Studio Task 3: Blackletter

The exploration of form found within blackletter has lead my experimentations using paper and ink during this study task. I've found the brakes in brush strokes (see figure 1-3) where ink has started to run out very interesting as this shows the delicate fluid nature of the strokes found within blackletter whilst also showing the angular straight lines which are also commonly found within blackletter. I've also incorporated these ideas into my digital experimentations (see figure 4) in order to produce pictograms that could be used within a wayfinding system. I feel these experiments have been successful to an extent as I've incorporated my exploration into form however don't feel they accurately represent there pictograms/purpose due to the abstract nature of my design. However these could be seen as a challenge against the common belief that a wayfinding system needs to be easily understood as these abrstract designs would cause the public to stop and think about which direction they need to go in. I feel my experimentations featuring arrows are the most successful due to the use of using the ending point of the stroke to indicate the direction (see figure 5). These are particularly sucessful as they reference certain characteristics found within blackletter but keep the design simple unlike earlier experimentations (see figure 6) which are too ornamental creating a more dated design.

Figure 2

Figure 1

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6