Edifice*
Anna Blyumenkrants
This project explores the intersection of architecture and graphic design. It includes a book and a set of movable wood type for letterpress printing.
A series of projects shows how to apply processes like visual extraction and deconstruction to architecture in order to show the graphic potential that buildings hold: by stepping away from looking at a facade like a facade and instead spotting graphic elements in one; by highlighting ways to find existing systems, forms, or letterforms; by seeing curves or edges that could become a key feature of a typeface; by finding patterns or forms that could help build an identity or serve as illustrations; by identifying systematic arrangements and grids within buildings to create grids for design practices. These are some examples of how I began to explore architecture as a visual language and a starting point for graphic design.
Continuing the work on the architecture-inspired typeface design project featured in the book, the second part of this project delves into letterpress printing by developing my own set of movable type. Crafting wooden type transformed each letter into a miniature 3D sculpture for printing. The process of letterpress printing, particularly the preparatory stages and the arrangement of blocks of "furniture" around composed words, evokes parallels with the urban layout. It is like a graphic design version of arranging buildings on the streets, except it’s arranging letters on a page.