Chofi Chang

Thermal Typography:
Experimenting with Helvetica


A vinyl cover design featuring an experimental typeface that distorts Helvetica with heat.


Tasks
Typography Timeline
2021 (3 weeks)

Overview
In this avant-garde vinyl cover design, an inventive typeface emerges from the experimental treatment of Helvetica. I explored different methods to deform Helvetica and ultimately chose to create the fonts from fabric, placing them in the oven to let the heat disrupt the existing letter shapes. This generative typeface, born from the heat-induced metamorphosis, takes center stage in reimagining the album collaboration "Hexalogy" by Japanese producer Nujabes and Japanese American hip-hop artist Shing02.
 Process

I use scissors and a pencil as my tools to trace out the Helvetica from the computer. I create the alphabets out of fabrics. Below are a few snippets of how it started.



I experimented with various methods to deform the letters, such as manually burn them using a gas lighter.


I felt that there were too many manual steps involved if I manually controlled how they disrupt, and it wasn't intuitive to deform the letters. So I decided to use the oven and proceeded to place the letters inside.

This is what happened.


The result?
A completely new typeface, 
warped and groovy.



Looking letters in details

150 Attempts

I made 150 attempts, experimenting with various layouts to discover the best result. Here are some of the layouts I worked on.



Final design
This generative typeface, born from the heat-induced metamorphosis, becomes the focal point in reimagining the collaborative album "Hexalogy" by Japanese producer Nujabes and Japanese American hip-hop artist Shing02.





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Chofi Chan




 

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