Unit 2 – Area of Study 2: Type and imagery in context

Outcome 2

Manipulate type and images to create visual communications suitable for print and screen-based presentations, taking into account copyright.​​

Examples of learning activities

• Using the ‘World around me’ alphabet, become a photographic ‘bower bird’ and record the alphabet as discovered in the world around you. Evidence collected can then be analysed for style, purpose and context. Convert colour images to mono or duotones images, being mindful of appropriate resolution and file format. Use the design principles to assist in creating an effective hierarchy for a poster as a final presentation.
• Research the history and context of a typeface chosen from a range of typefaces. Adapt a layout style from a historical period to create a poster that promotes their specific typeface. Create an effective hierarchy using design principles and a limited colour palette informed by the historical period.
• Investigate the language of typography and prepare a poster that identifies the anatomy of type. The words used in the poster could be a theme for the task such as your name or a song lyric.
• Combine type and image to produce an age-appropriate letter-recognition picture storybook. This can be for infants learning to recognise characters at kindergarten level. However, it can also be designed to suit an EAL context.
• 
  ​​Manually create type forms from any found objects. Wire, school ties, stones, flowers all serve as units for manipulation and combination. Photograph each letter and then manipulate them using digital image editing software, ensuring appropriate size, resolution and file type for use in a poster with transparent backgrounds. Make a chart to promote the complete alphabet of the new typeface.​​
• Shoot a range of portrait photos of your classmates using a variety of lighting set-ups to gain different effects. Process the images into a range of different colour modes, texture and resolution effects using an image processing software. These images form the basis for a poster with each image accompanied by one word that describes a positive quality of your classmate. This word requires an appropriately selected typeface, weight and colour, with careful consideration of kerning and tracking. Develop a grid layout for the poster composition that gains attention and maintains audience engagement.
  
• Explore type layout conventions by referencing existing visual communications such as the front page of the newspaper. Work over a scan of the sample page using layers in appropriate design software. Use the column and flow lines and type adjustment features of a professional design programs. Resize and crop stock images so that they retain their proportions but vary their aspect ratio to suit the various column widths of their layout. Use the layout as a basis for creating a student newspaper to showcase issues relevant to the year level.
• Explore the relationships between type sizes and column widths for web as described by the ‘em’ dimension. Design a mock webpage layout, with appropriately chosen and processed images (file type, mode, size and resolution) for web, which could be used to inform other students about these relationships. Reference the sources of both your images and information appropriately.

 

​​Detailed example

Manually created typeface and promotional poster

Students examine how type is constructed, set and adjusted and how type is used to express meaning in a visual communication.

Students create type forms manually from any found objects. Wire, school ties, stones, flowers all serve as units for manipulation and combination into each letter of the alphabet. They photograph each letter and then manipulate the images using digital image editing software, ensuring they maintain appropriate size, resolution and file type and transparent backgrounds for use in a poster.

Students then research posters from one historical design period such as ‘Swiss International Style’. They also examine posters made to promote typefaces and learn about the components and conventions using grid layouts in typographic design. They create some thumbnail grey line designs for a poster to promote their original typeface, paying particular attention to creating effective hierarchy and balance. They also consider whether other images are to be combined with the type in the poster.

Students create a mock-up of their promotional poster using a suitable computer application. They attach them to a classroom wall, or save them as PDF for presentation on screen, to evaluate their work with the class, each noting how the designs work when viewed from a variety of distances. They record the feedback to make improvements and refine their presentations.

Students refine their designs to complete their promotional poster. They output their work in appropriate file type, mode and resolution for print. ​​​