Caught in Thought
Faye Arranz
Type design is the art of treating typography to communicate a message. How can the treatment of type be pushed in a virtual reality with almost no real-world constraints? With this in mind, Caught in Thought is a poem that exists as a virtual immersive experience that utilizes a combination of typefaces, animation, scale, sound, color, and light to convey the emotional qualities of the words. These design choices were then used as a foundation to the laser-etched interactive book of the same text. As users experience the poem, hopefully they realize that the story was just a daydream. This interpretation inspired the fabric bookcases that represent that dream-like feeling.
I began the project by considering the use of keywords that don’t necessarily incite imagery, but rather an emotion. Then, to design for a virtual world requires not only creating in a new medium with new programs and processes, but with a different 3-dimensional mindset. To develop this virtual translation of my poem, I first had to follow a method that included a continuous cycle of working between physical and digital iterations. My models demonstrate part of this approach, in which I was able to physically understand the dimensionality of my assets for the VR version, producing a reference for me to 3D-model from. Storyboards further clarified movement, allowing me to think two dimensionally for a three dimensional environment. As virtual reality technology continues to evolve exponentially, finding methods to design in this world are integral to not be left behind.