Typographic Form in Space

For my Typography 1 class at SCAD, I recently completed a project called Typographic Form in Space. According to the project brief, we were to “seek dynamic form/counterform relationships, keeping in mind the inter-changeability of the positive and negative rhythm flow. Explore rhythmic patterns, visual transitions, and the flow type as music in typographic elements. Find visual relationships between all adjacent modules, relating all parts to a dynamic, harmonious, and unified whole.”

When our professor introduced the project and showed us past student examples, I was blown away by how gorgeous and cohesive they looked. Seeing those polished, intricate compositions was both inspiring and a little intimidating. I felt the pressure to create something just as interesting and balanced, and I was especially daunted by this number—50 original compositions due next class as part of our ideation process.

Despite my initial nervousness, I was really excited to get started. We were given a list of less than 10 typefaces to choose from for this project. We could use as many or as little as we wanted. I wanted my piece to be as cohesive as possible, so I decided early on to stick to a single typeface: Didot. I was drawn to Didot because of its strong stroke variation and elegant personality. The anatomical details of the letterforms, like the finials on the lowercase “f,” the leg of the uppercase “R,” and the tail of the uppercase “Q,” stood out to me as especially dynamic elements to explore.

Process: From Letterforms to Composition

Step 1: Choosing My Letterforms

I selected 11 letters (A, a, E, f, g, i, K, Q, R, w, and y) and used three different point sizes for each letter, totaling 33 variations.

Step 2: Cutting the Letters

After printing the letters, I meticulously cut each one out using an X-acto knife. This process was time-consuming but gave me physical pieces to manipulate for my compositions.

Step 3: Arranging and Photographing

With all my cut-out letters in a pile, I blindly selected 3-5 letters at a time and experimented with different arrangements. Once I had a composition I liked, I photographed it and used my phone to play with cropping and zooming to refine the composition.

Step 4: Selecting and Digitizing

After creating 50 compositions by hand, I selected 15 of my strongest ones to recreate digitally. I experimented with different orders and arrangements, but I wasn’t completely satisfied with the overall flow. To refine the final layout, I narrowed the selection down further to 8 compositions that worked best together.

Step 5: Finalizing and Mounting

I printed my final compositions, cut them out, and carefully mounted them on a presentation board using rubber cement. Measuring and aligning everything precisely was a crucial step to ensure a polished final presentation.

Reflections on the Project

Going into this project, I felt much more confident than I did with our first typography assignment. I had a better understanding of type, craftsmanship, and working with paper and cutting tools. One of my main goals was to create a composition where the letterforms weren’t immediately recognizable as letters until examined closely. I think I achieved that, and I’m happy with how my final piece flows—something that was a key objective in the project brief.

That said, I know my craftsmanship can still improve, and I’m looking forward to pushing myself further with our next project. This was such a valuable experience, and I’m excited to continue exploring typography and composition in new ways!