PRAISING UGLINESS:
INTENTIONAL UGLINESS IN TYPE DESIGN
INTENTIONAL UGLINESS
n
In every age philosophers and artists provided definitions for beauty, but most of the time ugliness has been said to be the opposite of beauty.
However, ugliness is more important than that, because the two are related and define each other. Ugliness is more interesting than beauty, just as evil is more appealing than good.
Naturally, humans are attracted to beauty and are drawn to the good, but they are also fascinated, almost reluctantly, by ugliness and evil.
In a world where personal artistic expression comes at the expense of readability and accessibility, ugliness plays a crucial role in the change that takes place.
How has intentional ugliness influenced the development of modern typography? What is its role in challenging the shape of the letters and creating new formal perceptions? What is the price paid by fonts that were considered "ugly" in the past and what is the attitude towards them today? This series of pamphlets and books attempts to trace the history of intentional ugliness and to examine how ugliness has the power to shape the future of typography.
