dynTypo

HOME \| OVERVIEW \| PROJECT LINKS \| QUESTIONNAIRE \| MAILING LIST	NEWS \| ABOUT \| CONTACT

[ SOME ANSWERS | QUESTIONNAIRE ]

Josh Nimoy [ WEBSITE ]

1. How would you describe your work in connection with typography and multimedia?
I create art projects that explore the letterform, and make my profession as someone with an eye for both programming and kerning.

2. In dynTypo I'm collecting examples of artists, studios/projects where dynamic typography is used in cooperation with design and multimedia arts. Examples: John Maeda, Peter Cho, Andreas Müller, Yugo Nakamura, Jason Lewis, Letterror, etc. Is anyone else dealing with these issues that are important/influential for you? If so, why do you think they are important for your work?
Gail Swanlund, amazing in terms of melding modern art with client-style design. Ed Fella, amazing in terms of defining a healthy life as a typographer.

3. Did you study dynamic typography at school?
Yes, I took three classes on the subject, and helped teach one. "Introduction to Typograhy", "Motion Typography", "Advanced Typography" , and I was a teachers assistant for "Tangible Typography" the new interactive type class. The most important things I learned were not from such classes.

4. How do you see yourself as a designer or a multimedia artist?
I actually don't see myself as such a qualified designer. Most designers end up having trouble with me since my use of the tools is so non-standard that it confuses most. I stick to working with my friends and those that understand my unique pursuit. I also stopped being a designer in big company and started my own private practice. That really helped. As a multimedia artist, I've delt with subject matter of interface, chaos, typography (as an art subject, not as a design practice), the effects of capitalism on software. More recently, I've been experimenting with game kitch - and just kitch in general.

5. Can you identify some restrictions/limitations in the software you are using? If so, please specify?
Well, C++ is hard to program and circuitry is difficult/expensive to build. That's the main thing. I think there are a lot of limitations to font file formats. I believe a sentence should pop off my screen and walk out of the room, but apparently that isn't part of the file format.

6. How do you see the use of self-made programs for dynamic typography? And what do you think of using it for both 'personal research' and commissioned projects?
My self-made programs for type generally deal with effects or dynamic layout systems that are either too complex/exessive for a person to handle in illustrator/aftereffects, or deal with too much quantity for someone not to consider an automated solution. For example, I was doing something with Ben Rubin for the New York Times that called for automatic layouts to be generated on various lengths of copy that would be feeded to me through a stream. I had to make the text look very good - without first seeing it. Currently, I am working on a Nike commercial that calls for type+logo to construct out of various tiny pieces that fly around in interesting ways. It's an aesthetic too laborious, and with too tight of a deadline. Otherwise, I would probably have done it by hand!

7. How do you think dynamic typography can improve our daily basis life? In other words, what do you think about the usage of dynamic typography?
I think so far, the usage of dynamic typography has improved our environment, making web pages safe again for viewing by designers, while also satisfying the need to see crazy interactive toy-making. In otherwords, I don't really see that dynamic typography _in general_ necessarily improves anything. I don't see dynamic typography as a revolution of a subgenre, or that any change is occuring in our field. I simply call it "Typography". In that, there are the old and new generations of typographers. So to answer your question more properly, I think TYPOGRAPHY improves our daily lives 100000 fold by allowing us to read and write. I mean, where would we be without reading and writing?

8. How do you see the future of dynamic typography evolution?
Off the screen, outside your Flash document and your Processing sketch, there is a world of physical/mechanical typography that has been dynamic for many years already and continues to need improvement. I wish that those who call themselves "dynamic typographers" would aim their focus more on such problems as LED ticker signage and 7-segment number components currently in mass production. There is a strong need for dynamic typography off the screen and off web media, but I think too many people interested in this very subject are too busy saying "look what I can do with my for-loop," stuck in academia - not straying far off from their role models. I also see too many people documenting examples of past dynamic type, and not enough people actually engaging in the practice. In the future, I see that more dynamic typography projects will look at our physical surroundings, and industrial materials. Dynamic typographers now, who are currently proud of their Processing/Actionscript skills might change to be proud of their knowledge of gears, mechanics, circuitry, and industrial design. Maybe even fluidics, nano, or something more spiritual and metaphysical beyond our wildest imaginations. My message to the world of dynamic typography: learn some new technical skills, and get away from your computer.

Thank you!