I’ve written this proposal before applying for this course. There are things to be fixed and researched, and maybe slightly changed. But it would give you a roughly idea on my project .

Enjoy and please do give me feedbacks!

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Research question:

The issue that I wish to explore through the MA course is based on typography. Typefaces have been developed for decades during changes in society, history changes, evolution, from Old Style to Modern, etc. I would like to focus on the modern period. In the early 50’s, there is a development in design. From the influence of postwar began a concept of idealism. Early experiment of modern period includes re-build, re-construct, and be more open as well as the introduction of technology. Types have been used everywhere and on everything, such as signs, posters, banners, etc. They become a part in our life. How does typography affect human life? Can it express feelings, branding, and identity through digital medium?

Context:

I will be looking at the history changes of typography from 17th Century to 19th – 20th Century especially Modernism. Also I will explore artists such as Wim Crouwell who is a modernist, Matthew Carter who is a type designer, as well as Haas Type Foundry which is the place Helvetica was created and how this typeface is a badge of modernist. There are also other artists I would like to research such as Stefan Sagmeister who designs his own typefaces to represent himself through various mediums including digital. And David Carson who has done new experiment with types and once noted that something legible does not mean it communicates.

Methodology:

Basically I would plan to research from typography books and articles. But mainly I would observe London, particularly in the city, through drawing and photography to discover how typefaces express all kinds of things and our emotional responses because a typeface can speak in different ways. Also I would search and collect informations through museums, films, and artists collections to observe ideas, changes in history, new experiments on typography. I would plan to use technology and digital mediums to produce an interactive installation, based on investigation and observation to represent type as being not just words. They can carry a lot of meanings in all kind of ways and people can interact with them.

Resources:

I will use Final Cut Pro, Adobe After Effects to mainly produce motion graphics/digital video and other applications as well as Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator. I will also use traditional mediums such as drawing and photography.

Also I would like to present this project in interactive installation so I can experiment on how people actually interact with the concept. Which all methods will be further researched.