Artesis Plantijn Hogeschool Antwerpen
Koninklijke Academie van Antwerpen
Typography 16264/3027/2324/1/76
Study guide

Typography 1

6264/3027/2324/1/76
Academic year 2023-24
Is found in:
  • Bachelor of Arts in Visual Arts, programme stage 1
    Specialisation:
    • Graphic Design
  • Bachelor of Arts in Visual Arts
    Specialisation:
    • Graphic Design
This is a single course unit.
Study load: 6 credits
It is not possible to enrol in this course unit under
  • exam contract (to obtain a credit).
  • exam contract (to obtain a degree).
Co-ordinator: Meganck Ine
Other teaching staff: Beck Janna, di Serego Alighieri Andrea
Languages: Dutch, English
Scheduled for: Academic year
This course unit is marked out of 20 (rounded to an integer).
Possible deadlines for learning account: 31.10.2023 ()
Re-sit exam: not possible.
Possibility of deliberation: You have to pass this course unit (will never be deliberated).
Total study time: 180,00 hours

Prerequisites

There are no prerequisites for this course.

Prerequisite competencies (text)

The student shows ambition and motivation to study graphic design.
The student shows motivation to study drawing.
The student is widely interested in art, design, philosophy, media and society.
The student is specifically interested in graphic design as art practice.
The student has sufficient insight into culture (historic and/or current).
The student has some conception of graphic design as art practice.
The student has a portfolio of personal, authentic and artistic work.
The student has a creative and artistic ability.
The student distinguishes various disciplines within graphic design.
The student can work individually and in a group context.

Learning outcomes (list)

BA1 - The student has the necessary artistic skills to design and/or realize a personal project within the broad spectrum of the visual arts under supervision.
The student translates analysis and interpretation into innovative ideas and concepts. (creation)
The student translates ideas and concepts into authentic typography. (creation)
The student communicates via typography with audience. (creation)
The student works on artistic projects within typography. (creation)
The student translates assignment analysis into text. (realisation)
The student designs text. (realisation)
The student processes text in typography. (realisation)
The student uses typography as a visual element. (realisation)
The student uses typography to manipulate the reading. (realisation)
The student organizes substantive hierarchy via typography. (realisation)
The student designs various typographical media. (realisation)
The student translates the personal vision into typography. (research)
BA2 - The student has the necessary knowledge, skills and insights regarding material, form, action, concepts, function and contents of the chosen medi
The student analyses and interprets design assignments and source material. (creation)
The student recognizes and answers technical problems in the design process. (realisation)
The student has insight in the form, content and communication of typography. (creation)
The student uses typography in a consistent way. (creation)
The student edits text. (realisation)
The student has typographical rules. (realisation)
The student uses typographic design technology. (realisation)
The student knows about and has insight in typography as graphic design discipline. (research)
The student organizes substantive hierarchy via typography. (realisation)
BA4 - The student develops and sharpens his/her critical and investigative attitude towards designs and/or realizations that arise from visual experiments and research, emotion and intuition.
The student investigates based on typographic experiment. (creation)
The student has a critical attitude towards his own work. (research)
BA5 - When developing his/her personal visual language the students starts from a searching and reflective attitude when developing one's own visual language.
The student shows clear evolution between first and last design assignment. (creation)
The student has a critical attitude towards his own work. (research)
The student questions and evaluates typography as a graphic design discipline. (research)
The student has a personal, contemporary view on typography. (research)
The student develops authentic typography through research. (creation)
BA6 - The student understands the characteristics of his/her personal designs and/or realizations and is able to communicate about this in an appropriate manner.
The student describes and motivates idea, concept, vision and form. (communication)
The student tests idea, concept, vision and form to the public. (communication)
The student participates in discussions with teachers and fellow students. (communication)
The student communicates in a reflective manner about typography. (communication)
The student describes and motivates own typography and process. (communication)
The student depicts and write/talks about his own typography and process in a reflective manner. (communication)
The student presents his own typography. (communication)
BA7 - The student is able to organize his/her artistic project in consultation with others.
The student works together and consults with clients and co-designers. (organisation)
The student consults with production partners. (organisation)
The student meets (interim) deadlines. (organisation)
The student organises creation and realisation of his own typography. (organisation)
The student organises his own typographic research. (organisation)
The student takes care of the production layout of his own typography. (organisation)
The student monitors the artistic homogeneity of the entire typographic design. (organisation)

Course content

Level Typography 1: initiating:

Image and text are the building blocks of graphic design. Visual expertise in image and text forms the core of a practice as a graphic designer. The Typography studio teaches visual expertise in the design of text in various forms. In written language, we distinguish between tonality, intonation, tempo, length,… in addition to vocabulary, syntax, argument, discourse,… In a similar way we distinguish between text at macro and micro level in typography: character, syllable, word, title, slogan, punctuation, sentence, paragraph, body text, register, note,… In this studio, insights into current and historic typography are shared, examined and investigated deeply. Students learn to name and use various typographic characters and their parts, to design character shapes, and study, analyse, categorise, combine and manipulate typefaces and fonts. They learn to create and refine character and text compositions, and address other typographic problems. The reading of text is distinguished from the reading of the image of text. Students use readability in language and typography structurally (hierarchy, tempo), conceptually (meaning) and intentionally (visual rhetoric). The Typography studio also pays particular attention to the writing, editing and grammatically refining of text, in relation to a concept, writing style and audience. In doing all this, students learn to develop their own language of typography.

Study material (text): Mandatory

Within the framework of this course unit, various graphic design instruments and production methods, and drawing instruments and materials, are used (digital and analogue). In particular, you will need a laptop with a good display, good processor units and sufficient random access memory and disk space to use current graphics software. The educational environment itself mainly uses Apple computers and can provide additional computing power for design processes that require it. You do not need to purchase a personal laptop prior to class: information about this purchase will be made available at the start of the academic year.

Educational organisation (list)

Learning Activities
Artistic praxis180,00 hours
  • Remark: The student is supervised, assessed and evaluated in the studio both individually and in groups, this means that participation in the classes and involvement in the studio is required. Education in the studio varies between design assignments, form exercises, drawing studies, workshops, lectures and projects. Consultation, presentation, study visits, self-study and confrontation with the work of fellow students are part of the studio organisation. The Editorial Design and Interactive Design studios are organisationally linked to the Image Design and Typography studios and vice versa, in the form of assignments or consultation in collaboration.

Evaluation (list)

Evaluation(s) for first exam chance
MomentForm%Remark
Eerste examenperiodeArtistic practical assessment100,00Student attendance is a requirement for this course unit. In the event of legitimate absence, bring an attestation of absence to the student administration as soon as possible.

Evaluation (text)

Continuous evaluation and presentation/verification moments during the academic year.
Semester 1: first intermediary evaluation at the end of the first semester.
Semester 2: final jury at the end of the second semester.

Process and product are inextricably linked and evaluated as a whole. The process and product evaluation is determined for 100% on the final jury at the end of the second semester.