type specimen

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THE FACELESS FONT. RESULTING FROM AN EXPLORATION AND STUDY OF THE IDEAS OF

Q U A L I T Y & V A L U E

WITH PARTICULAR FOCUS ON THE CONCEPT OF AN OBJECT’S VALUE BEYOND ITS IMMEDIATE OR SURFACE APPEARANCE. THE IDEAS RAISED FROM THIS LINE OF INQUIRY WERE APPLIED TO THE TYPEFACE FUTURA. THE NEW TYPEFACE, CALLED FACE VALUE, IS THE RESULT. IT QUITE LITERALLY REPRESENTS THE NOTION OF WHETHER A TYPEFACE CAN STILL HAVE A VALUE AND COMMUNICATE EFFECTIVELY EVEN WHEN IT DOES NOT EMBODY THE QUALITIES EXPECTED OF TYPEFACE - NAMELY A FACE.

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E D W A R D J O H N S T O N

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AN ARTIFICIAL OR DECEPTIVE FRONT

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CONTINUING THE SEARCH FOR PERFECTION AND AGAIN FOCUSING ON THE IDEAS SUCH AS QUALITY AND VALUE I DEVELOPED THE HYPOTHESIS THAT PERFECTION WAS A VALUE THAT WAS CONSTANTLY INFLUX DEPENDING UPON BOTH THE PERSON AND THE CONTEXT. MY INTEREST LAY IN TRYING TO FIND OUT WHAT VALUES AN OBJECT HAD TO EMBODY FOR INDIVIDUALS TO FIND IT MORE, OR LESS PERFECT. AFTER CONDUCTING A NUMBER OF INTERVIEWS IT BECAUSE INCREASINGLY CLEAR THAT I WAS SIMPLY REHASHING THE IDEA THAT PEOPLE HAVE PERSONAL PREFERENCES - NOT AN INTERESTING OR NEW IDEA. IN ORDER TO REFOCUS I RETURNED TO MY PERSONAL FEELINGS TOWARDS PERFECTION AND I REALISED THAT IT WAS SOMETHING THAT WE AS INDIVIDUALS CONSTRUCT FOR OURSELVES. CONSEQUENTLY IT HAS AN UNATTAINABLE AND ELUSIVE QUALITY AS WE ONLY HAVE OURSELVES TO SET THE LIMITS. CONSTRUCT WAS DESIGNED IN RESPONSE TO THE NEED TO CREATE SOMETHING LITERAL FROM THE INTANGIBLE.

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JOH

N B

ASKE

RVIL

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CONSTRUCT’S OPPOSITE IS DECONSTRUCT. IT IS THE IMPERFECT HALF OF THIS FONT SET. IN THE SENSE OF IMPERFECTION BEING AN INCOMPLETE QUALITY.

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JAN

TSC

HIC

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LD

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MY STUDY OF LITERATURE HAS INSTILLED IN ME A GREAT APPRECIATION FOR THE WRITTEN WORD. CONSEQUENTLY I FREQUENTLY LOOK TO LANGUAGE TO EXPLORE MY IDEAS AND DEVELOP MY THOUGHTS. MY STUDY OF PERFECTION ORIGINATED IN MY ATTITUDE TOWARD PERFECTION AND THE INFLUENCE IT HAS HAD ON MY LIFE. I BEGAN TO EXPLORE THE NOTION OF PERFECTION AS A CONCEPT THAT WE CONSTRUCT IN OUR MINDS FOR OURSELVES AND CONSEQUENTLY IT HAS NO FIXED BOUNDARIES. WHENEVER YOU NEAR WHAT WAS YOUR IDEA OF PERFECTION YOU SHIFT THE BOUNDARIES IN ORDER TO DRIVE YOURSELF FORWARD. I TRANSLATED THIS IDEA INTO THE PHRASE ‘MY AMBITION IS CAST BEYOND MATERIAL LIMITS’.

MEANING THAT WHAT I STRIVE FOR IN LIFE IS NEVER WITHIN MY REACH DUE TO THE LIMITATIONS OF BOTH MY ABILITY, MY MIND AND THE POSSIBILITIES OPEN TO ME. AFTER DEVELOPING THIS PHRASE I DEVELOPED THE FONT CAST TO REPRESENT THIS IN A TYPOGRAPHIC WAY. INSPIRATION WAS SOUGHT FROM NUMEROUS BACKGROUNDS INCLUDING 19TH CENTURY FORGING PROCESSES AND INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION EGYPTIAN AND SLAB SERIFS. CAST WAS DEVELOPED FROM BLACKOAK, A FONT THAT WAS ITSELF DEVELOPED FROM WOODBLOCK LETTERING. THE FONT IS DESIGNED TO REFLECT THE TESTING OF THE LIMITS OF A PRODUCTION SYSTEM. THE INTENTION WAS FOR THE BODY OF CAST TO APPEAR TO BE PUSHING THE LIMITS OF ITSELF WITH EDGE DEFINITION BECOMING COMPROMISED AND SERIFS DISAPPEARING.

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F R E D E R I C W I L L I A M G O U D Y

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CREATED USING THE NEGATIVE NISUS IS CREATED WITH THE DELIBERATE INTENTION TO TEST THE READER. ITS’ ORIGINS LIE IN THE PHRASE ‘THIS IS A TEST OF YOUR INTELLIGENCE QUOTIENT’ WHICH WAS USED IN A BOOK EXPLORING GRADING AND EXAMINING SYSTEMS. THE FONT IS CREATED USING THE NEGATIVE SPACE LEFT WHEN MYRIAD PRO BOLD CONDENSED IN REMOVED FROM A THREE DIMENSION BLOCK. DUE TO THIS VERY FACT THE FONT WOULD REQUIRE AN OVERWHELMING AMOUNT OF GLYPHS IN ORDER TO FUNCTION IN ANY WAY AT ALL. CONSEQUENTLY IT IS VERY MUCH A DISPLAY FONT WITH EACH NEGATIVE SPACE LETTER NEEDING TO BE CONNECTED TO THE NEXT.

AN EFFORT, TOIL OR E N D E A V O RTO REALIZE AN OBJECT

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