Textura_22
Team:
Giordana Pulpo, Paola Carta and Gaia Germanó
My Role:
Research, Ideation, Typeface Design, Characters Design, Kerning, Letter-spacing, Ligatures, 3D and Material Experimentations
Introduction:
This project was designed during the Graphic Design II class at Politecnico di Bari, where students were asked to design a new typeface. We explored how ancient calligraphic techniques and modern 3D design can live together in a unique typeface.After multiple experimentations and we designed Textura 22, whose name is inspired by its history and shape: the ancient gothic textura and the aesthetic of the fonts used in Lettera 22, the most iconic typewriter.
Research:
This project comes from the study of a lapidary which was engraved on an outer wall of the Basilica of Saint Nicholas in Bari. It is a Latin funerary epigraph and, even if the period is unknown, it has a gothic matrix for sure. Only a few glyphs were recognized, and they became the basis of the experimentations with the ancient technique of the calligraphic pen.
Design:
We first redesigned the “o” starting from the generating movement of the brush: the ductus which became the basis of the new typeface. The idea behind Textura 22 is resetting the thickness variation of the original font to get the minimum weight of each glyph in order to show the needed movements to write. Then, each glyph weight was rearranged.
After developing the font, we noticed that the shape of the 2D letters could be an axonometric view of a 3D object so we experimented with a 3D software and created the object. We also created the material model of the 3D objects and experimented with the shade it created.
After developing the font, we noticed that the shape of the 2D letters could be an axonometric view of a 3D object so we experimented with a 3D software and created the object. We also created the material model of the 3D objects and experimented with the shade it created.
Applications:
Malart, a craft brewery in Alberobello, Italy, selected Textura 22 as the font for their logo since the unique features our typeface were seen as the perfect fit for their branding.