THINKING LETTERFORM LAB
Srishti Manipal Institute of Art, Design and Technology
In 2019 I started a letterpress printing lab at Srishti, name Thinking Letterform. The printing lab holds a collection of 200 Latin metal fonts and 150 Kannada matrices of Kannada. There is small press name Godling Jobber,1800, a Font Casting machine, 1900. I started refurbishing and maintenance of the press every week for ongoing workshops and conducting type setting sessions for UG and PG students. TFL focuses on giving knowledge about the History of printing, printing presses, and typesetting.
TYPOGRAPHIC FORM AND ITS COMMUNICATION
Typography is a unique and fascinating combination of art and science in the visual medium — the course teaches about the type and how to apply typographic principles in visual design and communication. The course is equipped with a holistic approach to working with typography across various languages. It also clarifies typography terminologies, which help to create eye-catching and impactful designs.
VISUAL DESIGN
In this studio, students will be prepared to learn and understand the Design Elements in coherence with Design Principles and Gestalt Laws These combine classifications will act as stepping stones in the perception of a visual language to develop a concept through the layout. It will, in turn, aid them in their ability to observe and perceive ideas visually which directly leads to iterate and moderate in the process work.
LETTERFORM DESIGN
Letterform design is an immersive studio, which gives better idealistic views about type design. It highlights the professional type designs ethics and values as per type terminologies, intricate details, structure, and formation. This studio builds a conceptual understanding of how and why letterforms work when they are used to set words, sentences and paragraphs, along with offering an introduction on how to prototype letterform drawings with the help of type design software. The studio covers regional scripts along with Latin letterforms drawing and developing.
LETTERPRESS
Letterpress engages with the process of manual printing and typesetting. It also provides a deeper understanding of the historical contexts and impact of it in the profession of typography, type design and graphic design. The studio focuses on building conceptualise design and craft artwork utilising the metal fonts, materials and processes, forms and formats, that are specific to Letterpress printing.
EXPERIMENTAL TYPOGRAPHY
Experiment typography gives a variety of approaches to explore letterforms. It examines a range of possibilities in expressive form, and connect language syntax with visual communication. The studio offers the opportunity to question the traditional meaning of a letterform and focus on an expanded abstract idea. It also encourages to explore type in unexpected ways and through unusual mediums.
PUBLICATION DESIGN
​The publication design studio extends and expands skills in layout design. The process of designing a publication, as it requires deep engagement with the content and the viewer to present robust, thoughtful and informative layouts. Ability and advanced level understanding of the relationship between Colour, Form, Type, Space, as well as Hierarchy, and Structure is the core focus of this studio. It also covers design considerations for the creation of multiple page documents as well as production processes and post-production issues, including the availability of different papers for printing.
FORM FUNCTION AND EXPRESSION
To understand the form as an element, which will follow with its functionality and purpose with print. The studio focuses on to build awareness about the different aspect of layout, which will include grid, typography, imaginary, and composition. Ability to apply principles of Gestalt, Grid Systems, Perception and Cognition. Semiotics to create an informative yet imaginative piece of communication along with understanding materials and processes, forms & formats, and their impact on the design.