: Font Grid

Create a sampler grid of type from the non-symbol font folders on the computer, using only the character you’ve been assigned. Select the “Regular” or similar version of the face. Use only one point size between 9-12 points. Organize the characters in the grid with easiest to read on the left, to the hardest on the right. Also, going bottom to top, from “common” to “refined.” Be sure to keep track of what the font is and the folder it’s from (though you don’t need to have the names on the sheet). 8.5 x 11, black characters on white only. Due: Tuesday, July 8, 10:00am.

Project 2: Writing the Rules

Based upon the taxonomies created in class, write a report that details the rules of typographic usage. This is not a research report into what “rules” currently exist but your own discoveries based upon observation. Take nothing for granted and be thorough (start from zero!). You might imagine that you are writing a manual for people who speak a language like Japanese that isn’t expressed in Roman characters. They are learning to speak, read, and write English and become good typographers. What do they need to know? Questions to consider: are there different reading situations? How, if at all, do rules change as circumstances change? How does the shape of the characters affect reading? How do they relate to reading situations? How does space between characters function? Are some character shapes universal?

For all of your rules you must write a brief reason why your rule is necessary and how it should be followed.

You are welcome to critique what you’ve discovered by observation and suggest improvements. For instance, what’s with having two different forms for the same letter (e.g. “a” and “A”)? Is that necessary?

It is understood that you’ve already been exposed to and know existing typographic rules. You are allowed to include them if you agree but you must still write a reason for the rule. Please indicate any “outside” rules in your report with an asterisk (*).

Please provide diagrams as needed, using existing typographic artifacts (i.e. if you have separate rules for how type should be handled in paperback book, photocopy a spread and diagram over it. Digital images from Project 1 are also acceptable (as long as they’re clear).

If you find that new terms or additions to the taxonomy are needed, you may upload new images to the group Project 1.x.

The report should be typeset (word processed document acceptable). Note: save your digital document file, I’ll want that also (can be an attachment to an e-mail).

Due: Monday, July 7, 8:30am.

Link to the Flickr image page

This is the URL of the Flickr page to upload images for the first assignment: http://www.flickr.com/groups/gd2s08.