t h e . t e x t . l a b

...look good (aesthetics)
...communicate information

Like all graphic design, the purpose of text is to:

If you can do these two things well, you've distinguished yourself from most graphic designers.
   
1 Make a new grayscale file in Photoshop. Size your file at a minimum of 600 pixels x 600 pixels.
2 Instructions are simple: Use text and only text to build a visual composition. You may use any elements of the keyboard including numbers and punctuation. No dingbats or wingdings or other "font symbols" please.
3 Most fun will be had if you really emphasize the composition of your text picture. Feel free to use (semi) transparencies etc.
4 Additional visual strategies can be found here.
5 Work ONLY with text. No other elements are allowed!
 
To get started, we need to consider text as a visual tool. This means focusing on the aesthetics of the invividual characters (size, shape, color, value) and on the relationship between characters (composition).
in the first part of this lab, we'll be using text to build pictures with little if any emphasis on the meanings of the letters/words.
some text-only compositions from the dark ages
and some student work from digital media
         
 
and an example from the fashion media  
yes, these last two were created on a typewriter
using text for visual impact
part one
   
1 In this second part of the lab, we'll be looking at some concrete principles for working with text in graphic designs.
2 For our purposes, all the new content you'll be using to improve your designs is a bunch of CRAP. Please carefully engage all the material in that there link before moving on to number three.
3 OK, now for the hands-on part. Consider the following egregious examples of graphic design. Each is an advertisement from our fabled Interior News (the local rag for Smithers, BC for you distance learners). Believe it or not, these advertisements were actually intended to entice readers!
part two
4 Your job is to choose one of the ads and to re-make it according to the CRAP rules.
5 You must use all the text in the ad but be sure to prioritize the information first. in other words, establish which piece of information is most important (the company name, for example) and assign the number 1. Perhaps the second most important information is the telephone number. In your mind, give this information the number 2... As you design, you should give visual emphasis to the information (text or numbers) according to its importance.
6 You need not use any or all the graphics that were part of the original ad (especially if they're cheesy). Use them or alter them if you wish or choose new graphics.
7 Please note that the exercise is NOT just to reformat the text in the same arrangement (layout) as the original. You can and should re-design the ad from scratch, using the CRAP rules to guide you. Your only limitation is that you have to include all the text and numbers from the original.

This graphic is an example of past (personal) student work which uses text for visual appeal and to communicate information (the artist's name).

These are the principle aims of graphic design.

Note that even this small example demonstrates all the CRAP rules, including the use of direction for contrast.

CRAP rules
written questions
vocabulary