Week 2 Process

Following discussions during my week 1 tutorial, I felt that my Methods of Translating needed  redirection. Up until this point, my work had primarily focused on architectural map-making as a graphic design tool. In attempts to broaden my horizons and begin the process of interweaving the disciplines of graphic design and architecture, I decided to attempt to apply an architectural theory onto a graphic design process. 

This altered my line of enquiry, and informed the overarching question: ‘What does it mean to make a Brutalist font?’. When you google “Brutalist Font”, a plethora of typefaces bounce back. As I scrolled through the pre-existing ideas of Brutalist type design, I noticed that very few of adhere to Reyner Banham’s (1955) definition of Brutalism.

The original type design from The Architectural Review article acted as the starting for my investigation into a Brutalist type face. Through a process of iterative redesign, three Brutalist type faces were created, all building upon the form of the previous. These three type faces followed Banham’s (1955, p.357) definition of Brutalism – ‘1, Formal legibility of plan; 2, clear exhibition of structure, and 3, valuation of materials for their inherent qualities ‘as found’.’ 

Reference List:

Banham, R. (1955) ‘The New Brutalism,’ The Architectural Review, 118 (708), pp. 335-361.

MyFonts. Brutalist Fonts. Available at: https://www.myfonts.com/pages/tags/brutalist-fonts/?srsltid=AfmBOorM9xuxbXGgjJBa_7jrZC-LI_zjnaKmxUgyBUwcl7fSz2Qra7cU (Accessed: 11 November 2025).