OUGD403 - Studio Brief 02 - Typeface Design Part 3

After considering the feedback from the interim critique I continued with the idea of a typeface being dependent on itself in order to be distinct. I knew I wanted a purely lowercase typeface as upper case letterforms disrupt the heights of different words, drawing attention to certain areas on a page, which is something I wanted to avoid. I created a full lowercase alphabet sketch (top) and then a digital version using the Adobe Illustrator programme (bottom), making adjustments to the structure of individual letterforms to ensure all bowls, counters and bodies were uniform. Stroke size 1 pt. with a butt cap.

In order to make each letterform 'weak', and keeping in mind that this typeface would be most appropriate for copy text, I wanted to remove as much detail as possible , leaving it with no discerning or recognisable features. The sharp angles created too much definition at the end of each stroke (left), but changing to a round cap softened the letterforms, making the distinction between letter and page less obvious (right).

Despite being a small stroke size, pt 1 actually came across as relatively bold due to the lack of detail within the letterforms, but reducing this to 0.5 pt gave the typeface an ultra-light appearance, which is more representational of 'dependent'.

I then sketched and digitalised a full set of numbers and selected punctuation marks, also in 0.5 pt with round caps.

In order to name my typeface I went back to the synonyms of the word dependent - 'inferior', 'secondary', 'lesser' or 'minor'. One of the aims of my typeface was to be as weak as possible so I felt an obvious name that played down its characteristics would be the most appropriate. The official name of my typeface is Inferior Minor.

Manifesto:
Inferior Minor is an ultra-light typeface with its origins stemming from the Bodoni typeface family. A purely lowercase typeface, it is ideal for large sections of copy, captions or sub-headings. With little to no detail it’s ultra-slim stroke weights allow for flexibility across many mediums and the rounded bowls and wide arches make for easy and effective legibility.

Feedback from the final critique was largely positive in response to my typeface. The concept of creating letters that were individually weak yet strong in bulk text came across clearly through the clean, minimal design. Structurally it was agreed that the letterforms were all evenly designed with very few errors. It was suggested that further experimentation with stroke weights may have been beneficial, however a heavier stroke weight would have detracted from the 'dependent' nature of the typeface and a lighter stroke weight would have decreased legibility at greater distances and smaller pt. sizes. It was also suggested that the typeface may be extended with an uppercase alphabet. Although I initially aimed for a purely lowercase typeface, the addition of uppercase letterforms would allow for more industrial uses and would provide more structure to copy text as a whole. All digital letterforms were produced using the Adobe Illustrator programme, allowing them to be easily edited and adapted if necessary, and transferable between different mediums.