Studio Brief 02 - Final Critique

This afternoon, the final critique was had for studio brief 02. I wrote down 4 question to be responded to by my peers. The questions and feedback are documented below:

Question 1:
How well do you believe the typeface communicates the adjective "faint" and why?

• "Quite well as the letterforms themselves are faint and soft."
• "Yes because of the friendly curves and faded tone."
• "Well because the letterforms are faint."
• "The font is faint yet very dramatic - so yes. It gives the idea of mystery and the act of physically fainting too."
• "The faded tones show your adjective well."
• "The fade of the font works well, though slightly illegible"
• "Maybe too obvious, but its difficult to stay subtle."
• "Very well, as the letters fade out towards the bottom - fitting the word perfectly.
• "Very well. Simple, not overly complicated and straight to the point."
• "Very well. It is a literal interpretation."
• "Very well in this context."
• "Its good because it feels weak as well."
• "An informed and well thought-out design idea."

The feedback I received for the first question was varied. Many believed I had successfully communicated the adjective, whilst some thought my idea was too obvious or not conceptual enough.  The legibility of the typeface was too questioned. I am happy with the responses I have received as a whole, because there were few who believed there was legibility issues and I wanted my typeface to be to the point. I didn't want to over complicate the designs for a word that I believe to be most successfully communicated through a literal visual. It was my aim to stay away from producing an overly conceptualised typeface that left its origins behind.

Question 2:

Considering the font as a display typeface - in which settings do you believe it would be used most effectively/successfully? Why?

• "Definitely a magazine cover for fashion or something similar as its a clear, legible typeface."
• "Fashion Magazine."
• "Independent fashion / journalism."
• "Magazine cover header."
• "Magazine cover or advertisement/billboard."
• "Something that wants to convey sophistication."
• "Book covers / film posters (Display)."

The majority of answers for this question were fashion-editorial settings, which I agree with - certainly stylised editorial design as a whole. These responses may have been influenced by the "in-context" pieces I produced.

Question 3

Do you think the font could establish itself within the industry, considering its theory-based visual that is not typically conventional?

• "Perhaps only for covers using certain letters."
• "If the fade was lower."
• "Since it has very simple modification I don't know if its offering anything new."
• "Some of the letters are hard to distinguish."
• "Yes, you have found a great balance between the letters and the fade of the visual."

Another question receiving mixed responses. I agree that this typeface would work more successfully using particular letters, however I feel the same could be said for any typeface with a unique visual style. I would disagree that the typeface fails to offer something new as a result of its "very simple modification" as I personally have never seen a typeface with a similar visual language, as this has a very particular aesthetic. In regard to the modification being simple, I believe simplicity bears the best results, although this is most probably a biased-view.

Question 4 

Any further / additional comments?

• "Why is there a female involved?"
• "Would be difficult to read for dyslexic people - hard to make out shapes."
• "Very recognisable. Could be used by a brand for unique identity."
• "Try upper-case."
• "Maybe its not legible."
• "Really appropriate and planned out design."

The additional comments I received were fair I believe, majoratively. The typeface certainly isn't dyslexia friendly, however it would never be used in such a setting. The question of legibility is dependant on the person viewing the typeface I believe, as the response has been mixed - although most were able to read and perceive the letterforms. There was so significance to the feature of a female in the context-settings other than the ombre-hair she had that mimicked the typefaces visual language. 

Overall, I am satisfied with the comments I received. The majority of the feedback was positive, however I anticipated mixed responses as a result of the typeface's unorthodox aesthetic. The research and experimentation I have carried out in producing the type I believe has been informed and driven by previous feedback - Therefore I am happy that what I produced is successful.