- Line of enquiry
Does typography necessarily belong to the two-dimensional plane, or are two-dimensional letterforms merely the result of spatial structures perceived under specific viewing conditions?
Within traditional graphic design discourse, type is generally understood as a two-dimensional form, while three-dimensionality is often treated as a visual effect added onto an existing letterform. This research seeks to reverse that logic by first understanding the letter as an act of writing that occurs in space, and by regarding the two-dimensional form as a projection generated by this spatial structure under particular perspectives and viewing positions.
By constructing a type system that transitions between two-dimensional and three-dimensional states, this research investigates how shifts in viewing conditions reorganize content while the informational structure itself remains unchanged. Two-dimensionality and three-dimensionality are no longer treated as separate versions, but as different manifestations of the same writing logic under different cognitive conditions.
Therefore, the central question that guides this enquiry is:
How do changes in viewing conditions—such as perspective and spatial position—affect the legibility of type, and in turn reconstruct the viewer’s process of understanding?
- Project proposal
1. The aims of the project
This project aims to reconsider a basic assumption in graphic design: whether type must necessarily belong to the two-dimensional plane. By developing a type system that can shift between two and three dimensions, this research proposes to understand letters first as structures that exist in space, rather than as fixed flat forms. Through 3D modelling, changes in viewpoint, and processes of projection, the project explores how the same informational structure can generate different typographic states under different viewing conditions. The aim is not simply to create a three-dimensional typeface, but to propose another way of understanding type: that the two-dimensional letterform may only be the result of a spatial structure seen under specific viewing conditions.
2. Open-ended line of enquiry
The central question of this project is: must type be understood as a two-dimensional object, or is the two-dimensional letterform simply the projected result of a spatial structure under particular viewpoints, media, and positions of viewing?
Further questions include: when letters are constructed as three-dimensional spatial structures, how do different viewing angles alter their legibility and recognition? If the information itself remains unchanged, but only the viewing conditions shift, does the viewer’s understanding of the content also change? Through these questions, the project seeks to examine the relationship between “content” and “ways of seeing” in visual communication.
3. Background and context
Within traditional graphic design discourse, type is usually understood as a stable two-dimensional form. Three-dimensionality is often treated as a visual effect added onto an existing letterform, rather than as a way of rethinking how the form itself is generated. However, with the development of digital modelling, real-time rendering, and interactive media, text has increasingly entered spatial environments in which it can be rotated, moved, and reorganised. Under these conditions, the letterform is no longer simply a fixed flat image, but can instead be understood as a structure that is viewed and interpreted in space.
This shift is also connected to a broader change in visual culture. As information is more frequently presented through dynamic interfaces, three-dimensional environments, and immersive media, the stability of conventional flat typography is increasingly challenged. This project enters that context by using design experimentation to investigate how type might be generated spatially, and how changing viewing conditions may reshape the process of visual understanding.
4. Limitations
The main limitations of the project are likely to be technical and time-based. First, constructing a complete three-dimensional alphabet system will require substantial time for modelling and testing, as well as repeated experiments with legibility from different viewpoints. Second, establishing a stable set of rules for translation between two-dimensional and three-dimensional forms may require extensive trial and error. In addition, the mode of presentation may also affect the outcome of the project, since software or website environments may alter the viewer’s experience of seeing and reading the work.
5. Potential audiences and publics
This project is primarily aimed at students and researchers in graphic design, type design, and visual communication, while also seeking to engage wider publics who are interested in spatial vision, digital media, and experimental typography. Possible forms of presentation may include interactive three-dimensional models, moving image, or rotatable letter structures that allow viewers to directly experience how shifts in viewpoint can affect the appearance of type.
Primary research could also play an important role in the development of the project. For example, interviews with type designers, graphic designers, or digital media artists could provide insight into how they understand the possibilities of type in spatial media. In addition, observing how viewers read and navigate interactive presentations could generate useful feedback on legibility and interpretation. This material could help refine both the letter structures and the presentation strategy, allowing the project to more clearly address how viewing conditions shape visual communication.
- Bibliography
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3.Rock, M. (1994) Beyond Typography. Available at: https://2×4.org/ideas/1994/beyond-typography/ (Accessed: 9 March 2026).
4.Slanted Publishers (2023) Slanted Magazine #40: Experimental Type 2.0. Karlsruhe: Slanted Publishers.
5.Hingley, O. (2023) ‘Liad Shadmi’s The Alphabetical Room explores the “intersection of typography and space”’, It’s Nice That, 27 March. Available at: https://www.itsnicethat.com/articles/liad-shadmi-the-alphabetical-room-project-graphic-design-270323 (Accessed: 1 March 2026). (itsnicethat.com)
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7.Velli, S. (2024) Gestalt Principles for Creatives: Mastering Visual Harmony Through Perception Principles. Independently Published.
8.Varini, F. (n.d.) [Title unavailable]. Available at: http://www.varini.org/varini/02indc/indant.html (Accessed: 14 February 2026).
9.Gormley, A. (2023) Body Politic. Antony Gormley. Available at: https://www.antonygormley.com/works/exhibitions/body-politic (Accessed: 20 February 2026). (antonygormley.com)
10.Fauguet, R. (2004) Pas d’fumée, pas d’feu. Galerie Art Concept. Available at: https://www.galerieartconcept.com/en/pas-dfumee-pas-dfeu/ (Accessed: 20 February 2026). (galerieartconcept.com)