Exercise: Type samples

Research
Find as many examples of type as you can from a range of sources, including newspapers, magazines, flyers, leaflets and printed ephemera. Broadly classify them into serif and sans-serif groups. Explore your computer to see whether you have any of the typefaces mentioned on the previous page. Find other examples on your computer that relate to these classifications. Print these off and begin to create a collection of type samples.

Reflect
Consider and reflect on the nature of the type you are collecting. Examine and annotate printouts with your own impressions of the letterforms. Use descriptive words that express something of the form and character of the typeface.

Develop
Trace some interesting, unusual and everyday letterforms onto clean paper. This will help you to understand the distribution of weight of line within a particular letterform. Drawover the tracing to enhance the line and fill in the letterform with an even dark grey tone –HB pencil is fine – to recreate the impression of print.

Document and present
Collate the printouts, traced letterforms and samples of type you have gathered. Consider how these could be inventively
integrated into your learning log, or whether to create an independent book of type samples.

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