Studio Brief 2 - Typeface Design - Type Snap by Masato Nakada

Type Snap – Masato Nakada

Summary

Masato Nakada has created an experimental web based type made up of split letters which will be used in texting to speed up the process.

By adapting web based typography she is able to better reflect the evolution of modern communication. SMS abbreviations have replaced typed sentences and Emoji’s are now replacing texts. By splitting the letters this allows words to be read faster whilst also increasing the quantity of meaning which can be written. This means that the user will be able to say the same amount in less words. She says web based typography has different qualities to print and provides the ability to add animation to create a dynamic user experience.

Type Snap Website

Type Snap Website

Analysis of Type Snap

By halving the letters and putting them into context next to each other it increases their legibility, as stand-alone letters they aren’t always legible. On the website, the animations sometimes have two halves of the same letter next to each of which defeats the purpose of halving them to reduce space. This suggests the idea is not completely effective in practice. The use of animation makes the idea more dynamic however it is quite disorientating in sentences, so it would have to be reduced to singular words or phrases at the most. Certain halves of letters are naturally more legible and some features are more distinctive within letterforms so this needs to be taken into consideration when choosing the half to use. The spacing between character halves is also varied which looks disjointed when read as a whole. This could partly be used to create negative space for the reader to unconsciously project the rest of the letter into. It also helps in separating characters which would merge into illegible forms.

Analysis of the article

Why is web based typography not the same as print? In some respects, it can be the same visually, however both have other qualities that can be manipulated. The only difference between web and print is one can be animated whereas the other is static. The conceptual link between ligatures and her work suggests that the design will speed up the reading process. However not all of her characters can be put together side by side to form ‘ligatures’ in a legible way. Does her work increase the speed in which someone reads or just decrease the space in which the words take up?