drawing The Art of Dying | the Gojira project

the art of dying : typeface research pt 2

For the Art of Dying project, I have been continuing to develop the type shapes for the chorus sequence. 

As with the verse sequences, I first worked with a generic type shapes : a medium-weight, condensed sans serif with no definitive style or character.

initial type work on the chorus sequence:

 

As I have mentioned previously, I realized that this project required much more specific type design to distinguish the 2 distinctive rhythmic styles used in Joseph Duplantier's vocal work in The Art of Dying.

The second of these styles is used in the chorus sequence, which you can listen to here:

The vocal work in the chorus of The Art of Dying is characterized by long notes held out over rapid drum rhythms are grounded in front of an extremely dense wall of sound. The high contrast between this slow, long melody and the extremely dense and fast musical background creates an effect of stasis. Time seems to stop and the melody just hangs in the air.

To illustrate this, I chose a bodoni-based alphabet to emphasis the thick-thin contrast. I rounded out letters like the "w" and chose to use certain lower-case letters like the "n" and the "a" to underline the drawn-out, smoothed melody. The sharp, this serifs represent the high, sharp drum beats.

The result is much denser, visually, and brings out the "propeller" effect of stasis: the music is moving so quickly that it completely slows down and you only hear the melody.

Once I begin working on coloring, the type will be in white, with the tunnel structure in shades of dark grey/black.

 

The Art of Dying : full project portfolio

the art of dying : typeface research (part 1)

When I first began working on sequence and design layout of the Art of Dying project, I first worked with a generic type shapes : a medium-weight, condensed sans serif with no definitive style or character. 

 

initial type work:

However, as I continued developing the linework, I began to realize that the project required much more specific type design.

Joe Duplantier's vocals are harsh, as a general rule. But as I listened more closely to the song, I realized there are 2 distinctive rhythmic styles used in the vocal work, which require 2 different typefaces to illustrate them.  

The first of these styles is used in the verses (you can listen to the first verse in the video below). It's characterized by strongly accented beats. The drum rhythms are grounded in front of a wall of sound that is suddenly less dense - there is quite a bit of white space compared to the introduction to the song. 

To illustrate this, I chose to create a condensed and thick square-edged alphabet with a system of lengthened ascenders and descenders to bring out the accented rhythms and mechanical, technical delivery (which is moreover reflected in the lyrics).

Here's the audio of the first verse: