OUGD503 - Studio Brief 1 - G . F Smith (Large Collaborative) - Digital Development of Type Layout

Digital Development of Type Layout

It was found that having the hole for the dowel in the center of the design would not work for months where the design was split half and half as the card would fall out.

It was considered that in order to join all the pieces and allow two colours to combine to make a whole circle the pieces would have to be layered so that the cut off sections reflected each other e.g. the ut off section would be on the left on one month then on the right on the next so when combined the cut off section is hidden.

The hole had to be moved to another part of the design where it would go through all of the pieces within the design. It was found that positioning the hole to the right of the central line mean that it would work for all of the different pieces.

It was considered that if the way the type was set would influence the angle in which the design would be turned. Each of the shapes is to be viewed at a certain angle to create the original shape having the month and dates so they are readable from only this angle makes it more likely the design will be turned. Placing the dates around the edge allows more space for the design to be used as a memo.

Arching the month around the curve of the design in this way doesn't create a natural curve.

Placing the dates around the edge and other information along the straight edge of the shape allows more room for the paper to be used as a memo pad and also allows the papers to be the main focus of the design. Having the word notes makes it more obvious that the design is to be used as a functional object. Listing the weeks on each page will also make the numbers make more sense whilst allowing the user to keep track of where they are in the year.

It was considered that a hierarchy could be created between the month and the week by making one smaller than the other and placing it underneath January. However this did not fit with the rest of the design and stood out too much.

Placing the month on one side of the straight edge and the week / memo on the other created more balance within the design.

Adding letters to represent the days of the week made the design more complex than it needed to be and as letters this was perhaps a little confusing especially when arranged in this way.

Placing memo above the numbers aimed to make the function of the lines clearer however this looks odd because the type becomes too close to the edge of the design.

Adjusting the dates so they rotated with the curve of the design would make the user turn the design.

Adding dotted lines that radiate from the center of the design create a space for things to be written for each day, encouraging its use as a memo pad.

Adding more than one line between the numbers made the design more cluttered and wouldn't leave enough room for someone to write things in the gaps.

Rather than having the lines radiate from the center of the design it made more sense to have them radiate from where the hole was within each of the designs.

Having the lines radiate from the hole in each piece  makes the design look more considered and consistent. 

It was considered that weeks where a month overlaps with another only the numbers for the days in that month are written whilst the other days in the week that are part of the other month are shown with dots.

Placing a dot between Week 1 and Memo also ties in with the dots used for the days in the other month creating a consistent aesthetic across the design.