Pictogram
Vivian Yang
Pictogram is an interactive font that converts words into pictorial symbols, or pictograms. Having immigrant parents from South Korea, I am no stranger to the struggle of trying to translate everything from snail mail to the sign posted on a shop window. Pictogram eliminates these language barriers by changing words into universally understood images. I designed this font to seamlessly transition from the font “Lettera” by Lineto to symbols by maintaining the look and feel of the letterforms in the pictograms themselves. Specifically, the x-height, curves, and ink traps of the pictograms imitate those of “Lettera.” In order to best demonstrate the possibilities while using this font, I chose to translate famous poems into pictograms. Poems create a persuasive visual experience while often being limited to a fewer number of words than other forms of literature. It was interesting to see that converting poetry into pictograms gave the words a different impact. Through this experiment, the visual themes of each poet became more evident. With Pictogram, we are not only able to communicate with anyone around the globe, but also create thoughtful art pieces containing new insights.