Final Typeface Evaluation

 Displayed is my final typeface, I chose to create a typeface in uppercase and including numbers, as children learn both how to read and count. The black and white typeface is the original and the initial final design, however the colour version has been added to place the typeface into context and also to add to the personality of the letterforms, to communicate playful in an even easier way. 

   I feel the personality that I originally aimed to communicate came across within my design, as the subtle changes to each letterform show that playfulness has been carried through within the design process as well as reflected in the personality of the type. My rationale described my typeface perfectly as it was supposed to be as, in the final crit, words such as friendly, fun, approachable were used to describe the typeface which was exactly the fundamental aim, and all of these words were included in my rationale, therefore I have achieved the right personality through communication of the typeface. The outline works well, as it doesn't seem to dark or agressive as it did with black. It also leaves room for people's imagination, to either choose a colour to fill, or the primary aim was to act as a colouring mechanism, once again so children can engage with the typeface hands on. This is also the meaning behind the creation of stickers which further implements the idea of playfulness and all the ideas that I researched within why and how children play, as they explore their senses.

   Criticism of the final typeface would be that many people said the ‘D’ and the flipped numbers would be confusing and would be teaching children wrong, it would make the typeface confusing to understand for the intended audience. Therefore if I was to continue with this project I would just keep them as they were originally to make it more educational. However to counteract this criticism, this wouldn’t be an issue if it was used within a display type situation, which is what my design was intended for. Also the ‘B’ is quite sharp where the juncture and joint of the two bowls is. This would need to be rounded as all the other letters have been, to remove the aggression and danger of the corners, it makes the letterform stick out too much, however this came about from a lack of skill on illustrator. If I was to develop the typeface further I would experiment with different variants and versions, such as oblique and bold to see whether it would continue to work as a legible typeface. I would also try and display it in a range of contexts to see if the typeface would work outside the context of children, in a more serious tone, as many in the crit said that this could be possible, specifically so with the black and white version, it could be used within editorial and digital design, such as logotypes, branding and television. 
   From this project I have learnt much more about typographic terminology, the characteristics of each letterform and learning how and why typefaces have been designed. I have increased my knowledge within the area of other graphic designer's both their ideas, beliefs and even contemporary design studios and how their work has influenced me, such as two points and Neubau. I have once again developed my skills on illustrator, especially with the pen tool, I have also been able to experiment with paper stocks and the resources available to me, which has allowed me to physically make my creative ideas, such as stickers. Also seeing and analysing fellow designers work within crits, has allowed me to develop my ideas and will encourage me to experiment with new ideas outside my comfort zone.