Data Typographics and Literature — Guy Villa Jr.
Channel: TypeCon
Date: 2022-06-29

Recorded during TypeCon2016: Resound in Seattle, Washington

Incorporating typography lessons with a love of literature lead to a course project in data typographics. Favored books resound in the mind; in utilizing them in the curriculum, the goal was to make the typography lessons resound as well. The objective of the project was to gather data about books and learn to use information design as a structure for complex content.

As a conceptual underpinning, an avant-garde text regarding the arrangement of books in a personal library is provided to students for critical reading. Then students are instructed to research the books in their own collection and create a publication to document findings. Through the search, accumulation, sorting, editing, sequencing, and presentation of information, a narrative emerges; personal biases and individual preferences regarding reading material become revealed. Summarily, data modules are strung together to form a story, a database becomes a narrative, design and typography set the pace and tone.