Types of Art: From Calligraphy and Stone Carving to Digital Type

Catalog description

Type Design is the art and craft of designing typefaces. From calligraphy and stone carving to digital type, the history of type recounts the discoveries and technological progress made through human inventions. While some typefaces are insignificant and forgotten, others will survive mankind, such as Futura engraved on the Apollo 11 plaque, left on the Moon. Some typefaces were revolutionary, others reactionary. But behind each of them there was an inventor. Students will follow the 'traces' and the stories of the type masters who shaped our visual typographical landscapes. Western and Arabic versions of typefaces will be examined and students will learn to identify and combine fonts on real visual design layouts. We will see how typefaces can become visual metaphors of towns and nations - Johnston Underground is London - or marketing tools for the advertising industry. Typography and type design in the digital age will be investigated via practical exercises and printing workshops. The course will include calligraphy classes with the UAE State Calligrapher Mohammed Mandi at the National Theater Art Workshop, Abu Dhabi.