3D Typography

3D Typography

In this week's typography workshop we were given the challenge of creating 3D type which was presented in a way which connected both the definition of the word and the three dimensional format.

I chose to use light cushion stuffing as my medium and came up with the word 'float' as the material immediately brought to mind the image of clouds. The difficult part was figuring out a way in which to present the word and how to physically form the letters out of the material. Although the stuffing was easy to mould into the desired letters I struggled to find a way in which to ensure that it remained in shape. I thought about using things like glue or even something like hair gel/spray/wax to keep the light material in place before coming to the conclusion that I could mount the letters on the underside of clear tape. This meant that the word would remain almost weightless which in turn would connect the word with it's form of presentation. Above is an example of how I created the letters.

After creating all of the letters I next had to come up with an appropriate way of displaying them which resonated with the message I was conveying. I thought about ways in which I could make the word appear to be levitating and decided to use thin transparent wire to achieve this. However after experimenting with different compositions I chose to use a more visible means of hanging the work such a string. I felt that displaying it against the window connected the word float with it's meaning as it appeared at one with the clouds while at the same time the message was contradicted as onlookers can see how the font is clearly tethered and has constraints.

Typography

The challenge in this week's process and production studio session was to experiment in type creation and form a sentence beginning with 'I am' within a 4x4 grid. I began by making a small mock up on A4 paper before moving up in scale. Pictured above is type I created using masking tape and ink in order to ensure the lines were straight resulting in better legibility. I really wanted the font and the message to be intertwined which is why I chose to have only parts of the block-style letters on show.

The next stage was to move up in size again to not only make a bigger impact but also to show that the typeface could be scaled up or down and continue to be effective. This time I thought more deeply about the message I was aiming to convey and decided on a change of medium. If a person was in hiding then they are likely to be self-conscious and lacking in confidence. I did not think that the straight structured lines within the first grid pictured, gave off this feel. The typography pictured above was hand painted which gives off a personal touch and also makes the text appear vulnerable and not quite as structured as the first time around.

Finally I thought it would be fun to display my type in a way which related to the message it conveyed. Setting the grid out in a very public place contradicted the message and I thought this would be a good way to challenge the concept of self consciousness.