Colophon
In understanding typography as a methodology for decision-making, I've begun to realize how design systems can clarify ideas, reveal limitations, or quietly flatten design into a singular "default" state. This collection brings together three distinct viewpoints on the role of typography and the larger design context in which it is situated. This collection traces typography across moments of structure, instability, and automation. Through which, it further examines how the systems we build, organize meaning, and redistribute authorship between designer and tool. The distillation of this is reflected in the exploration of type as a guiding principle, realized through the web's grain.
Inspired by the three texts, the ideology of setting constraints, finding moments to bend the rules, and refining an overall system became integral to my design process. I implemented this into the semantic structure, breaking down each reading as distinct parts of a whole. Once I established a strong hierarchy, I began experimenting with typography and applied "moments of delight" to break from the web's default state. To reference the specificity of each text, the images throughout this collection reflect the relationship between the three texts. I visualized this as a grid being excavated, the many hands of designers manipulating and extracting a framework, and an amalgamation of typography that begins to feel auto-tuned.
Building Notes on Typography was foundational in my understanding of how typography shapes systems of communication. My process became a reflection of the three readings, revealing that typography is a framework for expression and that constraints can lead to interesting outcomes!