Typographer of the Week

course:

Typography III

subject:

Morris Fuller Benton

professor:

Alain Paradis

time used:

7

hours

tools used:

Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign

objective:

This assignment requested us to study a modern typographer and design a 2-page biography layout in InDesign. We needed to reflect the designer’s style through layout and type choice while presenting their career, philosophy, and notable typefaces. All content had to be original writing, not copied from online sources.

Background Study

I was signed with Morris Fuller Benton. To start this project, I compared 3 typefaces designed by Morris Fuller Benton: (1) Franklin Gothic, (2) Hobo, and (3) Broadway. I researched the historical background and purpose behind each font to understand their unique characteristics. This helped me determine which typeface best reflected Benton’s design philosophy and would guide the direction of my layout.

Reference

After studying Morris Fuller Benton’s work, I began collecting design references to define my visual direction. I focused on black and white layouts that highlight typographic form and structure. I looked for examples with oversized type, asymmetric grids, and gallery-poster aesthetics. These references helped me build a layout tone that suits Benton’s era and typographic legacy.

Layout Grid

At this step, I began sketching different layout options using 3×3 and 3×2 grid systems. I tested how much space each section would take and adjusted my text length to fit naturally. I explored where to place the headline, body content, and portrait to create a clean and readable structure.

Final Layout

I completed the layout using a 3×2 grid in InDesign. I included a timeline to clearly show Benton’s key milestones. To guide the reader’s focus, I arranged the visual flow (upper-half) from heading to timeline, then to his portrait and quote, (lower-half) ending with the body text. Since black and white alone felt too flat, I added sharp yellow to highlight the title and subheadings. This improved the visual hierarchy and helped organize the page.