Czech-American graphic designer Ladislav Sutnar

http://www.aiga.org/content.cfm/another-side-of-ladislav-sutnar
http://www.aiga.org/content.cfm/medalist-ladislavsutnar
http://www.thisisdisplay.org/search/results/d1c06079fa11287e16b7299ab15e8f25/

Alphabet some adjustments

Different typefaces

Script typeface: Handwriting, calligraphy or the swirls of engravings.

Blackletter:

were used for the first European movable type printing presses in 1450 and were popular in Germany up until the 19th century. Still they are used by some newspaper mastheads and for tattoos!

Decorative typeface

Fixed width, techno, pixel and computers fonts: hi tech feel or computer appearance

Different typefaces - Sans-serif

http://djdesignerlab.com/2010/09/02/free-sans-serif-fonts-ultimate-collection-part-1/

Different Typefaces

 Old typefaces:

I found this nice web page when I was looking for Garalde typeface:
http://www.gimligraphics.com/training/TypographyCourse/lessons/OldstyleTypography.htm

Didone typeface: 

Slab-serif typeface:

 Another interest web page: http://www.fonts2u.com/index.html

Exercise: A typographic jigsaw puzzle

I made some mistakes here. The letter a and q was wrong and I forgot for s. The correct letter a are green circles, the correct letter q are blue circles and red circle is part with foot serif to the right which I did not use. I think it could be part of h or n or m but I am sure. I think this exercise help me better understand how typefaces are constructed and I am able to better see where the differences are between them. Still I am lack of sense (knowledge) why there are so many fonts and how to use them.

 

One thing happened to me after this exercise. When I was writing some notes by my hand I noticed that my handwrite f and t are very similar. I changed the t. I try write it now with foot right serif to make it more readable as t.

ALPHABET

Just try to express how can feel a man trying to identify fonts two days.

Research point: identify typography

I noticed that if there is a lack information about letter Q, q, W and numbers the programme has problem to find correct font. It was very hard to find them so I spent a lot of time with it. Another czech magazines:

REFLEX:
They use three fonts. For Headlines they use FF Kievit. I was not succesful to find name for the main text font. The third I did not try because I had not enough of the letters.

TYDEN:
I indentified that for big headline they use Franklin Ghotic for middle headline they use ITC Franklin Gothic Condesed and for the main text they use ITC Slimbach.

Research point: identify font

I used the programme to identify fonts from a magazine on webpage www.identifont.com.

ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST:
I choose Italy magazine AD (Architectural Digest) which I bought in Italy last week. I identified only main text which was Zapf Calligraphic 801 (Herrmann Zapf). 

SHOP:
you can get that magazine at airports. The main text is Apex Serif font and headline is compressed Plantain font.

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC:
Main text is serif font Minion and sans serif is probably AG Book BQ. 

FILTRATION + SEPARATION:
Main text is Goudy Old Style (BT) and the headline is Helvetica.

I had problems to find fonts of the news germany/czech magazine:
WELT am SONNTAG: Headlines: the closest font is font FF Clifford Six but the R is a little bit different. Mainfonttext: the font is close to font Freight Text.

When I was in Wiesbaden (D) I brought back a news magazine.  I put a czech magazine next to the Germany magazine just to compare typography and layout. More: http://k-f-typografy.blogspot.com/2011/04/typography-comparation-german-czech.html

I found this morning my old English book.

Playing with words

So, the exercise with the words is done. It was not easy task because sometimes I did not know which font should represent the word better, so it was long process with choosing typeface. Also I had problems with right means of the words. I used fonts from  http://www.dafont.com/ and fonts which I bought (Zurich, Swiss (Helvetice) etc.)).

For starting word SAD I choose gray color for background and a little bit lighter gray for fonts because gray color is sad to me. I wanted to intensive the feel "sad" by rotation of letter A and D. The word SAFE: I made green background to express the harmony, honesty, growth together with the serif font. The lock should increase the trust that it is safety.
  

SARDONIC: one of the hardest word for me. I do not know if I am right but I made the word as someone who is "spactic". There I used the Zig-Zag filter. The color and fonts were just nice for me. SAUCY I made by handwritten font just as show it in playful form. When someone is saucy he/she could be uncomfortable for another by also it could such a form of game and playful (I hope that I am right with my English).

SCHOLARLY: I used here serif font and blue color to support school things, no more no less. The SERIOUS: here I wanted something solid and shining thing, also here I could use seríf font but the sans serif Zurich font with metal look worked for me well in that case.

SHADOW: I used here the layer style to build shadow of Zurich font and I think it works very well in combinations of the shadow around the word (it could be more stronger in color such as it the shadow under the word is). SHATTERED: my first thing was something in bottom broken in a corner, the sans serif font I used because is more readable in that form than serif font. I just simply cut the word in three parts and rotated them to make shattered feel.

SHY: I wanted to represent here someone who is hiding behind something because is blushing and is demure. SHORT: (my favorite) my first idea was to make a figure of a man. Also the red color is a form of demure.

SILLY: ok, first thing was a clown, so I tried some filter with square texture (pattern) and colorful font. SINKING: I projected in my mind a boat (word) broken in two parts which is "sinking" to the bottom of the sea.

SKIMPY: I used the word in the mean in "twiggy" look. That is the reason why I used the light font in color. SLEEK: I found that font on webpage http://www.dafont.com/search.php?psize=m&q=space and I think it works well. I added effect which I made by brush in photoshop to support the feel of SLEEK.

SMART: I used sans serif font and bulb from previous part. I did not think about it very long just as the process went along ...... . SNOWY: also one of the hardest word. I like the version which made emma. I thought that version that font will be print in snow surface should work well.

SODDEN: I used here filter spherize to distort Swiss (Helvetica) black font. The blue color represent water here. SOOTHING: here I am not sure about the font because the font has sharp serifs and it has not nothing with soothing but I tried to change the font and this works here best.  

SORDID: I made that word according my memories. The font I found on the web myfont.com. SOPHISTICATED: it is something which have high level of highness so that the reason why I used the serif font.

SPEED: I think the font which I used here is typical for painted flames on muscle cars and motorbikes (chopper/harley). I like it, I supported it by blur noise in background. SQUAT: I just choose some Techno font from myfont.com.

SQUEEZE: I used transformation distortion to press the text here.  I do not know why I used the color but I like it. STIFF: my another favorite word. It looks like a logotype. I like it.

STODGY: for the dull feel I used the grey colors and playbill font, I am not sure if the playbill font is dull but it works for me here. STONED: here I wanted use a texture which remind a concrete. I also thought that it will be nice to have some rotated fonts such as they fall down.

STYLE: I wanted here to stylize an advertisement we saw around us. I used sans serif font and supported it with pattern in background. It reminds me marks such as NIKE, ADDIDAS etc. SUPINE: I wanted be here very simple. The first idea was to simply rotate the word but suddenly an idea with the "i" came and it is here. I like it.

SWAGGER: Again, I wanted be here simple. I found a color palette for word Swagger on web. After it I simply transformed the text with background. SWEET: I wanted here to color the font with colors remind a candy and it works well here.