Thesis Statement
With the advancement of digital technology in the past few decades,
it has become easier for users to create, customize, and modify display typefaces to fit their needs. By contrast, wood type for the letterpress is extremely limiting. I want to bring more variety to display types for the letterpress to help connect new designers to this older tool by creating a modular woodblock typeface.
Close up image of each of the styles for one piece in the system.
Example of how to use the composing stick.
Job case designed specifically for the variables and pieces in SWITCH.
Digital version of the finalized alphanumerical system.
Project Information
My inspiration for this project came from how much I like using the letterpress and how much I find you can learn by designing things by hand and having restrictions you need to work with compared to how easily you can customize something to fit your needs on the computer. I like the variability available in digital technology and the creativity it allows the user, but I also value being hands on and working with actual materials and their limitations to improve design problem-solving skills.
Research & Typeface Design
Simple Grid - Squashley by Madeleine Madigan
Complex Grid - Sessions by John Skelton
Letterform Anatomy - P22 Blox by P22 Type Foundry
Chromatic/Layered - Core Circus by S-Core Type Foundry
My initial research turned up that there are a few main ways to make a customizable type system. One is to use a simple grid system and repeat one shape multiple times in different ways to create each letter. Another is to use a more complex grid system that have multiple shapes meant for different parts of the letterforms and when put together they make each letter. There’s also letterform anatomy systems that are similar to the complex grid systems, but the pieces are even more specialized and when put together the grid is not nearly as obvious. And then there are chromatic typefaces, which use a layered approach with a base piece for each letter and then other designs get added to it to change the final look.
Original sketches of two possible directions for my typeface.
The direction I thought would work best for my concept was the letterform anatomy idea. I sketched out the entire alphabet on a three by three grid and a two by three grid.
Final direction for typeface.
The two by three grid letters seemed to work better, so I refined that direction and finalized a solid version of that. I then added two additional style options – the striped version and the outline version.
Functional Design & Production
When printing on a letterpress, the letters need to be backwards in order to print the right way on paper. Because it’s more difficult to create a letter out of pieces, let alone create it backwards, I decided it would make more sense for the user to be able to compose with the letters facing the right way and then be able to flip them over for the press. To make this possible I put the design that each block would print on the back kind of like a stamp.
Left - Diagram of how each block is built.
Center - All of the pieces in the system.
Right - Grouped pieces for color assigning.
After I had decided to compose with the blocks upside down, I thought about how to transfer the letters to the press easily. I didn’t want to have to flip over every block one by one and put it in place on the press so I came up with the idea to use magnets. This would allow the user to stick the entire composition to a board and flip it all at once then transfer it over to the press.
In this system, I noticed some pieces were difficult to tell apart which was causing problems when users tried to compose with them. To help distinguish between the pieces better, and make the process of composing faster in general, I added color to the background of each piece. To choose which piece got which color, I split the pieces up into groups of ones that looked similar and when I assigned the colors to the pieces, I tried to put varying colors in each group.
Digital drawing of the job case with colors.
Because this is a modular typeface, the quantities of each piece needed aren’t the same as in a normal set of letters. To determine how many of each I would need I compared where and how often each piece in my system is used to how often each letter is used in the English language and I adjusted the quantities of each piece based on that. Once I had the quantities for each piece, I created this design for the job case. I wanted to put all three styles of each piece together instead of separating the case into three different sections. I also put all of the each color in the same area to make it easier for users to find which piece they wanted.
How To Use
1. Compose your message.
2. Stick the piece of metal to the backs of the pieces and flip them over.
3. Transfer the pieces to the press and lock them into place.
4. Ink them up.
5. Print.
Conclusion
Overall I feel SWITCH accomplished the goals I set in the beginning. All of the designers that I’ve talked to about the finished project have expressed a lot of interest in using and experimenting with it. If I were to continue working with this project I would revisit the production of the blocks and try to condense it and make the end piece more uniform. I would also think about more things I could do with the system to add more variety.
Sources
Typefaces
1. Squashley by Madeleine Madigan http://archives.rockpaperink.com/content/column.php?id=745&cid=50
1. Squashley by Madeleine Madigan http://archives.rockpaperink.com/content/column.php?id=745&cid=50
2. Sessions by John Skelton http://grainedit.com/index.php?s=complexity&x=-1477&y=-8
3. P22 Blox by P22 Type Foundry http://www.p22analog.com/p22blox/
4. Core Circus by S-Core Foundry http://www.creativebloq.com/typography/font-day-core-circus-9134360
5. Detroit by Match and Kerosene http://www.matchandkerosene.com/
6. Hamilton offset by Chank https://www.myfonts.com/fonts/chank/blinc-pak/hamilton-offset/
7. Modular Typeface 2012 by Sofia Carvalho http://luc.devroye.org/fonts-63959.html
8. Next by Matthew Wahl http://luc.devroye.org/fonts-52809.html
9. Sodachrome by Dan Rhatigan and Ian Moore http://www.thecolourgrey.com/sodabudi.html
6. Hamilton offset by Chank https://www.myfonts.com/fonts/chank/blinc-pak/hamilton-offset/
7. Modular Typeface 2012 by Sofia Carvalho http://luc.devroye.org/fonts-63959.html
8. Next by Matthew Wahl http://luc.devroye.org/fonts-52809.html
9. Sodachrome by Dan Rhatigan and Ian Moore http://www.thecolourgrey.com/sodabudi.html
10. Chromatic Typeface by Cameron Humphries http://betype.co/post/86273940604/chromatic-typeface-by-cameron-humphries
Articles
11. Bilak, P. (2012, May 11). Designing type systems — I Love Typography. Retrieved April 27, 2016, from http://ilovetypography.com/2012/04/11/designing-type-systems/
12. Moss, B. (n.d.). Chromatic Typefaces and Flat Design. Retrieved April 27, 2016, from http://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2013/06/chromatic-typefaces-and-flat-design/
13. Sherman, N. (n.d.). Intercut typeface. Retrieved April 27, 2016, from http://nicksherman.com/design/Intercut/
14. Shinn, N. (2011, October 31). Engaging contextuality — I Love Typography. Retrieved April 27, 2016, from http://ilovetypography.com/2011/04/01/engaging-contextuality/
15. The Digital Past: When Typefaces Were Experimental. (n.d.). Retrieved April 27, 2016, from http://www.aiga.org/the-digital-past-when-typefaces-were-experimental/
16. Woodletter or Poster Types. (2009, June 06). Retrieved April 27, 2016, from http://britishletterpress.co.uk/type-and-typography/woodletter-or-poster-types/
13. Sherman, N. (n.d.). Intercut typeface. Retrieved April 27, 2016, from http://nicksherman.com/design/Intercut/
14. Shinn, N. (2011, October 31). Engaging contextuality — I Love Typography. Retrieved April 27, 2016, from http://ilovetypography.com/2011/04/01/engaging-contextuality/
15. The Digital Past: When Typefaces Were Experimental. (n.d.). Retrieved April 27, 2016, from http://www.aiga.org/the-digital-past-when-typefaces-were-experimental/
16. Woodletter or Poster Types. (2009, June 06). Retrieved April 27, 2016, from http://britishletterpress.co.uk/type-and-typography/woodletter-or-poster-types/
Other
17. Alan Kitching and Monotype. (n.d.). Retrieved April 27, 2016, from https://vimeo.com/106398773
18. Chromatic Wood Type. (n.d.). Retrieved April 27, 2016, from http://bibliodyssey.blogspot.com.au/2013/10/chromatic-wood-type.html
19. Hamilton Wood Type & Printing Museum. (n.d.). Retrieved April 27, 2016, from http://woodtype.org/
20. Sherman, N. (n.d.). Retrieved April 27, 2016, from https://www.flickr.com/photos/nicksherman/sets/72157633129702342/with/8603161233/
19. Hamilton Wood Type & Printing Museum. (n.d.). Retrieved April 27, 2016, from http://woodtype.org/
20. Sherman, N. (n.d.). Retrieved April 27, 2016, from https://www.flickr.com/photos/nicksherman/sets/72157633129702342/with/8603161233/
