In 1928, in his book entitled The New Typography, Jan Tschichold wrote "Unity of life: the arbitrary isolation of a part is no longer possible for us - every part belongs to and harmonizes with the whole. Where slackness is still the rule, we must make it our work to fight against laziness, envy, and narrow-mindedness. Typography too must now make itself part of all the other fields of creativity."
Almost a century has passed, yet we are still able to sense a similar freshness and eclecticism in our current digitalized age. Typography as a tool for information communication not only engages traditional mediums (such as books and posters), but is also permeating into new mediums such as space, interactive media and motion graphics. Contemporary typography demonstrates new possibilities, both in terms of words and images, and form and concept. Designers are adhering to the traditional, whilst looking forward to the unexpected. As a result, various understandings of and discussions on typography have started to emerge.
Chinese characters, for example, symbolize both word and image, indicating sound and meaning. In its five thousand-year history as a language system that incorporates pictograms, ideograms and phonograms, the Chinese language has evolved into a highly sophisticated writing culture, illustrated by the creation of the first form of (wood-based) printing. Furthermore, the idea of calligraphy as a "sophisticated art" has influenced many countries worldwide. Over the last 30 years, however, a new set of technological difficulties have been confronted and overcome, including the migration from traditional writing and mechanical systems to a digitalized one.
Blessed with their rich typographic history, designers are simultaneously confronted with many problems. For instance, what does typography mean in the face of the technological and socio-cultural transformations of today? Can anyone become a designer when equipped with computer technologies and digitized type? In what ways has new life affected typography and designers?
To showcase the research and international efforts of the past couple of years, as well as the re-thinking of the complex nature of typographic art, we cordially invite you to participate in bt'09, an exhibition founded on the theme of "Typography, Unity with New Life."...
http://facesofdesign.com/event/beijing-typography-2009
