Wonder Words

WO R D S Narayanan Krishnaswamy

WO R D S Narayanan Krishnaswamy 2020

Author has the full right on all the photographs, designs and artworks presented here. Any part of this work covered herein may be reproduced, transmitted, stored or used in any form or by any means graphic, electronic or mechanical, including but not limited to photocopying, recording, scanning, digitizing, taping, Web distribution, information networks or information storage and retrieval systems with due intimation, credits and acknowledgment of the publisher and author. These artworks are owned by the author and has right of claim over them. This book uses MS Gothic for text and Bodoni MT Black for headings. The book design is by the author.

Narayanan Krishnaswamy narayankrishnaswamy@gmail.com

to

K MOHAN RAO who introduced typography to me

I

T

all started in May 20, 2020, when the Covid-19 lockdowns were at its peak and future of life and businesses had been uncertain. It was an unusual situation for me too, wherein I had been locked down for about two months within the few walls of home. It was a pleasant and astonishing experience as this was the first time since my childhood, I stayed for that long, in home.

During this period many old items were restored or discarded, accounted for and brought to life and a number of works kept pending for years got done. I had never lived such a safe life since the beginning of my adulthood and I had started astonishing about my ‘safety’ and I started looking at life from different perspectives. I tried realising my

interests and things, which I started out to accomplish fresh from college.

I looked at my bucket list of ‘things to do in life’ and noticed that I have still not put my ideas of type design and typography on record.

In the mean time, I got a handful of trimmings of paper from a printing press. The pandemic and the forced safety of my home, made me look out for positive qualities using single simple words, for survival and life and chose some positive and fulfilling words in English, scourging from the Internet.

I started letting my type design skills flow. Using a STAEDTLERÂŽ Pigment Liner Pen (0.05 mm) and Reynolds Trimax Pen (0.5 mm) I started drawing each of those selected words by freehand, one word on each piece of

paper. Life is colourful and I felt simple black and white freehand drawn experimental types could do better with colours. A set of Reeves oil pastels (set of 24 crayons) left over by my daughter since childhood came handy.

Crayons are bold, energetic and vibrant, but challenging to use and I used them to give life and dynamism to those positive words. The type design and typography are original and in some cases inspired. They are experimental and let the words guide the readers to get into the appropriate mental moods of meditation, calisthenics or gymnastics.

In the meanwhile, partial opening up of lockdowns, let me into my regular business mode from June 01 and I completed this project on July

12, 2020.

I believe, this endeavour of Wonder Words shall certainly energise anyone who comes across this. It shall certainly inspire type designers, typographers and designers in any of their ventures.

Narayanan Krishnaswamy

P

ositive Words

Words generated with the twist of tongue and spouted through lips may seem just words and they vanish by evaporation. When they are actually given a shape and put on display they seem to remain there until the person willing to read it. In fact, words shape our language and thinking. A society, develops a vocabulary for concepts that are most relevant to it and its lifestyle and in turn, the words it uses to tint its view of reality. In this context positive words always turn and tint the reality towards positivism. Anyone who speaks more than one language can attest to the fact that sometimes there is no accurate equivalent word for a particular emotion in another language and its to be used the way in its original language. Each one’s unique experience, conditions language with positive versus negative emotions. Making an effort to incorporate more positive feeling words into our daily vocabulary will make us feel happier and more optimistic overall.

T

ypography

is the design or selection of letter forms to be organized into words and sentences to be disposed in blocks of type as printing upon a page. Gerrit Noordzij, professor of typeface design at the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague, Netherlands, from 1960 to 1990, defines typography as “writing with prefabricated characters”. Typography is the art and technique of arranging type to make written language legible, readable and appealing when displayed. Typography and the typographer who practices it may also be concerned with other related matters— the selection of paper, the choice of ink, the method of printing, the design of the binding if the product at hand is a book — but the word typography without modifier most usually denotes the activities and concerns of those most involved in and concerned with the determination of the appearance of the printed page.

T

ype Design

is the art and process of designing typefaces.

Designing typefaces or letterforms intended for eventual manufacture as founts or fonts in type metal, photographic or digital forms. A type design differs from other modes of graphic production such as handwriting and drawing. Since Gutenberg, type design started with cutting punches, which would be struck into a brass matrix.

The matrix was inserted into the bottom of the adjustable mould and this acted as the master for each letter that was cast. The design of a legible text-based typeface remains one of the most challenging assignments . The visual quality of the reading material being of paramount importance, each drawn character (glyph) must be even in appearance with every other glyph regardless of order or sequence. Also, it has to be versatile and appear

the same, whether it is small or large. Type design is performed by a type designer as a craft, blending elements of art and science. In the predigital era it was primarily learned through apprenticeship and professional training within the industry. Since the mid-1990s the transition to digital type and fount editors which can be inexpensive, open source or free has led to a great democratization of type design, the craft is accessible to anyone with the interest to pursue it, nevertheless, it may take a very long time for the serious artist to master.

E

xperimental Typography

Designers often experiment with different design elements and interfaces to make a piece come attractive and stand out. Type faces are one of those elements used in a creative manner to increase aesthetic appeal, attract attention and convey the intended meaning or message. When this is done in an extraordinary fashion it becomes experimental. Letter spacing, letter form and form spacing are the key elements of experimental typography. “Unfortunately, the single-minded pursuit of structural meaning and authenticity, decorated only with irony in the aesthetics of the twentieth century, has left style, ornamentation and beauty in the hands of amateurs�. This tension of typographic legibility and experimentation has been an ongoing and sometimes contentious debate in the

field of graphic design theory. At the heart of this type of experimental typography are two key facets, rigour and experimentation through deconstruction without abandoning aesthetics. Some of the greatest graphic design work has been forged through both rigour and experimentation often challenging the notions of legibility and readability.

O

NISM noun

Awareness of how little of the world you will experience; the frustration of being stuck in just one body, that inhabits only one place at a time, which is like standing in front of the departures screen at an airport, flickering over with strange place names like other people’s passwords, each representing one more thing you’ll never get to see before you die and all because, as the arrow on the map helpfully points out, you are here.

Y

ūGEN

noun Yūgen (幽玄) is an important concept in

traditional Japanese aesthetics. The exact translation of the word depends on the context. In the Chinese philosophical texts the term was taken from, yūgen meant dim, deep or mysterious. In the criticism of Japanese waka poetry, it was used to describe the subtle profundity of things that are only vaguely suggested by the poems and was also the name of a style of poetry.

K

EFI

The word kefi (κεφι) when directly translated from Greek to English means ‘fun’, but that doesn’t even come close to what it really means. When asking Greek speakers what kefi means, they say that it means you are joyful, spirited, passionate, happy and in general, that you love life.

U

KIYO

noun The floating world, living in the

moment, detached from the bothers of life.

H

YGGE

noun A Danish word for a quality of cosiness (feeling warm, comfortable and safe) that comes from doing simple things such as lighting candles, cooking, baking or spending time at home with family. The warm feeling you get while enjoying the company of great friends and all life has to offer.

M

YSA

verb To be engaged in an activity that is comfortable or pleasurable. To be comfortable or content with something; to smile (with only slight movement of the mouth); particularly as a sign of contentedness or comfort.

L

AGOM

adverb (pronounced [ˈlɑ̂ːɡɔm]) This is a Swedish word meaning ‘just the right amount’. The word can be variously translated as in moderation, in balance, perfect-simple and suitable. Lagom carries the connotation of appropriateness, although not necessarily perfection. The archetypical Swedish proverb ‘Lagom är bäst’, literally ‘The right amount is best’, is also translated as ‘Enough is as good as a feast’ or as ‘There is virtue in moderation’.

Z

EAL

noun Great energy or enthusiasm eagerness or

ardent interest in pursuit of a cause or an objective.

V

IM

noun Robust energy and enthusiasm; lively or energetic spirit, enthusiasm, vitality. If you have got vim, then you probably pack a little extra oomph in your life!

S

ISU

noun This is a Finnish concept. The word is used

to typify the Finnish spirit; endurance, inner resilience, tenacity, determination, perseverance; an inner reserve of diligence, the ability to face head-on and always overcome; craziness: the recklessness that inspires a person to take on something in the face of incredible odds; bravery, empowerment, inner strength; gritting your teeth, continuing to fight against an overwhelming enemy, clearing a forest with your bare hands, continuing on, to win a race even after falling. It means you finish what you start, you don’t quit in the middle of a job and you don’t whine.

K

ILIG

adjective Causing or characterized by a feeling of exhilaration or elation. noun It is the sudden feeling of an inexplicable joy one gets when something romantic or idealistic occurs. When kilig, one may experience the following: butterflies in one's stomach; heart melting; shivers down one's spine; irrepressible noises from one's mouth; uncontrollable smiling; an inner conflict between hope of something wished for and reality.

M

OIRA

noun The name Moira is a given name of

Greek origin. It means destiny, share, fate. In Greek mythology, the Moirai (Greek: Μοῖραι, plural for μοῖρα), were the white-robed incarnations of destiny. Individual destiny : the will of the gods : Fate.

M

OXIE

noun Energy, pep, courage, determination, know-how, force of character, determination or nerve.

Y

ATTA

verb Yatta is the past tense of the word yaru, to do. So when you hear someone shout Yatta! its primary meaning is ‘We did it!’ or ‘I did it!’ Equivalent to saying ‘I did it!’ after accomplishing a hard task.

S

ULIT

adjective Sulit is Something that is worth it.

Wow! That was totally Sulit!

K

ALON

noun Uncountable. Ideal perfect beauty in

the physical and moral sense, especially as perceived by Greek philosophers. Kalon is beauty that is more than skin deep.

S

AOI

adjective Sage, genius, wise man. (Irish pronunciation: [sˠiː], plural Saoithe; literally ‘wise one’; historically the title of the head of a bardic school) is the highest honour bestowed by Aosdána, a state-supported association of Irish creative artists. The title is awarded for life and held by at most seven people at a time.

E

LPIS

noun In Greek mythology, Elpis was the personification and spirit of hope, perhaps a child of Nyx and mother of Pheme, the goddess of fame, renown and rumour. She was depicted as a young woman, usually carrying flowers or cornucopia in her hands. In Hesiod's Works and Days, Elpis was the last item in Pandora's box. Based on Hesiod's description, the debate is still alive to determine if Elpis was only hope or more generally an expectation. Her Roman equivalent was Spes.

L

UDIC

adjective Showing spontaneous and undirected

playfulness. This word was created in all seriousness around 1940 by psychologists. They wanted a term to describe what children do and they came up with ‘ludic activity’. That may seem ludicrous - why not just call it ‘playing’? It can refer to architecture that is playful, narrative that is humorous and even satirical and literature that is light. ‘Ludic' is from the Latin noun ludus, which refers to a whole range of fun things - stage shows, games, sports, even jokes. The more familiar word ludicrous also traces back to the same source.

M

ERAKI

Doing something with soul, creativity, or love - when you put ‘something of yourself' into what you're doing, whatever it may be.

G

AIA

noun The hypothesis that the living and nonliving components of earth function as a single system in such a way that the living component regulates and maintains conditions (such as the temperature of the ocean or composition of the atmosphere) so as to be suitable for life: this system regarded as a single organism. Gaia is the ancestral mother of all life. She is the mother of Uranus (the sky), from whose union she bore the Titans , the Cyclopes and the Giants; of Pontus (the sea), from whose union she bore the primordial sea gods.

K

VELL

rejoice.

verb To be extraordinarily proud,

C

WTCH

noun Snuggling and cuddling, loving, protecting, safeguarding and claiming, all rolled into one. There is an element of intimacy, earnestness and ownership in this Welsh word that the closest English equivalents, ‘cuddle', 'snuggle’ and ‘hug’ lack. A cwtch creates a private safe place in a room or in two peoples hearts. Cwtching is strong affection made manifest and can apply to lovers or a parent and child. It is also possible to give a respected associate a non-romantic cwtch. In that scenario, a cwtch would be a heartfelt hug.

L

EAL

adjective Loyal, trustworthy, faithful and

true. Someone who's leal is devoted and dependable.

F

ERLY

adjective Wonderful, strange. noun A wonder, something strange or marvellous. verb To wonder, be surprised.

Â

ME

noun Âme in British English, French (ɑm) A soul.

1 ONISM 2 KEFI 3 YūGEN 4 UKIYO 5 HYGGE 6 MYSA 7 LOGAM 8 ZEAL 9 VIM 10 SISU 11 KILIG 12 MOIRA 13 MOXIE

14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26

YATTA SULIT KALON SAOI ELPIS LUDIC MERAKI GAIA KVELL CWTCH LEAL FERLY ÂME

References Collins English Dictionary. Copyright Š HarperCollins Publishers https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/hygge https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lagom https://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/mysa https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elpis#:~:text=In%20Greek%20mythology%2C% 20Elpis%20(Ancient,a%20cornucopia%20in%20her%20hands. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Type_design#:~:text=Type%20design%20is% 20the%20art,to%20fonts%2C%20rather%20than%20typefaces. https://findwords.info/term/saoi https://just.thinkofit.com/word-of-the-day-yugen-%E5%B9%BD%E7%8E%84/

https://research.brighton.ac.uk/en/publications/the-dichotomic-tension-ofexperimental-typography https://www.britannica.com/technology/typography/The-private-pressmovement https://www.collinsdictionary.com/amp/english/leal https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/ame https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/ferly https://www.dictionary.com/browse/vim https://www.dictionaryofobscuresorrows.com/post/73524850764/onism https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.urbandictionary.com/define.php% 3fterm=cwtch&amp=true

https://www.greekboston.com/culture/modern-history/kefi/ https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Gaia https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kvell https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ludic https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/moira https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/moxie https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/zeal https://www.signewords.com/connectingword/how-many-words-do-we-have-forpositive-vs-negative-emotions/ https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Kalon https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=kilig https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Meraki&amp=true

https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=sisu https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Sulit https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Ukiyo https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=yatta https://www.wordhippo.com/what-is/the-meaning-of/irish-word357112c8e82e65ab3252aa253af934a3e0ac9796.html https://www.yourdictionary.com/kalon

Dr. N. Krishnaswamy is a design thinker and designer. He has been in the printing and graphic arts and design industry for about four decades.

He has published papers on economics, design identity and design management. He is a designer, painter, teacher, sculptor, photographer and writer. He is passionate about colour, shape and walking.

WO R D S Narayanan Krishnaswamy