Needle-Nose
2020
This typeface was pulled out of my long-time fascination with construction sites. Constructions sites contain shockingly clear bold signage that contrasts so purposefully with the dirty, dingy, organized chaos that comes with them. The use of fluorescent signage is fully functional rather than placed for any aesthetic purpose. The intensely bright colors are contrasted with the natural tones of disrupted earth and the neutral building materials, such as metal, wood, and concrete. In addition to the coloring, the size and planning of these large sites have always been overwhelming to me. Small ant-like people roaming around in some sort of organization that is incomprehensible to me. In the beginning stages of construction, everything appears to be a bit sloppily finished. There is a lack of need for perfection. Most of this skeletal work will be completely covered as the job reaches completion.
As an outsider to these work zones, I can most often only view these scenes by peaking through the chain-link fence. During my years of photo documentation of these sites, I noticed the repetition of dingy metal “X”s interrupting my photos again and again. After years of trying to look past these ugly, practical wire fences I decided to give them my full attention.
The form of the “X” in this typeface was directly pulled from the “X”s found in the chain-link fences that separate the site workers and everyone else. Each letter of this typeface was originally created by hand. Pieces of thin gauge wire carefully manipulated with needle-nose pliers to form individual letters. The letters attempt to be straightforward and functional. The rough, unfinished metal imitates the skeletal, in-process feeling I find when peeking into these worksites. The building process can be seen through the dents and scratches from the pliers pressing against the thin gauge wire. This typeface was created with the purpose of simply and clearly supporting the job it is given.
