This project investigates the expressive and symbolic potential of typography by exploring the theme of paranoia—a distorted perception of reality rooted in obsessive thoughts that the world is conspiring against the individual.
The concept centers on the paranoid person's perspective, focusing on feelings of helplessness, isolation, and hypervigilance. These emotional and psychological states are visually translated through the manipulation of letter scale, placement, and color. A small, fragile letter “A” represents the paranoid individual, overwhelmed and surrounded by a dense, chaotic "crowd" of oversized letters. This typographic pressure reflects the perceived threat and mental claustrophobia experienced by someone in a paranoid state.
The color palette reinforces the symbolic and emotional tone of the piece with red, blak and white creating an intense contrast.
This work draws on historical and contemporary references in visual poetry and expressive typography—from Mallarmé and Apollinaire to Herb Lubalin and David Carson—and aims to
"draw the immaterial" by giving form to psychological
experiences through the letter itself.
"draw the immaterial" by giving form to psychological
experiences through the letter itself.
Academic Project
F10 Loose word // word image
Course: Communication Design
(UC Design Fundamentals)
Institution: ESAD
(Escola Superior de Artes e Design)
Professor: João Lemos
Academic Year: 2022/2023
Date: April 2023
F10 Loose word // word image
Course: Communication Design
(UC Design Fundamentals)
Institution: ESAD
(Escola Superior de Artes e Design)
Professor: João Lemos
Academic Year: 2022/2023
Date: April 2023