Typography in nature

Full alphabet in greyscale. Some letters are photographs of natural elements that look like letters. Others are drawn.

Design brief

Explore nature and create something only using found materials ethically. Then use these findings and bring into Emily Carr for students to explore their relationship with nature.

Goals:

Explore typography
Try to use letters, words and language to connect people to nature

Outcome

A typeface that attempts to connect people to nature through reflection.

The Alphabet

User outcomes

Peers and students of Emily Carr were then encouraged to create words using the alphabet. This was 1 of 3 activities in a kit that I created.

Photo of alphabet letters printed out and forming a word 'deeper' on the floor

Photo of alphabet letters printed out and forming a word 'onion' next to an onion in a pot

Photo of alphabet letters printed out and forming a word 'institution' on a door

Exploratory research

I was inspired by Stefan Sagmeister’s project, ‘Things I Have Learned in My Life So Far’, Lisa Reinermann’s project, ‘Letters in the Sky’, and artwork by Andy Goldsworthy.

I found letters within the nature first. When creating words, I then knew I had to refine some of the forms to be clearer. I attempted to spell out 'ecology' first

Photo of nature elements that look like letters spelling the word 'ecology'

Process example:

element from nature that looks like an e