In this project, we created a design system and cover for a typographic glossary. We were given the information to include, but most style choices were left up to us. During this design project, we were also given time to play and explore our creativity.

My goals for this project were to have fun, enjoy the creative process, and have a clean layout that matched the criteria and design system. I wanted to have a swirled/story-like font and to keep the arts and crafts design aesthetic.

I was unfortunately absent during this workshop and had to work on these outside-of-class instructions. I had a decent time figuring out what I needed for this assignment. I loved being able to mix and match fonts to help create a design system. I knew some fonts I had chosen would not make the final choice, but I still enjoyed experimenting with type.

I was unfortunately absent during this workshop and had to work on these outside-of-class instructions. I had difficulty figuring out what was needed of me for this assignment due to missing class. After finishing and submitting my project and discussing it with my peers, I may have missed an aspect of this assignment. I thought the challenge was to contrast the example. So, for Thick : Thin on 2.1, I felt I needed to show a thin display font vs a thicker body text to counter the thick display and skinny body text on the example I was given for Thick : Thin. I still enjoyed playing with the layout and figuring out how to piece together the preassigned text best and how easily the mood can be shifted using text displays.

For exercise 3, we were tasked with creating a practice glossary. We had to place text and apply our chosen design system within. This exercise helped me visualize the placement of my design and smooth out the details. Additionally, we made each page have a different design system to imagine the other options. During this exercise, I learned many new InDesign tools, such as how to make text flow through multiple text boxes.

I had already chosen the fonts and made a design system I wanted to use. Due to the excessiveness of each step, I also knew what layout and how the glossary would look. This set matched what my goals were the most.

I placed my images at least six times. I would read the project sheet and miss a step or be unsure if I selected the suitable menu options and must redo it. I quickly learned how to use the shortcut commands, so it did not take long to place my images, even with the many redos I had to do of specific steps.

At first, I had wanted swirly art nouveau-type curves on my cover, but I quickly realized I would not get the professional sleekness I wanted for my cover. Every version came out looking like a mix of Willy Wonka and Doodles. I wanted the beautiful font to stand out the most, so I started there and added accents that were fun characters within the typeface. I wanted to bring back some of the swirls and curves but went with a much more minimalist approach, making my angles an accent instead of a main component. 

When we were allowed to open the creativity and run wild, I wanted to experiment further with the inside of my glossary. I made an inside cover page that matched my actual cover nicely. Additionally, I changed the border around my images to a rounder version.

We had significant issues trying to print my glossary. I could only create a post-print PDF with my professor's assistance. I tried using a different computer but could still make the correct document with more significant problems. When trying to print my document off of my professor's computer, she was unable to get my font to work correctly and had to change my font to get it to print. The process of binding a book was enjoyable, and I enjoyed it; that being said, it's not my first time doing so, and I will likely do it again.

I learned a lot during this assignment. I advanced my knowledge of layout and creating design systems for printed pages. I immensely enjoyed all of the creative output I achieved while going through the different workshops and exercises.