Rebecca Waugerman

Artist Statement

For my senior project I chose to renovate one of the most used but most misunderstood typefaces, Times New Roman. While the popularity of this typeface demonstrates its overall usefulness, a closer look reveals quirks and flaws that call for improvement. This is particularly true when this typeface is used on a large scale. As the letterforms increase in size, flaws such as the straight edges that aren’t actually straight, the tiddle size, and the angle of the counters within the letterforms become more apparent. My typeface is a more decorative version of TNR that could be used more so for headings and large scale projects. By researching the history of TNR I better understood the design process and some of the inspiration and choices made by the original designers. My process of renovation began with sketches by hand looking at and measuring the width and angles of TNR. After finalizing the sketches I began to work digitally using Glyphs Mini recreating the letterforms by hand. There were many printed versions of the typefaces that I then analyzed with a fine tooth comb to weed out any imperfections. To demonstrate the improvements made, the exhibition of this project includes large-scale rollouts of both the original and renovated versions of Times New Roman typeface, highlighting the changes. The exhibition also includes posters showing the typeface in use and a pocket-sized type specimen book explaining the history and process of both typefaces.