Virtual Typography

3.4

3

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Typography, information and communication: 3.4 Static information and motion graphics

3.3 Intelligibility 3.5 Towards a defi nition of virtual typography

Static information and motion graphics

Dancing Type – Alexander Tibus

Alexander Tibus, a freelance designer based in Berlin,

Germany, uses a fl uctuating level of contrast between text

and background to display the words ‘prêt à danser’ to

advertise a music venue. Tibus creates this contrast by

gradually changing the size of the dots within a rectangular

dot pattern. The dots that shape the letters become larger

at fi rst, then smaller than the surrounding ones, which

change conversely in size. The fi gure–ground relationship

is continuously dynamic and therefore seduces the viewer

into an informational guessing game. It seems as if the mind

is always reaching slightly further than the eye can see. As

opposed to Moross’s work, stills can be extracted here to

show the text more or less clearly. However, when perceived

in motion, the typographic transition provokes an aesthetic

response that is fundamentally different from that which we

apply to a series of screen grabs. See Tibus’s fl yer online

<www.alexandertibus.de/Resources/efl yer.swf>.

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