ON 2040 - MASTER TYPE DESIGN

Sous la direction de Larissa Kasper, directrice artistique invitée par le Master Type Design, 14 étudiant·e·s questionnent la construction du langage écrit, explorent ses développements futuristes, tant alphabétiques qu’idéographiques. Pour On, ils·elles proposent un nouveau système d’écriture, qui accompagnera la semelle du futur.

En 2010, On créait une nouvelle semelle de chaussures de course par une approche disruptive : CloudTec®. Construites autour d’un ensemble d’« éléments flexibles », les semelles On assurent atterrissage amorti et décollage propulsif pour des sensations de course uniques. Une architecture adoptée depuis par les amateur·rice·s de course comme les professionnel·le·s du domaine. Aujourd’hui, la recherche de nouveaux matériaux et de technologies inédites encourage la marque à explorer l’avenir de la semelle. C’est dans cette perspective qu’est née la collaboration entre deux entités de pointe dans le milieu du design suisse : ECAL et On. 

Searching for an answer to what type of writing system could be readable for a machine in the distant future, this abstract typeface is based on a circular 5-channel encoding system, working similarly to linear punchcards. There are 25 punch combinations in the 5-channel type system, meaning 32 places to encode letters, which can host the basic Latin alphabet. Visually, the typeface was inspired by cuneiform writing, which uses the stylus on clay tablets to punch ‘holes’ in the material. This aesthetic has been warped into signifying a punch on a few of the 5 places and providing each character with a unique combination of digits and forms.

Par Laura Zsófia Csocsán

The concept of this dystopian writing system is inspired by the artwork The Garden of Earthly Delights (1490-1510) by Hieronymus Bosch and its tripartite structure. The Trinity takes the main role and divides the static skeleton vertically into 3 sections: Positive, Neutral, Negative; Birth, Life, Death; The Garden of Eden, The Garden of Delights and Hell. Round, angular and diagonal capital letters of the Latin alphabet are arranged in categories. With the help of 3 defined basic shapes: circle, square and line, the characters are constructed on its defined skeleton. Altogether, the writing system consists of 24 characters – the manuscript was painted analogue with black ink on translucent paper and emphasizes the dystopian character.

Par Dominik Bissem

Over the course of our time, language and communication will evolve in such a way that current writing systems no longer suffice. While there will still be translation methods for older systems still known to us, the writing system of the future will free itself from present rules and conventions and organically evolve into something exceedingly more complex.

Par Stefan Fitze

The blob is a mysterious unicellular slim mold creature growing into networks. Famous for its supposed immortality, it has also been showing signs of learning capabilities. After many years of scientific studies and stimulation, it is finally able to communicate with us in 2040. By using a morpheme-based system, the blob can express complex ideas with its web-like growths. As seen in this transcription (to be read clockwise), each tentacle and intersections represent a basic concept which is then extrapolated into sentences and finally a full text.

Par Amélie Gallay

New proposal for sending out a message to the future about ON 20(40). This new form of constructed language and writing system is inspired by the thermal-transfer printing technics. This digital printing method is used when fast and higher durability of printed matter (especially against heat) is desired. This « New Alphabet » offers a set of uppercase characters, as well as numbers and has been developed during the one-week workshop.

Par Elena Baranowski

In the far future, human beings will communicate in whole new ways, we will understand the world around us in a much more complex way. The two-dimensional way of reading will be slowly replaced by three-dimensional holograms, capable of giving us a faster prediction of what is written. Based on the Spatial reasoning IQ tests exercises, this new writing system helps the reader draw conclusions about shapes based on limited information. Each face of the regular polyhedron will have a unique symbol on it (letter) and the Platonic solid will represent the complexity of the entire word. Holograms are a perfect solution when we don’t want our communication to be framed on a surface, but with this system, we could still write on psychical objects by simply unfolding the polyhedron into a 2D Pattern.

Par Giacomo Bastianelli

Over the course of our time, language and communication will evolve in such a way that current writing systems no longer suffice. While there will still be translation methods for older systems still known to us, the writing system of the future will free itself from present rules and conventions and organically evolve into something exceedingly more complex.

Par Stefan Fitze

Klaudz is designed to visually represent speech sounds in a written form by means of symbols. The script is based on a so-called phonetic transcription, whose basic principle is that it is applicable to all languages. Since its symbols denote the same phonetic properties, they break away from a language-bound orthography. Thinking of 2040, when internationality and the spoken language are gaining more importance, it is obvious to explore the forms of expression of an alternative phonetic script. The shapes of the letters derive from an underlying grid (the IPA vowel table), which in turn corresponds to the positions of the vowels resulting from the physical position of a speaker’s tongue when pronouncing those sounds. There is a round and a non-round version of each. The consonants are integrated into the script according to their groupings as diacritical marks.

Par Raphaela Haefliger