Impact of creative typography practices on products and higher order thinking skills of studentsin graphic design education

Typography among developing technology and gradually increasing communication channel, has recently started to be regarded not only as a fact related to writting but also as a branch of art that is visually and aesthetically supporting communication.Typography is today an important course of graphic design programmes of all faculties and academies, in both state and foundation universities and it is ranked among daily communication activities with an ever growing value.Examining and searching syllabus and practices of typography, one of the important fields of Higher Education?s Fine Arts Training, which takes place in graphic design education cirriculum, have been acknowledged important as to the quality of graphic design education and to accomplish generic and specific goals and to make gain skills mentioned in the programme.The objective of this study is to seek an answer to the question of ? Does creative typography practices have an effect on stundets? products and high level cogitation skills??The study was conducted in 2009-2010 Academic Year on 50 students from Gazi University, Ankara vocational high school, Graphic Design Program. The class where activities of the already available curriculum were taught is named the ?control group?, and where creative typography practices were carried out is named the ?experimental group?.Effects of creative typograhy practices on students? creativity have been examined in this study. Conducting the study and revealing results have been carried out in four main sections.In the first section, conceptual framework has been formed, references were made to related studies and problem of the study, its purpose, assumptions, scope and constraints have been discussed. In the second section, method of the study, its pattern, work group, conducted procedures and methods of data analysis have been presented. In the third section, data obtained as a result of conducted experimental studies have been processed, findings have been presented and comments were made in light of obtained information. In fourth and final section, thematic recommendations have been developed in line with obtained results.Data obtained during the study has been analyzed using SPSS 20 statistics software package. During the analysis of quantitative data obtained from critical thinking and creative thinking tests, F-test analysis has been used to determine whether or not there is a difference between the preliminary and final test scores of control and experiment groups. The data obtained from student products has been interpreted using ANCOVA, Single Factor Analysis of Covariance.Results obtained from study findings can be summarized as follows:When California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory (CCTDI) preliminary test scores of the experimental and control groups were reviewed, a significant difference has been discovered in terms of final test scores between the experimental and control groups in favor of the experimental group.When Torrance Creative Thinking Disposition Inventory (TYDT) preliminary test scores of the experimental and control groups were reviewed, a significant difference has been discovered in terms of final test scores between the experimental and control groups in favor of the experiment group.According to the results of Ancova Product Evaluation Inventory for the experimental and control groups, it has been discovered that there was no significant difference between the product evaluation scores of the experimental and control groups before and after the experimental procedure.According to the general results obtained in relation to the problem in question; it has been observed that there is a significant difference in favor of the experimental group between the higher order thinking skills of students in the experimental group, who carry out studies under creative typography practices, and the ones in control group, who carry out the already available educational practices, in the typography course of Gazi University, Ankara vocational high school, Graphic Design Program. It has been discovered that there was no significant difference between the product evaluation scores of two groups before and after the experimental procedure.