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ADVANCED TYPOGRAPHY - TASK 2: KEY ARTWORK & COLLATERAL


20/10/25 - 16/11/25 (Week 5 - Week 8)

Nicole Ng Ying Yan  0382412

Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media

GCD61004 Advanced Typography

Task 2: Key Artwork & Collateral 

TABLE OF CONTENTS


1.0 LECTURES


View Lecture 1 - 4 HERE

Lecture 5: AdTypo_5_Perception & Organisation

<Perception & Organisation>

Perception in typography deals with the visual navigation and interpretation of the reader via contrast, form and organisation of the content. Content can be textual, visual, graphical or in the form of colour. However, our focus today is on typography.

Fig. 1.1 Methods of Contrast by Rudi Ruegg (Week 5, 21/10/25)

7 Types of Contrast by Carl Dair:

- Size
- Weight
- Form
- Structure
- Texture
- Colour
- Direction

Fig. 1.2 7 Types of Contrast by Carl Dair (Week 5, 21/10/25)

Form in Typography

Form pertains to the visual design of text and how it influences first impressions. The interplay of meaning and form brings a balanced harmony both in terms of function and expression. When a typeface is perceived as a form, it no longer reads as a letter due to the manipulation of its letterform by distortion, texture, enlargement, and being extruded into a space.

Organisation/ Gestalt

Gestalt theory explains how we perceive groups of elements as a unified whole, not just individual parts. Instead of breaking down thoughts and behaviour to their smallest elements, the gestalt psychologists believed that we must look at the whole experience.

Therefore in design (typographic layouts), the components/ elements that make up the design is only as good as its overall visual form. While each component may be functional at an elemental level, the sum of its parts is not greater than the whole of the overall form.

Perceptual Organisation/ Groupings

1. Laws of Similarity
2. Laws of Proximity
3. Laws of Closure
4. Laws of Continuation
5. Laws of Symmetry
6. Laws of Simplicity (Praganz)

Fig. 1.3 Gestalt Laws (Week 5, 21/10/25)
 

2.0 INSTRUCTIONS

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3.0 PROCESS WORK: TASK 2A KEY ARTWORK

3.1 Research

We were instructed to create a mind map about ourselves, and I went on Pinterest to collect inspirations for a mood board.

Fig. 3.1 Mind map (Week 5, 20/10/25)

Fig. 3.1.1 Mood board from Pinterest (Week 5, 20/10/25)

3.2 Ideation

I chose the word 'NIKO' because it sounds like my name and I love matcha. There's a match brand called Niko Neko so my friends started to call me that lol.

< Keywords & Sketches >

Initial keywords: Over thinker, predictable situations, indecisive

Final Keywords: Minimalistic, straightforward, bold

My initial keywords were too negative and didn't make sense so I changed it to more aspirational ones as advised by Mr. Vinod. I also did more sketches as there were not enough exploration. 

Fig. 3.2 Keywords & sketches (Week 5, 23/10/25)

< Process Work >

I chose to go for geometrical shapes/ cube letters because it aligns with my keywords, and seems to be simple and effective. 

The letter K is a combination of a rectangle and 2 1/4 circles with Unite - Pathfinder.
Letters are created by merging shapes with rounded line strokes using Exclude - Pathfinder.
Edges are rounded to reduce the harshness and aggressiveness. 

Fig. 3.2.1 Process work of word mark (Week 7, 5/11/25)

< Optical adjustment of letter K >

The counter space of the upper stroke of letter K is shorter than the bottom stroke to create a visual balance. 

The leg is also slightly extended compared to the arm to create a balanced and proportional counter space between letter K and O.

Fig. 3.2.2 Optical adjustment of letter K (Week 7, 5/11/25)

< Other Design Attempts >

Here are the other attempts before ultimately choosing my final word mark design.

Fig. 3.2.3 Other Design Attempts (Week 7, 5/11/25)

< Final Design of Word Mark >

Fig. 3.2.4 Final word mark design (Week 7, 5/11/25)

< Colour Palette >

I used Colour Hunt to look for colour palettes of my liking. My collection mostly had blues and reds, so I used them as reference and created my own colour palette.

Fig. 3.2.5 Colour palettes collections (Week 7, 5/11/25)

Final Colour Palette:
  • #f9f7f1
  • #a6b2af
  • #a8e0ed
  • #ef6b5d
  • #1e2128
Fig. 3.2.6 Final colour palette (Week 7, 5/11/25)

< Animation >

I went with a simple animation of a colour-changing background while the logo rotates. As the logo rotates to the right, the word mark enters from the left.

The animation was done on Adobe After Effects, and I applied Easy Ease for a smoother motion.

Fig. 3.2.7 Animation Process (Week 8, 12/11/25)

Fig. 3.2.8 Final Word Mark Animation (Week 7, 5/11/25)

3.3 Final Outcome of  Task 2A - Key Artwork 

Fig. 3.3 Black Word Mark on White Background (JPEG) (Week 8, 12/11/25)

Fig. 3.3.1 White Word Mark on Black Background (JPEG) (Week 8, 12/11/25)

Fig. 3.3.2 Colour Palette (JPEG) (Week 8, 12/11/25)

Fig. 3.3.3 Word Mark in Actual Colours on Lightest Shade of Colour Palette (JPEG) (Week 8, 12/11/25)

Fig. 3.3.4 Word Mark in Lightest Shade of Colour Palette on Darkest Shade of Colour Palette (JPEG) (Week 8, 12/11/25)

Fig. 3.3.5 Word Mark Animation (GIF) (Week 8, 12/11/25)

Fig. 3.3.6 Task 2A Compilation (PDF) (Week 8, 12/11/25)

4.0 PROCESS WORK: TASK 2B COLLATERAL

4.1 Research

Inspirations for collateral were taken from Pinterest (again :D).


Fig. 4.1 Collateral inspiration from Pinterest (Week 7, 5/11/25)

4.2 Ideation

< Collaterals >

Collateral #1 Match Box

The first collateral I chose is a match box. I first experimented by using the letter N from the word mark design, then later chose to use the counter space of letter O and created a few asymmetrical lines to mimic the match sticks in the match box.

Fig. 4.2 Match box collateral attempt #1 (Week 8, 12/11/25)

Fig. 4.2.1 Match box collateral attempt #2 (Week 8, 12/11/25)

Collateral #2 Book Cover

I created the pattern by duplicating the letter O, then rotating one and changing it to red to create a focal point. The placement for the special O is strategically chosen to make it more visually pleasing and balanced.

I initially set on the first design, but after looking at the overall IG layout along with other collaterals, I felt that I used NIKO as a part of the main focal point on almost all my collaterals, and it didn't feel like I really expanded the visual identity. 

So I changed to another mockup that shows the book spine, placed NIKO and the logo there. The book cover displays - "Subtract To Multiply" as the title because it directly reflects the minimalism concept: less is more.

Fig. 4.2.2 Book cover collateral attempt #1 (Week 8, 12/11/25)

Fig. 4.2.3 Book cover collateral attempt #2 (Week 8, 12/11/25)

Collateral #3 Coffee Cup

At first I chose a mockup that included a cup holder, but as mentioned above, I used the word NIKO across almost all collaterals. It was too repetitive, overshadowed the design on the cups, and the overall image couldn't fit well with the IG layout. So I changed to another mockup design that shows only one paper cup to reduce the messiness, and tweaked the design to make the background of the cup more prominent.

Fig. 4.2.4 Cup holder collateral attempt (Week 8, 12/11/25)

Fig. 4.2.5 Coffee cup collateral attempt (Week 8, 12/11/25)

Collateral #4 Paper Bag Packaging

After reviewing the first design, Mr. Vinod said the placement is correct but looked boring. He said if I want to maintain it I can change the logo completely to red only, or I can copy and paste the logo into a pattern as the background with a lower transparency, and that's what I did. I also changed the word NIKO to the letter N only.

Fig. 4.2.6 Paper bag packaging collateral attempt #1 (Week 8, 12/11/25)

Fig. 4.2.7 Paper bag packaging collateral attempt #2 (Week 8, 12/11/25)

< Identity Expansion & Instagram Tile Layout >

Identity Expansion

All my collateral designs actually came from the identity expansion designs, so I didn't create too many variations to ensure the IG layout is consistent.

Fig. 4.2.8 Identity expansion designs (Week 8, 12/11/25)

Fig. 4.2.9 Identity expansion design attempts (Week 8, 12/11/25)

Instagram Tile Layout

I structured the layout using a five-point composition. The identity expansion designs are placed at the four corners and middle tile, while the collateral designs fill the remaining spaces to create rhythm and connectivity across the feed.

Fig. 4.2.10 Instagram tile layout (Week 8, 12/11/25)

Fig. 4.2.11 Instagram profile picture (Week 8, 12/11/25)

4.3 Final Outcome of Task 2B - Collateral

Fig. 4.3 Collateral 1 (JPEG) (Week 8, 12/11/25)

Fig. 4.3.1 Collateral 2 (JPEG) (Week 8, 12/11/25)

Fig. 4.3.2 Collateral 3 (JPEG) (Week 8, 12/11/25)

Fig. 4.3.3 Collateral 4 (JPEG) (Week 8, 12/11/25)

Fig. 4.3.4 Instagram Tile Layout (JPEG) (Week 8, 12/11/25)

Instagram Profile Link: Click Here

Fig. 4.3.5 Instagram Profile Link (JPEG) (Week 8, 12/11/25)

Fig. 4.3.6 Instagram Page Layout (JPEG) (Week 8, 12/11/25)

Fig. 4.3.7 Task 2B Compilation (PDF) (Week 8, 12/11/25)

⌅

5.0 TASK 2 OUTCOME COMPILATION

Fig. 5.1 Black Word Mark on White Background (JPEG) (Week 8, 12/11/25)

Fig. 5.2 White Word Mark on Black Background (JPEG) (Week 8, 12/11/25)

Fig. 5.3 Colour Palette (JPEG) (Week 8, 12/11/25)

Fig. 5.4 Word Mark in Actual Colours on Lightest Shade of Colour Palette (JPEG) (Week 8, 12/11/25)

Fig. 5.5 Word Mark in Lightest Shade of Colour Palette on Darkest Shade of Colour Palette (JPEG) (Week 8, 12/11/25)

Fig. 5.6 Word Mark Animation (GIF) (Week 8, 12/11/25)

Fig. 5.7 Task 2A Compilation (PDF) (Week 8, 12/11/25)

Fig. 5.8 Collateral 1 (JPEG) (Week 8, 12/11/25)

Fig. 5.9 Collateral 2 (JPEG) (Week 8, 12/11/25)

Fig. 5.10 Collateral 3 (JPEG) (Week 8, 12/11/25)

Fig. 5.11 Collateral 4 (JPEG) (Week 8, 12/11/25)

Fig. 5.12 Instagram Tile Layout (JPEG) (Week 8, 12/11/25)

Instagram Profile Link: Click Here

Fig. 5.13 Instagram Profile Link (JPEG) (Week 8, 12/11/25)

Fig. 5.14 Instagram Page Layout (JPEG) (Week 8, 12/11/25)

Fig. 5.15 Task 2B Compilation (PDF) (Week 8, 12/11/25)

6.0 FEEDBACK

Week 5
General feedback: Keywords should reflect in the design.

Specific feedback: Need to have more mood board variety and sketches development, and choose more aspirational keywords before proceeding to digitalisation.

Week 6
General feedback: The design has to be readable in different scales, strokes have to be balanced. Finalise digitalisation and create colour palette today.

Specific feedback: Final word mark design has been approved.

Week 7
General feedback: Mockups should be items that we use daily as a designer. Print word mark on a shirt and wear it next class.

Specific feedback: Process of word mark should be documented, colours in palette should be arranged in a better order. Design on paper bag packaging is a bit boring, duplicate the logo as a patterned background and reduce transparency.

Week 8
General feedback:  Task 3 briefing, think of 3 ideas to create the new font.

Specific feedback: IG tiles layout is approved.

7.0 REFLECTION

Experience

Personally, I enjoyed this assignment more compared to Task 1. Task 2 makes me feel a huge sense of achievement and fulfilment for some reason. Maybe because Mr. Vinod approved this design faster than Task 1, I felt like I had more time for trial and error to produce a result that I'm actually satisfied with (although I think I can never be fully satisfied). I particularly liked choosing the different mockups to experiment my word mark on, it felt like I was actually launching a brand. 

Observations

During this period, I could see that maybe I'm a perfectionist (?) I kept making changes to the mockup designs although the previous ones were already approved, but I can't seem to be satisfied enough. I also kept rearranging my IG layout even though there was nothing wrong with it. One thing I observed during this period is that the longer I look at my designs, the more I urge to make changes. The key takeaway I got from this task is to not overthink too much. If it's not broken, don't fix it.

Findings

When looking at my peers' designs, they were all somewhat complex designs or designs that requires a long process. It made me feel insecure of my design or I'm just boring like that, because I really do like a minimalistic sans-serif typeface. But during the feedback session, I found that if designs are way too complex, it can affect its readability. So minimalistic designs are not necessarily a bad thing at least in this context, and I need to remember that form follows function. Designs can be simple, as long as they are effective and functional. And I think that's the beauty in minimalism :))

8.0 FURTHER READING

Fig. 8.0 A Type Primer, John Kane (2002)

This book provides a concise overview of typography's historical development while serving primarily as a practical handbook for typographic work. It delves into how letterforms can enhance the semantic impact of words, along with text formatting and grid system principles.

Many concepts covered in Mr. Vinod's lecture series are also found within these pages, including fundamental topics such as typeface definitions, letterforms, and type text classifications. The book even addresses advanced typographic elements like ligature, offering comprehensive coverage of both basic and sophisticated typography techniques.


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