Classification of Calligrams from a Formalist Perspective in the Typography of Titles for Children's Illustrated Books

Document Type : Original Article

Author

MA of Children ̓s and Young Adults ̓ Literature, Payame Noor University, Tehran, Iran.

10.22051/pgr.2024.45973.1240

Abstract

 
 
 
 
Letters serve as symbols within both linguistic and visual sign systems, yet their visual characteristics often become overshadowed by their linguistic functions during the reading process. A key role of typography is to rejuvenate the visual essence of written text. Typography not only enhances the aesthetic appeal but also contributes to the interpretive understanding of the text. This study aims to categorise graphic techniques that forge a meaningful connection between the visual presentation of words and their linguistic meanings. Techniques such as estrangement and defamiliarization are of particular interest to formalist scholars. Typography naturally emphasises these techniques through its ability to highlight and make the familiar unfamiliar, thus a formalist perspective has been utilised to explore this topic. This paper investigates how prevalent graphic elements in typography can induce visual defamiliarization, employing the concept of "device" as defined by Shklovsky to denote methods of aesthetic creation within texts. Employing an analytical-descriptive methodology, this research focuses on picture books for specific age categories "A" and "B," selected intentionally. Consequently, books selected for analysis have titles on their covers or title pages that rely heavily on typographic design, either in Persian or other languages, from a collection of one hundred and ten titles for the specified age groups. From this, ninety-seven titles were chosen, and the typographic formalist techniques of eighteen titles are scrutinized within this paper. The study seeks to address two primary questions regarding the typography of children's book titles: 1) What formal devices are employed to generate calligram meanings within the text? 2) How are these formal devices further categorized?
The motivation for this research stems from the observation that children have a stronger connection with visual language than with written language, and while the incorporation of visual elements in children's literature is widespread, there is still a notable deficiency in comprehensive research within this domain. The findings of this study indicate that the typography in children's literature can be dissected through an array of formal aspects. This document categorises these formal aspects of typography based on various criteria: the degree of defamiliarization, the functions of the paradigmatic and syntagmatic axes, the levels of intertextuality and independence, the density of visual spacing between characters, and the contextual relevance of letters. This classification aims to streamline the teaching of typography to students and assist researchers in the comparative art fields with their analysis of artistic works.
Fundamentally, typography is predicated on the concept of defamiliarization. This research delineates three principal forms of defamiliarization encountered in the typographic titles of children's books: "local," "global gestalt," and "global distributive." a) Local defamiliarization entails the visual alteration of a specific part of the text, endowing it with an iconic function without altering all components of the text. b) Global gestalt defamiliarization converts the overall gestalt, or the entire typographic representation, into an iconic signifier, rather than merely a portion. For example, in "A Crow Like a Crow" (Khodaei, 2009), the full typographic depiction of the word "crow" visually represents a crow.
 
Pic 1. A Crow Like a Crow (Khodaei, 2009)
 

c) In global distributive defamiliarization, calligram elements are not confined to a specific location (such as a single letter or word); instead, they are dispersed across the entirety or most of the letters in the typographic composition. Another method for producing iconic representations of symbolic elements in language utilises both the paradigmatic and syntagmatic axes. For generating calligram significance, typography adopts three approaches involving these axes: substituting a paradigmatic iconic signifier for a symbolic one, replacing a paradigmatic symbolic signifier with an iconic one, and integrating a syntagmatic iconic signifier with a symbolic signifier.
a) Replacing a symbolic signifier with a paradigmatic iconic signifier: According to Saussure, the paradigmatic relationship is characterized by the ability to interchange linguistic elements. For example, replacing the letter "O" in "love" with an "I" transforms the word into a new linguistic entity, "live." This principle of paradigmatic substitution is also applicable in typography through the exchange of linguistic-artistic elements. For instance, instead of the letter "O," which is a symbolic (linguistic) signifier, one can employ the image of a heart, which acts as an iconic (visual) signifier (pic 2). Consequently, this linguistic-artistic signifier assumes both iconic and linguistic roles. It visually represents the concept of the heart (as a symbol of love), while linguistically, it stands in for the letter "O."

 
Pic 2. 1ove Can Come in Many Ways (Pierce, 2020)
 

b) Replacing an iconic signifier with a paradigmatic symbolic signifier: In this instance, a sequence of letters replaces a portion of the illustration. Often in iconography, letters assume the role of the entire image. For example, the cover of Das ABC-Spielebuch (Berner, 2010) showcases a cat illustration, wherein its abdomen is ingeniously substituted with a series of alphabet letters (pic 3).

 
Pic 3. Das ABC-Spielebuch (Berner, 2010)
 

c) In typographies that utilise the syntagmatic axis, introducing an iconic signifier does not remove the symbolic signifier; rather, they both exist adjacent to each other, jointly conveying meaning.

Regarding intertextuality, the calligrams of the typographic title are classified into three types: image-adjacent inadequacy, image-intertwined inadequacy, and self-sufficient calligrams.

a) In image-adjacent calligrams, the image is affixed to the text.
b) In image-intertwined calligrams, the typography integrates into a larger image and is interlaced throughout the image's structure.
c) In self-sufficient calligrams, the calligram may be mono-media, meaning it exclusively employs the writing system without relying on visual media for its typography.

Typographers occasionally craft calligrams by modifying the ratio of letter density to texture. This ratio of letter density to texture is categorised into three types: positive density dominance, negative density dominance, and non-dominance.

a) Positive density dominance: The existence of textual content necessitates a backdrop or context. Adhering to the gestalt principle (the figure-ground perception), the dominance of positive space can be observed in two primary areas: within the text characters themselves and their surrounding background. This dominance of positive space within the characters serves to enhance the visibility of the typographic design. In (Karsten, 2019) AaaHHH, the positive density of the letters is achieved through a diverse and varied selection of fonts, thereby highlighting the typography. The book delves into environmental concerns, with a particular focus on the issue of noise pollution in urban settings. Consequently, the typographer has depicted the concept of sound pressure throughout the book by employing the density and variety of fonts for the letters A and H. Moreover, italicizing these letters symbolically represents the direction of the sound pressure (emanating outward from the book).

 
Pic 4. AaaHHH (Karsten, 2019) 
 
In instances where there is a dominance of positive density at the background level, the contrast created between a cluttered texture and a sparsely written phrase can result in the typographic expression becoming prominent.

b) Negative Density Dominance: Negative space effectively emphasises typography across two dimensions: at the level of the letters (figure) and the background level (ground). The emphasis at the letter level is achieved by creating a sense of openness and increasing tracking (the overall spacing between letters). When negative density dominates the background, a sparse texture or a contrasting colour tone to the typographic phrase highlights the text.
c) Non-dominance: In this context, neither positive nor negative spaces take precedence. This lack of dominance presents itself in two variations: bipolar absence and uniform absence. In the case of bipolar absence, the typographic phrase is divided into two parts. Each segment exhibits localized dominance of either positive or negative space; however, from a gestalt perspective, no dominance prevails. In "How Big Is the World?" (Teckentrup, 2012), the title spans two lines. "World" stands alone on the upper line, with the rest of the words positioned below. The expansive open space surrounding the single word "World" in the title's first line, juxtaposed with the dense arrangement of words in the second line, creates a bipolar density of space. The objective of this bipolar spatial configuration is to visually convey the attribute of "largeness" for the word "world."

 
Pic 5. How Big Is the World? (Teckentrup, 2012)
 
In the context of homogeneous non-dominance, there is a balance between positive and negative spaces around letters, visible in segments and throughout the text. This differs from bipolar non-dominance, where local dominance doesn't affect the overall composition. Homogeneous non-dominance lacks both local and global dominance. As per the figure-ground principle, written content can be both foreground and background. Typography may serve as a backdrop rather than just text, with legible or illegible textures. In "I am the Eighth of Those Seven" (Nazar Ahari, 2012), typography is crucial for texture and spatial dynamics. Children's book covers showcase graphic arts and typography, serving as marketing tools and artworks connecting readers to the narrative. This study suggests that innovative typography results from changing textual structures based on visual elements.
 
 
 

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References

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