OUGD404 Study Task 08 - Typesetting

For this task I need to re-typeset Lewis Carroll's 'A Mouses Tale' using a postmodern and modernist approach.

Modernist typesetting styles usually contain:

• Grids, margins & Columns for structure and organisation
• Standardised Typefaces
• Type Alignment 
• Type Size & Relationship - size of type in relation to the width of the column.
• Orphans, Widows & Rivers are controlled.

The modernist approach is usually very structured and helps to organise content, providing consistency and an orderly look.

Postmodern typesetting styles usually contain:

• Breaking the rules - ignoring those set by the modernist approach.
• Expressionism
• Concrete Poetry

Postmodern typesetting focuses more on communication "Don't confuse legibility with communication. Just because something is legible doesn't mean it communicates and, more importantly, doesn't mean it communicates the right thing." David Carson 2007.

This style gives the words it own personality by the different uses of colour, layout, style and size. They help to visually create an image before even reading the actual words. It can support and communicate a message more clearly.

Concrete poetry, pattern poetry or shape poetry is where the typographical arrangement is important at conveying an intended effect as the conversational elements as the poem, such as the meaning of the words, rhythm, rhyme and so on.

Modern:
For the modern approach I kept the text flushed left as it is quicker and easier to read as we read from left to right. I controlled the overall shape of the text by shifting the text from line to line to obtain a better profile. Because of this I was able to reduce the number of orphans, widows and rivers. I found this approach generally easy but will have to remember to try and control shape to keep the orderly look.

Postmodern:

For this approach I used different typesetting scattered through a flushed left paragraph. I elongated the word 'long' by spacing out each letter and having them slope downwards to clearly express the word. For the word 'turning' I aligned the text so that it went right and down and then right at a right angle to again express the word. I decided to slope the word "sad" downwards to heavily reflect the slumped feeling. When the mouse tells the tale I aligned the text at an angle as if the words are in a floating speech bubble to add to the story element. The last sentence I aligned to the right to stand on its own to create impact on meaning on the last lines. This was easy to typeset as I was free to do whatever I wanted with the type, I could be as experimental as I wanted.