This project started out as creating a custom typeface based off of an existing one from a small list, which was difficult to choose from. The one I went with was Clarendon, as it seemed to be a professional and interesting font that I thought could be changed into something less serious. I thought that giving the characters a curved appearance, with differentiating widths in the strokes would give it a more "casual" and "quirky" feeling. At first, I called it "Casual Clarendon," but after finishing the kerning and final details, I went with "Quirky Clarendon." The process was difficult to do, as at first, I didn't really know where I wanted to go with it, but once I started with a simple idea, it began to come together. It was quite the hassle when it came to getting the time to properly work on the characteristics of each letter. But, with it finalized now, I can say that I feel it works for the casual feeling I was going for. The three best words to describe this new typeface is casual, strange, and friendly.
First, to demonstrate the three characteristics of Quirky Clarendon, I went with a simplistic approach. Showing off how the typeface forms the characteristics between three different images.
For these three images, I wanted to show the three key attributes of the typeface. For casual, I wanted it to be nonchalant and easy to understand, so nothing outrageous or extreme, just casual.
With the strange attribute, I wanted to show how the letters are more bendy and irregular compared to most other typefaces. This shows how they letters are bent and have some very thin and very thick line widths throughout.
Here, for the last attribute, I show how the rounded and bent shapes give the typeface a more friendly appearance, complimenting the casual and strange attributes.
Here, I went with a more direct and detailed style to show how the characteristics of the typeface fit. Using the same color scheme for each of the descriptors, I was inspired by looking at other typefaces that had their own images that displayed their qualities.
Here is a demonstration of the more "Casual" aspect of the typeface. It shows that it really isn't as professional as the original version, and more nonchalant about itself.
With this image, I wanted to show the more "quirky" and "weird" aspects of it, by showing off the little curves, the variations in the line width, and how each letter seems like their own kind of thing, that come together to form the typeface.
Here, I show how this typeface can appear friendly, with the use of the rounded aspects, thin and thick stokes, and general stylization of the characters. It's meant to show that while there are some sharp edges here and there, it focuses on the rounded and simplistic look to portray this idea.
When it comes to mockups to demonstrate the use or attributes of the typeface, I went with a slightly comedic or everyday feel for them. I didn't want to stray too far from the original idea of the typeface, so I used some basic mockups and ideas that could fit with the typeface.
For Mockup 1, I went with the idea of using Quirky Clarendon for a store sign, as I thought it would be a good display of how it can seem friendly and casual . I came up with this basic store idea to help hone in on the idea that this typeface is meant to be for casual use and show people that whatever is attached to it is friendly.
Mockup 2 is more focused on a comedic and casual aspects of the typeface, shown through the text on the coffee mugs. The text in full says: "Don't Talk To Me Until I Have Had My Coffee. I Don't Drink Coffee, But That's Irrelevant."
Lastly, Mockup 3 is something simple, showing off how the typeface is a little weird or strange, but should be given a try so that people can see how it can be used.
Here, I show the comparisons between the original Clarendon and the new Quirky Clarendon. While it may look very alike at first glance, once you see some of the differences, you can see how each one portrays themselves. I did also use spreads from a previous project to demonstrate how different they are in a more formal setting.
While at first the two Clarendons may not look different, once you look carefully, you can see that some aspects have been changed. One is that the capital letters are taller, along with their curves and shape being different as well. The lower-case letters have also gotten the same treatment, as the width of the stokes and their basic shape have been changed, once again giving it a less professional and more "quirky and casual" feeling to them.
Here, I used two spreads from a previous project to demonstrate how the two Clarendons differ from each other. As said before, they differ in their line width, rounded shapes, and that the Quirky Clarendon is more "casual" than the standard Clarendon.
Lastly, I have the complete process of how I created each version of the characters, which may not be extremely thorough, but does show how each character originated or has components from others, connecting all of them, aside from being in the same typeface.
Here we have the process of the creation of this typeface. The process photos don't really show the entire process, as most of it was small tweaking and changes in the size of certain points or curves. But does show how each one was created in order, as I preferred to have the basic letters done, then use their components as a base for the others. In the end, Quirky Clarendon had come out very different from how I originally thought it would be.
Lastly, for those who would like to try this quirky typeface, there is an attached file that you can download to use it. I hope you enjoy it.
