Devoted to the study of fluid, kinetic and transient typography.

Screen-based technologies have allowed typographers to dramatically alter our understanding of the nature of text. Text is no longer always assumed to be static. As well as properties of form and colour, letters may now have behaviours, and be capable of performance. Multimedia offers typographers the oportunity to 'dramatize'[1] type, for letterforms to become 'fluid'[2] and 'kinetic'[3].

Update: 1st July, 2007

New document posted: One Form, Many Letters: Fluid and transient letterforms in screen-based typographic artefacts (presented at the MeCCSA Postgraduate Network conference 2007)

Update: 8th May, 2007

New documents posted: Categories of Fluid Type (PDF) and Artefact Analysis: Letterscapes, Peter Cho (PDF)

New artefact posted: Don't Look Now

Update: 25th January, 2007

New document posted: Gestalt Perception of Fluid Letterforms (PDF)

[see also: Key Gestalt Theories and Principles]

 

For more miscelaneous content, go here (www.BarbaraBrownie.co.uk)

 

examples of fluid type essays artefacts links & resources archive

This website accompanies Barbara Brownie's PhD research into Gestalt perception of fluid letterforms.

 

[1] Helfand, Jessica, Electronic Typography: The New Visual Language, 1994, from Looking Closer 2: Critical Writings on Graphic Design, ed. Beirut, Michael et. Al. Allworth Press, Canada, 1997. p. 51.
[2] Kac, Edwardo, Key Concepts of Holopoetry, Electronic Book Review, 1997. http://www.electronicbookreview.com/thread/electropoetics/uncontrollable (visited 10/04/06)
[3] Engel, Blake, Ditterline, Patrick, and Yeung, Brian, The Effects of Kinetic Typography on Readability, Carnegie Mellon University, 2000. http://crankyuser.com/kinetic/kineticTypography.pdf (visited 12/04/06)