Project Six: Typographic Intervention Final Product

This post is dedicated to the final product of our rendition of American Typewriter Standard "memory."  Below are close ups of each letter, as well as the final photograph of our typography out in the environment and the interaction spread of two photographs.

Although we ran into problems throughout the process, we ended up with a nice set of letters and great photographs.  We ran into problems of distributing work, using pixelated images, cutting out letters in foam board, adhering the newspaper to the letters, and smoothing down the newspaper to lie flat on the foam board.  In the end, we were able to come together and create a fairly well done set of letters.  What we wanted to focus on was combining our two main connotations of "memory".  This is why our location initially was split between playground and graveyard.  We wanted to pull both ideas into one visual composition, to alter the connotation of the word.  The group had decided that the best way to do this was to bring the playground in for standing for childhood and use an older typeface.  We stuck with the bright colors of images on the front of the letters to still play with childhood.  Then we stuck with the typeface and kept the black and white newspapers to represent older memories.  

The final "Typography in the Environment."

The interaction spread final.

m1 

m1 - close up

 e

 e - close up

 m2

 m2 - close up

 o

 o - close up

 r

 r - close up

 y

y close up

"memory" on display in the Graphic Design gallery.

Project Six: Typographic Intervention Process

This is the blog post dedicated to the creation of our word, memory.

Step1: Print to scale and cut out each letter.

 Step 2: Trace the letter onto foam board and cut out with a X-ACTO knife.

  Step 3: Completely cover with newspaper.

 Step 4: Mod Podge it.

Step 5: Adhere images/memories to the front.

From these collages of images, we traced the letter onto the collage print out and pasted onto letter.

 Step 6: Trim front images/memories down.

 Step 7: Finalized letters together.

The letters laid out.

The letters on top of one another - collection of memories in color.

The letters on top of one another - collection of memories in black & white.

 Step 7.5: Finalized letters setting up in environment.

Stop the letters from falling!

Use teamwork + add some tape to make them stay in place.

Sometimes more tape is needed than not.

Add just a little bit of fun and you have step 7.5 down!

 Step 8: Finalized letters in environment.

Many memories begin on a playground during youth.  The reason we cut off the end of the slide was to give the feeling that each memory never really ends; they continue to infinity.

 Step 9: Finalized letters with interaction.

A playground bystander walks by and takes a look at our memory.

An amazing visual simile at play in this photo.  A tie to our concept of memories of childhood starting on a playground is seen with a baby going down another slide into a mother's arms.

Typographic Intervention

 Images of our typeface in the environment!

Close to the shot that we will use for the final, putting emphasis on the slide and letters.

Size comparison of the letter that we were initially thinking in comparison with the size that we ended up going with.

Close up size comparison - we made the right choice!

Project Six: Typographic Intervention Statement

After having come up with a list of 20 different words and places that we could explore with our idea, we ended up narrowing between the word “memory” and “exploit.”  It was a difficult decision to decide which would be the best choice; we knew that both words and concepts brought their own positive and negative responses.  We wanted to choose a background for the word as well as a theme that was connected to the word, but was not the initial interpretation.   Our word that was chosen was “memory.”

Our focus was to take the generic out of “memory.”  Initially we were looking at two different backgrounds for the word, each giving a different definition.  We chose a playground to follow the idea that memories that we create often start in childhood, and the playground is a well-known symbol of childhood.  We chose American Typewriter as our typeface because American Typewriter has an older look, because printed materials used to be printed with typewriters.  Memories can be old as well as young, so we have the old feel through the use of typeface, clashing with the new feel through the use of location.  The materials that we’ve chosen to use are ½ inch foam board, newspapers, and photographs.  Initially we set our type up at 1000pt, but it was not large enough for use at the playground, so we ended up having to outline and enlarge the letters to be 13 inches in height.  We will be layering the letters in 2 sheets of foam board and covering them in newspapers and images.  

Project Six: Typographic Intervention Matrix

This project is all about the creation of type in 3D and placing it in the environment.  Basically like our previous projects it's all about interacting with the text, giving it more like than most people give words and text.  For this first phase of project six, with our partners we were to chose 20 words and fill out where we would place our text and what it would look like.  My partners are Taylor Hillestad and Danielle Hunn.

Our 20 word matrix with post-it notes after the class and professor voted on which word and idea to go with.  The winner was a tie between "memory" and "exploit."

Our word is memory (all lowercase)

Our typeface is American Typewriter Std

Our size is 1000pt

Our materials are newspapers, photographs and foamboard

Our location is a playground at the Southmoreland Park

Close Up

Full poster photo with our final selection noted.

Close up shot of the top of the poster.

Close up shot of the middle of the poster.

Close up shot of the bottom of the poster.

Process Photos

This is the process work of the first "r" that we created out of magazines and foam board.

This was our finalized first "r" that we created.

Our "r" placed in the environment that we were thinking of using.

Close up shot of the "r."

We decided that the "r" was going to be too small, so we measured with a ruler to decide what the best height would be.  We decided 12 inches high would be the best.

Our last idea was to be more interactive and have the letters laid out on the slide.