Hybrid type and new ligatures Daniel Silva
Daniel Silva
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Daniel Silva
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Hybrid type and new ligatures
Description:
Phase 1:
With this experimental project I aim to explore non-existent ligatures, and to develop new ones. The choice of the subject is based on my handwriting. When writing by hand, I notice that, for a better flow of writing and to do it quicker, I do a lot of ligatures, and some of them prove interesting.
Fueled by the quirkiness of the ligatures present in my handwriting, I decided to test every combination of letters and see which ones would form an interesting ligature.
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Hybrid type and new ligatures
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Hybrid type and new ligatures
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Hybrid type and new ligatures
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Hybrid type and new ligatures
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Phase 2: After testing every combination of letters, I wrote all of the plausible ligatures down.
Conclusion: Because there were far too many combinations, I analysed which ones didn’t occur in any word in the English language, and started to cut some of them down. 10
Hybrid type and new ligatures
Phase 3: As the ligatures proved numerous and, to some extent, unexciting, I narrowed it to hybrids, where two letters combine to create a new letterform.
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At this stage I carefully analysed which ones would really work and which ones wouldn’t. I concluded that most of the hybrids would end up with the letter “y”, but there were some really nice sketches of how others would look like.
Daniel Silva
Phase 4: At this stage I knew which hybrids I would be developing and it was the right time to start working on the computer. The typographic choice was Electra, a typeface that is great to use on running text, as it has a high readability and is ideal to test the newly formed glyphs. Not only that, it is also great at display sizes, it has enough character and individuality for that purpose. Because of this, selecting Electra was almost mandatory. When I started, I had 30 glyphs to design.
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Hybrid type and new ligatures
Phase 5: After designing them, I noticed that some didn’t work as well as it was thought. They were removed and there was still need for some improvements. On the xc, xe, xo, xp and xy hybrids, the right serifs of the x have to be removed, and the thickness of the y needs to be increased.
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Phase 6: The thickness of the hybrids was fixed, and the two last hybrids that didn’t work very well were removed. On hybrids such as hy, the left side of the right serif was removed, to avoid breaking the flow of the hybrid. On ny and my, this proved unnecessary.
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Hybrid type and new ligatures
Phase 7: Presenting the final results and testing them on both running text and display text. When displayed on its own each character exudes individuality, almost as if they were a piece of art. When on display text it adds character to the composition, and makes it stand out. On running text, it reads clearly and it’s easy to read both letters. Phase 7a: The final outcomes
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Hybrid type and new ligatures
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Conclusion: From displaying the type on its own, we can conlcude that there are still some hybrids that don’t work amazingly, such as xo and zo, which look like small caps xd and zd. Apart from those two, the rest of the hybrids are pleasant to look at, and its quirkiness gives them personality. 20
Hybrid type and new ligatures
Phase 7b: Testing the outcomes on running text. There he goes. My first love. I recall some of our summer experiences and am brought to tears. When I can no longer see the train I walk home, wondering if I’ll ever see him again. My feet fall heavy against the concrete floor of the train station as I make w outside. I stand looking, and notice that nothing has changed. Nothing, but everything looks sad. Like a dus d , there’s no sparkle a where, like a colourless life. I drag self from the entrance of the train station to the dirt road that leads to farm. I walk past the crop fields and the h stacks, where we used to run and jump reckless , with nothing to worry about, but having fun. I remember his hair, brown like the wood of an oak tree. The tears keep running down m face, and I feel miserable, as if all strength had been drained and happiness taken aw . M be it departed with him, on that train. Happiness that I’ll never feel again. Along the w I can’t stop thinking about his pacific sk
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blue es and his freckled face. I remember how soft his cheeks were, and how he looked so handsome when a flush of rose lit up his face. I leave the main road and take a side road, where we used to cle all the time. I spot the hill where we had our first kiss. We were sunbathing and I asked him to massage me. I bared skin, laid on stomach and he started massaging sides. Slow he kneaded his hands to spine and over to shoulders. I had stopped talking by then and so had he. I anticipated his breath against m skin. He kissed spine, and I remember having goose bumps all over me. He moved higher and higher, to shoulder and neck. My whole bo felt numb. He waited for a response, and I turned around. My heart felt like it was going to explode out of chest, I could bare breathe. He looked me in the es for a moment, so intense . I thought I was going to faint. He kissed me on the cheek and whispered in ear, “I love you.”
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At that moment I went cra . Lost control of whole bo , r thm. I turned abrupt and kissed his cheek, his mouth, his nose, his es. I remember kissing him as ma times as possible, until he hugged me and whispered “hush, hush”. That was when I calmed down. He looked at me, our foreheads met. He gave me the most romantic kiss I could have ever imagined. I felt so complete then. Now look at me, a complete wreck. I will never see him again, I feel lone . I get home. I lie in bed, wondering what I should believe. Will he come back for me? Will I find someone else like him? No. I want no one but him. I want his kindness, his love. His naughtiness, his sense of humour. I can’t stop thinking about him and I end up crying self to sleep. I wake up and don’t feel his presence. I don’t know what to do. I feel lost. I feel empty. I don’t want to move. I don’t want to eat. I want to sleep and hope he is by side when I wake up.
I’ve been lying in bed for days, bo d in room. I’ll never feel him again. His smooth hands and his warm kisses. He’s not coming back.
Conclusion: On running text its readability is great. When reading at a normal pace the hybrids seem a bit unfamiliar but easily interpreted. If speed reading, the hybrids save space and increase the speed of reading, proving themselves as a successful experiment so far. 22
Hybrid type and new ligatures
Phase 7c: Testing the outcomes on display text.
A short story by 23
Michelle Poynor
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Conclusion: On display it works just as expected. It delivers the message brilliantly, and adds it much more personality. It easily blends in with the subject, and, although unfamiliar, it raises awareness of “something different�, and therefore an interest in type, even by someone who is unaware of it. 24
Hybrid type and new ligatures
Phase 8: For further exploration, I had some options. I could have tried the results with different typefaces, on different weights, with an italic font. Although I thought that the hybrids were quite interesting to develop, and wondered if I had left some behind, or if I could find some that had been left unexplored. I then wondered if I could try and develop hybrids for more common combinations, and decided to try it with the five most used words in the English language. The fifth most used word was and, and and had already evolved over the centuries, with the roman language, from et to the ampersand, &. So my five words were then reduced to four: the, be, to and of. Because these connections were much less compatible, a lot more experimenting is needed.
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Fourth
of
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Hybrid type and new ligatures
When starting with of I noticed that, although it could have some interesting outcomes, some of them would be too radical, and that it wasn’t really cut out to be developed as a hybrid.
These attempts, although perceptible, made it look like a hybrid for cf rather than of. And removing the crossbar of the f and have it as a part of the o made it somewhat awkward, and doesn’t match the direction of the terminal. 27
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It is understood, but reads somewhat like df.
The o seems a bit too intrusive, but it reads right.
The hybrid seems unbalanced, the f is too intrusive.
Improved, but there is a need for the serif now. 28
Hybrid type and new ligatures
It is understood, but again, reads somewhat like df.
Ruins the integrity of f, and is hard to understand.
It looks like an ordinary, awkward ligature.
The point where both letters meet is too thick.
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Looks like a witch, and isn’t plausible.
Both letters seem to reject each other here.
Hard to see wether it’s a c, a d an o or just a strange f.
The tiny counter by the serif looks like a mistake. 30
Hybrid type and new ligatures
Most plausible choice: The hybrid below seems to be the most plausible. There are no areas that are either too thick or too thin, and, although the o is a bit too obtrusive, it is read as of, without the risk of it being misread as df or cf. As a conclusion, of isn’t a great combination, and it will never generate a completely successful hybrid. It fits its purpose, but its need is questioned. The counter was removed, but made it too thick.
Half of the serif was removed, but now it rejects the o. 31
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Third
to 32
Hybrid type and new ligatures
When starting with to I concluded that, like of, it wasn’t a great combination of words to develop as a hybrid. Some of them would seem like a mere ligature, a play with tracking in between letters.
The first attempt, the one that seemed most plausible, turned out looking a lot like a b, which was a shame. A rash attempt to make it better (experiment above) proved more than unsuccessful. Quirky nonetheless. 33
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Looks like a b, although the crossbar improves it.
Improved, but not exciting.
Just a change in kerning, and a heavy one.
Random attempt, not plausible. 34
Hybrid type and new ligatures
Most plausible choice:
Another attempt, without changing the axis.
And once again, with only half of the crossbar. 35
The hybrid below is the most plausible. Most of them end being too similar to the letter b and can cause confusion when reading. Others are just a change in the kerning, and wouldn’t prove efficient, or exciting. Exciting in the sense that the reader would notice it. So the final choice is presented. It has both clear aspects of the t and the o, it’s clear and understandable. Again, it works, but its usability might be questioned.
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Second
be 36
Hybrid type and new ligatures
While sketching possibilities for be I realised that it would be the least versatile of all, and that it wouldn’t have much to explore. The fact that both letters meet with a bowl makes them quite incompatible, allowing for a standard mediÌval ligature and not much else.
Typical ligature. Effective.
Morphed the bowl with the e. 37
Exploring how they combine when overlapped.
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Most plausible choice: The mediĂŚval ligature approach. Although unexciting, it is perfectly readable, both reading and on display.
First
the 38
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Hybrid type and new ligatures
When drawing the I noticed that it would be a challengind hybrid to work with. It has three letters, unlike all the others I had worked with before. To work with three letters was much harder. To combine three letters and still having them to be readable was no easy task. After a few drawings I noticed that it was more about the flow of writing and how everything would connect, in the same way that the ampersand evolved, rather than an obvious answer with some of the previous hybrids.
Wrong cap-height and x-height. Doesn’t flow. 41
Right x-height, wrong cap-height.
Raised ascender instead of lowering the e.
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Corrected cap-height, wrong x-height.
Errors corrected, but the finial needs work. Conclusion:
Joined crossbar and body, correcting x-height.
While designing the the, a lot of typographic rules were ignored, such as the x-height and the capheight was ignored, and it resulted in awkwardfitting letters. At the third stage the ascender was raised, and when put along text of the same size, it was thinner than the rest. However, these problems were corrected and I moved on to further experimentation. 42
Hybrid type and new ligatures
Removed the h, resulting in reading like le.
A subtle finial that also works as a serif, fits awkwardly.
An attempt on the finial, unbalanced thicks and thins.
An alternative serif, doesn’t work.
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A smooth finial, rather sharp.
Eliminating the h again, the h isn’t the problem.
Testing with a cursive e, proved to not connect.
A subtle finial, keeping the serif of the h. It works. 44
Hybrid type and new ligatures
Most plausible outcome: The the proved to have numerous possibilities, and to work as a hybrid that could even develop into a potential glyph. In this case I believe there are two possible outcomes. If it were to be introduced, the one with the serif of the h would be the chosen one, and the one without would be its second evolutionary state, if it became familiar. Lowered the e to match the x-height, no response.
Removed the serif of the h, and it reads correctly. 45
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Phase 9: Testing the outcomes. They are interesting, but a bit clumsy, as if they were forced to connect rather than flowing naturally. Phase 9a: Testing the outcomes on running text. A man went a hotel and walked up front desk check in. The woman at desk gave him his key and told him that on way his room, there was a door with no number that was locked and no one was allowed in there. Especially no one should look inside ' room, under any circumstances. So he followed instructions woman at front desk, going straight tohis room, and going bed. He knew he should careful, but next night his curiosity would not leave him alone about room with no number on door. He walked down hall door and tried handle. Sure enough it was locked. He bent down and looked through wide keyhole. Cold air passed through it, chilling his eye. What he saw was a hotel bedroom, like his, and in corner was a woman whose skin was completely white. She was leaning her head against wall, facing away from
door. He stared in confusion for a while. He almost knocked on door, out curiosity, but decided not . This disinclination saved his life. He crept away from door and walked back his room. The next day, he returned door and looked through wide keyhole. This time, all he saw was redness. He couldn’t make anything out besides a distinct red color, unmoving. Perhaps inhabitants room knew he was spying night before, and had blocked keyhole with something red. At this point he decided consult woman at front desk for more information. She sighed and said, “Did you look through keyhole?” The man told her that he had and she said, “Well, I might as well tell you story. A long time ago, a man murdered his wife in that room, and her ghost haunts it. But these people were not ordinary. They were white all over, except for their eyes, which were red.”
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Hybrid type and new ligatures
Phase 9b: Testing the outcomes on display.
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Final breakdown:
How to take the experiment further:
In conclusion, although examples for the four letters were developed, I feel that only the was successful. With running text, to, for example, reads like b, and has proved to complicate reading, and not fitting its purpose. Be, although effective, looks like a mere ligature. It saves space, but using it over the normal two letters isn't ground breaking. Of seems unbalanced and awkward when reading too, and isn't a convincing choice. It improves when used as display text, but still not brilliant. The experiment proved much bigger than what I had previously thought. When I started to draw the possible combinations of letters and create ligatures I thought I'd end up with around twenty or thirty possible outcomes. I had around 250 drawn out. And I noticed that ligatures wouldn't be that exciting, so I decided to shift to hybrids only. A type hybrid, as my definition, is a combination of two letters that morph into a single, unique glyph, that still reads as both letters.
If the experimentation were to continue, there are many routes one could choose. I could test them with different typefaces, particularly on sans-serif typefaces, and see if the results would be different. I could try it with cursive type, and generate very different results. Develop a typeface that includes the hybrids as ligatures, and introduce them to the general public. Take the the and develop it further, follow an evolution path similar to that of the ampersand. Explore more common words in the English language. Try the four most used words in other languages and come with different results.
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