Type 4 | Concept Map + Timeline

Type 4 | Conference Theme

type in real environments

it is harder and harder to get people’s attention these days. people have become desensitized to marketing campaigns on tv or billboards. how can designers bring powerful messages directly to their audience? through infiltration of their environment with typography. this conference will explore the ideas of how type can exist in a specific environment. whether it be direct interaction with type, participatory type, analog or hand made, or time based type, it will be a wide field of experimentation. there will be a high focus on content and message in all these type fields and exploration into form and how it relays content.

-dmitri k. and sean s.

Type 4 | Timeline Brainstorm

Ideas for the events.

Type 4 | Final

Untitled from Dmitri Kozlov on Vimeo.

Untitled from Dmitri Kozlov on Vimeo.

Untitled from Dmitri Kozlov on Vimeo.

This process was both fascinating and very enlightening. There are a lot of things that I began to understand a lot better. For one, it is hard to cover all areas of typography, so if I want to experiment, it is better to pick a single area, but to explore that small area completely. Even that is incredibly difficult. In the 6 weeks that we had to make something complete I didn't even begin to explore my area completely, although I made good headway. As far as my area and question, how can the environment affect the content and form of typography, I got a lot of good results. Firstly, type that I made outside behaved in ways I didn't perceive. It didn't go away in a couple of days, like I thought it would, in fact, it is still there. Only the snow that melted took with it the messages it held. Type became more and less clear in unpredictable ways. The 'childhood' word that I spelled with leaves became clear only when highlighted by the melting snow. Secondly, I became interested in having 'forced interaction' of people with my type. Or rather, 'forced confrontation' as Tammy suggested. I couldn't ask people to make typography for me, so I had to strategically place the type where people wouldn't be able to avoid it. Like the drinking fountain, people couldn't help but wash the typography away. Or the 'your family' mat that was right at the doorway. The only thing that I wished I did was record people's interactions with it. I know that some people must have stepped over it, rather that walk on it, even though the evidence in the photos suggests most people stepped on it. This was a fun project, and I hope I can employ some of the methods I investigated within an actual project.

Type 4 | More Experiments

Some more experiments in "forced interactivity." Will you use your family as a doormat? Will you wash your health down the drain? I still have to get more stable documentation, I will use a tripod, as Tyler has suggested. I am now considering also the way I would show this documentation of these temporal events. I was thinking of a quick movie/slideshow. Also, the way I print some of these things might be interesting in a book. I don't know yet, but hopefully I will soon!

Type 4 | Changes

It is interesting, that in some places, weather changes make the type more legible, while in others it obscures it. Very cool.

Type 4 | More Experiments

Something I learning is I have to think of new ways of engaging the user, because it is hard to get them to interact with my type. Maybe there is a way of making it in places where they can't avoid it. Also, making my type outside more legible outside is something I need to consider, how I can do that.

Type 4 | First Round Experiments

Fun in the SNOW!

and other stuff.