Typographic Matchmaking at ICOGRADA Beijing 09

More than half of the world’s population currently lives in networked cities. These urban agglomerations are defining the nature of our future global civilizations and we should take care to make them conducive to a wealth of life experiences. Bringing back street life that is not only dependent on commercial activities is important for creating livable urban environments. The livable city should be multilayered mixing the different usage of its spaces so that it engages its various inhabitants intimately. A city should have the diversity in cultural as well as functional activities and should be experienced at human level on the streets where all its inhabitants – no matter their ethnicity - can interact. Typographic design covers most contemporary cities in often chaotic and mundane ways. The presentation will look at various strategies for converting written communication into a medium that can engage, educate and help people reclaim the ‘physical public space’. It will explore pushing the notion of typography and space beyond the confines of reading (from paper) to other aspects of experiencing communication and placemaking, using architectural space and materials as integral components. The strategies will outline the current need to strike a balance between asserting cultural identities while remaining open to foreign cultures and uncommon ideas and ways of thinking.