Creating 3D type

Overview

In this production lesson we were assigned a new brief. Our mission is to create a 3D/installation piece using a word of our choosing and in pretty much any way that we wanted. This was a very open task and allowed us to think very freely and more imaginatively about what we were going to create. 

My Project

We were asked to think of a word. Any word which we found interesting or something that we could manipulate and tamper with the make something more meaningful. I had the idea of using words that could use small objects or things in which I could make up the word. For example "Cotton' could be manipulated by using Cotton buds to make up the word itself. In the end I had a few written down but the one I went with was "MORNING", I had the idea of using coffee beans to make up the word since so many people drink coffee on a morning before their daily commutes to work. I thought this was a strong idea so I pursued the idea by testing some initial ideas out.

Steps

Once I had my idea of using coffee to make up the word I needed a way

in which to set the word up and make this happen, I decided to use a stencil method

so I could place the coffee directly onto the page and make it as easy for myself as possible. 

This is the original cut-out from the card with the stencil on it, I used a bubbly

type which I felt would compliment the coffee as is sat on the page.

I will experiment more with type face as I develop, but I want the type to be

fluent and have some finesse, I think the end result will look stunning if I can pull

this off well. I will have to test different ways of putting the coffee down on the page in

order to achieve what I want to.

When I got home I decided to develop it further and start to test out the coffee

and how it sat in the stencil I made earlier. I found that big pieces of coffee were

on top of each other which made the letter look chunky and bold and yet it wasn't easy to 

readI needed a way to resolve this.

So this is what I did. I used glue and traces around the original stencil so a 

layer of glue was now in the shape of the letter. I then waited a while for it to set

and kept pushing the granules into the glue with a pencil to help the process. I shook the 

paper and the excess coffee fell of creating this wonderfully neat letter M! 

I am happy with the result and feel I can start developing and making the 

whole thing for real.

This is the style in which I want to create my word, I love how the letters connect 

in an effortless and fluent was which makes the type softer and more delicate. 

The composition is also beautiful as some letters are interlocking which makes the flow 

even more inspired.