Markings
Typography . Book Design . Just for Fun!
I love coming across interesting, beautiful and unexpected happenings. As a personal project, I experimented with inked objects and the impressions they leave on paper. I realized that an alphabet created with these objects produced bends and curves unlike any other typeface.
Objects & their marks
I began by gathering an array of objects, such as a plastic comb or a balloon—anything that caused me to wonder about how it might imprint and transform on paper. From there I started to paint letters using these objects dipped in acrylic paint.
The balloon has no sharp edges—it makes full and rounded marks that blend into each other.
Hair takes paint well, like a paintbrush, but a rolling action is needed when applying the paint in order to make legible marks.
Pine needles are thin and brittle and it's necessary to lay them flat when making marks on paper. In order to approximate the curve in a letter, one must use several straight marks.
Creating patterns
I found the marks so interesting that I wanted to create something with them. After transferring them to the computer, I layered and arranged them digitally. I further uncovered the descriptive qualities of the forms and found that letters can communicate in ways other than linguistically.
Capturing the process
To complete the project, I gathered the entire exploration into a book that I designed, printed and hand bound, as an intimate way for the viewer to experience the different letters.
More Work
PicMonkey - Mobile Touch Up
ArtsFund + Getty Images - Fundraiser
iStock - iPad App
Getty Images - Employee Portal Update