FALL 2024 / AY24-25

FOUNDATION ATELIER/ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN FOUNDATION

(ARCH/BEAS/INTD/URBD/COMD-0001)

GRAPHIC DESIGN MODULE — ASSIGNMENT BRIEF A

Typographic Abstractions
Course: Graphic and Visual Design, Fall 2024
Module: Graphic Design
Weight: 10% (B. DES & BA BES) / 6% (B. ARCH)
Date Assigned: Monday, September 9, 2 024
In-Class + Informal reviews: Wednesday, September 11, 2024 +
Monday, September 16, 2024
Final Submission Due: Wednesday, September 18, 2024

Course Intended Learning Outcomes

A. Visual Literacy — At the end of the course, a student will be able to
identify and analyse diverse visual representations
B. Visual Sensitivity — At the end of the course, a student will be able to
demonstrate the ability to evaluate and communicate what makes any piece
of art successful
C. Visual Competency — At the end of the course, students will be able to
create or recreate/reproduce aesthetically refined works of art.

Evaluation 10% for B. DES & BA BES

Component: 6% for B. ARCH
Assignment Letterforms date back centuries. In the olden days, symbols
Overview grouped together were set in stone (literary) to
communicated messages or record information.

Today, these symbols have taken the form of alphabets in

this digital age, we rely on a certain collection of fonts to
make our written word beautiful.

Hence we can say, letterforms are the visual representation

of the written language, designed to be both functional and
aesthetically pleasing. Each letterform is composed of
distinct shapes and lines, creating a unique character. A
collection of these letterforms make up a font or typeface
collection for eg. Baskerville, Arial, Garamond, etc.
 In this assignment we will explore how scale, composition
and balance creates a new story for a given letterform at the
same time we need to maintain its visual identity.
Deliverables 1. 100 compositions exploration — done on tracing paper
2. Top five compositions — rendered as mentioned in
Method/Part 3 — done on thick drawing or cartridge
paper
3. Your top choice from the top five — this will be a part
of the collaborative mural
Homework — watch the documentary Helvetica
https://watchdocumentaries.com/helvetica/

Write about 150 to 200 words about what resonated with you
from this documentary.

Due on Monday, Sept 16

Method
Step 1 — (Re) Search
• Letterform exploration: initial of your first name
• Ideally — Using Adobe Illustrator explore various fonts/typefaces
for eg. Times New Roman, Arial, Garamond, etc. in various weights (regular,
medium, bold)
o In lieu of time constraints you will choose from a set of letters provided in class.
Step 2 — Prep —
(Ideally these are the steps you would follow. In lieu of time constrains, the letterform sheets and
the square template sheet will be provided.)
• Font size — (minimum 425 pts ) — it needs to fills a 3” x 3” square
o Text height varies as per the typeface selected
• Create three artboards and on each artboard place the letter in 100% increment
— e.g.: 425 pts, 525 pts, 625 pts
• All the letters will be in black. No colour.
• Print these out on an A4 sheet
• Create a fourth artboard and place a 3” x 3” square.
Step 3 — Explore
• Place the letters on top of the 3” x 3” square and explore ways and create a
minimum of 100 compositions
o Use tracing paper to create these explorations — demonstration will be done in class
o 50 compositions to be presented in class — Wednesday, Sep 11, 2024
o Rest to be shared on — Monday, Sept 16, 2024
Step 4 — Shortlist
• Shortlist top five compositions
o This will be done through popular vote from your classmates
• Recreate these compositions on a thick drawing or cartridge paper
— demonstration will be done in class
 • Fill the letterform area using any shape and form besides a solid fill. E.g.:
Lines, circles, stars, dots, ovals, etc.
• Cut the 3” x 3” squares and mount these on a 3 ½” x 3 ½” black card stock
paper
Step 5 — Viola! Show off your Master Piece
• Select your top choice to be part of the collaborative mural
• Convert that into a 5” x 5” piece.
• Typeface for the size required will be provided
• Fill the letterform area using any shape and form besides a solid fill. E.g.:
Lines, circles, stars, dots, ovals, etc.
• Make a copy of the final choice to add to your portfolio.
o The collaborative mural will be installed in class on Wed, Sept 18 on one of the
soft boards
IMPORTANT NOTE: Make copies of all final pieces submitted for
documentation purposes in case required for final Jury presentation.
Materials A4 sheet cartridge paper, tracing paper/roll, coloured pens /
required: paints / brushes / markers / sketch pens / crayons, pencils,
erasers, sharpener, white and/or coloured paper, glue stick,
scissors, sketch book, notebook, masking tape.
Mandatory 1. Ellen Lupton and Jennifer Cole Phillips.
Readings: Graphic Design: The New Basics
2. Richard Poulin, 2011. The Language of Graphic Design_An
Illustrated Handbook for Understanding Fundamental Design
Principles
3. Rob Carter, 2014. Typographic Design: Form and
Communication, Sixth Edition
Citation help: https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide/cit
ation-guide-2.html

Individual Explorations (only with one letter)

End Result — Collective Mural