Neue Haas Grotesk was first developed by Max Miedinger (and Eduard Hoffmann) in 1957. The name”Neue Haas Grotesk” was not ideal for an international Linotype market though. Heinz Eul, sales manager at Stempel, suggested “Helvetia”, which is Latin for “Switzerland”, but Hoffmann was not convince. He instead suggested “Helvetica” – “the Swiss”. Since 1957 there have been countless derivative typefaces produced that try to capture the qualities of the typeface. Others have used Helvetica as a starting point to create more expressive variations.
Praemium, which is latin for explode, is a new weight of Helvetica Neue.
It was created by mixing ink and bubble solution, and allowing the bubbles to explode
on to each letterform. Preamium is filled with texture, depth, and different values.
It was created by mixing ink and bubble solution, and allowing the bubbles to explode
on to each letterform. Preamium is filled with texture, depth, and different values.
Objective: Derive new work from an existing design
— Implement both analog and digital processes
— Explore different means of working and how technology affects outcome
— Explore the meanings of legibility and readability
Legibility: the ease with which a reader can recognize individual characters in text
Readability: the ease with which a reader can understand a written text
Process: I began by playing with anything and everything. I had feathers, slime, bubbles, alcohol ink, india ink, colorful shredded paper, and a bubble blower gun. I had fun experimenting with everything I brought. The one thing I found most successful was mixing black india ink with the bubble solution and using the bubble blowing gun to pop bubbles over the stencils and onto my paper. As the bubbles exploded onto the stencils it created these explosive characters. I just allowed the ink to flow under the stencil and on top to give the letters texture and layers.
This project was mostly about finding new ways to approach design, how to get out of your comfort zone, and having fun throughout your process.
