Information Package / Course Catalogue
Typography II
Course Code: GİT222
Course Type: Required
Couse Group: First Cycle (Bachelor's Degree)
Education Language: Turkish
Work Placement: N/A
Theory: 1
Prt.: 2
Credit: 2
Lab: 0
ECTS: 5
Objectives of the Course

To question the relationship between typographic form and meaning at a conceptual and experimental level; to trace the historical transformation of typography within the contexts of modernism, postmodernism and digital culture; to use typeface not merely as a communication tool but as a visual and kinetic form of expression; to experience the boundaries of typographic language through productions.

Course Content

The content of this course aims to introduce students to the conceptual, experimental and digital dimensions of typography. The history of typography from the pre-modern period to the postmodern era is examined through the design approaches and key references of each period. The role of typeface in constructing identity, meaning and atmosphere is reinforced through brand and sectoral analysis studies. Contemporary production forms such as experimental typography, motion typography and variable fonts are experienced through applied projects.

Name of Lecturer(s)
Learning Outcomes
1.Explains the historical transformation of typography within the contexts of modernism, postmodernism and digital culture; analyses the design approaches and key references of each period through formal examples.
2.Uses typographic form as a conceptual and experimental means of expression; produces meaning through decisions of letter, space, texture and scale.
3.Applies typographic hierarchy, grid system and visual consistency principles across different media such as editorial design, poster and social media content.
4.Creates a typography-based brand identity system; establishes a consistent typographic language across different formats such as logo, still frame, motion content and editorial text.
5.Manages the design process systematically from conceptual research to digital production and documents their work visually and in written form.
Recommended or Required Reading
1.The Fundamentals of Typography, Ava Publishing; Second Edition edition (September 1, 2011), English, ISBN-10: 294041176X
2.Letterforms: Bawdy, Bad and Beautiful: The Evolution of Hand-Drawn, Humorous, Vernacular, and Experimental Type, Watson-Guptill (June 15, 2000), English, ISBN-10: 0823004643
3.Lupton, E. (2010). Thinking with Type: A Critical Guide for Designers, Writers, Editors, and Students. Princeton Architectural Press.
4.Bringhurst, R. (2004). The Elements of Typographic Style. Hartley & Marks Publishers.
5.Tschichold, J. (1928/1995). The New Typography. University of California Press.
6.Kane, J. (2011). A Type Primer. Laurence King Publishing.
7.Jury, D. (2006). What is Typography? Rotovision.
Weekly Detailed Course Contents
Week 1 - Theoretical
Course introduction: typography is a way of thinking — the triangle of technology, culture and aesthetics; from Typography I to Typography II: the transition from foundational knowledge to conceptual and experimental production; semester plan and projects
Week 2 - Theoretical & Practice
The Industrial Revolution and typography: from the book page to the street, new media and the rise of display typography, the birth of sans-serif; practice assignment: a poster design interpreting the display typography aesthetics of the Industrial Revolution in a contemporary context, with the subject determined by the student
Week 3 - Theoretical & Practice
Modernist typography: Bauhaus, Jan Tschichold and Neue Typographie; the form-function relationship, asymmetric layout, grid logic and the rise of sans-serif in modernism; practice assignment: a text selected by the student — news, poem or quotation — is typographically arranged in accordance with modernist typography principles
Week 4 - Theoretical & Practice
International Swiss Style: Josef Müller-Brockmann, mathematical grid system, objective typography and the claim of universality; practice assignment: a data set selected by the student — city data, event programme, statistics etc. — is visualised in accordance with Swiss Style grid logic and typographic principles
Week 5 - Theoretical & Practice
Postmodern typography: deconstruction, David Carson and Ray Gun magazine; breaking legibility, the tension between form and meaning; practice assignment: redesigning the text arranged with modernist principles in week 3 using a postmodern approach — breaking legibility, disrupting hierarchy, transforming form into meaning
Week 6 - Theoretical & Practice
Digital typography: the paradigm shift from static paper to dynamic screens; variable fonts, responsive typography and screen legibility; dark mode and optical balance; Project I brief: typographic self-portrait — a digital work in which the student expresses themselves solely through typographic elements, letters and words
Week 7 - Theoretical & Practice
Conceptual and experimental typography: a letter is not merely an information carrier — typography as form, rhythm and structure; creating visual composition through large-scale headlines, varying type weights and intervention in letter spacing; Project I: typeface, scale, hierarchy and spacing decisions in the typographic self-portrait
Week 8 - Theoretical & Practice
Typography and emotion: the psychological perception of typefaces and emotional responses; the feelings and associations that typeface selection creates in the viewer; Project I submission + Written Multiple Choice Midterm Exam (Industrial Revolution, modernism, Swiss Style, postmodernism, digital and conceptual typography)
Week 9 - Theoretical & Practice
Typography and texture: the surface texture and typographic mass created by letter forms coming together; the function of negative space in typographic composition; Project II brief: editorial design — multi-page typographic layout of a text and medium selected by the student
Week 10 - Theoretical & Practice
/ Title sequence design: typography, movement and atmosphere; the evolution of title sequence design from Saul Bass to Kyle Cooper; the meeting of typography with time and narrative; Project II: grid system, typographic hierarchy and multi-page layout decisions in editorial design
Week 11 - Theoretical & Practice
Typography and time: the transition from static to dynamic form, the historical and conceptual background of motion typography and kinetic typography; the contribution of animation to typographic narrative; Project II submission
Week 12 - Theoretical & Practice
Typography and brand identity: typography-based logo design, wordmark and logotype; the contribution of typeface selection to brand personality and identity; creating a consistent typographic system; Final Project brief: typography-based logo and social media content set design for an imaginary brand
Week 13 - Theoretical & Practice
Social media typography: platform formats and typographic decisions, typographic consistency across different media; timing, rhythm and typographic narrative in motion content; Final Project: design decisions for brand logo, still frame, motion content and editorial text post
Week 14 - Theoretical & Practice
Typographic system and consistency: maintaining typographic language across different formats and media; microtypography and detail decisions; Final Project: final digital production of the imaginary brand social media content set
Assessment Methods and Criteria
Type of AssessmentCountPercent
Attending Lectures1%5
Assignment4%15
Midterm Examination1%20
Final Examination1%60
Workload Calculation
ActivitiesCountPreparationTimeTotal Work Load (hours)
Lecture - Theory141128
Lecture - Practice141242
Assignment47132
Midterm Examination1819
Final Examination113114
TOTAL WORKLOAD (hours)125
Contribution of Learning Outcomes to Programme Outcomes
PÇ-1
PÇ-2
PÇ-3
PÇ-4
PÇ-5
PÇ-6
PÇ-7
PÇ-8
PÇ-9
PÇ-10
PÇ-11
PÇ-12
PÇ-13
PÇ-14
PÇ-15
OÇ-1
5
5
4
3
4
4
2
4
2
2
3
3
3
2
3
OÇ-2
4
4
5
3
3
4
2
5
3
3
3
4
3
3
3
OÇ-3
3
4
5
3
3
2
2
4
3
4
5
4
4
4
3
OÇ-4
3
4
4
4
3
3
3
4
4
4
4
4
5
3
3
OÇ-5
2
3
4
4
3
3
2
3
4
5
3
3
3
4
5
Adnan Menderes University - Information Package / Course Catalogue
2026