Designing with Type by James Craig


Project. Organic Typography
Visit original James Craig web page

Purpose. To convey concepts, emotions and messages through the use of organically formed typographies.

Assignment. The process of communicating through the act of writing began with the production of forms that transform sounds into signs which we call letters. Letters produced in a specific quantity were organized in a repetitive format to make up words, which then were used in the construction of sentences.

Within time, thousands of typefaces expressing different emotions and forms came into being. There came a time when the designers, most of the time, no longer created typefaces but made the correct choices that fitted their purpose from an array of pre-designed typefaces. We began to type the letters rather than inscribe them. Moreover, we often found ourselves unable to discern the form in which the receiver would view our message. It is now up to the receiver of the SMS or the e-mail to choose how they will view the message.

A lover’s voice saying “I love you” in a message can be reflected on the receiving and in Comic Sans, Verdana, Arial Bold or Courier typefaces and can have a different impact in each case. Those typefaces that became commonplace are used quite often and considered ordinary.

Now, the designers who want to convey sentimental messages use the same handwriting-based typeface and similarly those who wish to communicate serious issues in plain messages use the same Sans Serif typeface. However, one way of liberating oneself from similar forms is to create typography by hand, venture into calligraphy, or even use organic forms to create animated, spontaneous letterforms. Among the computer-born designs surrounding us, these types of typographic applications make a difference in today’s visual environment.

In this project, designers tried to convey concepts, emotions and messages through the use of organically formed typographies. They achieved this by experimenting, breaking away from the memorized notions, transforming forms, re-discovering the endless possibilities of formats through typography and calligraphy. The students tried to develop letterforms by searching beyond the storehouses of their minds, experiencing failure and creating new connections. All that we see now is really the result of a stormy journey…

Format. Poster design in 50×70 cm (300dpi, CMYK, jpeg).

Character set containing majiscules, miniscules, numbers and punctuations in 50×70 cm (300dpi, CMYK, jpeg).

Experimental film in 720×576 pixel, 45 seconds duration (Quicktime).

Time. One Month

Tevfik Fikret Uçar, was born in Istanbul, Turkey. He received his BFA in Graphic Design in 1988 from Marmara University, School of Fine Arts and Design in Istanbul. He was awarded a Turkish Government Research Scholarship to attend Art Center College of Design, Communication Design Department, in Switzerland, where he received his Advanced Degree in 1990. He received his MFA from Anadolu University, School of Fine Arts and Design, in Eskisehir, Turkey in 1991, with the thesis “Symbols, Icons, Pictograms and Their Use in Packaging Design.”

In 1993 Uçar received his Doctoral Equivalent for Art and Design from Anadolu University, with the doctoral thesis “Packaging Design as a Visual Communication Media.” Professor Uçar is a full Professor in the Anadolu University School of Fine Arts and Design, and Chairman of the Graphic Design Department. He also works as design consultant at the University. He is Design Director of Anadolu University School of Distance Education textbook publication.

From 1993-95 Uçar was a Vice Dean of the School of Fine Arts and Design. In 1994 he was a member of the Administration Board of the School of Fine Arts and Design. From 1994-95 Professor Uçar was a member of the Administration Board of the Turkish Graphic Designers Association. In 1995 he was the Design Consultant for the Turkish Grand National Assembly, designing the 75th anniversary symbol, poster, and stamp. From 1996-98 he was the Design Director for the Turkish Education Volunteers Foundation. From 1998-99 Professor Uçar was a Visiting Scholar at San Diego State University, School of Art, Design and Art History.

Uçar has won numerous national design awards, including the Symbol and Corporate Identity of the Bursa Subway System Competition. He has designed several publications for the City of Eskisehir and has juried national design competitions. He has also lectured and conducted numerous design workshops  in cities including Istanbul, Ankara, Azmir, Beijing, Gent, Rome, San Diego, Seul, Wiesbaden and Lefkose. Uçar has published a book, “Visual Communication and Graphic Design,” and written several articles in national and international publications.

For anyone interested in addition examples of student designs,
visit http://vimeo.com/17840085.

grafik.home.anadolu.edu.tr/grafik/Graphic.html