Typeface and word design: working with Disclose

Our second project in the class was to design a typeface that would fit a specific chosen word. In the work that students presented there was a diversity of approach, some students chose a design that was uniquely suited to the chosen word, others created a more general type face. I chose an approach somewhere in the middle. I wanted to present a word whose individual letters looked like they could be part of a complete typeface. I also wanted a design which took full advantage of the word by modifying the relationships between letters.

I chose the word disclose. I decided early that I didn't want to chose a work whose presentation would be so literal, like a verb, I wanted something more reflective. "Disclose" came a little be from Hegel and a bit from the X-Files. It is something that is not symbolic but reveals by way of its presentation. It also is a bit funky, treating its deviances from order in a lighthearted way.

Below are some examples from my sketchbook, in chronological order. I was working to find an ordered way of making the shapes, keeping the "c, o" and "e" circular and at half height and having all line widths the same. I also wanted to make the kerning of the letter obvious. The "D" hangs over the "o," and the "s" extends out of its boundaries.


 

After figuring out the letters I redrew them in Illustrator. Each shape is very specific and the cutting and tracing from paper project wasn't that successful for me. It took me a couple days to understand Illustrator enough to draw the letter but I am happy with how they turned out. I wanted a typeface that looked ordered but also a bit funky. Here it is.