Tangible Typeface

ARTS610 // Principles of Typography

How might designers use found objects and physical materials to create a cohesive and visually appealing typeface? 

PROCESS: Students chose physical objects or materials to construct a typeface, using photography to capture the letterforms. They brainstormed ideas, then chose their top three to conduct tests, and then created a full typeface and set of numbers. 

Next students gave their typeface a name, and designed a poster to showcase the letterforms and give them context. The final designs highlight how typefaces contain patterns and anomalies among the letterforms, and how the visual characteristics convey meaning. In Spring 2022, the students were asked to design two different posters rather than one.

The following examples come from three separate semesters.