What type of font would match the a punk rock theme storybook?
After speaking with the producer of the book, the horizon for possible typefaces expanded pretty far since the criteria was set to be broad: make a font. Lower case letters or capital? More uniform or artsy? These are all questions that the creator of the storybook had little answers to. Picking a font for a story book is peculiar because unlike other texts, even the font for a picture book should add to its aura and let me say; there a LOT more marked fonts than unmarked ones.
Notice the image above. Each of the fonts seems to send a different message and suggest the reader feels a certain way. In a story book, it is crucial that the reader gets fully immersed into the story and publishers take time to ensure that nothing takes away from the aura of the book. The title especially plays a big role in setting the tone for the story book because it is the first thing the reader reads when picking up the book.
We decided that there were two main aspects to consider when creating the font. The first aspect was that it had to match the creative punk rock theme and as mentioned above, “immerse” the reader in the story. On the other hand, we thought it was important that not only the title not take away from the artwork in the background, but be readable for a younger audience. Artsy, but simple: this was the look we were going for.
Inspiration
Due to our lack of experience, it was hard to immediately come up with an idea that worked, so we searched what any clueless student would do: “cool fonts”. Of course, the results were overwhelming and the search did little to specify the direction we were going in, until we found an already created font that seemed to serve our purpose.
We felt like the font above had many positive features that fit the theme of the storybook well. First of all, it was easy to read. The base letter, behind the fancy lines, was a basic capital or lowercase letter than any kid who can read, could read. We liked how the decorative lines did not add any confusion and thought that they would flow nicely into the background of the storybook cover. Still, there were some parts we did not like, such as the design of the some of the letters and the confusing mix between capital and lowercase letters. Regardless, we thought this already created font would be a good starting point for some inspiration as it is pretty basic and can be molded for most situations.
Here it is. A VERY ROUGH draft of a font that could eventually turn into something that can be used as the title for a story book, but well see. You never know what “cool font” we might stumble on next.
Alena and Francesco's typography blog 
How do the readings support your arguments? How does punk rock and steampunk relate? Is there documentation for this connection? What other peer-reviewed documents might oppose or support your arguments?
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I like the direction you are going in by leaning toward a more decorative font based off of intricate detail rather than by the initial steampunk materials. I also like how you explored a selection of completely different fonts to study how each one is different and how each one makes the reader feel. I believe it is important to view all your options in order to properly decide on one. However, I’m concerned on how your original font compares to the font you took inspiration from. The two appear to look very similar, almost as though they are the same. In order to make your font more of an original design, perhaps making the strokes where there are thin lines slightly more bold would create a more unique design while also strengthening the one you have. Additionally, I would also suggest to add more weight to the letters to help them look more bold and “powerful” by balancing the details on both sides of each letter. On the strokes where there is no extra details, add a “swirl” or “loop.”
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I think you did a nice job breaking things down, but for some reason I cannot see the last picture you uploaded on this post. All other pictures are fine, just that one.
And yeah, I’d also like to know about how punk rock and steampunk are related, because although its a potentially interesting take on the topic I’m not sure what it has to do with the book itself.
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I like how you tied in parts of the Invisible Text reading by talking about marked and unmarked fonts and talking about how different fonts send different messages. I think the visual language of fonts is especially important to keep in mind while designing your font for the title of the book. While I like the font you are taking inspiration from, I am having a difficult time relating it to the themes of Athena at Night.
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Really clear process of design you guys have going on. I think the fact that ya’ll are taking into consideration the “immersive-ity” and the theme is very important and its a step in the right direction. The font you guys have already found is definitely a great template to work on from. The only thing is to make sure the font somehow represents the theme of the book, complimenting it well.
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I do like the initial font you guys came up with. It looks clean and legible. I see how it fits with the story and mystery of the book but I do not see much steampunk/metal specifically. This could be a good thing as Professor DeWinter said it can be a victorian steampunk rather than robots and metal, but for the age group involved, I think a little more metal might help get the message across.
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I like the simplicity and elegance of the font and how you really tried to keep in mind the audience and what would be most appealing to them.
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One detail about your blog that I especially appreciate is how you begin by explaining the importance of choosing the right typeface for the job. This inclusion makes your post feel very genuine and gives the reader a reason to become invested in what you’re saying. By comparison, most blogs appear to begin by outlining the assignment. While this is great for demonstrating an understanding of the task at hand, it doesn’t feel authentic or engaging. Furthermore, I liked how you provided commentary on your likes and dislikes of the font style you’re working with. It really shows that you’re thinking critically about your work and applying the concepts that you originally hooked the reader in with.
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