Normal Design In Type Design

991 Words4 Pages
So far, the principles of good type design vary over time, from being natural, visually pleasing to useful and creative. However, there is another indispensable element that alongside those tenets, that is sustainability. It becoming an essential element that cannot be ignored, especially at a time when digital type design has created an unlimited supply of type styles derived from the past masterworks and contemporary inventions due to the multiplied possibilities and flexibilities. Sustainable design, mostly, is about materials. While for type design, mainly in reducing paper use and saving inks. Here, I intend to introduce a new concept - ‘Super Normal’ as an alternative or thinking to reach sustainability in type design. Being a concept…show more content…
Although the etymology of ‘normal’ connects it to the norm and normative, the idea of normality, of normal design and processes here, are anything but normalized (Fukasawa & Morrison 2012, pp.10). Normal design, as I understand, refers to inevitable forms that result from the use of a core of absence: on the one hand, it denotes an absence of appearance. Rather than drawing attention towards the products, their subtle effects remain invisible to users on a conscious level, contributing to an overall harmony with the surrounding atmosphere. As Donald Norman put in his book The Design of Everyday Things, “good designs fit our needs so well that the design is invisible, serving us without drawing attention to itself. While bad design screams out its inadequacies, making itself very noticeable” (Norman, pp.11). On the other hand, the core of absence can be described as a lack of style, identity and ornament, namely timelessness, neutrality and simplicity. Normal design avoids tracing after fashion trends and concentrates on the essential aspects, therefore it is not burdened with non-essentials and never antiquated. Unlike fashionable design, gets launched and disappeared, timeless, neutral and simple design lasts a…show more content…
Both Fukusawa and Morrison hold the opinion that, in classic product design, ‘normal’ means adopting familiar aesthetics and making use of traditional forms, materials and production techniques. ‘Normal design’ refers to the products as they have come to be. The creative intents inside may be regarded not so much as designing, but simply not going against the essential flow of products as they come to be. According to preference-for-prototypes theory, one of the most tested theories in aesthetics, people tend to prefer the most typical examples of a category, the ones that are often also very familiar and people have been exposed to repeatedly (Whitfield & Slatter, 1979). Such a preference for familiar products is adaptive since it will lead to safe choices instead of risking the

More about Normal Design In Type Design

Open Document