Design

Typographic furniture

By Stacey Kole

January 30, 2013

While typography is typically a two-dimensional proposition, the communication design students at the University of Applied Science in Dusseldorf have expanded the practice to 3-D.

As an exercise in three-dimensional letterforms and their applications, the school’s budding designers crafted typographic furniture for each letter of the alphabet.

The goal was clear: seek to combine artistic expression and readability with functionality. It turns out that a lowercase “G” makes an ideal bench; “T” lends itself to a chic table; and the letter “Q” makes for a striking clock.

Perhaps the most elegant interpretation is the 'P' for 'paper'.

The innovative approach by the course is an excellent example of what we can learn when we look at forms from a different perspective, and further advances the cause — if any further argument were needed — of cross-discipline design education.

No doubt this kind of ingenuity will put these creative students at the head of the class. The only question now is whether they’ll turn out to be designers of the graphic — or industrial — variety.

Which piece of letter furniture do you like best? What other forms do letters lend themselves to? Let us know what you think in the comments.