DES 102: Typography II
Explore and express your typography in portfolio projects
Typography, technology, and culture are intertwined. Type has the power to communicate meaning and mood through its quirks and beauty, its history and diversity. In this advanced online typography course, you'll learn advanced concepts in typography, building your portfolio through hands-on projects. You'll experiment with type fusion, learn the details of text layout and information hierarchy, create a visual identity for product package and a civic authority, and even design your own currency.
Visit the Student Gallery.
About This Course
Project-Based Learning
Creative graphic design projects in this course include type fusion, menu design, poster design, civic identity, logo design, and currency design.
What Skills Will I Develop?
Students in this course can expect to learn to:
- Analyze the important role of typography in design, including the formal elements that typographers consider important.
- Design a new hybrid typeface and publicize it on an announcement card.
- Enhance kerning, special characters, ligatures, and other typographical details in a print layout.
- Plan and design a text article layout making specific typographical corrections to enhance the design.
- Explore and experiment with three expressive aspects of type design: letterform, layout, and color.
- Use type expressively by designing two posters based on different musical styles.
- Research how typography can symbolize the identity of a group or organization.
- Conceptualize and produce a visual identity for a city or town using typography.
- Experiment with techniques to produce 3D effects, motion graphics, and interactivity in typography.
- Research and design a subcultural package design for a popcorn box.
- Investigate experimental typography and the interaction between type and other cultural artifacts.
- Develop or redesign a currency, integrating type, image, and graphics.
What Software and Supplies Do I Need?
- Computer with Internet connection.
- Adobe Illustrator and InDesign or equivalent programs.
- Basic experience in the above software.
Course Instructor(s)
The course is taught by the following instructor(s):
Andrew Shalat
Andrew Shalat is an author, designer/illustrator, educator, and Mac expert who is a regular speaker at Macworld and has written several books on design for McGraw-Hill and Peachpit Press.
Course Outline
Letterforming
Lesson One opens your eyes to the expressive power of type. You'll begin the course with an introduction to the exciting field of type design, exploring some of the challenges that typographers face. You'll investigate the difference between seeing type and reading it, helping you develop your appreciation for both functional and expressive letterforms.
Type Details and Hierarchy
Type layout professionals look at the big picture and the details. In this session we will cover all the minutaie (special characters, ligatures, dashes, and hyphens) you need to know to add finesse to your text layouts. You'll learn how and why to make kerning, leading, and tracking adjustments, exploring how your choice of typestyle affects your overall approach. You'll absorb principles of visual order by studying an advanced example of information design.
Making Type Sing
What makes type sing? This week's class explores the expressive aspects of typography, looking at the different ways in which letterform, layout, and color choices can create an abstract, almost musical impact on the reader. You'll explore outstanding examples of typography and test the analogy between type and music.
Type As Symbol
In a logotype, typography transcends textual communication, becoming instead an image or identity, a potent source of cultural resonance. In this session we will explore the embedded meanings in the logos we see everyday, analyzing how and why they communicate so powerfully. You'll look at a Floridian case study in identity creation.
Two, Three, Four Dimensions
Mastered 2-D type? Then it's time to make your text pop and fly. It's time to explore techniques for lifting type off the page. 3-D effects such as shadow and perspective lead into a discussion of sculptural type and signage in our visual environment. The brave new world of dynamic typography is also explored, with case studies on leading practitioners of motion graphics and interactive text.
Type Culture
Type has cultural (and subcultural) weight. It can capture the spirit of the times and the power of the people. We will conclude the course examining the different ways in which typography reflects and communicates cultural meaning. A particular focus is upon one vehicle for typography important to all designers: money.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
How Do The Courses Work?
Our courses are project-based and instructor-led. In each course you’ll complete a series of lectures, projects, discussions, and critiques designed to stretch your creative skills. Weekly assignment deadlines keep you on track, and with no set-logins or Zoom meetings, you can build your studies around your schedule.
Who Are The Instructors?
Our courses are developed and taught by our industry-leading faculty of creative professionals. This means that you’ll learn in-demand skills, get feedback on your work, and build a portfolio of creative work. View our Student Gallery for featured student projects.
When Can I Start?
Classes start January, April, and August, and this course is completed in a 15-week term. College credit from this course can be applied to a range of Degree and Certificate programs at Sessions College. You can enroll in this course on an individual basis or as part of a program.
Explore our Programs: Bachelor's Degree | Associate Degree | Undergraduate Certificate
How Do I Register?
To register for a program, complete our program application. To register for this course on an individual basis, please contact our admissions team at admissions@sessions.edu. An Admissions Advisor will contact you to setup your enrollment.
| Course Tuition and Fees | |
|---|---|
| Tuition | $300/credit |
| Registration Fee* | $200 |
| Total Course Price | $1100 |
Registration fees are nonrefundable after 5 days from enrollment.
Is Sessions College Accredited?
Yes. Since 2001, Sessions College has been accredited by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC). The Distance Education Accrediting Commission is listed by the U.S. Department of Education as a recognized accrediting agency and is recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).