Wood Type

木活字ディスプレイ / 1827– / Technique / Display Type

Gigantic letters cut from wood for broadside posters created the display vocabulary of extreme condensation, extension and ornament.

Gigantic sizes / Extreme condensing and extending / Carved ornament / Ink scuff and material grain

Dictionary entry

Best used for: Comparing primary sources and canonical works · Extracting principles that transfer to other media
Type: Observe the letters, signs and scale of reference works
Composition: Extract the one structure that governs gaze and information
Material: Verify the materials and behaviors specific to era, region and process
Caution: Don't reduce it to surface signs. Verify the context of era, region, technology and makers.
Further study: Darius Wells's lateral router / Hamilton Manufacturing / Rob Roy Kelly's American wood type research