My subjects for this brief are ten books from the CSM library shelf, which are grouped together on the topic of typography.
⁕ The first method – Sorting
To start with, I sorted the books by the colour of their cover, grouping them by the degree of saturation. I also found it interesting that since they are all books about typography, the fonts they use on the cover become the message itself. Therefore, I also extracted the ‘type’ and ‘font’ on the cover, sorting them by various standards.
⁕ The second method – Classifying
The second method I used is classifying. By putting the ten books on a line, it demonstrated how they relate to each other under different standards.
⁕ The third method – Substracting
Next, I started looking for some less obvious patterns. I noticed that on the cover of one book there was no textual information, which changed the way I perceive it: when there was no literal information about the book, my attention was led to its material, texture and the way it was bound, which are also the characteristics of a book. Therefore, I experimented by erasing all the text on the covers and then did another round of sorting based on the results I got.
The result was that some books were left with plain colours while some others with extra decorative patterns. There were also two more which had more specific images.
⁕ The fourth method -Hijacking
I also went a step further and tried changing the fonts used to see if that would subvert the message conveyed.
⁕ General feedbacks
- Consider how different circulations impact the message conveyed. On a currency and on a stamp? On web and in a book?
- Also looking into details while focusing on the artefact itself.(Inside of the book)
- Consider how different information is treated.
- Regarding modifications, to what extent should they be done? Consider how much of the original set’s essential nature should be preserved.
- Constantly reflecting: what kind of new knowledge can be produced/ revealed.