Type as sculpture

Seeing as Henry Moore is known as being a sculptor, why not replicate this through typography.

A backwards R in this example is subtle but against the normal letterforms it stands out and becomes characteristic enough to take notice of the reader.

The large underline in this experiment makes "henry moore" look like a typographic sculpture on a surface and also references the large plinths underneath his sculptures. 

Taking the concept literally, the letterforms here are manipulated to remove much of their original shape in order to make the reader view them for their forms. However the composition here may be too unusual to communicate effectively to the Foundation's audience.

Reading Emil Ruder's lecture on 'The Word', gave a further understanding this method of removing readability. He explains why we find foreign script appealing as "its readability bars us from comprehension and we enjoy it purely as a work of art." The reader sees "straight and curved lines, which unite to form a graphic image devoid of linguistic meaning."

Reading further, Ruder explains how letterforms have a 'linear' and 'plane' like qualities.

H I L F T - Vertical 
S A G O D - Plane
R O M I X - Combination

Creating an aesthetically pleasing combination of letterforms will require a balance of these characteristics. "This change of effect within a typeface is too rarely taken into consideration. But it is precisely this that produces lively and exciting work from our characters."

Therefore the following experiment aims to completely remove any recognisability and readability of Henry Moore's name and with it making a sculptural shape from it.

The squares in these sketches represent each letterform. A sense of direction through asymmetry is the aim of these combinations. Asymmetry and direction create movement on the poster, forcing the eye to move across the page.

Linear letterforms:

h
n
r
y
m

Plane letterforms

e
o

In order to remove as much readability as possible, the letterforms were manipulated so as to not visually form "henry moore". 

When applied, the layout descends to the right of the page, dragging the eye across and onto the  copy. Having the copy in a bronze is a reference to Moore's sculptures as well as allowing the type sculpture to be the main focal point.