As a graphic designer my interaction with typography is a daily affair. In most cases I only experience my type in two dimensions. Whether it’s on paper, a side of a building or on a screen, I can’t remember the last time my arms, legs or butt have experienced the glory of typographic form. We’ve all seen “dimensional” typography before - through the wonders of technology, type can be animated through space allowing the viewer to superficially experience “dimensional” type… but in the end, it’s still usually viewed on a two dimensional plane.

So if we were to look at type as an image and not as a character to be read, could it’s form serve another function? Why couldn’t type be seen as a piece of architecture? Type designers spend years and years perfecting their characters as master craftsmen and just like an architect, one wrong visual calculation and the whole letterform can come crashing down. Just like furniture or a building the letterform needs to be pleasing to the eye, functional and most importantly, well built.

How could I truly experience type in the third dimension and move past just the visual sense. What could type feel like? What could type smell like? Could type hold my coffee?. Could I move it? Could I leave a stain on it? Could it hold my prized collection of movable type? (that just blew my mind) Could I scratch type? Could I put my feet on it? Could I lounge on it. Could I write on type?. If someone sat on it, could it “collect” their pocket change? Could I pass out on it? Could I put my computer on it? Could it recline? Could I even stub my toe on it?

So after reviewing my list of “what ifs” , I quickly experimented with the idea of “type as furniture”. Endless possibilities… watch out for The Akzidenz-Grotesk Chaise Lounge Extended.

This entry was posted on Saturday, April 1st, 2006 at 10:17 and is filed under Design. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.