Abstract
Text is often seen as a straightforward carrier of information, with typographic forms typically considered only for their letter meanings, while their shapes and existence as visual objects are overlooked – missing their potential to reflect deeper interpretations. This research explores typography as an independent visual language, investigating how it can transcend its functional role to evoke emotions and turn text into a dynamic medium for visual storytelling, with a focus on how typographic treatments can shape and broaden the perception of text. Using Sylvia Plath’s “The Bell Jar” as a case study and integrating analog and digital image-making techniques, the study examines how typography can push beyond literal boundaries to create deeper meanings. By selecting a single sentence and visualizing this limited set of five words and eleven letters in various ways to summarize the book’s emotional journey, the research demonstrates how typography can reframe words, expanding their emotional impact while increasing their cross-cultural accessibility. The outcomes reveal how visual treatments can alter the meaning of the text and make it universally resonant, as the letterforms themselves begin to convey the message independently of the words they form. In conclusion, this research highlights how typographic interpretations transform text into a powerful visual expression, delivering complex emotions and meanings. The work opens new possibilities for design, emphasizing typography’s capacity to redefine communication as an independent and powerful form of visual language.
Presenters
İpek KöprülülüIndependent Designer, Currently Graphic Designer for Netflix Series “Ayrılık da Sevdaya Dahil”, İpek Köprülülü | TMC Production, Istanbul, Turkey
Details
Presentation Type
Theme
KEYWORDS
Analog/Digital Image-Making, Letterforms, Perception, Typography, Visual Language, Storytelling
