Developed Initial Idea

1.

This idea was based on a more symbolic take on letter forms. I was looking at runes and hieroglyphic and found that quite a lot were made from similar shapes (triangles, squares, rectangles). This led me to make a set of quick printable stencils that could be replicated simply. The stencils gave me a result which looked simple but still kept the essence of a rune, but they couldn't be layered up as I had planned to create all the letterforms, as the block effect of the paint covered to much space, leaving too little for the shapes to be visible in the centre. This typeface can easily be recreated by cutting the three shapes out of sponges (these could be any shape depending on what block colour finish you want around you letter)

2.

While my sponge stencil idea didn't give me a set of results which were legible or worked together as forms to create all the different letterforms, it gave me the idea to create a typeface based on the same rune concept, using only three shapes to create a whole typeface, but instead of using sponge, I used card as it gave me a more stable and durable material to create the typeface. I liked the effect of this piece, as it gave me a sharp stencil which communicated the letterforms through a literal and more symbolic form through the more shape based text. This could easily be recreated using the same stencil as pictured below. 

3.

The rune stencil and research led me to create a typeface which followed the same symbol kind of form, but was placed on a gird replicating heartbeat monitor. This was because I was focussing on Massimo Vignelli's idea of the beat and flow of the text very literally as I was creating my different typefaces, which led me to the idea of the heart beat and it being the quintessential idea of something flowing or being on beat. This gave me a text which was all link through one common denominator (the base line). 

I made a typeface alphabet from this form but I didn't feel that the typeface fit together when it wasn't connected by the heart beat baseline, so wouldn't be very clear when used in another format. I tried to create the typeface in a physical format using a laser and set of mirrors to reflect it off each other to create the angular clean form of the type, but I couldn't find a laser which was strong enough to give a clear line. This type could be re-created using a pen laser and 6 mirror frames placed at different angles so that the laser can bounce off at the right angle. 

4.

Because of this set back I decided to try a different style to clear angular form of this typeface, and went adapted it into a collage of materials with varying thicknesses  and lengths, this would include sets of materials which you could use to create a whole alphabet. I liked the aesthetic of this typeface and it could be translated into a digital format, as the different materials would have a different aesthetic when scanned in (i.e. card would have a more sharp and clean aesthetic than a fabric text, which would have a layered and more rugged finish to it). 

5.

For this process I took inspiration from the effect of different materials on the sharpness of the type being used. Because of this I chose to experiment with paper to create letter forms, which gave me a form which felt more fluid and smooth when put together. This paper based form drooped and hung naturally to it's lack of solid structural form, giving an interesting and individual outline to the text. This type could be replicated simply by using the same materials i used (three paper sheets, masking tape). 

I then used illustrator to follow the form of these paper letterforms, which gave me a typeface which felt like it was connected not just through a simple factor like the heartbeat monitor line, but through the line and shape of all the text when placed together.  

This led me to create a machine which would use the paper letterforms in a sort of scrabble grid format which the person playing would build the typeface based of a set of instructions (drawings), and would arrange the text into words or simply just place them in a way that they felt the text fit together as they wanted. The board/grid for the paper letterforms could be made from either acrylic or wood, which would be marked out on the laser cutter, so that there is an accurate shape and grid form for the letters to sit on.  These instructions will be based off two sketches, one of each letter in a normal font and another of them in an oblique style, which will be based off photos of the same letterform but from another angle so that the text looks more slanted/ sloped. I will be able to play around with the thickness/bold line the text quite simply as the text has a simple single line structure. 

This could also be engraved onto a blocs like the ones used in scrabbled and boggle. If the type was cut out of vinyl the type could be stuck onto dice and used on a dice instead of being 3d forms of paper; although this might take away from the kit/game aspect of the machine where the user builds their own letterform from the same three pieces of paper, which creates an individual typeface based on how they use the paper to give each of the pieces structure.