Communication Design School of Design
Valentina Winship
My graphic design practice is centred around observation and play and as a result I have an experimental, methodical and conceptual approach to design. In particular I’m interested in experimental lettering, approaching typeface design as image making.
ZZZZZ.otf: Typeface
ZZZZZ.otf is a typeface across three ‘weights’, each more illegible than the last. Inspired by the surrealist process of automatic drawing, these forms were randomly generated whilst in a dream state. Across the variations the letterforms warp and fall apart to represent my experience with narcolepsy; capturing the disorientation and irrationality when waking life is interrupted by dreaming.
Observational Letterforms
This project explores and responds to the beauty found in the mundane aspects of our everyday surroundings. It examines the accidental ways typography is distorted by the physical world, as well as the letterforms that emerge unintentionally from urban textures and shapes. My final outcome, ‘No Parking’ is a typographic ceramic piece that, by altering the form of something unremarkably everyday, draws attention to the overlooked.
We’re Plastic (But We Still Have Fun)
This publication explores the nihilism inherent within ‘ironic’ consumerism, analysing this phenomenon through visual art and pop culture. My design reflects the sensationalism of celebrity and consumer culture whilst also reflecting the formal tone of the essay. Overall, this project is both a celebration of and a critique of careless excess.
