Geometry/Typography
I created typefaces based on three basic geometric shapes. Toy blocks seemed like a good structure for this book.
Folded book, 3 by 3 inch faces.
Floating Signifiers
In linguistics, meaning can be separated from its text. What happens when the letters themselves are deconstructed?
Clear pages, 5 by 8 inches closed.
Shopping for Serifs
Why shouldn’t all typefaces have access to decorative accessories?
Dimensional accordion book, 3.5 by 8 inches closed.
Facial Typography
Can we read each other’s faces the way we read texts? If we can, can we invent structures that help obscure or clarify what is written on the human face? From Stone Age disguises used in hunting rituals to the nearly ceremonial application of makeup in an Instagram “Influencer” video, human beings have hidden their faces to often reveal something more universal. Masks play a key role in rituals: religious, spiritual and earthly. In war and the declaration of peace. Marking the creation of life, its milestones, and its ending. Masks imbue power, provide protection, invoke ancestors, enhance celebration, highlight rites of passage, enable connection to the animal and spirit worlds. They have even played an unfortunate role in recent political discord. There is a reason that a 9,000 year old mask seen in a museum resonates as strongly as a current satirical Halloween mask. This book, designed to combine masks, lets one play with intersections of personal identity and communal human experience. The face as text.
Gretchen Treuting ©2025