Evaluation

"We are so obsessed with the Net and technology that we forget the message... We imagine to be able to do anything, and our software helps us believe we can... But we must move beyond the 'how' to reconsider the 'what' and the 'why'..." - Neville Brody

For this brief, I set out exploring typography; its definition, where it occurs and how it can be created, using both new methods & old. I wanted to find out whether there were any parallels between old & new in the type world, whether they were significantly different.. is there a clean divide? and whether we approach them differently.

My research began on the Internet. I set up a new blog for the project; an up to date place where I can document and manage my research, thoughts and workings related to the project which can be edited where needed and viewed instantly. I was able to use this effectively by maintaining interest in the subject, noting down any possible areas to research, following through, and visually representing it - using found images, scans & my own photographs, via my blog. Using the camera on my phone allowed me to document when things happened unexpectedly. I find the process of documenting the steps I take a part of who I am as a visual practitioner now.

My first Internet search for the project was to help me to identify the methods of creating type that I am already familiar with. Being able to list these on my blog, along with pictures, created a visual starting point for my mind to map out from.

Although the internet is swarming with documentation of typography, old and new, it can be quite over bearing, and I found myself getting together a small bibliography of reading & visual material, which got me away from the computer.
I know very little about typography, so I found 'Type & Typography' by Baines & Haslam to be a very easy and informative source of knowledge, using simple language and a layout with bite sized text & plenty of images.
I jumped quickly to more image based & specialty books, to find out more about my key areas. I was already drawn to old fashion methods such as embroidery, and found that the best information could be found in old books which weren't concerned about the crafts future, but focused on it's history.

Conversation proved to be a brilliant tool for sharing information and ideas about the brief. I was asking a lot of questions - a lot of Whys? and Hows? to learn about the way people work and about their motives. Why old/new? How has technology affected us as artists/designers? Is creative typography a waste of time?
I enjoyed sharing books and magazines and having books, films, magazines and the like, recommended.
This interdependence also stretched to the Internet. We, as a year group, learnt more about each other's area of study, both through conversation, and viewing blogs. We were then able to pass on any information we found which related to another's project, through linking, posting images & videos or simply sharing conceptual ideas. This, along with a genuine passion to learn about typography, helped to keep the project flowing, helped me to understand the importance and relevance of research to a project, helped me to set and reach goals in what I wanted to learn about and surprise myself at how interested I have become. The penny continues to drop.

The research I was conducting began to stretch further than typography. The issue of old crafts being taken over by new technologies was appearing in far more areas than I at first thought. A lot of the answers to my questions were pushing me towards the ‘arts & crafts movement’, which I regrettably didn’t get round to researching as deep as I would have liked. I ended up keeping the posts on my blog limited specifically to typography, to avoid sending myself in all sorts of directions. Using the bookmark feature (I haven’t used this before!!!) has helped me to digitally take note of my path of research which didn’t make it onto my blog, for future reference as I wish to keep this project on going.

I’m still trying to figure out where I fit in with all this. My rationale for this project came from a fascination with typography & crafts, being impressed by them and their aesthetics, but through learning some processes of creating them, I found I might not have the patience required to create a great workload and was taken out of my comfort zone (literally! See wood carving!). I know this to be the case when using both technology and looking at craft. I felt rushed (mostly through excitement) to view the final piece and my outcomes suffered. I’ve learnt that researching thoroughly might just be the key to avoiding silly mistakes, which could spoil a lot of hard work and waste time. Always be prepared, plan out the desired finished outcome and take your time.

I learnt, through my own practice and the conversations with others, that time is not on crafts side, only freedom, less technical complications and a quality, when done properly, which is unique, beautiful and long lasting. This said, there are still so many gaps in my knowledge – my research has merely skimmed the surface of a small selection of typography craft, although it feels I have been churning stuff out and absorbing information until I’m saturated - the reality is, I still know very little.

I feel indifferent about the take-over of technology. In the quote from earlier in my study from Neville Brody, he's not concerned about technology ruining hand craft, but more so about the pace in which technology allows us the create work. We are loosing touch with what we are making, and the reason for it. As with each mini project I worked on, as lo-tech as it seemed, the aid of technology, whether using a computer to connect to the Internet, a camera, a scanner or a printer – helped immensely, but not allowing it to take over was very liberating and I felt it gave the work more identity.

Right now I feel that to be a good designer, you need to use whatever you can get your hands on. You need to have a genuine interest and passion for what you’re doing and learn plenty about it. You must experiment and try different routes, to be sure that you understand what you creating as your 'final piece'. Crafts may no be 'practical' or a productive use of my time as a student - but I'm pleased to have small amount of knowledge I have gained and hope it will change to way I work slightly.