Word Space / Book Space / Poetic Space, Experiments in Transformation

Abstract

The ideas for this paper began to develp during my graduate years at Yale, while working toward the completion of my MFA thesis entitled Visualectics: Toward an Understanding of Words and Space. In an attempt to combine my interests in words (meaning) and design (form) I developed a series of two- and three-dimensional experiments which explored the relationship between words and letters, their materiality and the manner in which their environment can affect the meaning. This paper discusses these ideas as revealed in seven experiments. Further, it discusses the potential use of such explorations in the education of graphic designers.