Virtual Typography

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Job:01212 Title: Basics typography (AVA)

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Sphere – Imaginary Forces

The title sequence for the movie Sphere was created

by Imaginary Forces under the supervision of Creative

Director Mikon Van Gastel and under the art direction of

Kyle Cooper in 1998. This puzzling design solution relies

on varied repetition of one particular type treatment. Words

are spherically distorted so that the text elements keep

disintegrating into spherical shapes as if they were observed

through a transparent bubble. Despite the fact that all the

distortions follow the same principle, their appearances vary

depending on the way the invisible sphere moves across the

text. This example of time-based typography reveals that

the disappearance of type can be as equally intriguing as its

gradual revelation. These variations in transition perpetuate

the aesthetic tension because the viewer is led to believe

that there is constantly something new to discover.

Mikon Van Gastel

Originally from Holland, Gastel

moved to the States in 1995 to

receive his Master of Fine Art degree

from Cranbrook Academy of Art

in 1997. Following his graduation,

Gastel joined the multidisciplinary

agency Imaginary Forces in Los

Angeles. In 2000, he moved to

New York to open the company’s

east-coast offi ce. Gastel art directed

numerous prolifi c projects for clients

such as Nike, IBM, Motorola and

Dove. In 2005 Gastel left Imaginary

Forces and co-founded AVSO

(A Very Small Offi ce) in New York.

Job:01212 Title: Basics typography (AVA)

1st Proof Page:155

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