Inside Björk, the Documentary
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qbJCqnITC7s&t=1831sThe typeface for the documentary itself is quite representative of Björk as it conveys a sense of natural and organic through it's handwritten visual effect. The curves and inspiration from art deco may be related to her visual art being very symbolically decorative. The font itself also looks quite musical as it has the circular shapes taken from music notes and the art deco reference relates to classical music - she is classically trained and uses classical compositions such as orchestras.
- "Biggest influence Iceland has had on my music is the organic. This thing with 22 hour light in the summer and darkness in the winter is absolutely normal and icebergs and eruptions and no trees at all is the way it should be. I have spent alot of time in nature as a kid was definitely the influence."
- She grew up in a rural landscape but its rapidly accepting modernity.
- She started writing about bodily desires with a mix of searching for emotional highs . her world is v much a girl’s word. serious avant garde art is her background.
- When the music scene in Iceland was developing she had to remembeer what it was to be Icelandic. "It is not forgetting about nature. It was not forgetting about the mythology in the culture which is very strong."
- Said about her - "unearthly. excessive. wild. She goes against the grain of the music." "Her voice isn't quite human." "It's out of control but still in control."
- Her music is soulful ("rooted in folk") with electronic elements (MODERN.)
- Childlike, love, magic
- Many of her songs were reflecting her experience in the big city (london) but were written as modern fairytales.
Icelandic/Norse Mythology and Fonts
"The Vikings believed their alphabet and lettering, was not only a tool for communication but was charged with a kind of magic.
Runes can be recognized by their angular, linear, and diagonal qualities. Runes have few horizontal and curved lines, simply because it was difficult to carve these shapes into materials like stone and metal."
- Mostly angular and made up of straight lines as they were originally carved - not written.
- Used to represent their beliefs and bring faith/magic to objects and culture - not for direct communication.
A famous Icelandic graphic designer who has designed many of the Icelandic brands logotypes.
http://www.typeroom.eu/article/siggi-odds-typographic-magic-spelled-runes
- He looks at using Futhark runes alphabet to design his typographic projects (exploring original Icelandic type before Christianity was established and the Roman alphabet became the norm).
- This typeface - ‘Rúnamerki’ which means runemarks - "The idea for the project came when I was researching runes and experimenting with creating some of my own with letterforms from existing typefaces” “Futhark runes were used in Iceland from the first century AD until Christianity took over in Scandinavia, and with it came the Roman alphabet. Runes lingered in some small form until the 19th century—ornamental mainly—but after that they fell almost entirely out of use.”
- “Runes are the letters in a set of related alphabets known as runic alphabets, which were used to write various Germanic languages before the adoption of the Latin alphabet and for specialised purposes thereafter. The Scandinavian variants are also known as futhark or fuþark (derived from their first six letters of the alphabet: F, U, Þ, A, R, and K); the Anglo-Saxon variant is futhorc or fuþorc (due to sound changes undergone in Old English by the names of those six letters).”
Odd's typeface compared to original viking runemarks.- Angular lines - not many curves. Idea that this can be carved.
- Symbolic - meant to represent their beliefs and magic.
- Almost direct similarities such as between the "B" and "M" however with more of a bevel join.
- Some letters are sounds and not actual letters. - "ng" looks more like an O and the "O" is more of a symbol - keeping the cultural significance.
The typefaces aren't true representations of the actual alphabet. Made more modern through warps and made more for a logotype through making it bold.
Moving forward: need to experiment with runemarks as the main inspiration however making it more modern by actually representing the english alphabet instead of sounds. Or take elements of symbolism within runemarks to develop current chosen typeface.
M/M Paris
The typefaces designed for Björk were made with direct influence from the album that it was being designed for whereas my typeface is to be used as branding that encompasses what she's about - her inspiration, her heritage, etc.
- They are very rounded - connoting her organic approach, her childlike imagination, very representative of movement and poetic music.
- experimental - none follow many conventions of type such as modernist typefaces would and one even disregards being completely legible.
- all very symbolic. Biophilia is representative of music notes. Medulla is representative of atoms. Volta is representative of following a system but having fun (how she approached this album). Vespertine encompasses her focus on femininity and personal approach through the effect of handwritten cursive. This typeface actually doesn't directly relate to her album as much as the others do as the album is more experimental and aggressive in comparison to others however represents the sybaritic imagery she associates with it.
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