Playing with shadows

https://fromupnorth.com/typography-inspiration-806-b5b44b0d7e7e

I find this work from the link above, discussing different ways of creating letter forms, which is quite inspiring. I think the idea of playing with shadows is interesting because it contains varies elements besides graphic area. The designer cut the letters out from the paper and made them “stand” on the paper. Then when a soft light shines on the paper, shadows had been created.

It can easily express the word you want to present, but also created a feeling of peace and then make the audience focus on the work. What makes the letter form itself in this work unique and delicate is the bottom of the letter, which is a little bit blur. And also, a group of italics can be created with the change of angles. Overall, I think the way it’s been display is more vivid and impressing than traditional typography.

 Manchester A-Z

https://postratio.com/

This piece of work has really caught my eye when I was doing my research. On the first sight they just a group of architects, but I was surprised when I looked into them. It is an alphabet playing with space of different styles of architects, and it’s all black and white, which makes the whole feelings strong and stately. Actually I think it is playing with black and white in squares. To be more specific, almost all the buildings are used as BLACK, and the sky/space between the buildings are used as WHITE. So the letters were created in a more abstract and 3D way, which adds interesting elements to the letter form. What is the most important is the outcome it creates as an alphabet for Manchester, using different architects of the city. The features and feelings of Manchester have been showed incisively.

 FOUCS

Although it is not a complicated typography, the elements it contained show the sense of “focus”very well.  The letter “O”is replaced by a circle covering the whole word. Inside the circle the contents are very clear, while the part outside is pretty blur. I think the idea is “focusing” in photography technique, which acts in cooperation with the word “focus”. You can find yourself focus on the center very naturally, I think it is exactly what the designer wants you to do: focus.

 OPEN

Created by Vlado Paunovic

I think it presents “open” in a very cute and smart way. To be specific, “O” and “P”form a key, which express the idea of “opening”something with a key. What makes it quite interesting is the part of simply illustration. The audience can then recognize both of the letter and the meaning easily, so it is a good use of letterform for communication.

http://www.vernaculartypography.com/

Another interesting character of typography is that it’s has a really close relationship with our daily life. Sometimes random typos in billboard or people’s handwriting on noticeboard are interesting typography. This is the billboard of a local shop and we can find varies typography randomly working together to create a unique object with unique local feeling. The visual environment has increasingly been unified by the influence of globalization, I think these typographies with less commercial feeling but have unique local colors are interesting and worth to be documented.

This is a poem by an 8 years old kid. Considering how to add a stronger characteristic to my letterform. As my letterform is playful and dynamic, my main inspiration is kids’ handwriting. I find that their hands are too small to hold the pens and because of the immature way of using pens they create interesting letterform.

https://elephant.art/studio-visit-morag-myerscough/

There’s a sort of spatial, sculptural, architectural graphic design thing going on with your work isn’t there?

I think I sit in this space, a place where there are architects and designers and artists. I think you can call yourself whatever you like now. I’m not a graphic designer, illustrator, architect or a sculptor, but maybe I’m all of those things. It’s about mindset and trying to create something for people to feel they are part of. My mantra is the Chinese proverb “Make happy those that are near and those that are far will come”.

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Myerscough’s idea about her “design identity” tells why she has created lot of artworks that have big impact on people. I agree her idea that don’t focus much on the boundaries of designing areas. If you are a graphic design you can also work on installations freely, what is important is mindset and how much impact your work have on people. Speaking of our project, it can be transformed from 3D, although it is a graphic project. And it turns our more interesting and vivid than just sketching on the paper.

Why does your work have to be so big?

I don’t know why. Because outside is big! If I have a ninety-five-metre wall I can envisage something, I can just about fit something. I just have this thing, maybe because I’ve always lived in London, it used to be so grey, I just see this phenomenal potential. It’s not like I want to paint colour permanently, I just want to spark things off.

https://www.typocircle.com/portfolio/morag-myerscough-no-airs-and-graces/

I think Myerscough is that kind of designer who has lively identity and could apply her identity to her works all the time. Most of her works are cheerful and colorful, which can influent people positively.

This project is about data, which is a heavy topic that always leading to worrying about modern society. But Myerscough wants people  to be positive about the future instead of being scared.

 Although data is seen as dangerous, I wanted to show the excitement of it too,” says Morag. “We’re not going to get away from it, so we have to learn to live with it. That informed the graphic response, I wanted it to look positive and energetic.”

It aims to make people aware of the influence it could have but not to scare them. The clouds at the background make it like a “superman fantasy” that gives hope but also suggest the idea of “data”.