Studio Brief 4 - Adding type

Type choices

Initially OCR A Extended and Ariel were used on some photocopy experiments. OCR A Extended was supposed to reflect a DIY approach and traditional feel, whilst Ariel is a clean typeface that would contrast well against the sometimes busy imagery. 

  

The type was cut out from either a black on white set of text or white on black, then stuck onto the sheets to be re photocopied. Using the type with the corresponding background colour allowed the type to look as though it had been printed with the image. In other experiments the opposite background was put on an image creating contrast between elements and showing the process of the books creation. Placing the text in either of the bottom corners seemed to be the most effective and would enable some consistency across pages. 

Using OCR A Extended was effective in creating a DIY feel, whereas Ariel felt too clean in comparison to the imagery. However it was considered that OCR A Extended looked a little digital as well so similar alternatives were considered. 

Lucinda Console, Consolas and Courier were all found to have similar characteristics.  Lucinda Console has rounded terminals which felt a little too playful and possibly even childish. Consolas had squarer terminals however the type was lighter in weight. It was tested in bold  which made it a similar weigh the other type examples making it clearer. Courier was found to be the most like OCR A Extended as it had serifs to finish off the letterforms and emphasise their structure. The spacing between letters was wider, which it was considered would allow for greater legibility when scaled down, when compared with the other typefaces, which had much tighter tracking.