EXPERIMENTAL TYPOGRAPHY
My feelings after reading Experimental Typography. Whatever That Means.
First off I want to start by pointing out the connections between experimental typography and counter culture. In the reading it states that if you were the only designer on the planet there would be no way to practice any form of experimental typography because there would be no previous idea to go against. I feel this is a natural ambition in creative individuals who simply strive to be original. I know I do. It is not that I am not pleased with someone else’s results I just like to accomplish things on my own. This allows for a level of learning which can not be achieved by following traditions. This indiviuality can also be seen in counter cultures. It is the what for something new, and original that drives the seperation into a different form of “beliefs”.
I also thought one of the last parts mentioned in the article was extremely interesting. Yet I’m not sure how I personally could apply it in a practical manner. The idea of creating a letter form which still remains representative yet can subtlety change in order to signify its difference in oral translation. The letter c which was used in the article is a great example of this. Adding a subtle extra stroke to signify a change in sound. This is similar to my experience in rewriting a German guide to calligraphic technique. Because I don’t speak German this was a difficult task for me, not to mention the numerous other variables that played a part in the difficulty. As I was going about the text line by line I started to pick up on a subtle difference in a lowercase “k” like figure, in some insistence’s the k would be seen normally and in others the leg would have a slight “flick” below the base line. Because this was a calligraphic book with black letter text, I initially thought of this change in form as a simple decorative characteristic which was applied whenever the typographer thought necessary. So Because I was scribing this book in a calligraphic form I too enjoyed this more decorative form a little more, and started using it even when the original was a standard lowercase k. Yet this very likely signified a very big difference in the outcome of the overall word, still I had no Idea.