The Dimensional Typography of Joseph Alessio

The Dimensional Typography of
Joseph Alessio 

Typography is commonly linked to advertising design and illustrates a clear message. Typographic illustrator and animator, Joseph Alessio, achieves this through three-dimensional lettering. Dimensional lettering is a combination of sculpture and design. It is hands on, delicately crafted, and tangible. This dimensional lettering places the viewer in the realm of type, rather than having the separation between paper, ink, and human.

Typographic forms created with diverse materials that help convey the message provided by the letterforms themselves, add an additional layer of concept to the viewer. This can be seen in the work “Tools of the Trade” by Joseph Alessio. Creating the typographic phrase with a variety of tools draws the viewer in and unconsciously links the material with the phrase. This was a personal series of hand constructed dimensional lettering, each image containing a different phrase with a similar color palette, based off of DIN typefaces.

The use of gifs throughout design has become increasingly widespread, especially throughout social media. It draws in the viewer, making them believe they are truly in the space. In Joseph Alessio’s “Off the Wall”, he uses blue painters tape to create the phrase “off the wall” on a blank white wall of his apartment. He uses a gif to illustrate time passing. The tape unravels literally off the wall, revealing the blank white wall. The use of a gif in this typographic image can convey a variety of messages to a viewer that wouldn’t necessarily arise if it was just a still image.

Joseph Alessio is a typographic illustrator and animator that focuses on dimensional typography. He uses a variety of unique materials to convey each typographic message and uses gifs to bring his work to life. Dimensional typography grabs the attention of viewers because they can view themselves within the space and eliminates the disconnect commonly drawn with two-dimensional ink on paper.  

3D Type / Type as object

Sam Chirnside

Andreas Neophytou

Rizon Parein

Marcelo Schultz

Shiffa

Marina Rosso

FOUND TYPOGRAPHY
Alphabet with Tools (1977), by Mervyn Kurlansky, takes everyday objects found in homes and workshops and transforms them into the letters of the Western alphabet.

Sometimes as designers we think very flat, very 2 dimensional. There is another plane that we forget to consider when were in the computer look at a flat background. Some consider it slick, or too flashy, but there are times when 3D type can be very exciting and tastefully done. Weather it's mastering shadow and highlight in photoshop and illustrator or learning a 3D program that aids in realistic dimensional qualities, 3D type can become the living content of a piece. There's alot of retro, flat, hand illustrative design floating around, but sometimes it's all too predictable. Adding dimension, when appropriate, can give new feeling and depth to design.
And not just super-slick computer generated looking design occupies this realm. People are drawing and physically making these dimensional type pieces too. The found object and photographed scenarios are nice touches in the dimensional type realm too.