Spatial Typography

Wednesday, December 3, 2014 6:17 PM by Taylor Studios in Design and Planning


Like most graphic designers, there is a special place in my heart for typography. As a graphic designer at an exhibit design firm, I am especially intrigued by how type and text can be used dimensionally within a space.

Type helps set the mood for a design—think vintage hand painted lettering, ornate calligraphic script, crisp typewriter text—each evokes a specific aesthetic. When designing an exhibit, typographic cues become even more important, helping set a visitor within a specific era or genre and appealing to a certain demographic.

In our design process, fonts are chosen early on and help reinforce the overall look and theme. Everything from body copy to numerals to accent fonts is selected for readability, timeframe, rationale and more. The main purpose of text is to be read and provide information, but in exhibit design it can become so much more! Words can be dramatic focal points or subtle reinforcers, when freed from the limit of letters on a single plane.

Since type may be viewed from different angles within a space it can provide the visitor with new information as their perspective changes. The location and size of type can also add an interesting element. The floor, for example, is a great space for wayfinding and interactives. In contrast, text can be used overhead, to draw the visitors eye upward, create a shadow etc. Type can also be used in exaggerated scale allowing the letters to be more dynamic and sculptural. The possibilities are endless!

Check out our Typography pinterest board for inspiration and let us know if and how you would incorporate type in to YOUR space!

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