MuirMcNeil Point typefaces

Research, design and production of four related parametric type systems: TwoPoint, ThreePoint, FourPoint, Ten Point.

We are pleased to announce the release of four new geometric typeface systems together with the publication of a limited edition of corresponding typographic posters.

Paul Klee famously said that drawing was “taking a line for a walk” but nowadays, in visual communications, dots are exercised in exactly the same way. Almost all contemporary media are assembled from tiny static points in increasing volume and at increasingly microscopic sizes. Sophisticated software programmes trace our smallest gestures, ideas and decisions in intricate arrangements of binaries, off or on, on or off. Dots cluster tightly together in massive formations, hiding in plain sight to create spectacular illusions of images, words, objects, motion and sound.

MuirMcNeil’s new typographic projects are attempts to harness the dot by amplifying it at the same time as diminishing it to the lowest possible pitch; to the tipping point where it can no longer act as a carrier for any message except to communicate its own isolation. Referencing the earliest, crudest implementations of these binary forms in pixels, dot matrix letters and LED displays, the project acknowledges the historic parallel interface of technology and communication design since the early twentieth century; in particular, seminal work undertaken in the 1970s and 80s.

But it would be a mistake to consider these projects as backward looking, referential or retrograde. MuirMcNeil’s intention is neither to mimic the past nor to wallow in nostalgia but to simply expose the inky dot to hard white light; to pin it down, black and raw.

These points have remained feral: they have not been wrangled into domesticated herds but have been left alone as separate organisms within a group of typefaces. In the patterns they make, it’s possible they might pick a fight with the ones on your screen or they might gang up to attack an older, weaker postscript print device. It’s up to you to tame them. Handle them with care, like bacteria or a swarm of killer bees.

Typefaces and posters

There are four typefaces within the system, each available in extensive variations and subcomponent versions which can be used for the development of unique design outputs.

TwoPoint is a monospaced geometric type system based on early dot matrix and LED display lettering.
ThreePoint is a system of three-dimensional display typefaces designed in four viewpoints or projections. It is a dot-based development of MuirMcNeil’s 2013 Panopticon system.
FourPoint is an optical/geometric type system that explores the relationships between scale, density, information and resolution.
TenPoint is a modular type system that attempts to locate typographic objects at the lowest limit of their function as vehicles of communication; to use the fewest dots.

The typefaces in each system are designed to interact with one another, offering a wide range of visual possibilities. Using page layout, bitmap or vector design software, the user can apply selected styles either in precisely interlocking layers or in easily calibrated offset overlays. Outlines, tints, colours, textures, patterns and transparencies can be applied as appropriate. These features provide an enormous number of opportunities when working in print and fixed media. They are also particularly useful in motion graphics where their precise layering and calibration allows perfect control over positions and transitions.

A series of four large-format silkscreened posters has been published in glorious black-and-white to accompany each typeface system. MuirMcNeil’s website, www.muirmcneil.com, provides extensive information on their design background and development. Typeface licenses and posters are available for purchase at www.muirmcneil.com/shop.

www.muirmcneil.com
twitter: @MuirMcNeil

• http://www.muirmcneil.com/project/twopoi...
• http://www.muirmcneil.com/project/threep...
• http://www.muirmcneil.com/project/fourpo...
• http://www.muirmcneil.com/project/tenpoi...