The greatest typographic innovation of recent years are variable typefaces. They provide us with features that were impossible to implement in the past. In this thesis, we designed an experimental variable linear typeface with letters from the Cyrillic and Latin scripts. Our main goal was to create a typeface that can be read by people who know at least one of the source scripts. Also, for animation purposes, we wanted a smooth transition from one letter to another. Such a typeface can be used for bilingual communication or as an interesting aesthetic choice for signage, logotypes and other printed or digital graphics.
In the theoretical part of the thesis, we explore the historical origins of both Cyrillic and Latin scripts. We compared them in terms of their typographic characteristics and the glyphs they contain. We also described variable typefaces and what makes a typeface legible.
The experimental part of the thesis contains a description of the design process that led to the development of the Tranzicija variable typeface. We started with the design concept, some sketches and a file prepared for the creation of a variable typeface. We described the work that went into designing letters, numbers, and other glyphs, and the problems we encountered. We also worked on spacing, kerning and ligatures before exporting our typeface.
The typeface was tested twice using an online survey. This gave us valuable insight into how the typeface was being read. After evaluating the first survey, we changed some letterforms for another test. Our changes did not have much impact on the reading results.
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