Typography is a field that, contrary to what some may be believe, is an evolving one, albeit in a manner slower than other areas, with some glyphs becoming ubiquitous and others falling to the wayside. The ampersand is a letterform that has stood the test of time and therefore sees a lot of artistic interpretation of the letterform – probably more than any other character, and some of which varies widely from the original form.
Objective
You are to create a 3-dimensional letterform, the ampersand (&), which is a good representation of the character from an existing typeface of your choice. Your 3-dimensional form should also contain – either on itself or built into the structure somehow – the copy described below. This element – the element containing your textual content – should integrate with your 3D form in a way that feels natural and deliberate.
The focus of the project is to construct a creative, legible and well-crafted 3-dimensional version of what is typically a flat letterform. Attention must be paid to craftsmanship, because the task (once material approach is chosen) is mostly a physical one. Some mediums are more forgiving than others; the point is that the final product should appear deliberate in its presentation and craft.
Textual Content (150 words minimun, with a heading)
The content for your copy should describe what the typographical character is, what it’s used for, and a brief history of the character. Some starter copy is provided below, which you may use, but if your approach warrants a less academic or more nuanced approach, feel free to change the content.
Content (which can be used unless your approach warrants different copy):
History of the Ampersand
The ampersand can be traced back to the first century AD. It was originally a ligature of the letters E and T (“et” is Latin for and). If you look at the modern ampersand, you’ll likely still be able to see the E and T separately.
The first ampersands looked very much like the separate E and T combined, but as type developed over the next few centuries, it eventually became more stylized and less representative of its origins.
The word “ampersand” was first added to dictionaries in 1837. The letterform came to be a staple element in European writing to the extent that it wound up as the last letter of the English alphabet in all primers by the early 19th century. The word was created as a slurred form of “and, per se and”, which was what the alphabet ended with when recited in English-speaking schools. (Historically, “and per se” preceded any letter which was also a word in the alphabet, such as “I” or “A”. Being the last character in the alphabet, “and per se and” became shortened to ampersand.
Specs
The letterform project must be 3-dimensional and at least 6 inches tall in its largest dimension , but should fit within a 12″ x 12″ x 12″ cube. The dimesion in the project should come in the letter form itself, not simply a block or flat sheet on which the character is printed. The point is that the character is the element being built, as opposed to building a 3-dimensional canvas on which the letterform sits.
The medium to be used is your choice; you should use your strongest and unique skills in this process. Some examples of material choices might be foam core, wood or folded paper, but let your skills and imagination guide you here.
It may be a good idea to create a digital mockup of what you want to do before beginning to build it to get a sense of what you’re going to build.