Interview by Yves Peters:
Quote from Neville Brody:
"The basic idea behind freeform typography is that the computer keyboard can also be used as a musical instrument or a painter’s palette. It can be used as a way to redefine the representation of digital language."
Peters notes:
"When those letters are abstracted to the point that they stop performing this function, then one can’t qualify them as letters nor typography anymore."
He is probing at the purpose of the FUSE edition 10 called Freeform, where the typeface designs in this magazine seem to push the boundaries of lettering to uncomfortable levels for some, rendering the words unreadable.
Erik Van Blockland
Blockland counters:
"It takes a poor typographer to be convinced that letters are only meant to convey meaning. "
Blockland is standing up to criticism of experimental typography by reminding us of the duality of written communication and the relationship we have with them is not solely perfunctory.
Blockland also notes:
"Letters are peculiar things, and readers can take quite a bit. It is possible to create shapes that are individually unrecognisable as letters, but that are readable when put in context"
and
" By changing the separate components you learn more about the whole."
Reading this reminded me of the Google search engine logo that frequently alters its form to pay homage to the anniversary of influential scientists or artists, or for Royal events or special current events. Sometimes the individual letters themselves are replaced with imagery that does not represent the letter shape at all, but because of it's known brand name and colours, the indication of the letter serves as enough when viewed as a whole.
Examples:
C.V. Ramans 125th birthday - nobel prize: deflected light forms wavelengths.
http://www.google.com/doodles/cv-ramans-125th-birthday
Leon Stukelis 115th birthday - Yugoslav olympic gold medalist
http://www.google.com/doodles/leon-stukeljs-115th-birthday
Wilbur Norman Christiansen's 100th birthday - radio astronomer, build Chris Cross telescope.
Erik Speikermann notes:
" He is correct when he says that a keyboard can be used as a musical instrument or a painter’s palette. However it think is incorrect to call this typography, although the term digital language can be used."
Speikermann abides by order and precision and yet also has a loving relationship with letter forms and typography. In his understanding of typeface designs and requirements for typeface designing, i find him very strict but largely fair, perhaps he is abit more black and white about the process, seeing typography as intrinsically linked with conveying the message of language, but he recognises the possibilities of using lettering for another kind of visual language.
Even if the end result is not successful or has not gained any merit or purpose, it is worthwhile to explore possibilities, as Speikermann (2010) notes " Even if an experiment doesn’t lead anywhere, that is one of its very reasons of existence."
Wozencroft notes:
"At the same time we agree that the language of bees, the mating calls of the rainforest, and the choir welcoming every new dawn sounds pleasingly “abstract” yet melodic to our ears. Just because we can’t easily imitate this “information”, does this imply that it has no meaning? Of course not."
Wozencroft reflects compellingly on the two relationships we have with written communication, one of clearly defined languistic communication of facts, content and truths, and another of the joy found in emotive, abstract and ambiguous meaning. He notes that we already embrace this communication in the world of nature. He finds that the two can work together to allow deeper meaning to be conveyed and that this is applicable to typeface design.
Wozencroft notes in reference to FUSE:
"It is a naked experiment, and at the same time a revaluation of the intrinsic dilemma between words as meaning, and words as images of meaning.
Peters, Y (2010) 20 Years of Fontshop: Vintage Fuse Interview, available at: http://fontfeed.com/archives/20-years-of-fontshop-vintage-fuse-interview/, viewed on: 23.11.2013.
FUSE11 - Pornography
Translated through google translate, the webpage FontShop Osterreich lists the edition FUSE11 in which the theme was Pornography:
The ironic typographic debate on the issue Pornography made FUSE 11 to a very surprising bestseller in 1994. Nevertheless, also in the FUSE 11 edition was strictly limited, and available today only a few remaining copies!
The designers are Luc (as) de Groot, "Fuel", Erik van Blokland and Just van Rossum and Ian Wright, the writings hot Handjob F, F Move Me MM, F and F TapeType What You See / What You Get. As a bonus font: the F Peep by Neville Brody in logically 6 sections. For font diskette's usual five-poster and extra three small typo Movies and TapeType animation on the topic.
available at: http://www.fontshop.at/fuse, viewed on: 24/11/2013.
One was a typeface that would appear on the screen but print out a sheet of blank paper once sent to print. A comment on the interactivity of porn and the screen and the viewer.
One was called Move me MM, and showcased pornographic imagery.
It had Serif Black which was block lettering typeface, the other was distressed block lettering the formed pornographic symbols and imagery to form the letters.
Examples shown here
FontFabrik (2012), Porno, availabl at: http://www.fontfabrik.com/lucfuse.html, viewed on: 23/11/2013.
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