Soap Type

“Soap Type” is both a journey into cutting letterforms and an assignment in design education authored by me for undergraduate students in graphic design. The project generates essential questions on the state of the craft, and in regard to metrics and typesetting.

The aim of the exercise is to draw a sans serif typeface starting from a given serif (Sabon LT). The hand made drawings of a few control characters are then edited on-screen and the final submission consists of two products: a specimen poster and a sample of twelve letters, each cut into a bar or block of soap.

The assignment was published in the book “Taking a Line for a Walk: Assignments in Design Education”(2016), edited by Nina Paim and Emilia Bergmark.

The project was presented at TypeCon 2017 Boston.

The learning that the process generates set the students to the side of the argument that there is no art without craft. I believe that education initiatives that determine the foundations upon which successful designs are built impact the way future designers understand their craft, and put more attention on learning how to learn.

https://typecon.com/conferences/typecon2017/education
https://twitter.com/asegalini/status/902214616356413441

Transcript

1. Soap Type TypeCon 2017, Boston Alessandro Segalini
2. Contents About the Project Publication Project Outline Process 1: tracing and drawing Process 2: editing on screen Process 3: preparing soap-size masks Process 4: specimen Process 5: carving soap Process overview Gallery End
3. Project duration: 5 weeks Soap Type is both a journey into cutting letterforms and an assignment in design education authored by me for bfa students in graphic design. The project generates essential questions on the state of the craft, and in regard to metrics and typesetting. The aim of the exercise is to draw a sans serif typeface starting from a given serif (lt Sabon). The hand made drawings of a few control characters are then edited on-screen and the final submission consists of two products: a specimen poster and a sample of 12 letters, each cut into a bar or block of soap.
4. Publication Taking a Line for a Walk: Assignments in design education (2016) spectorbooks.com/taking-a-line-for-a-walk designobserver.com/feature/required-reading/39497
5. Project 2: SoapType ARTC 4305 Type III Spring 2017 PHASES 1. Tracing and drafts Tools: tracing paper, pencil, ink Grade: 25% Due: 2/28 2. Editing on screen Tools: Illustrator or FontLab Grade: 25% Due: 3/9 3. Masks and specimen Tools: Illustrator Grade: 25% Due: 3/21 4. Carving soap Tools: see ‘Process’ Grade: 25% Due: 3/28 — final page 1 of 12 e PROJECT OVERVIEW The aim of this project is to draw a sans serif typeface starting from a given serif (Sabon LT). The drawings will be edited on-screen and the final submission will consist of two products: a specimen poster of the whole sans (upper case, lower case, figures) and a sample of 12 types — OHvideospang — each cut into a block of soap. TECHNICAL INFORMATION Jan Tschichold designed Sabon in 1964, and it was produced jointly by three foundries: Stempel AG, Linotype, and Monotype. This was in response to a request from German master printers to make a font family of the same design for the three (metal) type technologies of the time: foundry type for hand composition, linecasting, & single-type machine composition. Jakob Sabon, whom the type is named after, was a student of the great French punchcutter Claude Garamont. Classic, elegant, and extremely legible, Sabon is one of the most beautiful Garamond variations. “It sounds simple: take a seriffed design, cut off the serifs, lower the contrast, and there you have a sans serif. But of course there is more to it than just that. I believe the most logical order when making such a family is to start with the seriffed design. From that basis a sans serif can be made.” — Martin Majoor This typographic design project is authored by myself and published in Taking a Line for a Walk, assignments in design education (p.45); Spector Books, Leipzig (Germany), 2016. ISBN: 978-3-95905-081-4 http://spectorbooks.com/taking-a-line-for-a-walk PROCESS AND SPECS When un-seriffing, work Sabon at 184 pt, print out and use tracing paper. Once the drafts drawings for “O Hvideospang” are completed (by hand), continue drawing on the screen (vector) for all upper case, lower case, and figures. Besides incorporating the basic letter shapes and anatomy, keywords such as this are also useful for establishing letterspacing. The poster is a 11 × 17" specimen sheet in which you will display your sans serif creation. You have to give an original name to your sans serif concept; compose & set the name with your typeface in the poster. Other than black and white, the use of one spot color is allowed. 12 letters are to be cut, forming the ‘word’ OHvideospang. Apply your understanding of typography to arrange the strokes, balance contrasts, scale and position the drawings onto the material or body. Drawings have to be transferred by perforating a printed mask properly sized and fixed to the soap bar. The brand of soap to use is Ivory;* the size of each block is 3 ¼ × 2 ¼ × 1", $ 4.96 for 12 pieces. The tools to be used are: masking tape, a nail, a large and a small flat cutter, a micro flat-head screwdriver, and black synthetic paint. * www.heb.com/product-detail/ivory-original-bar-soap/116814 Project 2: SoapType ARTC 4305 Type III Spring 2017 PHASES 1. Tracing and drafts Tools: tracing paper, pencil, ink Grade: 25% Due: 2/28 2. Editing on screen Tools: Illustrator or FontLab Grade: 25% Due: 3/9 3. Masks and specimen Tools: Illustrator Grade: 25% Due: 3/21 4. Carving soap Tools: see ‘Process’ Grade: 25% Due: 3/28 — final page 1 of 12 e PROJECT OVERVIEW The aim of this project is to draw a sans serif typeface starting from a given serif (Sabon LT). The drawings will be edited on-screen and the final submission will consist of two products: a specimen poster of the whole sans (upper case, lower case, figures) and a sample of 12 types — OHvideospang — each cut into a block of soap. TECHNICAL INFORMATION Jan Tschichold designed Sabon in 1964, and it was produced jointly by three foundries: Stempel AG, Linotype, and Monotype. This was in response to a request from German master printers to make a font family of the same design for the three (metal) type technologies of the time: foundry type for hand composition, linecasting, & single-type machine composition. Jakob Sabon, whom the type is named after, was a student of the great French punchcutter Claude Garamont. Classic, elegant, and extremely legible, Sabon is one of the most beautiful Garamond variations. “It sounds simple: take a seriffed design, cut off the serifs, lower the contrast, and there you have a sans serif. But of course there is more to it than just that. I believe the most logical order when making such a family is to start with the seriffed design. From that basis a sans serif can be made.” — Martin Majoor This typographic design project is authored by myself and published in Taking a Line for a Walk, assignments in design education (p.45); Spector Books, Leipzig (Germany), 2016. ISBN: 978-3-95905-081-4 http://spectorbooks.com/taking-a-line-for-a-walk PROCESS AND SPECS When un-seriffing, work Sabon at 184 pt, print out and use tracing paper. Once the drafts drawings for “O Hvideospang” are completed (by hand), continue drawing on the screen (vector) for all upper case, lower case, and figures. Besides incorporating the basic letter shapes and anatomy, keywords such as this are also useful for establishing letterspacing. The poster is a 11 × 17" specimen sheet in which you will display your sans serif creation. You have to give an original name to your sans serif concept; compose & set the name with your typeface in the poster. Other than black and white, the use of one spot color is allowed. 12 letters are to be cut, forming the ‘word’ OHvideospang. Apply your understanding of typography to arrange the strokes, balance contrasts, scale and position the drawings onto the material or body. Drawings have to be transferred by perforating a printed mask properly sized and fixed to the soap bar. The brand of soap to use is Ivory;* the size of each block is 3 ¼ × 2 ¼ × 1", $ 4.96 for 12 pieces. The tools to be used are: masking tape, a nail, a large and a small flat cutter, a micro flat-head screwdriver, and black synthetic paint. * www.heb.com/product-detail/ivory-original-bar-soap/116814 page 11 of 12 e n g LT Sabon® 184 pt ascender ascender baseline baseline descender descender cap cap x-height x-height Project 2: SoapType ARTC 4305 Type III Spring 2017 PHASES 1. Tracing and drafts Tools: tracing paper, pencil, ink Grade: 25% Due: 2/28 2. Editing on screen Tools: Illustrator or FontLab Grade: 25% Due: 3/9 3. Masks and specimen Tools: Illustrator Grade: 25% Due: 3/21 4. Carving soap Tools: see ‘Process’ Grade: 25% Due: 3/28 — final page 1 of 12 e PROJECT OVERVIEW The aim of this project is to draw a sans serif typeface starting from a given serif (Sabon LT). The drawings will be edited on-screen and the final submission will consist of two products: a specimen poster of the whole sans (upper case, lower case, figures) and a sample of 12 types — OHvideospang — each cut into a block of soap. TECHNICAL INFORMATION Jan Tschichold designed Sabon in 1964, and it was produced jointly by three foundries: Stempel AG, Linotype, and Monotype. This was in response to a request from German master printers to make a font family of the same design for the three (metal) type technologies of the time: foundry type for hand composition, linecasting, & single-type machine composition. Jakob Sabon, whom the type is named after, was a student of the great French punchcutter Claude Garamont. Classic, elegant, and extremely legible, Sabon is one of the most beautiful Garamond variations. “It sounds simple: take a seriffed design, cut off the serifs, lower the contrast, and there you have a sans serif. But of course there is more to it than just that. I believe the most logical order when making such a family is to start with the seriffed design. From that basis a sans serif can be made.” — Martin Majoor This typographic design project is authored by myself and published in Taking a Line for a Walk, assignments in design education (p.45); Spector Books, Leipzig (Germany), 2016. ISBN: 978-3-95905-081-4 http://spectorbooks.com/taking-a-line-for-a-walk PROCESS AND SPECS When un-seriffing, work Sabon at 184 pt, print out and use tracing paper. Once the drafts drawings for “O Hvideospang” are completed (by hand), continue drawing on the screen (vector) for all upper case, lower case, and figures. Besides incorporating the basic letter shapes and anatomy, keywords such as this are also useful for establishing letterspacing. The poster is a 11 × 17" specimen sheet in which you will display your sans serif creation. You have to give an original name to your sans serif concept; compose & set the name with your typeface in the poster. Other than black and white, the use of one spot color is allowed. 12 letters are to be cut, forming the ‘word’ OHvideospang. Apply your understanding of typography to arrange the strokes, balance contrasts, scale and position the drawings onto the material or body. Drawings have to be transferred by perforating a printed mask properly sized and fixed to the soap bar. The brand of soap to use is Ivory;* the size of each block is 3 ¼ × 2 ¼ × 1", $ 4.96 for 12 pieces. The tools to be used are: masking tape, a nail, a large and a small flat cutter, a micro flat-head screwdriver, and black synthetic paint. * www.heb.com/product-detail/ivory-original-bar-soap/116814 page 3 of 12 e Project 2: SoapType ARTC 4305 Type III Spring 2017 SAMPLE Sabon LT, lc, 92 pt (50% of working size) abcdef ghijklm nopqrst uvwxyz Outline 100 pt 3¼ × 2¼ in. 50 pt
6. 1. Tracing and drawing
7. 2. Editing on-screen Equalizing weights while still keeping the width and height of the letters. Matching angles when possible. Using width of lowercase letters for cross bars. Use ‘o’ shape for consistent angles Equalizing weights while still keeping the width and height of the letters. Matching angles when possible. “Equalizing weights while still keeping the width and height of the letters. Matching angles when possible.” Lauren Godwin
8. 3. Preparing soap-size masks
9. 4. Specimen Left: Joan Hardt Right: Lauren Godwin wxyz UPPERCASE LETTERS NUMBERS uppercase letters LOWERCASE LETTERS abcdefghijklm opqrstuvwx LOWERCASE LETTERS abcdefghijklmn opqrstuvwxyz LOWERCASE LETTERS abcdefg opqrstu LOWERCASE LETTERS abcdefghijklmn opqrstuvwxyz lowercase letters UPPERCASE LETTERS NUMBERS numbers
10. 5. Carving
11. Process overview
12. Gallery Student: Caner Dolgun
14. Student: Elize Geldenhuys
15. Student: Elize Geldenhuys
16. Student: Emma Tovilla
17. Student: Emma Tovilla
18. Student: Eric Guzman
19. Student: Eric Guzman
20. Student: Joan Hardt
21. Student: Joan Hardt
22. Student: Jon Johnson
23. Student: Jon Johnson
24. Student: Kendall Mealey
25. Student: Kendall Mealey
26. Student: Kyle Ledezma
27. Student: Kyle Ledezma
28. Student: Lauren Godwin
29. Student: Lauren Godwin
30. Student: Victor Vasquez
31. Student: Victor Vasquez
32. Thank You — questions welcome info@alessandrosegalini.com Soap Type TypeCon 2017, Boston Alessandro Segalini