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Chance and randomness is also explored in the typeface Blot. This experimentation began with the silk-screening of letters in the typeface Century Schoolbook onto white art paper. Century Schoolbook was created in 1919 by Morris Fuller Benton and later integrated into primary reading books. The extreme weight contrast and increased x-height made this face more legible and recognizable for readers. I chose this face precisely because of these characteristics and my desire to create something the exact opposite of what Century Schoolbook represents, which exemplifies legibility and clarity. After pulling black ink through the screen onto the paper and when the ink was still wet, I randomly folded two halves of the paper together and then separated them. Unfolding revealed solid letterforms revolving around a new axis and showcased excess ink beauty marks. Each combination was unpredictable and random. The transformed silk-screened letter cards are fascinating specimens illuminating type as object. I photographed and scanned the letter blots transitioning typographic object to image. The inked letters were translated into vector figures and then compiled in FontLab to create a truetype font. Blot is quirky typeface to spark the imagination, challenge perception, and embrace imperfection. |
