TEDxRiodelaPlata
Martina Flor: The secret language of letter design
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Look at the letters around you: on street signs, stores, restaurant menus, the covers of books. Whether you realize it or not, the letters are speaking to you, telling you something beyond the literal text -- that whatever they represent is modern or finely crafted or fantastical or zany. Learn to decode this secret language with lettering designer Martina Flor as she explains how altering the shapes, colors and textures of letters changes how we perceive them. (In Spanish with English subtitles)
Martina Flor - Lettering designer
Martina Flor combines her talents as designer and illustrator in the drawing of letters. Through her work as an artist and teacher, she has helped establish letter design in the European design scene. Full bio
Martina Flor combines her talents as designer and illustrator in the drawing of letters. Through her work as an artist and teacher, she has helped establish letter design in the European design scene. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:13
Can you imagine what the word
"TED" would have looked like
"TED" would have looked like
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if it had existed during the Roman Empire?
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I think maybe something like this.
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An artisan would have spent days
in the sun chiseling it into stone.
in the sun chiseling it into stone.
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And in the Middle Ages?
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A monk, locked in his room,
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would write T-E-D with his pen.
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And without going so far back in time,
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how would these letters
have looked in the 80s?
have looked in the 80s?
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They would have had
electric, strange colors,
electric, strange colors,
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just like our hairstyles.
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(Laughter)
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If this event were about children,
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I would draw the letters like this,
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as if they were building blocks,
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in vivid colors.
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And if it were about superheroes instead?
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I would do them like this,
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inspired by -- in my opinion --
the greatest of all:
the greatest of all:
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Superman.
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(Laughter)
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The shapes of these letters talk.
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They tell us things
beyond what they represent.
beyond what they represent.
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They send us to different eras,
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they convey values,
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they tell us stories.
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If we think about it,
our days are full of letters.
our days are full of letters.
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We see them on the front of the bus,
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on the bakery's facade,
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on the keyboard we write on,
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on our cell phones --
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everywhere.
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Since the beginning of history,
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people have felt the need
to give language an image.
to give language an image.
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And rightly so,
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because language is the most important
communication tool we have.
communication tool we have.
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Without understanding what a word means,
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we can see certain things it conveys.
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Some letters tell us
that something is modern --
that something is modern --
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at least it was back in the 70s.
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Others verify the importance
and monumentality of a place,
and monumentality of a place,
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and they do so in uppercase.
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There are letters not made to last long --
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and neither is the opportunity
they communicate.
they communicate.
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And there are letters made
by inexperienced hands
by inexperienced hands
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that, whether they mean to or not,
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make us imagine
what a place looks like inside.
what a place looks like inside.
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When I moved to Berlin,
I experienced firsthand
I experienced firsthand
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all the impact that drawn letters
can have in our day-to-day life.
can have in our day-to-day life.
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I arrived in a new city, which was
exciting and novel for me.
exciting and novel for me.
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Now, dealing with an unfamiliar language
was at times very frustrating
was at times very frustrating
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and uncomfortable.
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I found myself several times at parties
clutching my glass of wine,
clutching my glass of wine,
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without understanding a single word
of what was being said around me.
of what was being said around me.
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And of course, I'd smile
as if I understood everything.
as if I understood everything.
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I felt limited in my ability
to say what I thought,
to say what I thought,
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what I felt,
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what I believed.
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Not only did I not understand
the conversations,
the conversations,
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but the streets were full of signs
and text that I couldn't read.
and text that I couldn't read.
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But the shapes of the letters
gave me clues;
gave me clues;
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they would open up a little window
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to understanding the stories
enclosed in those shapes.
enclosed in those shapes.
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I recognized places
where tradition was important.
where tradition was important.
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[Bakery Pastries Café Restaurant]
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Or I'd know when someone
was trying to give me a signal,
was trying to give me a signal,
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and my gut would tell me
it was better to stay away.
it was better to stay away.
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[No trespassing!]
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I could also tell when something
was made to last forever.
was made to last forever.
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The shapes of letters helped me
understand my surroundings better
understand my surroundings better
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and navigate the city.
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I was in Paris recently,
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and something similar happened to me.
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After a few days in the city,
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I was on the lookout for something
tasty to take back home.
tasty to take back home.
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So I walked and walked and walked
until I found the perfect bakery.
until I found the perfect bakery.
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The sign said it all.
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[Bakery]
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I see it, and even today,
I imagine the master baker
I imagine the master baker
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dedicating the same amount of time
to each loaf of bread
to each loaf of bread
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that the craftsman dedicated
to each letter of this word.
to each letter of this word.
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I can see the bread,
with just the right ingredients,
with just the right ingredients,
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being kneaded softly and carefully,
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in the same way the craftsman
drew the ends of the letters
drew the ends of the letters
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with smooth and precise curves.
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I see the master baker placing
the buns over a thin layer of flour
the buns over a thin layer of flour
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so the bottoms don't burn.
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I think of the craftsman putting
the mosaics in the oven one by one,
the mosaics in the oven one by one,
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being careful to not let the ink run.
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The love for detail
that the master baker has
that the master baker has
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is reflected in the attention
that went into creating this sign.
that went into creating this sign.
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Without having tried their bread,
we already imagine it tastes good.
we already imagine it tastes good.
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And I can vouch for it; it was delicious.
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I'm a letterer; that's my job --
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to draw letters.
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Just like when you make bread,
it requires care in its preparation,
it requires care in its preparation,
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just the right amount of ingredients
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and love for the details.
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Our alphabet is at the same time
my raw material and my limitation.
my raw material and my limitation.
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The basic structure of the letters
is for me a playing field,
is for me a playing field,
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where the only rule is that the reader,
at the end of the road,
at the end of the road,
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will be able to read the message.
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Let me show you how I work,
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how I "knead my bread."
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A while back, I was commissioned
to design the cover of a classic book,
to design the cover of a classic book,
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"Alice in Wonderland."
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Alice falls in a burrow
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and begins an absurd journey
through a world of fantasy, remember?
through a world of fantasy, remember?
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In this situation, the title of the story
is my raw material.
is my raw material.
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At first glance, there are elements
that are not very important,
that are not very important,
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and I can decide to make them smaller.
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For example, I'll write "in"
on a smaller scale.
on a smaller scale.
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Then I'll try some other ideas.
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What if, to communicate
the idea of "wonder,"
the idea of "wonder,"
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I used my best handwriting,
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with lots of curleycues here and there?
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Or what if I focused more on the fact
that the book is a classic
that the book is a classic
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and used more conventional lettering,
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making everything look
a little more stiff and serious,
a little more stiff and serious,
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like in an encyclopedia or old books?
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Or how would it look, considering
this book has so much gibberish,
this book has so much gibberish,
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if I combined both universes
in a single arrangement:
in a single arrangement:
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rigid letters and smooth letters
living together in the same composition.
living together in the same composition.
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I like this idea,
and I'll work on it in detail.
and I'll work on it in detail.
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I use another sheet of paper
to work more comfortably.
to work more comfortably.
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I mark some guidelines,
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delimiting the framework
where the words will be.
where the words will be.
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There, I can start giving
form to each letter.
form to each letter.
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I work carefully.
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I dedicate time to each letter
without losing sight of the whole.
without losing sight of the whole.
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I draw the ends
of the letters methodically.
of the letters methodically.
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Are they square or round?
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Are they pointy or plump and smooth?
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I always make several sketches,
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where I'll try different ideas
or change elements.
or change elements.
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And there comes a point when
the drawing turns into precise forms,
the drawing turns into precise forms,
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with colors, volumes
and decorative elements.
and decorative elements.
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Alice, the celebrity here,
is placed at the front
is placed at the front
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with volume in her letters.
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Lots of points and lines
playing in the background
playing in the background
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help me convey that in this story,
lots of things happen.
lots of things happen.
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And it helps to represent
the feeling it generates,
the feeling it generates,
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as if you had your head in the clouds.
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And of course, there's Alice,
looking at her wonderland.
looking at her wonderland.
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Drawing the letters of this title,
I recreate the text's atmosphere a little.
I recreate the text's atmosphere a little.
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I let the reader see the story
through a peephole in the door.
through a peephole in the door.
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To do that, I gave shape
to concepts and ideas
to concepts and ideas
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that already exist in our imagination:
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the idea of dreams,
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of chaos,
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the concept of wonder.
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The typography and the shape of letters
work a bit like gestures
work a bit like gestures
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and tone of voice.
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It's not the same to say,
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(In a flat tone of voice)
"TEDxRíodelaPlata's audience is huge,"
"TEDxRíodelaPlata's audience is huge,"
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as it is to say (In an animated voice),
"TEDxRíodelaPlata's audience is huge!"
"TEDxRíodelaPlata's audience is huge!"
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Gestures and tone are part of the message.
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By giving shape to the letters,
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I can decide more precisely
what I mean to say and how,
what I mean to say and how,
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beyond the literal text.
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I can say my favorite swear word
in a very flowery way
in a very flowery way
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and be really corny
when I talk about love.
when I talk about love.
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I can talk loudly and in a grandiose way
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or in a soft and poetic voice.
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And I can communicate the difference
between Buenos Aires
between Buenos Aires
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and Berlin,
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two cities I know very well.
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It was precisely in Berlin
where my work became more colorful,
where my work became more colorful,
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more expressive,
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more precise at telling stories.
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Everything I couldn't say
at those parties,
at those parties,
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standing there holding my glass of wine,
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exploded in shapes and colors on paper.
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Without my realizing it,
this limitation that language has
this limitation that language has
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became an engine
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that propelled me to perfect the tools
with which I could express myself.
with which I could express myself.
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If I couldn't say it by speaking,
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this was my way of talking
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and telling things to the world.
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Since then, my big quest
has been to find my own voice
has been to find my own voice
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and to tell stories with the exact
tone and gesture I want.
tone and gesture I want.
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No more, no less.
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That's why I combine colors,
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textures
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and of course, letters,
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which are the heart.
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And that's why I always want them to have
shapes that are truly beautiful
shapes that are truly beautiful
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and exquisite.
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Telling stories by drawing letters --
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that's my job.
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And with that I look for
a reaction in the reader,
a reaction in the reader,
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to wake them up somehow,
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to make them dream,
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make them feel moved.
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I believe that
if the message is important,
if the message is important,
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it requires work and craftsmanship.
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And if the reader is important,
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they deserve beauty and fantasy as well.
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(Applause)
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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Martina Flor - Lettering designerMartina Flor combines her talents as designer and illustrator in the drawing of letters. Through her work as an artist and teacher, she has helped establish letter design in the European design scene.
Why you should listen
Based in Berlin, she runs a leading studio specializing in lettering and custom typography for clients around the globe, such as The Washington Post, Vanity Fair, Harper Collins, Penguin Random House, Etsy, Adobe and Cosmopolitan, among others.
She cofounded the online competition Lettering vs. Calligraphy, which has garnered international attention and has initiated numerous other non-commercial projects, including Letter Collections, a series of postcards.
With a master in Type Design from the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague (KABK) under her belt, Flor dedicates a large part of her time to teaching lettering and type design. Her book The Golden Secrets of Lettering (Princeton Architectural Press and Thames & Hudson, 2017) is published in several languages such as German, Spanish, French and Japanese.
When she is not busy drawing letters, Martina travels around the world to teach and speak at design conferences about the importance of typography in our daily lives.
Martina Flor | Speaker | TED.com