Lesson video

Hello there, my name is Mr. Bowler and I'm so pleased that you've joined me today in this art and design lesson titled Introduction to Typography and Logo as part of a unit on Foundation Workshops: an introduction to the areas of study.

I'm a huge fan of art and design, and particularly graphic design and graphic communication, and that's what this lesson is all about.

Let's get into it.

Today's learning outcome is: "I can explain how typography influences logo design and create my own typographic logo to represent a brand." Here's the first half of your keywords for the day: typography, logo, and serif.

What do they mean? Well, typography refers to the art and technique of arranging type to make written language legible, readable, and visually appealing.

Logo refers to a symbol made up of text and/or images used to identify a brand or organisation.

And serif means a small decorative stroke or extension at the end of a letter's main strokes, often seen in traditional fonts.

Second half of your keywords, sans-serif and kerning.

Sans-serif refers to a typeface without the small projecting features called serifs, known for a clean and modern look.

And kerning refers to the spacing between individual letters in a piece of text, adjusted for better visual balance.

There are three learning cycles for today's lesson.

The first, introduction to typography and logo design.

The second, how typography creates meaning.

And lastly, designing a logo.

Let's take a bit of a closer look at this first one, introduction to typography and logo design.

What do you think typography means in graphic design? Feel free to pause the video here and discuss this with a friend.

We'll have a few moments to think about what you think typography means in graphic design.

And in this picture you can see some advertisements and neon signs, showcasing perhaps some possible meanings for typography.

So typography is the art of arranging type to make language readable and visually interesting.

Typography affects how we feel about written words.

It helps to build personality, mood, and identity.

And in this page here, you can see a selection of different posters, each featuring different typographic styles.

You can find examples of typography in many areas of daily life, including: clothing brand logos, book covers, food or drink packaging or advertisements.

And in this picture, we can see a coffee cup featuring different typographic styles written on the side.

By considering the audience, graphic designers can change the text size, its weight and style to alter its meaning and convey different messages, emotions, or ideas.

In this picture, we can see the letters A and Z in different sizes with different weights and different styles.

Let's check for understanding.

What is typography? Is it A: a type of drawing, B: arranging type for communication, or C: painting with different types of colours? Pause the video here and press play when you think you've got it.

Well done if you got that one.

The correct answer is B, arranging type for communication.

So typography refers to all aspects of how text, words and letters are presented in graphic design.

This includes the font and the typeface.

Font refers to the size and weight of letters, and you can see here it moving from different font styles of being regular, thin, italic, and bold.

The typeface is where a set of letters share a similar shape and design.

And you can see here four different types of typefaces, each with a different sort of style, shape, and design to them.

There are four main categories of typeface which we can use to help identify different styles and their possible usage.

So the first typeface style we'll look at is serif.

And this style is considered to be traditional and formal.

Sans-serif is considered to be modern and clean.

Script typefaces are elegant and flowing.

And lastly, display typefaces are considered to be creative and attention grabbing.

Let's look at these in a bit more detail.

A serif is a small line or stroke attached to the end of a letter.

And you can see here this serif typeface with the letters RST.

And looking at these, each of these letters, you can perhaps see these little lines or strokes attached at the ends of these letters.

On the right hand side of the screen now you can see a sans-serif typeface, which is basically without these little strokes.

The word sans comes from a Latin word, meaning without, and so sans-serif means without serifs.

Serif typefaces are considered to be more traditional and formal.

Manuscripts, books, newspapers, and restaurant menus often use serif typefaces.

And you can see here on the left some printed letters that are using this serif typeface.

A sans-serif typeface without decorative details is generally used for a modern and clean aesthetic.

Sans-serif typeface are considered to be easier to read, which makes them useful for websites and e-readers and small screens.

Here on the left, in the picture, you can see a phone showing the word "hello" in a sans-serif typeface.

Script typefaces are stylized, elegant and flowing.

They're often hand drawn using calligraphy techniques.

You often find script typefaces used for event invitations such as weddings and celebrations.

And here on the left you can see a wedding menu using this script-like typeface.

Display typefaces are designed to grab attention.

These typefaces are bold, often used to emphasise important information and are frequently used for newspaper headlines or large billboard advertisements.

On the left, you can see a large billboard using display typeface, reading the words "Love is all you need." Let's check for understanding.

Which typeface typically has small decorative strokes at the ends of letters? Is it A: serif, B: sans-serif, or C: script? Pause the video here and press play when you think you've got it.

Well done if you got that one correct.

The correct answer was A, serif.

Time for our first practise task.

Here, try and sort the following typefaces into serif, sans-serif or script categories.

So on the left you can see five different words written in different typefaces and see if you can tick which category it sits into and if that category is serif, sans-serif or script.

Pause the video here, spend some time on this one and press play when you think you've got them.

Well done if you've got those correct.

Here, you can see the correct answers for each of those options.

A was written in a sans-serif, B was written in serif.

C and D were both written in script.

And lastly, E was written in sans-serif.

Let's move on to our second learning cycle, how typography creates meaning.

In typography, changing a font or a typeface can change how it's perceived by the viewer.

On the left in this picture, you can see how text is printed in different fonts and typefaces.

Fonts and typefaces are like voices.

They might feel serious, playful, traditional, modern, or adventurous.

Painted signs featuring different typography styles can be seen in these pictures on your left.

Let's look at the same word.

Notice how the same word is perceived in different ways depending on the style of typography which is used.

The word "adventure" written in five different ways, and just looking at each of them, it kind of suggests something different.

Which style do you prefer and why? Pause the video here, discuss with a partner and press play when you've had a think about this.

Graphic designers can intentionally use different forms of typography to alter a message and influence how it is viewed.

A bold, heavy font might suggest strength and power.

While a thin, light one might appear to be classical and elegant.

Combining different typefaces can also be done to create dynamic designs.

In this shop sign on the left, we can see they've used multiple typefaces, a script, a sans-serif, and a bold display typeface all in one design.

Let's check for understanding.

True or false? All typefaces and fonts communicate the same message.

Do you think that is true or false? Pause the video, have a think and press play when you think you've got it.

The correct answer is false.

Now have a few moments and think about why that might be the case.

So typeface and fonts are like voices.

Each has a different tone.

Choosing a bold, heavy font versus a thin, elegant one can completely change how a brand is perceived by the viewer.

Well done if you got that correct.

Typography contains many different elements.

Look at each of these sections of this word "typography" that are shown in green.

Let's look at them.

Bar, an open counter, the stem, counter, a loop, ear, terminal, descender, bowl, ascender.

And at the end, we can see those familiar serifs, those little strokes at the ends of letters.

Another element that is important in typography is kerning.

Kerning involves adjusting the space between letters for better readability and visual balance.

On this top line, the letters A, B, C, and D show an even kerning.

On the second line, E, F, G, H, there's an uneven kerning.

Let's look at two passages of text.

Discuss with a partner how kerning has been used to change the readability of them.

Spend a few minutes here looking at these two passages of text.

Discuss with a partner, press pause on the video and press play when you've had a talk about them.

Let's consider how kerning was used differently.

Izzy says, "The different uses of kerning significantly changed how easy it was to read the text.

Option A felt irregular and hard to follow, whereas option B was more readable." Sam says, "Kerning was used differently in the two options, making the first option hard to develop a flow by breaking up the words unevenly.

Option B was clear and definitely the preferred choice." And I think those are some great comments.

Veronika Burian specialises in type design, creating a wide range of fonts and typefaces for different contexts.

Type designer and researcher Alice Savoie incorporates the theory of typography into the making of typefaces as part of the Women in Type project.

Piet Zwart was a pioneer of modern typography, helping to develop the field of design during the 20th century.

On the left, we can see some examples of typography in text design.

Let's check for understanding.

Why is kerning important? Option A: to space the letters properly for readability, option B: to make text look messy, or option C: to make fonts bolder? Pause the video here and press play when you think you've got it.

Well done if you've got that one correct.

Kerning is important to space letters properly for readability.

The correct answer was A.

Time for your second task.

Let's try and highlight the spacing and kerning issues in this passage of text, annotating how it could be changed to improve readability.

So taking a look at this passage of text, have a think about how spacing and kerning could have been dealt with in this to make it more effective.

Highlight if there's any areas that you think have issues with them and press play when you think you've got that.

So you might have noticed a few issues with this passage of text, and here we can see there's some examples of there being too much spacing in the passage of text.

Everywhere that's been highlighted shows where the spacing is incorrect between words and letters.

You might have also noticed there's too little spacing between some of the letters and these are highlighted here.

Lastly, you might have also noticed that the text on the bottom two lines actually overlaps and should be given more space in order to improve the readability of the text.

Well done if you got those correct.

Time for our third and final learning cycle of this lesson, designing a logo.

A logo is a symbol for a company or a brand.

Logos often combine text and imagery.

A good logo should be simple and memorable.

On the left here you can see a brand logo in white text on a blue background.

Can you think of any brand logos that are clear and memorable for you? Pause the video here and just have a few moments to think about this.

See what comes to mind.

Consider how typography has been used in brand logos to reflect the brand's identity.

Here on the left, you can see the word "DreamVille" at an angle and a typographic style.

A brand's logo and identity might employ different typographic features that suggest certain qualities.

So on the left side of this table, we've got different types of brands or institutions, and as we move through, we'll look at what possible brand identity they might be trying to cultivate, and then how they could reflect that brand identity through a typographic choice.

So in the first one, we can see a bank or a financial institution.

They perhaps want to develop their brand identity to kind of generate this sense of trust and respect.

And a possible typography choice they could use would be a traditional one, or so a serif typeface.

Our second option down in the table, a technology company might try and generate this brand identity around innovation and modernity.

They might use a possible typography form of sans-serif typeface as these are considered to be modern and clean.

Finally, our third option is toys and games manufacturer.

Their brand and identity might be to generate fun and excitement, and their possible typography choices may be display typeface, as these can be creative and attention grabbing.

One of the challenges of designing a logo is to avoid overcomplicating or overcrowding it.

Using too many fonts or making text hard to read will not help viewers understand what the brand is trying to communicate.

A good logo design is simple, effective, and clear.

So it's important to be selective when designing.

Here, we can see on the left, a logo design I think is achieving that through being simple, effective, and clear.

Let's check for understanding.

Which type of font is often considered modern and clean? Is it A: serif, B: gothic, or C: sans-serif? Pause the video here and press play again when you think you've got it.

The correct answer was C, sans-serif.

Well done if you got that one right.

Graphic designer Kareen Cox combines bright colours with geometric shapes to create clear and memorable designs.

Rafa al-Nasiri uses nature as a source of inspiration when creating abstract or decorative designs, which feature a variety of straight and curved lines.

Archie Boston Jr creates iconic visual designs that often address societal issues through bold colours and typography.

On the left, in this picture, you can see an origami bird beside bright geometric colours.

When designing a logo, consider the brand identity and how this could be reflected through typographic elements like font, typeface, and kerning.

On the left, you'll see the letter A written in different fonts and typefaces.

Thumbnail sketches of possible designs can also be used to help you to refine your initial ideas and provide possible variations to explore further.

Here on the left, you can see see someone hand drawing a pencil sketch of typography designs.

Using these thumbnail sketches, select one and develop it further with the materials you have available.

Different graphic designers use different processes, with some working traditionally by hand, perhaps in a sketchbook, and others working digitally, perhaps on a tablet and stylus.

Remember to try and keep your logo design simple, memorable, and clear in order to make it most effective.

Let's check for understanding.

What makes a good logo design? Is it A: it's complicated and detailed, B: it uses lots of fonts, or C: it's simple, memorable, and clear? Which of these do you think makes a good logo design? Pause the video here and press play when you think you've got the right answer.

Well done if you got that one right.

The correct answer was C.

A good logo design is simple, memorable, and clear.

And now for our final task of the day, create a typographic logo.

Invent a brand based on a theme that interests you.

For example, this might be for a cafe, a tech company, food or clothing brand.

Design a simple logo using only text.

Focus on font choice and typeface style to create a typographic logo which reflects your brand's identity.

So spend some time working on this task of designing your own typographic logo and considering the font choices and the typeface style to reflect a certain type of brand identity.

Spend some time with this.

Press pause on the video and then press play when you are ready to resume.

Welcome back.

I hope you enjoyed that task.

Here we can see Sam's attempt at creating a typographic logo based on a company called Creatonauts.

Here's what Sam says: "My typographic logo is based on a creative media company called "Creatonauts." I wanted the typeface to look futuristic, forward thinking and dynamic to develop brand identity." And looking at this design, I think that they have been very successful in achieving that, and I hope that you've been successful with your typographic logo design too.

So what have we learned today in this lesson on introduction to typography and logo design? An effective logo design should be simple, easily recognisable and memorable, as complex logos can lose clarity.

Text and typography should be organised in a way to create a clean, professional look.

Consistent alignment through kerning helps guide the viewer's eye, and fonts and typefaces can be chosen to reflect brand identity such as through using a serif or sans-serif typeface.

Thank you so much for joining me on this lesson.

I hope you've enjoyed it, and I hope you've enjoyed becoming familiar about the uses and applications of typography and logo design.

And I'll see you next time.