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Are we stuck in the typographic principles of the 20th century? Matter Of's new anti-design manual investigates
Matter Of’s new book, New New Typography, challenges the rigidity of 20th-century design standards through a chaotic, experimental anti-manual.
What: German design studio Matter Of collaborated with nearly 100 contributors, including Dinamo and Bye Bye Binary, to produce a 243-figure book that questions modern type design standards through ironic essays and experimental layouts.
Why it matters: The project reflects a growing trend in creative fields to move away from the modernist obsession with 'clarity' and 'legibility' toward more malleable, expressive, and technologically unconventional forms of communication.
Deep dive
- Features 243 figures exploring typographic theory.
- Uses six distinct sans-serif typefaces to challenge the evolution of established fonts like Helvetica.
- Includes historical context dating back to 1602.
- Explores machine-generated and body-scanned text generation methods.
- Blends high-design theory with ironic, disruptive visual layouts.
Decoder
- New Typography: A movement pioneered by Jan Tschichold in the 1920s that prioritized asymmetric layouts, sans-serif type, and extreme legibility over classical aesthetics.
- Sans-serif: A category of typefaces that do not have small lines or strokes (serifs) at the ends of character strokes.
Original article
New New Typography challenges traditional typographic principles through historical references, contemporary experiments, and contributions from nearly 100 designers, encouraging readers to rethink what typography can become.
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