Typography II
Kim Beckmann-Moegenburg (inst.)
08.21.06
Exploration of a Reading Space

Project Objectives:
Explore how the combination of word and form amplify, emphasize, or change the meaning of the word. Consider how issues regarding legibility and readability will effect the viewer’s perception of the composition. Choose textual content that corresponds with your word form and use in a purposeful manner to enhance the meaning of the piece.

Project Description:
Thoughtfully compose a single word or phrase on a letter size sheet of paper. Create a sculptural form from this piece of paper. The entire sheet of paper must be used and can be manipulated by folding, cutting, scoring and forming. Photograph this form from multiple angles. Convert the image to gray scale and create a 13” x 19” composition. Select a piece of text, around 100 words, that relates to the meaning conveyed through the image and add it to the composition.

Design Rationale:
Metropolis is another word for a large city or urban area. The sculptural object in this piece creates a city with its form. Although partially obscuring the word, the form gives the necessary information for the viewer to understand the meaning. Photographing the form from an angle gives it a realistic view. The text included discusses the issue of urban sprawl in cities, specifically Milwaukee, that are not fully developed yet continue to grow their borders. The negative spaces created by both the form and shapes derived from the form enhance the meaning of un-used land. Scale and weight changes on specific parts of the text give it a hierarchy of importance to assist the viewer in reading through the composition.