Thirteenth International Conference on Design Principles & Practices

Abstract

Based on the idea that designing a logotype without a fundamental knowledge of typography is too ambitious a concept, this project came about. Starting with Helvetica Neue in one weight, either bold, light, or ultra light, we will build a word mark in this session. A work mark might be described as a word typeset in one size and weight of a typeface, with a slight modification to one of the glyphs. One might change the axis of the bowl, or change the length of one of the ascenders or descenders, of create something slightly more illustrative. Ideally the modification made will allow the word to communicate in a new way, visually and perhaps metaphorically. But the important part is that the modification to a glyph is a small change, making the mark only slightly different from the Helvetica typesetting itself. The result will be a word mark which is a modified version of the ubiquitous Helvetica Neue, which can act to build identity for a project, concept, or idea. One might call it a logotype, and they may be correct, however the project is given as something that is achievable within a shorter timeframe and maybe helps a student to begin to appreciate typographic anatomy like bowls, stems, ascenders, and other glyphs.