HOME  COURSES  PHILOSOPHY  PORTFOLIO  EVENTS  CV

GDES 4345 University of Minnesota
Advanced Typography

Spring 2017, Spring 2018, Fall 2019
Lead Instructor: Carol Waldron

Course Description

Advanced Typography exposes students to the many creative practices that are present within graphic design that center around the use of typefaces. This course establishes a fluency in the fine details of composition that make  typography legible, readable, and professional as well as the use of letterforms as artful components of design. 

Objectives

  • Further your sensitivity to the formal qualities of letterforms
  • Refine technical skills for hand and digital type composition
  • Gain broader experience in the selection and arrangement of type for effective legibility and readability
  • Explore the legibility constraints of type and color
  • Enhance skills for shaping verbal messages through typographic design
  • Explore the expressive range of typography as a primary visual, illustrative element
  • Develop, compose, and produce extended typographic projects

Projects

Compendium of Creatures from Ancient Lore (Letterpress):
This project will combine both manual and computer production techniques to explore how typography can represent things and ideas that are intangible. You will combine various, physical modes of making with new ways of conceptualizing and finalizing a project composed of many disparate pieces. Each individual project contributes to a collaborative collection.

In A Compendium of Creatures from Ancient Lore each student will create multiple pieces of letterpress designs that supply details, characteristics, or impacts that define their monster or creature of choice. The goal is to provide a wealth of clues about that creature—similar to a guessing game—without directly naming it.

Book Design:
Design a completely new edition of a classic play, epic poem, or other story in book format. You will explore many cover design options and refine one. You will also define the design of the interior with a number of example pages within the book. You will also design some promotional pieces (poster, e.g.) to support the book’s release.

Menu design (Letterpress):
Develop a menu for a fictitious restaurant, The Letterpress. The menu will exhibit a combination of letterpress printing techniques and computer-generated designs. Students work collaboratively on the letterpress menu covers and individually on interior menu layout.

Typeface Design:
The final project is the design of an original display typeface. This will include all 26 capital letters of the alphabet, numbers and some key punctuation marks and symbols. The final typeface will be incorporated into various design formats to showcase itself.

In-class assignments:
Every class session begins with a typographic exercise that extends techinical fluency or conceptual approach to typography. The points for these exercises will count as attendance.

Mini-projects:
Two narrow-focus, short-term projects simulate a professional situation where your typographic expertise is needed to create a component of a larger design project.

Student Reviews


“Karl takes the time to ensure his students are learning and advancing. He spends one-on-one time with each of us, seeing our progress, and making sure we do our best work.”

“He [Karl] pushed everyone to do their best work, and this was very clear with the projects the class as a whole presented. He was well-informed about typography and I trusted his feedback for all assignments.”

“Karl is perhaps the best teacher I have had in the design program. He is passionate and excited about the typography and I can also tell that he really cares about helping us achieve the results that we are proud of. I really like the warm-up lessons and the lecture aspect of the class of well as hands-on feedback.”

“Karl is a great instructor who provides constant feedback, new ideas, and really pushes each and everyone one of us to do our best work regardless of our skill set.”

“He [Karl] was passionate about the subject matter. He made a point to work with every student one-on-one to learn what their specific interestes and strengths were. He also asked us consistently how we were liking the course as we were going along.”