So what is Woodtype? Wood types are letterforms and illustrations dating back to the first known Chinese wood block print from 868 CE. This style of printing came into popularity during the early American 19th Century aka Wild West. It was extremely cheap and easy to produce. In this project I was asked to do exactly what they did in the 19th century in terms of style. I would however love to carve and reproduce like they did to add to the challenge. Also adding to the creativity, I had to age the paper once it was printed to get an authentic look. The trick here wasn't so much of the Typeface, as it was easy to find wood type fonts or typefaces. The idea was how would I used the this type or any typeface to get my message across, and keep the message clear? Things like hierarchy, kerning, tracking, and leading of letters were the main focus. I also had to watch for things like widows and orphans. This was a typography class so I had to keep all this in mind. Overall, the final project turned out very well. Many times I see companies hire or use designers that make basic graphic designer mistakes that are taught in basic graphic design class. To those companies be aware. Even those who are self taught should know these basic concepts if they are serious about their ability. No one is perfect, but hiring professionals makes a huge difference.
