Virtual Typography

4.6

4

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Digital typography: 4.6 Multidisciplinary design

4.5 The ‘cult of the scratchy’ 4.7 Coded typography

Multidisciplinary design

Hard- and software developments did not only stimulate

designers’ interest in type design, it also allowed them

to approach media other than print. The Internet spread

quickly across the world in the mid-1990s and lead to a

boom in interactive design. Motion graphics software

applications invited graphic designers to enter the genre

of fi lm title design and television advertising. A

multidisciplinary approach to design became popular

amongst design collectives who could share the diversity

of their specialist skills to cover a wide range of tasks.

Television identities

The Internet offers limited scope for the display of

transitional typography. Although websites consist of

largely static ‘pages’, the perception of information is

discontinuous. As the reader determines the order in

which information is perceived, the information appears

fragmented. The vast amount of information on offer

induces users to click through information fast,

which often leads to a sense of impatience. Televised

information is also increasingly fragmented and subject

to acceleration. The more information is required to suit

the concept of time–space compression in order to

remain economically viable, the less room there is for

gradually unfolding forms of typographic expression.

The area of television identities is probably the most

likely to accommodate time-based typography, as here

the television channels are free to decide on their own

time slots.

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