Lets Type About IT

LETS TYPE ABOUT IT. A new perspective.

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LETS TYPE ABOUT IT. Alyson Morse || Design Student

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The title of my magazine is Lets Type About it, referring to the common statement let’s talk about it. This project has shown me that there is a lot more to type than meets the everyday eye. Typography, to me, is the art of using fonts and various typefaces to create something more significant than the font itself. As a graphic design student, I’m taking many classes and typography and starting the bare minimum of the intricate designs of typography. Let me tell you there’s a lot more to typography then could ever be assumed.

In his magazine, you will be able to see different forms creating letters and numbers. I challenge you to try to see them through your perspective while I expressed mine. It’s undeniable that type is all around us. Most people can’t go a full day without using type, whether it’s sending a quick text, navigating somewhere, or even watching it on TV. But typography it’s not just letters numbers and symbols. It’s not just something that you see every day and are used to navigate through life without even thinking about it. Type is shapes put together, free forms twisted, and obscured by recognition. This is why my project is based on perspective—being able to see these twists and turns and f ree forms that are creating letters or numbers. It’s interesting to me that when I started this project, I thought I would have a lot harder time finding all the letters in the alphabet. But as soon as flipped that switch in my brain to start looking at things as more than what they are, I instantly began finding letterforms things such swirly objects looking like an “E” or decorations and patterns using multitudes of the letter “X.” Once I was keen to see more than what was there, this project became more natural. Let me tell you there is a ton of things such as designs, structures and Architecture that alludes to letters and numbers. Throughout this project, I found some very cool letters and numbers in places that I’ve been 100 times without recognizing. The second I changed my perspective. I was able to see so much more. Through this magazine, you will see a different side, to the objects we see every day.

this project. I was drawn to the deterioration of things to bring out a different look in the object. To even deeper the change of perspective into noticing the weathering and aging of these objects. I was drawn to Antioch, Illinois, for a lot of the project. Antioch Illinois is an old city on the border of Wisconsin. It has a lot of history here, and a lot of it has been preserved to an extent. The city hall signs haven’t been changed in years and you can tell by the lettering and the weathering of the sign.

One of my favorite characters that I found was a “W.” This “W” was f rom an Aztec window treatment that has been in my house since I could remember.

My family bought this in Guatemala in the early 80s. The wooden window treatment has a border around it, and a design that looked closely to pedals and where the peddles meet the edge created this “W” form. The “W” is very light, and I was drawn to it because at first, it looks like “W” like I said, but it also had this repeating pattern around all the borders of the window treatment. Which means this “W” was flipped 45°, and it looked like an “E,” 180° and it seems like an “M” and 225° it looked like a 3. Since this W form wrapped up the idea of my project being able to degrees to see another letter I decided to vectorize it and use it to make a pattern. This pattern is the cover of the magazine on the cover of the magazine you can noticed four shapes are different color than the rest to represent the different perspective.

Every one of my type forms that I have found have this very interesting perspective. Which you have to know it is my perspective and if you don’t see this, that’s okay; think about it and try to find a different letter in these pictures.

I hope that this magazine can open your eyes to seeing things f rom a different perspective.

So Lets Type About it!

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I found myself taking a liking to the rustic, antique, and vintage appeal for

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7 | Lets Type About It This letter “e” is located in a Bloomington antique shop. Drawn to this object before seeing the letter “e” because of the shape of the object. The statue was an old steal swirl that was placed on a table to be seen from the front. When looking at this object from different perspectives as I found this wonderfully formed lower case “e.” This piece goes to show that perspectives are a huge part of developing a letter form. Many people can also see an “O” or a “6”.

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9 | Lets Type About It This sign grabbed my attention by utilizing the old typeface for «The Vegas» and a modern typeface for Breakfast Café Lunch». The collaborating typefaces give off the feeling that this cafe has been here for ages and has been revamped and modernized over time. It shows a glimpse into their branding evolution.

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11 | Lets Type About It Composed by a pattern on a local coffee shop floor, this letter “X� appears as negative space. Within this project, the negative space was what I wanted to make the focal point on my change in perspective. I was so drawn to this letter that I used the colors in this picture as the color scheme for this magazine.

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The “Q” made here is a shadow from a bike rack. The bike rack itself did not look like a “Q,” but the reflection made a perfect upper case “Q” on the ground. The “Q” has a tail that extends off the image, which can also be seen as an “L.” The bowl of the “Q” is long and elongated, which makes this typeface look condensed.

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This letter “V” was found out of the blue while shopping for records. The negative space created condensed “V.” I opted to utilize this “V” because it shows how the letter “V” is used tangibly. It has a sturdy structure and kept the vinyl’s from toppling over.

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This photo was taken outside of an apartment in the central hub of downtown Antioch. The apartment itself struck me because shops and restaurants surrounded it. But what drew me to this photo was the continuous use of vintage materials. You could tell that people were residing there but chose not to modernize it.

This kept the overall feel of living in downtown Antioch alive. If they decided to modernize, it would have felt out of place.

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This hinge was found on the streets of Bloomington. The “F” pictured here is part of a structure holding a metal grate together. The two “F” s are fitted together perfectly to create a sturdy, reliable industrial hinge. The gaps between the bars in the “F” s allow for the hinge to open and close on an axis.

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Without reading the text or looking at the building itself, the first glance of this sign made it seem to be of importance. The engraving makes it permanent alluding to its importance, drawing the reader in to read what it says. The text is legible because of its use of a sans-serif typeface.

Many typefaces would not work with this medium of signage. Serif font would allow the concrete to expand and mold into its serifs. Signs like this are hard to come by these days because we live in such a fast-paced society where everything is continuously evolving and changing

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21 | Lets Type About It This letter “W� is one of my favorite pieces. I use this letter form on the cover to make a pattern exhibiting the different letters this form could make when canvassing from different perspectives. You can read more about this letter form in my introduction essay.

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23 | Lets Type About It This sewer cap was found on the streets in Bloomington. The letter O is one of the easiest to find since circles are once if the most prevalent shapes. I was drawn to this “O� because the deterioration of the paint fits well into the design of this magazine.

24 | Lets Type About It This typewriter makes an elegantly retro statement in vintage designs. This typeface used to be one of the most common, and today it is considered old world. Designs use typewriter font to allude to age the design.

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27 | Lets Type About It This old workman’s clamp was found in my dad’s shop. The symmetrical clamp looks precisely like an “A.” The crossbar of the “A” form makes the letter individual, and the apex of the “A” form isn’t connected, but the view makes an assumed line to connect the apex because our minds are trained to perceive a fully connected apex.

28 | Lets Type About It This letter “J” is a component of a flower planter. I was drawn to this “J” because it is a small aspect of a very busy object.

The style of the metal is free form, and having the flower design on what would be the descender of the “J” made it more fascinating.

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31 | Lets Type About It This “G” was found engraved into a building downtown Bloomington.

Buildings like this have an old-world feel because you’re most likely not see this now. Architecture over the years has changed from an art form to simplistic and quick. The “G” is part of the architecture and design of the structure giving the building character.

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33 | Lets Type About It These photos were taken of a building’s corner. I noticed the building had a lot of intricate designs, and I was determined to find a letter form. Not only did I find the letterform “E” but when I stepped to the other side of the corner, the “E” turned into a 3. This is what I mean by changing perspectives; without being able to turn the corner physically, I would’ve never thought about the “E” looks like 3.

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37 | Lets Type About It This “Z” is a piece of a long ornament.

I knew when looking for a “Z,” and I needed something that zigzagged.

And this lawn ornament was the only thing that visually perceived a swirl.

Finding the right angle to make a w“Z” or “N” This is one of my favorite pictures because it perfectly encompasses the hidden type that is constantly overlooked.

COLOPHON Written and Designed | Alyson Morse Photography | Alyson Morse Typefaces | Oswald Type Family & Montserrat Paper | 8.5 x 11 Photographed | Bloomington IL, Bartlett IL, Antioch IL

Spring 2020 BA/BS Typography Illinois State University