Week Five: Expressive Words

Purpose. To typographically enhance the meaning of a word while exploring the computer’s typesetting potential.

Assignment. Select five words and explore their expressive quality by manipulating the letter forms. To achieve the desired effect, avoid simply repeating the words or creating an illustration from the letter forms. The best solutions not only enhance the word’s meaning but are clever and aesthetically pleasing. Sometimes an unexpected effect can be achieved when the typographic solution contradicts the meaning of the word, setting "big" with small type, for example.

As this exercise requires manipulating typefaces, styles, sizes, and positions, it is an excellent project for developing computer skills.

Format. 10 X 10 inches (25 X 25 centimeters)

Time. 3 hours

vertigo
thunderstorm
shudder
pugilist
action
applause
burst
crossroad
middleman
smile
bite-size
serendipity
book
random
flush
waterfall
sandcastle
adventure
newspaper
control
angle
tension