Typography is a basic design field which researches the ways to deal with types. The phrase 'the ways' means that forms to arrange types are not fixed in one way, which can be regarded as uncertainty or indeterminacy.
I thought metamorphosis based on ...
Typography is a basic design field which researches the ways to deal with types. The phrase 'the ways' means that forms to arrange types are not fixed in one way, which can be regarded as uncertainty or indeterminacy.
I thought metamorphosis based on indeterminacy is possible as a design attitude to create new arrangements and orders in typography. In this research, metamorphosis, namely transformation, means the discovery of novelty through the complete change of arrangements in typography.
Why do we repeat the same arrangements in typography?
To begin with, I intend to examine the meaning of typography in this research, since I consider that the insufficient understanding of the meaning of typography hinders various changes and new attempts in typography.
I started this research for two reasons.
1.The experience in Hochschule fur Gestaltung und Kunst Basel
In Hochschule fur Gestaltung und Kunst Basel, Schweiz, I could repeatedly practice to arrange types on space in Wolfgang Weingart's basic typography course. Due to this course, I came to realize the open possibility of such arrangements. Before the course, I, who thought myself to be much interested in typography and have a good knowledge of it, had missed the fundamental meaning that typography is to find the methodological know-how to arrange types.
In other words, in spite of the knowledge that typography is 'dealing with types', I had hardly experienced the variety of the arrangements, habitually using the arrangements of several regular forms in typography.
2. The experience in lectures on basic typography
I have had opportunities to give lectures on basic typography in design related departments for last three or four years. I applied Weingart's basic typography course modified for Korean circumstances to these lectures.
In the lectures, I discovered that students were using the arrangements of similar forms fixedly, making errors like my previous one. In addition, most students only focused on the communication of information through types, even though typography is a design field in which types need to express the meaning of contents. I concluded that students did not recognize the necessity of new arrangements because they stuck to the criteria to arrange types only according to readability without the understanding of the contents of text.
Based on these two experiences, I realized that the misunderstanding of typography caused quality deterioration in typography. I intended to discuss throughly the meaning of typography in Part II.
Typography is arrangement.
Typography is 'arranging types in space', as Jan Tschichold said.
In this definition, arrangement, related to form A, is 'the arrangement of parts' among the five concepts of form classified in A History of Six Ideas by Wladyslaw Tatarkiewicz.
To ancient Greeks, beauty was the arrangement and proportion of parts. An ancient Greek sanctuary shows itself through the arrangement of pillars. To compare the sanctuary to typography, pillars of the sanctuary are types in typography, and 'the arrangement of types' forms typography. In other words, in this metaphor, 'the arrangement of types' can be interpreted as 'the form of types'. If types are like pillars of a sanctuary, there is, however, a question whether types should be arranged according to numerical order and proportion in typography as a structure is built according to accurate numerical proportion.
In ancient times, beauty was originally regarded as being made according to accurate numerical proportion. Such principle had been recognized to be truth for a long time. Human beings, however, came to realize that the value of beauty did not exist only in 'numbers' and visual complement for human eyes were necessary for aesthetic balance and proportion. From this understanding, the change of proportion, in which subjective beauty intervened, became influential.
In this research, numerical proportion can be called symmetria, which means the order as numerical proportion, and complemented balance can be called eurythmia, which means the order as semi-subjective aesthetic proportion.
I judge that it is necessary to apply eurythmia, in which subjectivity complements objective order, to the arrangement of typography pursuing both objective information of letters and artistic value.
The viewpoint of indeterminacy on typography
Part 3 examined similar terms discussed in other fields like science and philosophy to study the context of the viewpoint of indeterminacy as a motive of metamorphosis in typography. I gave examples such as apeiron in ancient Greece, the uncertainty principle in quantum mechanics, and the ambiguity as the equivocal code for W. Empson's visual interpretation.
Apeiron, mentioned by ancient Greek philosopher Anaximandros, is originally a Greek word meaning 'infinity'. This word, however, has various meanings. The representative meanings are 'infinite' and 'indefinite', which conform to respectively 'unlimited one' and 'unregulated one'.
The uncertainty principle is a theoretical system in physics, which was discovered by physicist Werner Karl Heisenberg.
We can measure the speed and location of passing cars in the macro world. In the world analyzed to the level of particles smaller that atoms, however, the light from a microscope affects the measured values of the speed and location of electrons. In short, since the measured values change whenever an experimentor observes electrons, we cannot know the exact speed and location of objects. This phenomenon is the uncertainty principle in quantum mechanics.
This theoretical system leads to philosophical speculation that if the micro world is uncertain, the macro world composed of it will also be uncertain.
'The ambiguity by uncertainty' among the types of uncertainty described by W. Empson in his book Seven Types of Ambiguity is in the same context of ambiguity the researcher means.
In this context, the concept of ambiguity means not indistinctness but the quality which can be interpreted in multi-layered, equivocal and complex way due to its indeterminate characteristic.
In the title of this thesis, "A study on the viewpoint of indeterminacy as a motive and metamorphosis as the attitude to enable new arrangements in typography", 'indeterminacy' is not uncertainty from the uncertainty principle in quantum mechanics but indeterminacy, the condition in which the meaning of unregulatedness discussed in apeiron is applied to typography.
After finding Richard Buchanan's opinion about the indeterminacy of design, I judged that it could be identically applied to typography. Richard Buchanan said that there was no regulation in design, the research topics of design were totally unregulated and various solutions were found even with the approach of the same methodology. Moreover, he mentioned the characteristics of indeterminacy in design:
1. Indeterminacy distinguishes design from natural science and social science.
2. Indeterminacy makes people pay attention to continuous changes in design.
3. Design is defined as the activity to search for alternative solutions by indeterminacy.
The context of metamorphosis as transformation
In Part 4, I examined the meaning of metamorphosis and various viewpoints of interpretation.
The word 'metamorphosis' was used as the meaning of 'transformation' for the first time in Publius Ovidius Naso's Metamorph?seis. In Pygmalion's episode from Ovidius's book, the desire to infuse life into imagination and make it reality is introduced as the origin of art.
Based on this episode, I could assume that 'metamorphosis' in the same context of Ovidius's books can be applied to infuse life into typography which is similar to a solid statue.
'Metamorphosis' is interpreted in various ways:
Metamorphosis: Transformation in biology. Phenomena such as the transformation of
a larva into a butterfly.
transfiguration: The change of physical form or attitude in Ovidius's book.
Or a changed body.
transmutation: The change of characteristics.
[medical] the change of form or characteristics of a living body's tissue
or cell when the body contacts with abnormal material.
transformation: The change of form or shape. Or the action to change form or shape.
Or a form or shape changed.
deterioration: The change of the characteristics or qualities of material.
Or a characteristic or material changed.
As a result of the examination of various explanatory viewpoints, I concluded that the core meaning of metamorphosis was 'change' and various interpretative viewpoints based on diverse characteristics could be put together as 'metamorphosis', which means complete change. In addition, to demonstrate the diverse aspects of change in typography, he explained metamorphosis from the viewpoint of typography:
1. Variation as the arrangements based on established reference point.
2. Transformation as the arrangements through the distortion of types.
3. Revolution as the discovery of new arrangements.
Metamorphosis in typography as a design attitude
In Part 5, several examples were suggested according to the interpretations of metamorphosis from the viewpoint of typography which were classified in Part IV.
1. Variation as the arrangements based on established reference point.
○ Boundless potentialities, Emil Ruder's
<Cover design of TM(Typographische Monatsblaetter)>
○ Variations of typography, Josef Mueller Brockmann's <Poster of Musica Viva>
○ Rhythm of types, Helmut Schmid's <Cover design of Grafisk Revy>
○ Experiment of metamorphosis, Ahn Sang-soo's <Bogoseo/Bogoseo>
2. Transformation as the arrangements through the distortion of types.
○ Typesetting of music, Robert Massin's <La Foule>
○ David Carson's transformation of types for intended anti-readability
3. Revolution as the discovery of new arrangements.
○ Discovery of new space, Stephane Mallarme's <Un Coup de Des>
○ Type painting, Guillaume Apollinaire's Calligramme
○ Filippo Marinetti and Futurism
○ From symmetry to asymmetry, Jan Tschihold's new typography
○ From modern times to present days, Swiss style
○ Wolfgang Weingart's style
In Part 6, the last part, I discussed the possibility of the expansion of typography based on the attitude of metamorphosis.
In his opinion, metamorphosis will be able to:
First, build a road to embody higher-quality typography on solid foundations by functioning as media for people to have a new understanding of the essence of typography.
Second, work as a motive to expand typography from the arrangement of types in limited space to the constellation of things beyond types in unlimited space such as universe.
Third, play a role as the theoretical background for basic typography education.
Based on this research, I could conclude that:
1. The essence of typography is in 'new arrangements'.
2. Typography has indeterminate characteristics, which do not allow regulations.
3. Metamorphosis can function as the attitude to enable the new arrangements in typography.
Through this research, I intended to have a chance to emphasize the significance of the essence of typography. I wishes that more changes will be made in typography on the basis of this research.