Analysing the form of letterforms

In order to effectively create typographic sculptures that demonstrate the relationship between the form of the letterform and sculpture, a breakdown of the characteristics of letterform is necessary. 

One way to categorise letterforms is through visual impact.

Capital letters tend to possess more visual impact because of their larger cap height, larger form and stronger characteristics.

Lowercase letterforms are visually weaker than capitals, however they do possess more identifiable characteristics than capitals when set in long text. This is why Roman lettering is hard to read for copy. The consistent cap height makes it harder to distinguish the identifiable characteristics of each letterform. 

This does not mean lowercase letterforms cannot be used in the same way as the capital, it is just the form that produces a different visual effect. This is evident when comparing an 'A' and 'a' for example. 

The 'A' looks stronger because its design is more simplistic than the lowercase.

The simplicity of the 'A's strokes emphasise its form. There is less distraction and ornamentation as compared to the 'a' so there is more immediate impact compared to the 'a'.

When comparing letterforms such as 'D' and 'd', the ornamentation of the lowercase is less than the 'a', however the 'D' is visually stronger as its size and counter form impose a stronger impact on the page.

Fig. 1

Fig. 2

Interestingly enough, the opposite is true when comparing letterforms that share the same form for both uppercase and lowercase. 

The subtle differences in the stroke width between the two variations of 'Z' are designed to look proportional in its respective case. In Fig. 1 the differences in form between the two are hard to distinguish, it is only when the lowercase is scaled up to the same as the uppercase do the subtle differences become more evident. 

When scaled up, the lowercase letterform is visually stronger than its uppercase variant. However when considering the context of its use, the scaled up lowercase looks less refined than the intentionally designed capital. The thinner stroke width of the capital are designed to allow ample counterform to distinguish the letters. 

Visual strength can also be determined through hard and soft qualities. For example 'M' and 'm'. The capital 'M' is very angular, created through the harsh contrasting angles. The lowercase 'm' has a softer visual impact due to the curves that produce a lower contrast between the vertical and curvilinear strokes. 

What this means in terms of designing the typographic sculptures is that different letterforms will be suited to Noguchi's different periods of sculptures. 

In Noguchi's initial period of abstraction under Brancusi, the sculptures possessed softer forms, produced by the smaller size and more pronounced curvature. 

These characteristics suit the forms of the lowercase letters such as:

a

b

c

d

e

g

o

p

q

s

u

The visual impact of the capital letters on the other hand suit the scale the scale and presence of Noguchi's Free standing period towards the end of his career. 

The interlocking period of Noguchi's sculpture produced hectic and complicated forms that use predominantly vertical and angular strokes with a slight curvature. 

The letterforms that represent these qualities are:

i

j

k

l

r

t

v

w

x

y

X

K

L

I

F

T

V

N

The period of Noguchi's Akari sculptures are interesting because they are not entirely sculpture. They are lighting fixtures that been sculpted. Its purpose has removed it from being a purely artistic form. 

Akari in Japanese means 'the light' and his Akari sculptures represent this meaning. They are made from shoji paper, which thin characteristics offer a soft translucency that allows a warm glow of the light source to shine through, much like the Sun as Noguchi describes, "the light of Akari is like the light of the sun filtered through the paper of shoji. The harshness of electricity is thus transformed through the magic of paper back to the light of our origin – the sun – so that its warmth may continue to fill our rooms at night."

Noguchi's Akari sculptures are complete when the light fills the form, in the same way the counterform of the letterform gives it its identity. 

Therefore the typographic sculptures representing the Akari period of Noguchi's sculptures could focus on the counterform of letters such as:

a

e

o

s

z

B

C

D

G

Q

T 

Having the capitals set in outline would help give the impression of a thin exterior just like the thinness of the shoji paper. 

On another note, form is most associated shape. The form of a shape is its identity. More importantly it is the boundary of its outline that dictates it shape. The counterform of the letterform gives its boundary linguistic meaning and identity. Without it, the letterform returns to being a shape. But the complete removal of linguistic meaning is near impossible when dealing with known letterforms.  

This is the reason why foreign script often looks more alluring than the users native language, as the lack of linguistic association reduces the form to a pure graphic shape.

Removing the meaning of the letterforms will help readers notice the form and provide a better comparison to Noguchi's sculptures.