1)  In one of our first classes, we discussed how the ideas we communicate and interpret through metaphor are embedded in a larger conceptual framework that is socially and culturally constructed.  How has the concept of metaphor resonated in other readings, such as Understanding Comics, and how did such texts build upon our early discussions?  Has your awareness of such meanings freed you in your drafting of projects (such as the font and final cartography assignment) or caused you to stumble in the complexities of your craft?

2)  In Information Ecologies, Nardi and O'Day claim, "The social and technical aspects of an environment coevolve.  People's activities and tools adjust and are readjusted in relation to each other, always attempting and never quite achieving a perfect fit" (p. 53).  This indicates that it is through a certain disconnect that we achieve balance and, thereby, progress.  How may concepts within Sorting things out:  classification and its consequences, contradict such assertions?  How can we heighten our own awareness and act in such a way that we are coevolving rather than conforming or categorizing?

3)    Turchi claims, "The most profound question of our existence cannot be answered through a mere collection of concrete evidence; at some point...each of us reaches a border of the verifiable world, and every one of us leaps.  A great deal of what we know, we know only through our imagination--and that knowledge is crucial to our lives" (p. 92).  How do Tufte's ideas in Beautiful Evidence both reinforce and, perhaps, contradict (depending on perspective) this understanding?  How did this concept come to play in your creation of memory maps (whether for your Rowan map or other recent mappings)?

4)  Throughout ias09, we have learned to use tools that support the movement of information.  With consideration to the benefits of these applications as well as what may be compromised, how could you reconcile the concerns Brown and Dugruid discuss in The Social Life of Information? --To what extent is social interaction integral to the transference of information (keeping in mind that how we define and understand said interaction is also evolving) and how, in our use of these technologies, do we inevitably reinforce the metaphors that construct our understanding of reality?  What are we ultimately accomplishing?

     I have become increasingly interested in the role that technology has in constraining art. But when I became the artist, and had to work within the constraints of an unfamiliar medium, my academic curiosity quickly vanished, and I was left in intermittent fits of frustration. While my response to Fontstruct is probably borne more out of lack of typographical skills than it is with a problem with the program, the fact remains that building a font is a fairly difficult process.

     The first step to designing my font with Fontstruct was to first be a pencil sketch showing what I thought the font should look like. I didn't like this idea because I was afraid that I would be unable to translate something I drew onto the program. So, I just started playing around with Fontstruct.



     I started at the top of the alphabet and began working my way down. I was having trouble getting used to Fontstruct's limitations-- I found making curved lines of any type difficult. So, I tried to work within the framework I was provided with.

    But then, I ran into a problem: a clear lack of consistency. You can notice that the B is smaller than the A and the C and that some of the letters are just not recognizable. So I kept working.



You can see the difference between joefont2 (which was a clone of joefont1-- long story) and joefont3, which is much more similar to final product than was joefont1. The biggest difference was the size of the font. Initially, I was making my fonts around 4 or 5 blocks high, which was much too small. Then I experimented making the uppercase letters eight blocks high and lowercase ones four blocks high, but then I read in Lupton's "Thinking With Type" that the x height should be slightly more than half of the tallest uppercase letters. So, I adjusted the sizes again.
  

   But things weren't so simple. While I was deciding how large to make my fonts on Thursday night, I began having problems with Fontsruct. The page would load, but the Fonstructor would not. I had to remake the font almost entirely from scratch because the fonts were too small. This was frustrating at first because I felt as though I was throwing five hours of work away. It wasn't that bad as I was able to quickly re-assemble my font learning tricks I had learned from trial and error. Though I was no pro, I was getting much better at using Fontstruct.

     After spending so much time with Fonstruct, I thought I was seeing penguins on the page. So, I decided to make my font look like penguins. At the time, it didn't look like a stretch. If you look closely, you will notice that all of my letters have "eyes" that make the letters appear that they are looking at you. That is why I called the font "Vigilance".



This is what my font looked like just before the final pass. Notice how the lowercase "t" looks funny-- I had it dipping below the line. I don't know why I did that, and I fixed it for the last pass. I am also notably missing punctuation marks. Writing a sentence without punctuation marks is difficult, so I added them as well.



     I really like how Fonstruct allow you to type with your font. I think it provides the user with a better sense of whether the font is usable or not. I think my font at this point was usable, though not ideal.

     I spent some more time working on vigilance, polishing out the rough edges, adding punctuation marks, and checking for consistency. I am pretty pleased with the final product. Though a few letters did not turn out quite right, I am happy with the results overall.




     In addition to designing a font, our class was also charged with designing a color palette. I couldn't find a photo I was happy with to use as an inspiration for my palette, so I played around with Adobe's Kuler a bit.

     The application conveniently places a color wheel within easy reach to experiment with colors in real time. I enjoyed moving the points on the wheel around, and seeing which colors seemed to go well together. Then I came away with a palette that I liked. It is pictured below.




     I played with the wheel until I found a combination I was happy with. Why did I stop here? For some reason, these colors all seemed to go together. When you look at the color wheel, it actually makes sense.

   



My base color, as evidenced by the extra ring, which falls in the purplish side of the wheel, is matched almost perfectly by the olive color directly across. Any color that lies directly across from another color is said to be its opposite, and thus complimentary.

The Teal-like color I used is similar, and just a shade or two lighter than the light teal which lies closer to the center of the wheel. The ruddy color lies directly opposite the light teal. My eyes told me these colors go together because they are related, whether opposite or highly similar.

     I will never look at typography the same way again. It is difficult to remain consistent, original, striking, and yet follow good practices. On top of all these factors, it's important to remember that we are also working within a new medium (in this case Fonstruct) which has its own set of limitations.