Module Information
Course Delivery
| Delivery Type | Delivery length / details |
|---|---|
| Lecture | x 7 |
| Seminars / Tutorials | x 3 / 2 |
| Practical | 4 x 2 hours |
Assessment
| Assessment Type | Assessment length / details | Proportion |
|---|---|---|
| Semester Assessment | 100% |
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this module students should be able to:
1. evaluate the relationship between typography and its use to create clear and legible artefact labels, information boards, web pages, and texts, and consider the audience for whom each is intended
2. have an understanding of the creative potential of type and an awareness of its limitations
3. appreciate the practical and historical application of typography
4. produce a design brief
5. produce a range of museum texts, to professional standards, such as one might expect to use in an exhibition or museum display
6. be aware of the limitations and creative potential of print and electronic information
7. understand the technology of print production and demonstrate a sure handling of the technical terminology
Brief description
Words are seen first as a piece of graphic before they are read and comprehended. To improve standards of display, interpretation and access to information, this practical and theoretical course introduces the materials used and techniques employed in typography and design in the museum environment. The module will take a closer look at the origins of the letterforms to examine how their shape, size and individual characteristics can affect the words they spell. It examines the stages in the design and preparation of typography in the museum environment, as students write, design, print, and manufacture artefact labels, information boards, leaflets, flyers, and an education trail. The nature of museum displays, the functions of the curator, education officer, typographer and designer are considered to study ways in which designers employ a range of graphic media, preparing designs with an understanding of the method of reproduction. Under supervision, students experiment and investigate the potential of typography in various contexts, both as a means of expression and conveyor of information, displaying an engagement with image and process
Aims
2. promote the sensitive and appropriate use of type faces in design, and advocate the natural order of unjustified blocks of text
3. analyse the relationship between print / electronic process and statement
4. encourage students to pay close inspection to the smallest details of type, legibility and the overall effect of the design
5. develop personal ideas and refine technical proficiency
6. encourage students to work creatively, within a conceptual framework, and learn to articulate their ideas in a reasoned and critical manner
Content
- Historical Introduction to Typography
- Typography as the Design, Use and Study of Letter Forms
- Terminology and Measurement Systems for Typography
- The Language of Graphic Design
- Problems of Bilingual Typography
- Instruction in Design: Microsoft Word, Quark Express and Adobe Photoshop
- Instruction in the Use of Type: Web Pages, Posters, Labels, Interpretative Display Panels, and Artefact Labels
- New Technologies and Contemporary Trends
Transferable skills
Design Brief
Portfolio
Commissions
2 IT and information handling
Word Processing Software
Desk Top Publishing
Image Manipulation
Scanning
3 Use and analysis of numerical information
Typographic Measurement Systems
Design and Measurement Calculations for Print
4 Writing in an academic context
Production of Artefact Labels and Text Boards
5 Oral discussion and presentation
Seminars
Group crits
Tutorial Discussion
Presentation
6 Careers need awareness
The module is specifically for students considering a career in museums, art gallery administration, public art organisations, freelance curators and exhibition organisers, and in private galleries.
7 Self-management
Commissions
Assignments
8 Group activity
Seminar Discussion
Workshop and Practicals
Notes
This module is at CQFW Level 5