Major Research Project

I was fortunate enough to be able to showcase my current work in progress alongside my other peers, with whom we shared our major projects. This was a great interim period to reflect upon my current journey by contextualising my research and communicating this in a professional setting.  The image shows the event WiP promo poster The idea was for myself and my peers to create our very own logotype that reflects our major projects without giving too much context away. This was a set task by our lecturer Dan who advised us that we try to generate our own imagery to reflect our projects. As well as contributing to this promo poster, I also wanted to create promo posters for myself that will be on display at the show. This is so that it would add context to my project and the prototypes that I wanted to showcase.  Images show photos taken from my promo posters Images show photos taken from my promo posters

 I wanted to explore current Hebrew letterforms through the medium of print. One of my key practices in finding out answers is to explore through screenprint methods. I have become accustomed to this method of communication through its materiality nature and the systematic response it takes to generate imagery.  Screenshot image taken from wip presentation However, it is important to explore first ways to create such imagery digitally to test before the next stages of processing the screens. This allowed me to generate different modular letterforms using grid systems, this has been part of my ongoing research to understand letterforms from the modularity perspective.  I wanted to consider different compositions to test out via screen printing, so I created the imagery first via Illustrator to see how they may look. The idea was to explore Latin and Hebrew letterforms within their alphabets.  To add further context to these prints, I wanted to communicate the value of...

As part of my ongoing development within my studies, I was advised to present to my lecturers and colleagues a work in progress to share my current direction within my research. This was an important part as a form of check-in to see how well I am doing and what I am planning on developing next within my studies whilst tackling my current research question(s),  To what extent do calligraphic traditions of the Hebrew and Latin alphabets influence and shape the systematic forms within typographic design?  What insights do these offer for contemporary design and methodologies today?  To what extent do calligraphic traditions of the Hebrew  and Latin alphabets influence and shape the systematic forms within typographic design?  What insights do these offer for contemporary design and methodologies today? I found myself contemplating on these questions, and asking myself do they make sense to me still in the direction I feel that I am going down? Is it tim...

From the feedback given within my crit session looking at my work in progress presentation, it was advised to explore the following: Parameters in Design Visual Kingship/Visual consistency Explore the Bauhaus typography / letterforms typography through the lens of semiotics / how we read type It was advised to create a framework to outline what I want to explore next and see where this will take me. further notes on this and to consider exploring are: What it the value of Typography? What is the value of letterform design? What is the value of Hebrew to me? How can I help people to understand the value of different letterforms ie, Hebrew, Latin, Cyrillic? Have I finished exploring hebrew typography?  Is it time to explore other languages and alphabets to explore next? Where there languages and alphabets that where a head of its time by using a systematic approach, example would be the bauhaus and Herbert Bayer. Explore books that show different alphabets and their systematic approa...

I decided it would be a good idea to arrange for me to have a 1 to 1 tutorial with my lecturer and course leader Dan, this is because I always benefit from these sessions in my own personal development. This was a great opportunity to talk about where I am currently within my research and development.  It was good to share my thoughts and what I have been wrestling with regarding where I should be and if what I am looking at and responding to is correct at the master level within research.  I was pleasantly surprised to hear from Dan that I am in a good position in my research and how I have responded to my own enquiries within my journey. Looking at Hebrew typography and letterforms has actually brought me to a place where I have explored how to write the Alef-bet to then adapt this within a co...

So I have been working through FVS online course and have been enjoying it so far. I have now reached lesson 4 which is titled Form Follows Tool, this is informed by the work of Gerrit Noordzij, a Dutch typographer, type designer and author (2nd April 1931 - 17th March 2022). His  teachings of letters and calligraphy at the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague in 1960, created motivation for him to make type available to his students. What I found interesting in discovering was that "he identified the stroke of the pen as the central idea in the making of letter forms, (Wikipedia, 2023). A quote from  Noordzij talking about typography,  https://www.typeroom.eu/in-memoriam-gerrit-noordzij-1931-2022 This quote resonated with me, when I think of typography I think of letters creating a sense of visual harmony on the page. Type becomes a visual form to guide readers and design aesthetics. This becomes an interesting topic to explore further. 

Here is the current exploration practice that I have done so far within the modular-type course. Here you will see simple geometric shapes that formulate within a grid staying within 5x5 squares.  Here is my exploration for this exercise from this course.  Working practice research by Jordan Jones within the modular type course from FVS. " Typography is hundreds and writing even thousands of years old. This makes it a very rich field of learning, investigation, and exploration but requires as well a clear focus on YOUR field of interest." (Lorenz,2023). From what I have learnt so far shapes inform letters when designing a font. Lorenz talks about how "y ou would never design single letters, but always letter systems that work for every letter, in every word, sentence, and text. The shape of the letter is always influenced by the shape of the other letters and how they work together" (Lorenz,2023). Whilst going through this course, I came across us...

Today I finally signed up to Marten Lorenz from Flexible Visual Systems who has an online learning platform via Patreon. The reason for this is that I feel it will benefit me greatly in my research and development journey, especially within my MA. As I am currently working through learning about systems within typography through the lens of calligraphic writing, I feel this next move as part of my journey will help further my knowledge and hopefully give me further insights into typography from a systematic approach.  https://flexiblevisualsystems.info/courses/modular-type/ Screenshot showing FVS online course  One thing that I am excited to learn about is how I can transform my current iterations and development within both Hebrew and Latin letterforms into modular typography. Shapes have always fascinated me and have been an ongoing obsession of mine since a young age. It may be part of the ...

Today I decided that amongst the heap of research I have been doing and books I have been reading, I wanted to create something fun and show my own development. I had come across an insta reel by graphic designer Anton Burmistrov (antoncreations).  https://www.instagram.com/p/C3Wi3NqsGsW/ Instagram page of  Anton Burmistrov 2024. One post in particular that caught my attention was Burmistrov's exploration using a free online generative browser-based tool by the creator  https://afterimage.cc/tools/   This informed me of what I could explore next within my current letterform designs. I decided to implement a recent Alef letter that was designed via the iPad using Procreate as my hand lettering tool of choice.  This letterform was part of my iteration process exploring different calligraphic forms of the Hebrew letter Alef using a combination of two brush pens. One was created by Noita Baranes and the other was a free-generated black letter brush cr...

Here is some research that has given me inspiration within my journey. I wanted to find old graphic design representations of Hebrew letterforms that would give me a different outlook within my current research practice and help contextualise my journey further.  I am a big believer in gaining inspiration from the past and a collector of all things ephemera, however, sometimes it is hard to find the right materials for your research so you just have to look further in a field at times. So, I decided to search via Instagram and lo and behold I came across the work of David Goldstein, a calligrapher and hand lettering artist who specialises in Hebrew writing and letterform creation.  https://www.instagram.com/david__goldstein/ I was inspired by his work and letterform creation but, what I found most interesting was his separate Instagram page that is dedicated to old Hebrew books. This became an insightful discovery of mine as I got to see so many inspiring letter...

 Here is a current exploration of mine to explore hand lettering more fluidly. I decided to construct the shapes from the original sketch form of the letter a which is the first letter from the Latin alphabet. From establishing the overall shape and form, I was able to further construct the letter. I decided to implement this into creating the Hebrew letter Alef, ironically this is also the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet known in Hebrew as the Alef-bet.  Timelapse showing practice-based research by Jordan Jones. Both designs connote geometric forms that represent a contemporary feel to both letters. I wanted both letterforms to create a sense of partnership between the two that shows how they can be formulated using the same width and component pieces to form each letter.  I feel this could be something to explore further within the interrelations betwee...

Here begins the exploration process within my journey. As part of my proposal report, it was advised to plan out and schedule the months ahead. This next stage is an exciting one as it now gets me to make things through practice-based research.  The first part was to take a Domestika course in Hebrew calligraphy. I have already familiarised myself with the Hebrew language and letterforms but have always wanted to know how to write the letter in its most accurate forms.  A course by Allison Barclay (Avielah) , Certified Hebrew Scribe (Soferet), allowed me to be introduced to writing these letters and their unique names.  Screenshot showing Domestika course by Allison Barclay (Avielah) 2021. This became a rewarding discovery as it got me to explore how to write Hebrew letters from the Alef-bet from the perspective of a  traditionally trained Jewish scribe. Image showing the initial stage of setting up this workshop. I was advised to p...

So where am I now in my research?  I have been getting stuck in now reading lots of useful books in the areas of letterforms and typography, both of which have brought me to a place now that has given me a new perspective on letters and how they are informed from a systematic approach when they are created. There is so much to learn when it comes to understanding typefaces and letterforms, the shapes, styles and origins to which they were influenced, make this research journey an interesting one to explore further. Nigel Cottier Letterform Variations (2021)   Nigel Cottier Letterform Variations (2021) The work of Nigel Cottier who is known for his book Letterform Variations 2021 which can be seen above, has brought me to a place that somewhat has created a curve ball moment within my research journey. This is due to me wanting to expand upon my research further looking into letterforms, glyphs and the systematic responses that come from creating such typographic forms. However...

Here's to a new year and the commencement of the next stage of my MA research journey. I am a bit late into posting again within this blog but lots of have happened, issues with health and recently moved house has been rather stressful to comprehend but that's life for you.  I am however happy to get stuck into my research studies once again as I continue exploring both the Hebrew and Latin alphabets through the lens of calligraphic writing. This is a big area to cover and so I want to explore how this is impactful in typography and letterforms.  After writing my project proposal and then submitting it for grading, I felt a sigh of relief that a lot of the body of work within research has now been done, however, there is so much more to cover and is something I have been wrestling with quite some time. Areas within my own practice have been questioned, l...