VISC 113 - Typography

PREREQUISITES: Demonstrated competency through appropriate assessment or earning a grade of “C” or better in ENGL 093 - Introduction to College Writing and ENGL 083 - Reading Strategies for College, or ENGL 095 - Integrated Reading and Writing, or ENGL 075 - Co-Requisite Integrated Reading & Writing
COREQUISITES: ENGL 093 - Introduction to College Writing and ENGL 083 - Reading Strategies for College, or ENGL 095 - Integrated Reading and Writing, or ENGL 075 - Co-Requisite Integrated Reading & Writing
PROGRAM: Visual Communications
CREDIT HOURS MIN: 3
LECTURE HOURS MIN: 1
LAB HOURS MIN: 2
STUDIO HOURS MIN: 3
DATE OF LAST REVISION: Fall 2020

An introductory course which addresses the issues pertinent to the proper and creative use of type and the enhancement of communication. Covers the history of type, typographic terminology, design, attention to aesthetics, common sense, and how we read. Projects emphasize an appreciation of and the practical use of type.

MAJOR COURSE LEARNING OBJECTIVES: Upon successful completion of this course the student will be expected to:

Describe, appreciate and apply the history and development of type and typefaces.
Describe and use typographic terminology.
Create various design projects/layouts that demonstrate the ability to solve communication design problems using typography.
Be aware of the design (typefaces, hand lettering, font creation) options available, and fully utilize the unique potential of the typography.
Develop an attention to detail to recognize typographic rules and aesthetics.
Evaluate your and peer work critically

COURSE CONTENT: Topical areas of study include -

Typography definition, terms and history
Awareness/appreciation of typography’s importance/prevalence.
Hand comping (tracing, transferring, cutting) of letterforms, words, phrases, etc. with various media
Font terminology
Parts of letterforms
Relating typefaces to subject matter
Creating emphasis (italic, bold, scale, etc.) with typography
Fine tuning the look of type (words, word space, paragraphs, placement, etc.)
Proofreading marks
Basic typesetting using the computer (headlines, hanging punctuation, setting paragraphs, automated tools, justification, etc.)
Using greeking to estimate copy placement