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| workshops, Helsinki Lahti 10 2002, 01 |
layered display type basic info : presentation half way :
Assignment
The group was asked to design a typeface which exploits the possibilities of layers. How far is it possible to go and how ornaments, patterns, colours and overlaps affect the design? 4+ layers were required to sufficiently test how they work.
Process
From the beginning the group's work was very idea-emphasized and experimental. After the initial sketching, the group decided that instead of purely working with the forms of the letters, innovative ways of using layers should be searched for. To further this, the group chose an existing typeface as one starting point. OCR-B, a monospaced typeface, was selected for its clear form.
Quite soon after the first experiments the group became interested in the character's counterforms and the surrounding space. The space was divided into overlapping areas which were placed on individual layers. Thus, with a combination of two layers the character could already be perceived. Later on the areas were allowed to partly overlap the letterform. The next step was to try different fillings within areas defined in this manner. Each member of the group made a set of layers which were then combined together. However, the group felt that this approach was putting the pictoral elements forward instead of the letterforms. After the group had made many testings with varying printed and on-screen layers, it was thought that the developing should be extended to 3D. When a series of spatial experiments had been tried, the group again felt that it was getting too far from the typedesign part of the assignment.
Final Solution
To combine the letterdesign aspect of the assignment with the many experiments, the group decided to take just one word which would then be shaped into a word-image. This way the group felt, that the possibilities of the different layers could be properly visualized. The final work includes six coloured layers and an outline layer. These layers can be mixed together and used for example three at a time. The layers are designed so that the word-image is legible even with a few of the them in use.
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