Design Practice

Alphabet Soup.

We were asked to manipulate an existing typeface based on a selected word.My word was "EXTEND".So my job was to communicate the word extend.As soon as I heard the word I wanted to stretch out the word and literally extend it. But I thought that was an obvious approach.I wanted to dive deeper into the word and find out the true meaning.I never wanted to take it too literal and stretch out serifs.I wanted subtlety.I researched the word and came up with many definitions;

1. To open or straighten (something) out; unbend

2. To stretch or spread (something) out to greater or fullest length:

3. To enlarge the area, scope, or range of.

I found these meanings,again,too obvious and literal.

I was rattling my brain trying to come up with a subtle meaning which will still communicate extend.

And then I remembered my former college tutor's wise words.He used to always ask me if I could extend on my work,meaning,could I push it further and see it evolve into something more.So I switched personas with Robert Beasly.The creator of the typface Iwasworkingwith-Clarendon.I asked myself.If I was Robert Beasly how would I push thistypefacefurther.So I went about manipulating the typeface subtly to communicateextend.Whilst in the proecss of manipulating the typeface I got caught up in it and ended up making it look like a completly new typeface.Which is something we weren't allowed to do.So I went back to the "literal" sense of extend.But I never wanted to stretch out the letters so I thought of many other ways things can be extended. Machinary was drawn to me. Things being extended mechanically.So I decided to go with that approach. Pieces of machinery have to be accurate other wise they fail the job they are made to do.So to contrast against this accuracy/ techincal side.I hand rendered it and make the lines imperfect rather than draw up an accurate,crisp blueprint like technical drawing.