T Y P O G R A P H Y Typography is about understanding context. Typography is not dependent on any particular medium. According to Gerrit Noordzij typography is writing with prefabricated letters. Working with letterforms started in the 15th century. Here are some basic reflections on typography. Apart from these, many more exist. For example, Robert Bringhurst wrote a typographic manual titled as The Elements of Typographic Style(1992) in which he states that typography has an independent existence. “Typography takes human language and gives it a durable form.” Robert Bringhurst Typography is a link, which joins components like writing and imagery. Typography and literature are like a performance and a musical composition, providing an endless amount of possible interpretations. According to Peter Bi’lak, typography is in a constant state of evolution. It is contemporary, but does not necessarily invent anything revolutionary. All the new types are based on previous types and elements. It is possible to extend the meaning of typography, as it was proven by the Gutenberg Bible and by Lust through their posterwall. Designers will stretch as far as possible, hitting boundaries, however they will always stick to the content that the typography is meant to convey. Typography does not only have reflections, it has conflicts as well. No design has one correct solution. There are infinite possibilities, which means there are infinite ways of interpreting a text. Some type solutions are timeless and some that are strongly unacceptable in certain societies, later turn popular. David Carson’s Lecture Poster(1966) is an excellent example of that. Typography can have many attributes. It can be chaotic like the Blast Magazine by Wyndham Lewis (1914-1915). It can exclude images like the “Important Images” book poster by Robert & Durrer(1990) does, emphasizing the importance of images by showing their absence. It can be fragmented, like the Jewish Museum by Daniel Libeskind(2001), marking the post-modern architectural style. All of them are breathtaking solutions and it doesn’t stop here. Though I would have to say, my favourite piece relevant to the theme would be Wim Crouwel’s Hiroshima poster (1957), in which the thick letters squashed into the composition create a claustrophobic feeling.
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