Corporate Typeface

In the field of visual design, new digital technologies strongly transformed the professional culture of typography. This one tends to be decentralized, independent from the production facilities and communicated by new emergent markets, such as that of the corporate typeface.

This project tried to define and support the best conditions for designers to get new specific skills in this field. It also aimed at fully reactualizing the question of type design in Switzerland.

Between theoretical reflexions and experiments, the project made it possible to formulate a comparison of the most contemporary techniques of type design. Results are the publication of the book “We make font”, the development of a software and the setting of an exhibiton at l’espace lausannois d’art contemporain (l’elac) in June 2006.

Main applicant
s

ECAL/University of Art and Design Lausanne
François Rappo (project leader)

Research team

Professors, assistants and students of Visual Communication department

Partners

Peter Bilak

KABK, Koninklijke Academie van Beeldende Kunsten Den Haag (Type and Media), NL
Hans-Jürg Hunziker
Atelier National de Recherche Typographique, Nancy, F
Paul van der Laan
Jean-François Porchez

University of Reading, Department of Typography & Graphic Communication, UK

Period

november 2003 – may 2006

Supported by

ECAL/University of Art and Design Lausanne
Strategic fund of the University of Applied Sciences Western Switzerland (HES-SO RCDAV)

Corporate Typeface, RaD
© 
ECAL / Milo Keller
Corporate Typeface, RaD
© 
ECAL / Milo Keller