History of Transit Typography

Assignment: Via a formal presentation and an informational poster, teach us about a typographic history topic/theme of your choice.

 

  • My overall design concept is a historical timeline that represents how typography and public transportation have gained a necessary relationship over time in the world. The aesthetic style that I designed is a map that resembles a specific part of the Chicago Transportation Authority's plan. I did this to reflect and reinforce the topic of typography in public transit. I oriented the map to be longer in width to offer the look of a traditional timeline moving across a page. On the map, the circles represent stops on a train. For my poster, dates, along with an exciting fact, were placed at each stop. The four tracks on the map represent the history of America, Germany, England, and France. My background design is a direct cut from the map and then enlarged and lowered in opacity to lay cleanly behind the foreground.

  • The typeface I used for my title is Axia Stencil at a 97 point font with a one-point stroke. I chose Axia Stencil because I think that the breaks and disconnection within the letters reinforce the way a viewer's eye will move along the timeline only to stop and read about an event. Underneath my title in a smaller 35 point font, is my written introduction of typography in public transit using the typeface DINosaur. This typeface is utilized as it matches the typeface I used for my dates and events and provides a somewhat uniform feel. The sub-titles that state each country are written in the typeface Axia at a 50 point font with a two-point stroke. I chose this typeface because of the characters' simultaneous sharp and soft curves that somewhat resemble the strokes used to create my transit map. The dates and events are the typeface DINosaur, as previously mentioned. They are a 25-point font with a one-point stroke. I chose this typeface because it is legible even when in small font size, and its characteristics go along with the other two typefaces used in regards to the curves and stroke of each character.

  • The colors that I chose for my design are based on the Chicago Transit Authority's map. I chose a slight pastel version of green, red, blue, and yellow for my transit map. The background color is dark grey with a blue tint to combat the usual feel of a transit map on a plain white background. Also on the background are thicker strokes of the same colors with an opacity of only ten percent. I did this to subconsciously guide the reader along the timeline by strategically placing the colored stroke on the background. On the foreground, I put the transit map and various dates and times. The map, dates, and times are color-coded to make each specific country's timeline easier to follow. My title is close to white because I did not want to outweigh the colors on the poster by choosing a red, green, blue, or yellow title. The title is simple and allows for the design and information on the poster to speak for itself.

  • My design's hierarchy and organization start with the title being the most oversized font on the poster. Secondarily would be the short written introduction as it sits beneath the title and is the same color and orientation. After the viewer's orientation is altered, the four countries' color coded names are next on the hierarchy rankings; they are bolder and more prominent than any other typeface on the poster other than the title. Lastly, the dates and events on the poster are in focus, and they are designed and placed to drag the viewer's eyes horizontally along the page from right to left.