Day 16: The Word as Image

Expressive typography uses the form of letters to reinforce meaning. A word can fall, stretch, break, melt, echo or hide. The challenge is to communicate more than the word alone without becoming a gimmick. The best expressive type feels inevitable — as if the word could not have been drawn any other way.

Objective. Use typographic form to amplify the meaning of a word.

Choose a verb or an adjective and design a poster in which the typography visually acts out its meaning.

Examples: FRAGILE, ECHO, HEAVY, DRIFT, SHIVER, EXPAND. Choose your own if you can.

• One word only
• The meaning must come from how the type is set or manipulated
• No illustration or photography
• Maximum two colours

• The type itself communicates the word’s meaning
• Legibility is preserved or deliberately challenged with purpose
• A single strong idea, executed cleanly

Make three posters for three related words that work as a set.