“Danger hides in beauty and beauty in danger.”
Belva Plain
My Experimental Typography Workshop in LASALLE College of the Arts kick-started in January 2020, when the world had recently suffered from several environmental disasters - such as the Amazon wildfires that lasted over eight months and destroyed 906,000 hectares of rainforest, or the bushfire in Australia that killed roughly one billion local animals. Statistic had shown that thirty per cent of the population of Koala in Australia had been wiped out by this horrific bushfire. And more species were dying daily due to illegal poaching and trafficking, loss of natural habitats, climate changes and other causes. According to the IUCN Red List, by the end of 2019, there are 30,178 species in threatened states in a total of 112,432 species assessed, which is more than thirty per cent.
The theme for the workshop was 'Endangered Specimens.' As graphical responses to the environmental and societal concerns mentioned above, each workshop participant was going to design experimental typefaces inspired by endangered species - including animals, plants and insects.
My type face - named Trapper - is inspired by a plant named Nepenthes Rigidifolia - commonly known as Tropical Pitcher Plant. This carnivore plant mostly grows in Sumatra, 1000-1600 meters above sea level. According to the IUCN Red List, Nepenthes Rigidifolia's status is currently <CR> - Critically Endangered.
My geometric grid for the typeface was constructed based on the 'mouth' shape of the pitcher plant
Letters construction on the customised grid. The letters were equipped with both smooth curves and sharp and spiky parts. The aim of the typeface was to capture the beauty and hidden dangerousness the plant possesses.
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