Letter Splice

Download Project Brief: lettersplice

TRY THIS PROJECT

1. Pick a classic serif typeface.

(A useful student guide for typeface selection is 30 Essential Typefaces for a Lifetime, edited by Imin Pao and Joshua Berger, Rockport 2006)

2. Examine the different parts of the characters. Notice that each typeface is broken into the same twenty-one parts, including ascender, descender, crossbar, bowl, counter, and terminal, etc.

3. Visit typeisart.com to see a description of each part and play around with this site for a bit.
Return to your chosen typeface and dissect it into the twenty-one parts in Illustrator.

4. Using these parts, create a family of three icons.

5. All three icons should have a common theme (for example: faces, animals, lamps, seasons) and a
similar look and feel.

………….

Contributed by Helen Armstrong, Maryland Institute College of Art

See p. 80 of Participate for sample student work.