Typography III

DSK : 221 | Semester IV | 17BDC030 | Vashishtha Dubey

Course Abstract

Students will develop understanding

about letterforms and will train the eyes
for traditional as well as contemporary
typographic aesthetics. Students will explore
design possibilities of letterform in various
contexts, disciplines and environments.

Student would be able to appreciate and

understand a calligraphic letterform as a
sign for its spontaneity, grace and vitality.
The study of traditional, contemporary and
experimental calligraphy will help to train an
eye for calligraphic aesthetics

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Summary of the Process

In this course I had to reproduce an

existing logotype in my native language,
which happens to be Devanagari. Before
the conversion of the same I learned the
basic proportions and structure of the
alphabets with calligraphy, then moving
onto adopting the elements of the original
logotype into the regional version I was
developing. After developing the regional
logotype to a satisfactory level, I digitized
the same.

The above process can be divided into four

stages:

• Drawing the existing logotype

• Writing the companion script adhering
to calligraphy
• Incorporating element from the existing
logotype into the companion script.
• Digitizing the aforementioned
companion script.

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History of the logotype

ESPN is an american based sports

broadcasting enterprise. It’s earliest logo
was unveiled in 1979.

The current version of the logo appeared in

1985. This logo was based on the font ‘Stop’ 1979, first logo
by Aldo Novarese, an Italian type designer
who was the art director at Nebiolo Type
Foundry from 1957-1977. His typefaces
often used rounded rectangles, a shape
inspired from the airplane windows.
Stop - Aldo Novarese

The designer for the current ESPN logo,

identified the band running through ‘E’
and ‘P’ as the iconic bit and countinued it
through rest of the letters to show motion.
The red is signifies the passion and love
for sports, whereas the white symbolizes 1985, current logo
purity and integrity. Finally the logo has a 8°
italicization to add drama and tension.

There was a variation of the current logo,

which had an added swoosh to the top-
right, it has not been used since 2003. dropped since 2003

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STAGE I
Recreating the
existing logotype

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STAGE II
writing the
companion script
in Calligraphy

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STAGE III
developing the
companion script

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STAGE IV
digitizing the
companion script

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Final Latin and
Devnagri scripts

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My Conclusion

This course provided me with the much

needed funadamental knowledge about
typefaces. Moreover by developing the
regional companion script for an existing
brand was an excellent excercise in
modifying types. Adding to that I think that
conforming to an existing graphic language
is a much better starting point than creating
an indentity/logo from scratch. Therefore
I would have prefered to go through this
course before designing an identity.

Also, as I was mining the net for information

on the ESPN logotype I came across
VELOPED and ESPiN- by Hector
Vazquez.He created this as a personal
project, it is his attempt at developing the
ESPN logotype.

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