In the previous postings I have done nothing but deliver my "readings" and interpretations of texts. I am aware that they don't comply with Literary form or scholarly discourse. When I was asked the "so what" question about my project I found myself somewhat blank. I certainly didn't know I had to contribute to the overall understanding of Poe to the world, let alone at the scholarly level.
I insist that 16 weeks is way too few weeks to develop anything that could be claimed scholarly acceptable.That I've learn so far. After thinking for quite a long time about how I could contribute to the scholarly research of Edgar Allan Poe, the author, I decided that I would do it using my experience and expertise in the graphic design world.
I began collecting manuscripts from several different sources, both digital and analogous. I even purchased a scanned copy of an original manuscript of The Raven. This digitized version of it came from the Library of Philadelphia where they claimed it not to be an original manuscript but an original transcription of it by Edgar Allan Poe himself.
I couldn't avoid to wonder what the difference is/was between the real Manuscript and a transcribed version of it by the same author's hand. Does it mean that if Picasso repainted one of his major paintings (considering that he could do it obliviously) would it be considered a transcription of his painting? Less seminal of a source? This notice opened many questions that will remain unanswered for the time being.
With all the technology progress we are experiencing today, with cloning, with multiple original, blue ray, and all the protection the industry of mass communication and the market place are pressing upon everyone I cannot stop wondering about the future of manuscripts in the writing process. Neither can I develop many questions about authenticity, originality and the role of creativity in all this discourse.
Based on these wandering thoughts I decided to contribute to Poe's understanding with two components: First a collection of Poe's signatures. They, as you will see, are very interesting since none of them look alike, yet they have a common trait, what in design is referred to as "typologies."
Where they came from and their particular details are irrelevant for the study. They don't intent to prove anything (although I have my own theories about them) beyond being here. Available to whoever wants to see them, download them, and go deeper into them. I can assure you they are facsimile and have not being drastically altered from its original form.
Some details might have been enhanced to improve some of the lines that were lost during the pass of time and the quality of paper/inks used for each signature but they are true to their original rendering.
The last one, at the very bottom of this blog-pit corresponds to his signature from the transcribed and digitized manuscript of The Raven.
They are certainly interesting if you consider that Poe wrote and extensive article about Autographs from Manuscripts of famous literati, where he claims that he: "gave fac-simile signatures of no less than one hundred and nine of the most distinguished American literati." For that reason I could claim myself that he was well aware of how to read and interpret an autograph. I wonder then what his thoughts were about his own. Here they are:
My next and final contribution to Poe's scholarly world consist in the design of a font face for MAC and PC computers. One that will derived from the typographical analysis of his letter traces abstracted from his manuscripts. All letter forms from a to z. Here are some samples of the studies conducted towards a final product:
These are some typographic studies that lead towards the design of a true type font based on Poe's hand scripting. As you might have observed already, there are some major differences between the scripting of the same letter in the same document. When letter scripts from different documents are compared the differences are sometimes a real crevasse. This simple observation could be of great interests for those scholars who are involved in decoding the way Poe's brain worked.
However, from the typographical design point of view this means one thing: Interpretation is required.
I spent more than forty hours redrawing and designing a font face that could be utilized in the computer. Upon completion I called it TYPOE. It seemed to be a very fitting name because of Poe's variable scripting that sometimes resembled typos. Here is a study sketch of the uppercase letters. As an interesting note The Raven has no "Z" in it.
This is a work in progress. Designing type is the most craft-demanding activities within the world of graphic design. Even though software for designing them is available the process itself requires the study and drawing of each character individually. However, what is most difficult yet is to develop a family of fonts; a.k.a. a font face. A font face that provides a sense of familiarity among each member. Here is the final family prior the coding process:
TYPOE is currently standing in version 2.0 It still requires intense labor in terms of kerning, curvatures, and all sorts of details pertaining letters. Details that are invisible to the naked eye but very important when it comes down to using a font face for textual development. However, TYPOE v2.0 is currently fully functional. The font face offers both upper and lower case versions plus numerals and signs. If you play with the tracking and the kerning you can add a "joint" feeling to them.
To conclude this project I am offering TYPOE v2.0 as a shareware. Feel free to download it and install it in your computer. It is currently zipped into a downloadable file for PC and MAC. Just double click for decompression and double click again for automatic installation.
Finally, you are more than welcome to click the paypal donate button right below the TYPOE link. The suggested donation is 5 dollars and it will go towards the creation of more Typography interpretations from manuscripts of famous authors. They will be available as fully functional alphabets interpreted for the digital world. If you have any suggestions about a particular author you like please let me know.
Best Regards
Guido E. Alvarez
www.hyperscholar.com
Comments