Initial Poster Designs

When first considering poster designs, I began by focusing the designs on one or two characters of each typeface to highlight the form of the letters. It also highlights how the typeface can be recognised by just one character and the personality of font can be captured. Like the booklet development, I decided to begin my work using a black, grey and white palette to avoid being distracted by my initial colour choice.

Gill Sans Design 1:

My first design stemmed from the initials of Gill Sans, a 'G' and an 'S'. Using an uppercase 'G' in black, I expanded the type to create a vector and scaled it up as a statement on the page. Using the original shape of the 'G', I decided to extend the lines to create a path across the page. Beginning with the horizontal bar I used the pen tool to create a rectangle with the correct height to extend it and using the intersect tool I removed the overlap between the bar and bowl of the 'G' to add interest and keep the 'G' shape clear. Next, I extended the terminal of the upper arm of the 'G' to the opposite side of the page, trying to follow the correct angle. Using the same techniques, I then extended the 'S' aligning it to the left, placing it underneath the 'G'. I decided to give the design more depth by adding a shadow beneath, duplicating the shapes, arranging them behind and using a pale grey to keep the black line the focal point. Around the shape I created with the 'G' and 'S', I formed a grey background using the pen tool, capturing the angles of the type and then forming a box around the top and bottom corners of the page. This darker grey contrasted with the white behind the characters and accented the form of the shapes.

Below this focal point, I left space for the information about Gill Sans, specifically the typographer who created it, date it was released, alphabet and a small description. I first created the alphabet, using Gill Sans regular in 14pt, with 25pt leading and tracking at 156, to give space and clarity to the characters. I used white against the grey and placed the text in the bottom left corner aligning it to the left. I then chose to mirror the information with a right alignment in the opposite corner to create a hollow in the centre where the lines don't meet. I decided to make the second alphabet a grey to keep the original bold and easily readable and preventing the bottom lines becoming connected. In the hollow, that was created by the shorter lowercase and symbol lines, I placed the year it was released, layering it vertically with the first two digits over the last two. I coloured the text in the light grey but found it quite plain as it was. Therefore, taking inspiration from the drop shadow in the 'G' and 'S' design, I duplicated the date twice colouring one black and the other white. Next, I sent the white version to the back and offset it to the right, the black above that aligned to the right with, finally, the light grey centred on top. To join the typographer's name and the date of release, I decided to use the same method of layering colour but reversed the black and white as it made the name clearer in that formation. In my original booklet design, I created an introduction page for each typeface, but decided it was unnecessary as the information would just repeat immediately on the next spread. Therefore, I chose to use this introduction body copy on my poster in a small 10pt print, to provide information to those who would like to read it, but doesn't detract from the aesthetic of the poster as an art piece. To separate the information, I chose to use white lines that come short of the edge of the poster, to add interest and give a playbill feel.
When looking at the poster, I found the dark grey border quite stark and realised that I had not clearly presented the name of the typeface. To solve these two problems, I decided to create a repeated print of 'Gill Sans' in white, set on a diagonal in front of the dark grey sections.  I expanded the text and using the pathfinder tool cropped the outlines to fit the grey sections. Then, to make the effect more understated, I reduced the opacity to 50%.
The final design of this poster has a retro feel and impact with the contrasting tones and exaggerated letter forms.

Gill Sans Design 2:

After the bold nature of my first design, I decided to create a simpler design with a softer tones of grey and larger forms. For this design, I wanted to feature the lowercase 'g', due to its recognisable eyeglass form. Like the other poster, I expanded the 'g' and rotated it 90 degrees, to emphasise the glasses shape. I made this a dark grey to make it the forefront of the design but not as bold as black. I then used the point selection tool to extend the arm of the 'g' to the bottom of the page. Then, using the pen tool, I made a rectangle the same width as the loop of the 'g', continuing the line to the top of the page. This divides the page allowing for information to be separated and gives structure for the 'g', so it doesn't hang in the middle of the page by itself. Next I used the pen tool to form a lighter grey section in the first divide. Using the same alphabet as the previous poster, I placed the white text in the bottom left corner, justifying the text to form a box. To close in the box shape, I then use dark grey lines on the top and bottom. I chose to use the extended lines of the 'g' to display the date of release and typographer. For the 'Eric Gill' title, I decided to use the same dark grey as the 'g' and rotate it to follow the line vertically. I then lined up the type connecting it to the 'g'. I decided to add more interest by adding a drop shadow effect below the type in a lighter grey. For the date I employed a similar technique using the same vertical angle and drop shadow, but this time making the upper text white and the shadow the dark grey. This helped the date to stand out from the grey section of the poster. In the large white space in the top right corner, I placed the 'Gill Sans' heading in a light grey. This design is much simpler with a softer, rounded design.


As my posters will have a unifying style, I decided to recreate the designs in my second typeface Baskerville. This will help to inform me which are applicable to all typefaces and what changes may need to be made to suit the design to each individual form.

Baskerville Design 1:

For this design, I used similar technique of extending the serifs to the edge of the page. I decided as the 'B' only allows for lines from the left side and not the bowls, I would put the shape on a diagonal pulling it to the lower right, letting the lines hit the top left of the page. This gives the effect of it moving down the page and gives action to the shape that wouldn't have been present if it was completely horizontal. Like the 'G' design in the first Gill Sans poster, I cut out the overlapping section with the intersect tool. To alter the design to fit the lager surname of John Baskerville, I chose to place the date in its horizontal form beside the John in a larger point size to distinguish it from the other information. This left room for the alphabet aligned to the right of the page creating a diagonal border to the name and date. By placing this information in one row I used the bottom of the page to display the introduction to baskerville with a centre justified alignment. Again, I used lines to separate the information. For the name and date, I used the shadow design from the Gill Sans poster, however due to the contrast in the letter forms it is very busy where the thinner strokes don't touch. Therefore, if I continue with this design I will close up the shadows to leave smaller gaps and hopefully make the design clearer. Also different from the original poster, is the arrangement of the shadows, this time I decided to order them in black, grey then white, with the grey and black on the left of the white, rather than either side. This design proves the other typefaces can also be applied and differences overcome to still make a unified set of posters.

Baskerville Design 2:

Using the 'g' in Baskerville as the focus, like the Gill Sans poster, I expanded and rotated the shape 90 degrees in the lower centre of the page. Due to the form of the 'g', specifically the loop and the arm, it would be difficult to expand them the same way as the Gill Sans version. In this design, I used the fluidity of the strokes and copied the arm and loop to use as symmetrical connections to the outer edge of the page. By expanding a separate 'g', I used the minus point tool to capture only the arm and bowl sections to ensure the curvatures where the same. To divide the sections, I again used the grey, this time trying to connect it to the separated strokes following the angles of the shapes. Like the Gill Sans design, I used the alphabet in white but this time aligned it to the right to allow for space for the date to sit beside the arm of the 'g'. To follow the curving shape I used the 'make envelope' tool, making the text form an arc. I then duplicated the text creating a grey drop shadow, like the original design. For the John Baskerville title, I used the dark grey and placed it vertically following the stroke. I decided to individually adjust the last letters to make them follow the stroke, to avoid them coming away as they follow a straight line. Lastly, I placed the Baskerville heading in the top left, however to fit in the space I needed to separate the name to two lines. Due to the contrast in the letterforms, I'm not sure the design works as well than the geometric style of Gill Sans.

In my next development I will begin adding colour to the designs to see how the posters will need to be altered when considering colours working together. I will also create poster designs for my remaining typefaces to create my full set.