IN SESSION: Typographic Abstraction: the shift from semantics to spectacle

In a world where emojis and symbols have usurped many of the tasks previously undertaken by typography, and where letterforms shape perception and influence how information is felt as much as read, typography is untethering itself from the need to only convey semantic meaning. Traditionally described as the way language is made visible, typography has evolved from this long-established role into abstract, semi-abstract, performative and non-linguistic states.

Hosted by RCA tutor and Typography short course leader, Adrian Shaughnessy, this session interrogates the work of three practitioners: Dr Charlotte Lengersdorf, Mark Webster and Jack Llewellyn, who are, in different and highly individualistic ways, shifting typography into a post-semantic realm of visual expression.

Speakers

Adrian Shaughnessy

Adrian Shaughnessy is a graphic designer, writer, publisher and educator. He has taught at the RCA in the School of Communication since 2010, and latterly in the School of Design. Shaughnessy is a co-founder of Unit Editions, a publishing company producing books on design and visual culture. He has written, designed, edited, art directed and published numerous books on design.

Dr Charlotte Lengersdorf

Charlotte Lengersdorf is a visual communicator, researcher and lecturer. Her research emerges from an intersection between type design/typography, human-computer interaction and a practice of creative programming with specific interest in the nonsensical, undetermined and unknown. She holds a BA from the Peter Behrens School of Arts in Düsseldorf and an MA from the Royal College of Art in London. Her PhD (2023) in communication research at the Royal College of Art, titled ‘Towards an Uncausal Practice of Visual Communication‘, was funded by The German Academic Scholarship Foundation.

Mark Webster

Mark Webster was born in Canada, raised in England and currently lives in France. After graduating in London with a modern languages degree in 1997, he moved to Paris and began to orientate his work towards the arts. This has involved an eclectic mix of activities in diverse areas such as animation, sound design, graphic design, teaching and even a stint as a journalist working in the field of motion design.

In the last couple of years, his efforts have been devoted to developing a body of personal artistic work that is driven by curiosity to explore and experiment with code based media. He creates art and graphic work primarily using custom-made software tools along with computational and generative strategies as his main approach.

Jack Llewellyn

Jack Llewellyn is a graphic designer and educator. His practice explores typography within digital media and emerging technology. He has created brand identities, experimental works and bespoke typefaces for major global institutions, first at Brody Associates and now as an Associate Partner at Pentagram. Alongside this he has taught at the Royal College of Art in London and released typefaces with NaN Foundry in Berlin.