The Human Body and Typography

After taking Expressive typography class this semester, I am more aware of how type can be applied and treated in different forms than just text on paper, and how we can interact with it in various ways.

I am interested in combining human body movement / anatomy and type together as one of my thesis ideas. It will focus on the human movement and how it can be incorporated into a dynamic set of typography, transforming text from static to dynamic, animated, and something that's alive and representational of life.

Here are some examples I have found online of works combining the human body and Typography together.

Ariana Page Russel (c), photo taken from: glia.ca

Illustration: Slave to the 80s by Village9991 (c)

Bodytype by Smart Head and Red Keds (c)

Typography Costumes by RBG6 (c)

Typeface in Skin by Thijs Verbeek, photography Arjan Benning (c)

Typography translation exercise by Plai Upathamnaratorn (c)

Vogue cover, August 1940
Taken from Alessandra Amandinea’s Research

Illustration: Devin Schoeffler, taken from designexpanse.com

Mos Def by Chris Wicks (c) taken from Behance

Anatomical Typography by Bjorn Johansson (c)

Letter and Image, Massin, 1968
Taken from Alessandra Amandinea’s Research

Illustration: Reza Abedini (c), taken from PingMag

Illustration: Mehdi Saeedi (c), taken from PingMag

Folha de S. Paulo, Newsletter. Illustrating Life with words for 77 years
Taken from adamwilkinsondesign

hand signs taken from extrafunk.com