project 01 :: project synopsis

The conceptual process of this project was fascinating, from start to finish. 

Once I decided on the font "Monserrat", I spent days doing research. I found out about Julieta Ulanovsky, the Argentinian designer who created the font, and her heart behind creating it. This is a quote of Ulanovsky's that really drove this whole process for me: 

"The old posters and signs in this place inspired me to design a typeface that rescues the beauty of urban typography from the first half of the twentieth century. The goal is to rescue what is in Montserrat and set it free, under a free, libre and open source license, the SIL Open Font License. " – Julieta Ulanovsky

I found out that she funded the creation of this typeface via Kickstarter, and I was captured by the idea that this was a typeface intended to save what is beautiful about an urban space, funded by the people of that space.

I learned that Montserrat is the oldest neighborhood in Argentina. I looked up satellite images on Google Maps and sorted through a plethora of other images of the city and culture.

After compiling all my research, I decided how I wanted to promote this typeface. This is from my project statement:

Using vibrant colors, urban textures, geometric design, and an emphasis on the historical and cultural considerations of this typeface family, I will promote Montserrat as font for digital use inspired by the historically and culturally rich neighborhood of Montserrat in Buenos Aires.

Through a long process of sketching, designing, critiquing, revising, scrapping, and revising again, I came to my final solution of a vibrant color scheme with textures created by patterns made from the typeface's glyphs. I chose glyphs that I felt emphasize the Spanish language and culture, while the color blocking elements of my final design emphasize the surprisingly ordered grid of the city of Montserrat.

Montserrat, map view (cred: Google Maps)

Montserrat, satellite view (cred: Google Maps)

Working on the grid system and hierarchy of the booklet was simultaneously the most difficult and most rewarding part of this project. Going in, I had a very vague idea of how to create a grid based on a typeface. However, the readings from Timothy Samara and Josef Müller-Brockman were very helpful, as were my professor's instruction in class, and eventually I was able to create a grid that I felt fit my project's specific needs. The grid helped me display "Montserrat" in the best way, create a more unified design, and create a publication that made logical sense.

I loved thinking about how I can best display a typeface, tweaking the point size and kerning and leading just right so its best attributes are shown off. This project makes me excited about future publication design opportunities where I can improve my grid design and type-setting skills.