Super Normal In Type Design

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The intent I began my research under the notion that the desire to attain ‘special’ exists in the field of design. Over the past few decades, within various contexts ranging from product design to graphic design, the term ‘special’ is used as a catch-all phrase which seems to have become omnipresent. Creating ‘special’ products is what some designers assume design is about. Encouraged by glossy lifestyle magazines and marketing departments, design appears to be a competition that is continually producing novel products to generate consumers’ attention and media coverage. However, as Donald Norman claims in his book- The Design of Everyday Things- the ‘special’ products, in fact, are playing out a fantasy far removed from daily life, screaming…show more content…
There has been no research from graphic design, especially in the realm of typography. Therefore, I take this as an opportunity to contribute my effort to study the concept through my Master’s thesis. The research question sprang from my eagerness to explore: “what is Super Normal in type design? The thesis is a production-based one that primarily concentrates on investing the manifestations and characteristics of Super Normal in designing a sustainable typeface. Normally, sustainability is about material selections, while for type design, mostly in reducing paper waste and saving inks. Here, against the general presumptions, I intend to suggest Super Normal as an alternative to improve sustainability from the view of engaging a typeface with timelessness and functionality to guarantee a longer and more effective service…show more content…
The ten research materials assembled the result of the 100 Best Typefaces of All Time and the Most Commonly Used Types from the survey of Fontshop and Code style respectively. By incorporating their historical significances, commercial successes and aesthetic qualities, to me, they meet the criteria as Super Normal typefaces. The chosen set involves both serif and sans-serif categories, which are designed for different media- printed or digital. The five serif types include Bodoni, Courier, Garamond, Georgia and Times New Roman, while the rest five sans-serif types are Helvetica, Frutiger, Futura, Tahoma and

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