Type/Codes
GDES-315 fall 2017 · American University Design
Instructor: David Ramos ( ramos@american.edu · office hours )
Title Page of The Federalist vol. 1, printed by John Tiebout, 1799. (Library of Congress)
This project asks you to achive three goals:
- Showcase a pair of typefaces.
- Present the text of a key document.
- Provide commentary on that document through design decisions and image choice.
First, choose a text
Choose text excerpted from:
- The U.S. Constitution or a version annotated by the Congressional Research Service
- The U.S. Code of Federal Regulations (if you’re interested in a topic, whether exotic or prosaic, there’s probably some text touching on it somewhere in CFR)
- The Lieber Code, General Orders No. 100, Pres. Lincoln’s rules governing the conduct of the U.S. Army during the Civil War (a remarkable document, but also a product of its time)
- The United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights
- The Federalist Papers
Next, choose a few typefaces
Find two typefaces that suit your content and your position on the content. Use open source or freely-licensed web fonts, load from a free service like Google Web Fonts, or sign up for a paid service like TypeKit.
Of course, start with research and type studies. You should try dozens of combinations of fonts. For the final site, your type should be live text, not static images.
Create a website that brings together text, type, and images
Re-publish the text excerpts on a website. Define your own purpose and audience.
You should form your own vision of the project. The site may consist of one page or many page; similarly, you might choose a few lines of your source document, or dozens of paragraphs. Broadly, the less text, the more weight will fall on the quality of your design and HTML/CSS, but critiques will clarify a level of work that suits your project.
Any images should be freely licensed or in the public domain, ones you made yourself, or ones for which you have obtained a license. (As always, cite all material that you use.)
The website should work well on desktop screens and on mobile browsers. Usability counts, but will be measured against your intended audience and function. Accessibility and interoperability always count.
Consider starting with a blank copy of the basic site (ZIP).