For this project, we were given a list if 13 fonts/typographers to choose from and create a type specimen poster for. I spent the first few weeks of this project researching my chosen fonts, looking for them in real life and sketching possible design ideas.
I narrowed it down to 3 typographers, Naïma Ben Ayed, Alejandra Rodrigez and Paul Renner. They all had interesting fonts, but once i did some research into Paul Renner and his infamous font Futura, i knew it was the one i wanted to research. I love how versatile it is, it has the optimism of the 1920s modernist movement whilst still being seen as modern today.
A type specimen screen is any digital screen/poster which has the purpose of showing a typeface’s characters, styles, and sizes to help designers evaluate its design, readability, and application. They often have features that match the personality of the font. I decided to find some inspiration for this, so I could try to design a poster which is designed in a font specific way.
For Futura, a lot of type specimen designs are very minimalistic and clean, which aligns with its geometric and modern qualities. However, I noticed this contrasts from how Futura is used a lot in real life, for example branding like Absolute Vodka or Red Bull. They often use the typeface in bolder and more dominant ways. I struggled to find type specimen screens that explore this more expressive use of Futura, which made me decide to experiment with Futura beyond a purely minimalistic aesthetic.
I used the grid margins to apply some padding, using a Müller-Brockmann inspired margin of 64. This gives the text breathing room and helps it to not feel cramped. I kept space between the decorative element and typography to clearly separate the content from decoration and also strengthen the visual hierarchy.