Major Project
Week 1 | Week 15
Mohamed Hammam Chebel (0342483) BDE's. Creative Media (Hons).
Mohamed Hammam Chebel (0342483) BDE's. Creative Media (Hons).
In progress
Minor project
Minor project
Instructions
Week 02
Proposal
this week I shared my proposal for a major project with Mr. Asrizal, my idea was to solve a current problem happening in my city "Skikda" through type (typeface/type design).
in the slides below was my first proposal containing the initial idea, the methodology or the approach I am taking to achieve my objectives, the goals, and objectives, and finally the output of my project (what is the result and how it is going to solve the problem)
Feedback:
- The only comment is "Find those pictures" let's see the old typo of the city, Mr. Asrizal asked me to find more pictures that have clear signage or any form of typography in them.
Week 03
In this week, I met Mr. Asrizal and presented my updated proposal, I managed to find clearer pictures.
I shared my new approach which is to analyze the typeface I found and try to come up with my own variation that reflects all the typefaces which was a bit of a problem for me as I only have a few months to finalize my project.
Mr. Asrizal then suggested that I contact Mr. Vinod and explain the project to him and then get his feedback and how to solve that problem.
below is the updated proposal with the new pictures:
Feedback:
- Meet Mr. Vinod first and show him your Idea
- Show the evolution of type in the city, make a timeline on its evolution, and show the Arabic signages.
Week 04
This week I met with Mr. Vinod first as Mr. Asrizal asked, I showed him my proposal and explained the motive that made me choose this idea and the problems I faced while working on the research part.
Mr. Vinod then suggested that I make the project as an homage or an honoring of that specific era 1830-the the 1950s, which was a really good and achievable idea looking at the time I have.
then he asked me to do more research and analysis and try to find a theme or a sense of the era from my personal point of view, and also advised me to make my new typeface based on a Major typeface in that era, it can be a famous typeface or a heavily used typeface ...
The next day I met with Mr. Asrizal and talked about Mr.Vinod's feedback, he asked me to make a to-do list and do the tasks needed for the next week which I did after the meeting.
Feedback:
- Make your project an hommage for a specific era 1950s
- inspired by the research archives obtained the range is a lot brought it to this form
which represents the era
- honoring
- one major typeface can be your primary reference
- You can proceed after doing a lot of research
- look at typefaces
- the form needs to be representative of the era based on the study the footages digest
- the next thing is to showcase the typeface "how?"
- Sueh Li from huruf can help you message her.
- typographic exploration book chapter development things to consider "specific chapter"
- There are series on Netflix "abstract" the last episode of season 1/2 Jonathan Hoefler watch that, tips
- MIB typography links have books related to type design
- d7.04 14 licences of FontLab 7 / FontLab 5
- watch the videos Vinod FontLab on Vinod's channel
Mohamed Hammam Chebel (0342483)
New main idea - the typeface form needs to be representative of the era based on the study of the footage and pictures you digested
To-Do List:
- Collect as many pictures as possible (1830-1950).
- Analyse the typefaces and how they are used.
- Try to select a "major typeface" from the pictures as a reference.
- Contact Sueh Li for advice/help.
- Provide ideas on how to showcase the final typeface.
Week 05
This week I collected as many old pictures as I could (that contain type), after that I started analyzing the typography in those pictures and how and where it was used.
Then I looked for patterns in the usage of specific typefaces/styles and the time they were used in.
Here are some of the observations/notes I had while doing the analysis of the pictures:
- Brands and types of shops (bars movie theatres, hotels) tend to have a more special typeface/style depending on the business.
- I won’t use these as references or make them primary/major typeface
- I circled in red the typefaces that are used generally (no branding, no specific business)
- I noticed that sans serifs were used heavily in posters, banners, government buildings, road signs, car signs, airplanes, protest banners, posters, mail stamps, newspapers, ships’ names, postal cards titles, car plate numbers, convicted Algerian photos, addresses, credit list for the film “Bataille “Alger”
- Serif display fonts were used also, but not as much as sans serifs.
- They are also used in postal cards and some posters.
- In older pictures, I noticed that in some shops especially coffee shops, gothic typefaces are used as shop signages (western style).
- In older times the city was built the same way western towns were built.
- Sans serifs seemed more professional/serious, used in a lot of situations.
- As mentioned, display sans serif typefaces are used heavily, in some cases, people wrote banners by hand using these typefaces.
- The sans serifs vary in weight cap height kerning.
- in some cases, they tend to be inconsistent as in the movie credit list (probably because they were painted by artists and displayed on a clear plastic sheet after the film ends).
After meeting Mr. Vinod, he informed me that the heavy usage of sans serif typefaces is because they were trending/newly discovered. Sans serif typefaces were modern in that era (about 1930-1960).
Mr. Vinod answered my questions and briefed me on the history of sans-serifs and semi-serifs.
After going through the analysis with him, I explained the direction I am going to take (normal contrast sans serif display typeface).
Mr. Vinod agreed with my selection, and he told me that even without having a specific typeface as a reference I can create a new typeface based on the visual research and analysis.
Then I showed my ideas for the showcasing of the final product of my project which was posters, banners, movie credit lists, signage, etc...
He suggested also using it as a national communication typeface (for printed media etc...)
Then he told me if I was comfortable with the research and think that it was enough I can now proceed with exploration and sketching the typeface.
Notes and feedback:
- Akzidenz-Grotesk is the inspiration for making the Helvetica typeface.
- the typeface humanist with an art deco feel
- the exposure to the resources may create something new or renew something old
- Roti's typeface communication UK (google that)
- Could be a banner national (could be used nationally within Algeria as a communication typeface)
- The name can be algiers normale
- If you are comfortable with your research you should start exploring and doing sketches
Here is the Figma board I am working on: TypeMining
Week 06
This week I presented a few sketches to Mr. Vinod and Mr. Arizal, the comments were to explore fewer letters and not sketch a whole alphabet.
Feedback:
- Mr. Vinod
- redo your sketches.
- the sketches can be either digital or on paper.
- Sketch a few letterforms.
- improve on them.
- show the characteristics of your typeface.
- the contrast or features in general has to be distinctive in your typeface.
- after sketching you can start working digitally.
- Mr. Asrizal
- Prepare for next week's presentation
- you have to show proof of analysis
- show the qualities you have captivated by the visual research you have done.
Here is the Figma board I am working on: TypeMining
Week 07
This week I had more sketches, I presented those to Mr. Vinod, the sketches were to have a clear direction or base that I can start from. I made it clear in the sketches that the typeface will be a condensed geometric sans serif typeface.
Then Mr. Vinod commented on the ideas I had and showed me what to work on next and what is the next step.
Later on, in the same week, I presented my progress in class.
Below are the feedback and presentation slides.
Mr. Vinod's feedback
- Make the typeface distinctive
- since it is a display typeface, you can have fun with it
- put some character to it
- add a small serif maybe to the extreme of letters
- Antiqua Hessa typeface is a good reference
- start digitizing and making variations
- it can be distinctive but not very obvious
- do not aim to make a commercial typeface, this is a student project
- You have to make it yours, make it special, and reflect you.
- it can be historical and reflect that era, at the same time adding your character to it.
- in a later stage of the project, contact Such Li from Huruf and ask for her remarks.
- in the Glyphs workshop, show the guy your work and ask for feedback, and make use of the opportunity.
- do not make it too geometric add some humanity to it (curves/features)
Presentation Slides
Week 08
This week I attended the GOGOGLYPHS talk and workshop by Mr. Rainer Erich a developer and type designer from Glyphsapp.
After the workshop was done, I asked him a few questions pertaining to my typeface. the main equations were on how to add my personal characters to the typeface, and technical questions like adding weights and variations and also alternate letters.
Feedback:
- Mr. Rainer Erich:
- Make the upper counters either open or closed for the letters C G S etc ...
- Make groups of letters that look the same and compared them together
- Explore, and reflect your handwriting into the font your ups and downs, and the loops
- Low-contrast or high contrast
- You can go below the baseline maybe
- You can do alternate letters in glyphs
Week 09
This week I presented the full letter set of the typeface in FontLab, I drew all letters with no numbers, the letterforms were rough and not refined yet, the first phase of drawing was to get a clear direction of how the typeface is going to look (as a system).'
So I kept in mind basic type design properties like proportion, letter width and height, and consistency in the shapes, white space between the letters
Feedback:
- Mr. Vinod
- looking good already
- complete the letters first then try to work on variations
- good idea for the video documentary
- make the connection for the swash with the letter R thinner but only as an optical illusion
- the letter S makes the optical illusion making the upper part smaller than the lower making it more open and focus on the spine
- variation can be bold and condensed and have a drop shadow
- next week show us in class some tips in FontLab
- the overall look is good and has a french touch and personal touch to it
- try to finish fast because you have to print and make the collaterals
- when you present your work make sure you describe it well as an homage and a reflection of old Algerian french typefaces
- work on some awkward thicknesses like in the letter R.
- Mr. Asrizal
- Mr. Vinod said it looks good and is on the right path
- he suggested adding a variation
- he advised completing
the refinement first
the refinement first
- he suggested completing the font than creating a variation or two
- he suggested adding ornament or symbols
Weeks 10, 11
In these weeks I kept finalizing the typeface and refining where necessary, also I made weights and variations using the functions in FontLab.
I showed progress to both Mr. Vinod and Mr. Asrizal.
Rusicade Regular
The main font is regular, so after it was 100% finalized, I created two variations/styles of the typeface.
Rusicade Bold
Rusicade bold was done using a built-in option in FontLab, however. Further refinement was done individually for each letter, especially the optical illusion-related matters with some letters, so the font looks proportionate and consistent in all sizes.
Rusicade oblique
Rusicade oblique was made initially using the FontLab effect function, however, due to automation errors, I had to tweak all letters regain, and most importantly apply different side baring spacing and kerning as the letters are all slanted towards the right, which creates awkward spacing between letters with more white space on the sides like letter T, A, W, Y, etc...
For all the styles above, kerning was the most time-consuming phase of finalizing the typeface, even with the built-in features in FontLab that makes kerning and spacing faster, I had to spend days doing the kerning for each font.
Weeks 12, 13, 14
During these weeks and after I was done with the typeface (The typeface was finalized and exported, fully functional across all platforms).
I moved on to the application part of my Project "Rusicade" because Rusicade is 50% typeface and 50% graphic design, I wanted to push myself and use all the skills I have learned in this course in my final project, with keeping in mind the motives and objectives that I wanted to achieve through this project.
For the graphic design part and the overall outcome, I wanted to express my feelings when I think about the historical events that happened in my country Algeria, and also I wanted to make the whole project a self-portrait in a sense, Rusicade is my self-perception of the history of Algeria that happened from the early 1900s until the late 1960s.
Another important thing when it comes to type design is to showcase how the typeface and fonts should be used, and also the visuals and overall application are a promotion for the typeface.
For the visuals, I have five different categories that are related to the same theme " the honoring of the history and people who contributed to the independence of Algeria".
All the viusals were made using original assets (pictures, graphics, font, textures)
I wanted to go with the vintage theme because Rusicade typeface is better used with old printing techniques (letterpress), so I made sure the letterpress effect is there, with a few paper stains and ink bleed effects, and miss print effects I got the look and feel right.
Except for the plane picture, the martyr's pictures, the monument, and the pictures on the newspaper artworks, those are downloaded from online sources.
The typeface was fully done in FontLab 7, postcards posters, and stamps were edited in adobe illustrator and adobe photoshop, and the film documentary was taken by phone and edited in adobe premiere pro and adobe after effects.
the voice-over for the documentary was made by me, the script was made by me and the audio editing was done by me.
Rusicade the name
The Phoenicians and Carthaginians established a trading post and fort named rškd (𐤓𐤔𐤊𐤃, "Jug Cape") after Skikda's nearby cape.[2] Falling under Roman hegemony after the Punic Wars, the name was Latinized as Rusicade or Rusiccade. Rusicade contained the largest Roman theatre in Algeria, dating to the reign of Hadrian.
In late antiquity, the port was destroyed during the Vandals' invasion of 530. The Byzantines reconquered the region in 533 and 534 but left large areas under Berber control. The town was overrun by the Umayyad Caliphate at the end of the 7th century.
Present-day Skikda was founded by Sylvain Charles Valée in 1838 under the name Philippeville, honoring the French king at the time. The French were in the process of annexing Algeria and developed Philippeville as a port for Constantine, Algeria's third-largest city. The two cities were connected by rail. The harbor works, with every vessel in port, was destroyed by a storm in 1878; a larger harbor was then built. On 10 October 1883, there was an earthquake in Philippeville.
Towards the end of World War II, a UNRRA refugee camp name Camp Jeanne d'Arc was established near the city. On 25 January 1945, 200 Jews holding a citizenship from countries in North and South America were sent from the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp to Switzerland as part of a prisoner exchange group. They were later sent to the UNRRA camp in SkikdType specimen sheets
A type specimen means, a showcase of a typeface, type foundries, and design studios and especially in older times used to publish type specimen books and booklets, as a promotion for the typeface and graphics included with it, its weights and styles and to show the client how and when to use the typeface.
I made pages of type specimens when I showcased the alphabet in regular and bold and showed a few words and letter combinations and numerals in regular and bold too.
The specimen sheet I did, was made in a book layout, to act like ripped pages from a bigger book, considering the timeframe I had to accomplish the whole project, it wasn't possible to make a full-type specimen book.
Rusicade the rationale:
The reason why I went with type design as a major project is that I wanted to learn more about type design and practice more, Mr. Vinod always said that type designers can do anything graphic design related, I think because type design teaches you discipline, attention to details, the importance of minor details, critical thinking, design thinking, problem-solving.
I wanted to make a typeface about my country's history because I always feel nostalgic when I watch old historical films and see old propaganda posters, and I always loved the typefaces used in the old times.
After doing research about that era (1900 - 1960), I noticed that streets were filled with signs that were written in various kinds of typefaces. on the contrary, now the type is not visible anymore on Algerian streets, and the signs are using basic stereotypical typefaces which reflects that people are not interested in type.
I wanted to make a typeface inspired by the era that I love, I wanted to express myself through the letterforms and through the designs and visuals I make. This project is a manifestation of myself a self-portrait, my personal perception of the history of my country.
The Rusicade project has other objectives too, which are to raise awareness about the history of Algeria, and also to sometimes show the beauty of that era.
Another technical reason why I did what I did, is because I wanted to apply all the skills I learned at Taylor's Design School, video editing, animation, illustration, graphic design, photo editing and manipulation, and branding in one single project.
So you can see through the artworks that I have done posters that contain graphics and the typeface itself, a documentary in old film style, vintage postcards using pictures from my phone, audio editing to get that old radio effect in the documentary video, photo manipulation in the main picture of the documentary video (Prisoner).
Type specimen sheet1 - Rusicade regular Alphabet and numerals
Type specimen sheet2 - Rusicade Bold Alphabet and numerals
Type specimen sheet 3 - Rusicade Regular
Rusicade: the roman name of my city now known as Skikda.
Filfila: is the town I live in recurrently in Algeria, Filfila is situated in Skikda (Rusicade).
Skikda: is the main city that I live in, the number 21 represents the number of the city since Algeria has 58 major cities.
Free Dzair: Dzair is an Algerian abbreviation for El Djazair (Algeria).
1962: is the year of independence.
The letterpress effect was applied to the specimen sheets to complete the look.
Rusicade: the roman name of my city now known as Skikda.
Filfila: is the town I live in recurrently in Algeria, Filfila is situated in Skikda (Rusicade).
Skikda: is the main city that I live in, the number 21 represents the number of the city since Algeria has 58 major cities.
Free Dzair: Dzair is an Algerian abbreviation for El Djazair (Algeria).
1962: is the year of independence
The letterpress effect was applied to the specimen sheets to complete the look..
Posters
for The posters category, it is split into three types: Personal expression, self-perception of the history of Algeria, and newspaper.
Newspaper
In the newspaper category, I created a newspaper cover and used the name of my Typeface as the name of the newspaper. and added a symbol from our Algerian flag to the name Rusicade to act as a logo or an emblem. going in the same art direction/theme, the newspapers look old and have stains and misprint and ink bleed effects.
Rusicade Newspaper - cover
On the cover, I added headlines about the famous Algerian martyr Si L'arbi or Larbi ben M'hidi, the responsibility of launching the battle of Algiers was given to him, his mental strength, intelligence, and courage, and his sacrifice for the country are what made him as an Algerian symbol of bravery.
at the bottom of the cover, I put his famous quote in Rusicade Oblique, for the cover I only used the Rusciade typeface to showcase the variation I made (regular, bold, and oblique).
Rusicade Newspaper - The Algerian war of independence Article
This article is the details of the war of independence that happened in Algeria from 1954 until 1962, it is done with the same theme and effects, using my typeface along with Baskerville typeface as body text, which I think went well with the vintage look.
This article is to raise awareness about my country to the visitors of the final year exhibition or anyone who sees the poster, to show the details of how Algeria got its independence.
Touristic posters
I love old vintage touristic posters, so I made two variations, these posters were done with minimal use of color (3 colors max) to replicate the old print/painting techniques that they used to save money when making a lot of copies.
I also used my typeface in these two posters.
The first poster is a promotional/tourist poster about Algerian airlines company, the picture of the plane was downloaded from google, while the clouds are taken using my phone.
Rusicade Touristic poster - The Algerian airline company
I always loved airline vintage posters, that were used to promote the companies and sometimes for the destination country itself. I added textures and effects for the poster to mimic the old printing (paint print) techniques.
Rusicade typeface was used at the bottom of the poster to write the airline company name both in French and English.
this place is away from any modernity, noise, pollution, visual noise, problems, or people, and it is really beautiful and open to the strong winds of the Mediterranean sea.
The picture in the poster was taken by my friend Amar Bourchak during one of the times we went there, I edited the picture so it looks like it was oil painted and printed, Rusicade was used at the bottom of the poster to write the name of the place using both bold and regular weights "El Marsa, Rusicade". A slight drop shadow was added to the word "Rusicade", and finally, to finish the look, I added overlays and brush effects to get that old print stains paper look.
behind the scenes:
Historical/Propaganda posters
for this category, I made two posters that speak to all Algerian generations and that have strong meanings.
Rusicade Historical poster - France out! Free Algeria
This poster is a representation of the Algerian people that lived in the war era, that had enough of the crimes that France committed against them and their families and ancestors, the great people of Algeria decided to sacrifice everything to do anything it takes to get independent, to kick France out of Algeria forever, they were educated people, it was a very organized and well-thought decision, a well-planned war, that finally literally kicked the french colonial rule out of the country.
But this decision came with a cost, it resulted in 1.5 million Algerian martyrs, the torture of Algerian women and old, and the death of children.
the red background of the poster represents the blood of the martyrs, the hands kicking out France from the country, and France's word is being kicked by the hands from the top to the bottom which reflects humiliation.
The word OUT! was written in bold to attract attention to it as it is the main meaning of the poster, an exclamation mark was added at the end of the word out to add more expression to the word (more action and movement), the phrase "free Algeria" was written on the exclamation mark to represent the result of the bloodshed that happened in the war which is (freedom and independence).
The hand silhouettes are my own hands, the picture was taken by phone and then edited to this look.
France's word was blurred, to add shakiness and action to the word as France was moving out of the country.
Finally, the old print effects were applied as always to keep up with the 1950s-era theme.
France out behind the scenes:
Rusicade Historical poster -1962 Free independent Algeria جزائر الحرية
This poster was made to commemorate the independence of Algeria, as you may notice, the background of this poster is green, which symbolizes "a new beginning", a new start for Algerian people and especially youth, a silhouette of a child was placed under a light coming from the contour of the letter 6, it is a straightforward meaning, light coming from that specific year, so the Algerian children at that time will have a bright future.
the Arabic phrase "جزائر الحرية" means, The Algeria of the freedom, and was written in Arabic calligraphy script Al-Naskh in white color which symbolizes freedom and peace.
The colors red white and green are a part of the Algerian flag which means: freedom and peace, blood and continuity, and a brighter tomorrow.
Rusicade typeface was used to write 1962 in bold as it is the main element in this poster (year of independence). also to write "free independent Algeria" in regular weight.
old print effects were applied to this poster to fit the main theme.
Postcards
In the postcards section, I went fully personal, to express my love for the places featured in the postcards.
All pictures were taken using my phone, and all pictures were edited to have that old sepia black and white tone, then finished up to have that old film picture effect along with the old point effects, Rusicade typeface was used in the postcards to write the addresses of the places and the credits.
I used to visit these natural places with my loved ones, so it is special to me.
Rusicade - Postcard 1 - El Marsa - Cap De Fer
Rusicade - Postcard 2 - El Marsa - The lake on the side of the road
Rusicade - Postcard 3 - Collo - Kissir el baz beach
Rusicade - Postcard 4 - La Carriere - STORA Gulf
Rusicade - Postcard 5 - El Marsa - the cow by the lake
Stamps
Along with the postcards I made stamps, to serve as postage stamps for the postcards (freebees at the exhibition).
Stamps are a form of art that I love, they convey messages, tell stories and raise awareness about the history, food, culture, and so on.
in the stamps category, I have personal and historical stamps.
the stamps were edited so they have the metal engraved effect (old printing method), and each of the stamps tells a story either about personal preferences or about the history of Algeria.
Personal reflection:
Rusicade - Stamps - Algeria airlines
As mentioned before I loved vintage airline posters, so I made this promotional stamp that contains our airline company.
Rusicade - Stamps - CAB Jam
For this one, it is my favorite Algerian apricot jam brand, so I made it into a stamp as a promotion or to raise awareness about our foods.
Historical:
Rusicade - Stamps - Ali La Pointe 1930-1957
Ali la pointe was an Algerian revolutionary fighter and guerrilla leader of the National Liberation Front who fought for Algerian independence against the French colonial regime, during the Battle of Algiers.
Ali lived a life of petty crime and was serving a two-year prison sentence when the Algerian War (1954 to 1962) began. Recruited in the notorious Barberousse prison by FLN militants, he became one of their most trusted and loyal lieutenants in Algiers. On 28 December 1956, he was suspected of killing the Mayor of Boufarik, Amédée Frogger.
I made this stamp to honor this warrior.
Rusicade - Stamps - Ben M'hidi 1923 - 1957
was a prominent revolutionary leader during the Algerian war of independence. He is one of the six founding members of the Front de Libération Nationale (FLN; National Liberation Front) that launched an armed revolt throughout Algeria and issued a proclamation calling for a sovereign Algerian state.
Ben M'hidi initially commanded Wilaya V (the military district in the Oran region) and played an important role at the FLN's Soummam conference in August 1956. He headed FLN operations during the Battle of Algiers where he was the last member of the FLN's Comité de Coordination et d'Exécution (CCE; Committee of Coordination and Implementation). Ben M'hidi was a strong believer that the revolution should be directed by "internal" rather than "external" revolutionaries.
I made this stamp to honor this warrior.
Rusicade - Stamps - The monument of martyrs
This monument was built to honor the souls of the martyrs that died during the war of independence.
Rusicade - Stamps - Masinissa the king
Masinissa (Numidian: Libyco-Berber letter N.svgLibyco-Berber letter S.svgLibyco-Berber letter N.svgLibyco-Berber letter S.svgLibyco-Berber letter M.svg, MSNSN; c. 238 BC – 148 BC[3]: 180, 183 ), also spelled Massinissa Massena and Massan, was an ancient Numidian king best known for leading a federation of Massylii Berber tribes during the Second Punic War (218–201 BC), ultimately uniting them into a kingdom that became a major regional power in North Africa.
This stamp was made to bring awareness to the diversity of civilizations that was hosted by Algeria in ancient times.
Film Documentary
This short film documentary was made from scratch the night before Ctrl_T final year showcase, I used my phone to shoot, and recorded my voice to use it as voiceover, the script and video plan was by me.
The documentary is an overall explanation of the Rusicade project, the motives, the inspiration, and the objectives that it wants to achieve.
I also focused on making it look like an old film by adding the necessary effects to it.
Rusicade - The prisoner - Convicted for boring design.
I did not care about what people thought of my designs, I just did what I'm passionate about and what I love the most.
This picture was featured at the beginning of the documentary below.
Rusicade - The documentary
Exhibition signs
Signs were designed at the last minute also, to give direction to the exhibition guests, so they can see the artworks in order and know the categories of the artworks, as I had many categories.
The hand on the sign is my own hand, took the picture using my phone and then applied effects to get that metal engraved look.
Reactions:
People were surprisingly interested in my work as it seemed different from what they saw at the exhibition, and I was the only person who did a type design project, I received good feedback, and I was happy that people appreciated my work and most importantly understood my message behind this project.
I received good feedback from Mr. Vinod, my supervisor throughout this project, he appreciated my work and congratulated me.
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