Prologue & Chapter Plan

Prologue & Chapter Plan 

To gather a focused body of research I will follow a prologue and chapter plan so as not to lose focus on what research I am gathering during the introductory reading. Feedback from crits and tutorials has brought confidence in my plan on how to triangulate arguments so I know exactly what sub bodies of information I need to gather to feed into my overall question.

To what extent has typography been influenced by contemporary technology’s?

Prologue
The purpose of this investigation is to investigate how typography has developed alongside the introduction of contemporary technologies and process’s over key periods of time and to define what makes these technologies contemporary.

To arrive at a conclusion an initial investigation into how the principles of typography were developed through the progression of mass communication both before and after the introduction of the Gutenberg printing press. This will allow an investigation into what was seen as contemporary technologies back then and there impact and current and future technologies that are influencing mass communication and typographic principles.

Further investigation into mass communication theory will add further depth to the investigation inform arguments on how typography has developed as a reaction to changes within mass communication.

These investigations will then feed into case studies on the development of how Branding communicates information to a mass audience through the focused use of typographic principles will help inform how Branding has also reacted to these developments.

There has been a huge shift in how typography is distributed and communicated, and the ownership and value has been lost through the over saturation of mass-produced budget typefaces where once there was a physical ownership and pride when owning a physical type family. By analyzing some case studies of traditional font foundries with heritage to more contemporary foundries an investigation into all points made in the previous chapters can strengthen an overall conclusion.

Triangulation plan
Triangulate arguments with investigations into Mass communication > Craftsmanship, Creative function > Mechanical purpose through set chapters that in themselves will underpin and strengthen an argument based on the development of typography within the introduction of contemporary technologies.

Chapter plan
1 - The Guttenberg, before and after. 

· Brief history of the development of typography and how it developed from been a visualization of spoken language to an organized physical system.
· How typography was distributed and communicated before the Guttenberg.
· How mass communication developed (Industry, Printing press, Newspapers).
· Contemporary technologies that will change the distribution and communication of typography. These been 3D print, moving image, eBooks, internet, emojis as a way off showing how personal communications developed and how a simple emoji can connote and communicate so much etc.

2 - Mass communication theory.
· Defining mass communication theory.
· How information is digested. (Interaction with electronic and physical books and other things that communicate text)
· Technologies and limitations through progression. Weigh benefits and disadvantages up. TV, Phone, Technologies that don’t link direct to type.
· Predictions of new technologies, “based on research it could be suggested”­

3 - Typographic focused Branding.
· The use of type and logotypes.
· Is typography even needed within established brands.
· Custom typefaces.
· Manipulation of typography and how it communicates certain information with the addition of other design principles.

4 - Font foundry case studies.
· From physical to digital.
· Ownership (what is ownership?) and value of something physical that has craftsmanship to the oversaturation of typefaces from budget and high end foundries. Ebooks audio books as a technological variation.
· Critical analyze of a typeface from a traditional foundry with heritage and a typeface from a budget foundry like the designers foundry.
· Limitations of digital type.
· Typography design software
· Comparison between physical ownership of music (records) and its developed distribution to streaming with how type used to be physically owned but is now as easy to access as streamed music. Look into both piracy of software, type, music and how this feeds into how value is lost.