A)
6Job:01212 Title: Basics typography (AVA)
1st Proof Page:7 7001-184 01212.indd 77001-184 01212.indd 77 12/19/08 3:03:11 PM12/19/08 3:03:11 PMDigital technologies triggered a fundamental change
during the 1980s. Digital typography and desktop
publishing have since led to the fusion of various
production-related tasks in the fi eld of visual design.
Since the introduction of desktop computers,
individual users have increasingly tried to master
multiple specialist tasks such as type design, layout,
illustration and production management. As a result,
the signifi cance of the graphic designer changed
dramatically: the designer could feasibly now
technically cover a larger variety of tasks, but his
professional status became increasingly threatened
by amateurs who could operate the necessary
software applications. In fact, the distinction between
professional designers and amateurs could often
hardly be made.
Chapter 4
Digital typography
Type in transition – Royal College of Art
This typographic solution was created in 2007 for the catalogue
and the showreel of the Animation Department at the Royal
College of Art (RCA) in London. Filip Tydén (from Sweden) and
Hugo Timm (from Brazil) were still students at the RCA when
they made a successful bid for the job. This remarkable design
shows how computer-generated typographic transitions can be
transferred effectively on to print media. Each of the letters on the
cover blends into the following. Even though reading becomes a
challenge, a certain degree of legibility is sustained. It is always
important to bear in mind the target audience for evaluating the
appropriateness of barely legible solutions. This design mainly
addresses people who are interested in art, design and animation.
To turn the typographic information into a perceptual challenge
is therefore not only adequate; it is also visually compelling.
Following their graduation in 2008, Tydén and Timm have teamed
up with Valerio Di Lucente from Italy and Erwan Lhuissier from
France to set up their own design studio called Julia in London.76—77
Job:01212 Title: Basics typography (AVA)
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