Experimental Typography: Breaking the Rules of Type to Create Art

Key takeaways

Experimental typography is a design approach that breaks traditional rules, reimagining text as both a communication tool and a visual art form.

• Experimental typography combines communication with creative expression and technical innovation to create new forms of visual expression that can be more inspiring and emotionally evocative than traditional typography.

• Unique approaches to traditional typography principles have given rise to experimental typography techniques, including gestural, kinetic, dimensional, generative, and illustrative.

• You can use computer graphics and other design software to create contemporary experimental typography designs.

Explore the principles, techniques, and real-world applications of experimental typography. To learn more about typography and graphic design, consider enrolling in the Adobe Graphic Designer Professional Certificate program. In as little as four months, you can build job-ready skills in digital design, graphic design, and Adobe Photoshop. 

What is experimental typography?

Experimental typography, a subset of graphic design, is a design approach that breaks traditional typography conventions, reimagining text as not only a communication tool but a visual art form. Rather than prioritizing legibility and readability, experimental typography combines communication with creative expression and technical innovation to create new forms of visual expression that can be more inspiring and emotionally evocative than traditional typography.

Characteristics of experimental typography design

In experimental typography, layouts are unconventional, and text is manipulated and transformed into visual art to evoke stronger emotions and communicate your message more effectively. Characteristics of experimental typography can include:

• Distorted text that challenges readability, including words made up of both upper and lowercase characters or letters containing elongated vertical strokes, zigzags, or squiggles

• Nontraditional layouts, including unusual alignment, grid placement, or letter placement or orientation, that defy typical reading patterns

• Layering multiple letters, words, or fonts on top of one another or overlaying text with images or textures to create depth and complexity

• Text that moves or transforms, typically in response to user interaction

Core principles and techniques

Unique approaches to traditional typography principles, such as legibility and readability, hierarchy, contrast, layout, and responsiveness, have given rise to experimental typography techniques, including gestural, kinetic, dimensional, generative, and illustrative. Consider the details that make each of these techniques unique:

• Gestural: Rather than creating text digitally, you create hand-drawn or hand-painted text using manual tools such as brushes and markers. 

• Kinetic: You can apply animation and movement to text, creating more interactive and immersive experiences for your users.

• Generative: Algorithms and code allow you to generate new typefaces, redrawing and randomizing letterforms to create a sense of uncertainty, chaos, and surprise.

• Dimensional: By experimenting with materials, textures, and space, you can create three-dimensional typography that adds depth and sensory dimensions to your designs. 

• Illustrative: By blending typography and illustration, this technique transforms letters from symbols into shapes, making the text a visual image. Sometimes called expressive typography, it can leave a stronger impression on your audience. 

How to make experimental typography

You can find a wide range of font design software, including Glyphs, FontLab, RoboFont, and Typewolf, to help you make experimental typography. Some tools are better suited for specific techniques. For instance, tools such as Adobe After Effects, Blender, Cinema 4D, and Renderforest can help you make experimental typography that is animation-based. 

Uses of contemporary experimental typography design

Experimental typography design is often used in areas such as editorial design, branding, and digital experience enhancement. Designers may choose to incorporate elements of contemporary experimental typography into their work to evoke a more effective emotional response, enhance visual storytelling, or explore new artistic techniques to engage audiences in novel ways. Consider how you can use experimental typography depending on your role.

• Editorial design: Incorporate experimental typography to enhance your page layouts, using vertical or diagonal text columns to break from the standard horizontal layout. Increase reader engagement by customizing headlines or quotes through the use of creative spacing, hierarchy, color, or contrast.

• Advertising and branding: You can create logos that break from traditional typography conventions to make your brand stand out. Letterform distortion techniques and unconventional grid layouts can help make your displays more visually interesting. 

• Digital experiences: Web copy that adapts, moves, and interacts with your users provides a better and more memorable experience. Capture attention, guide reading flow, and encourage reader interaction with kinetic techniques, such as animated text transitions.

Read more: What Is a Visual Designer (+ How to Become One in 5 Steps)

Experimental typography examples

From the advertisements you see to the media you stream, type is all around you. You likely have impressions and associations related to typefaces. If you look closely, you might notice that, in an effort to build trust, nurture a reputation for innovation or quality, or simply capture your attention, designers carefully choose which typographic characteristics and techniques to include in a design. Consider the following examples and reflect on how the characteristics of experimental typography present in each one make you feel.

1. Dimensional typography: This anaglyph (an image formed by superimposing images over one another) incorporates experimental typography characteristics, including layering, distorted text, and nontraditional character placement. 

2. Illustrative typography: In this image, the word “creativity” itself becomes a visual image through the use of letter distortion and the combination of typography and illustration.

3. Kinetic typography: This example incorporates movement and minor text distortion to capture the user’s attention and evoke a sense of urgency. 

Experimental typography artists

Explore the work of these experimental typography artists, who lent their expertise as speakers at the 2025 Typographics festival in New York City, New York.

Yehwan Song: Song is a web artist who challenges standard user experience practices to highlight the cultural, political, and linguistic complexities often hidden in traditional interface design. Website: https://yhsong.com/

Talia Cotton: As the founder of Cotton, an award-winning design and technology agency, Talia Cotton specializes in the intersection of design and technology, exploring the future of design through data and code. Website: https://taliacotton.com/

Matt Willey: Willey is a typeface creator who pushes the boundaries of conventional typography in creating design titles for television and typefaces for charity, among other endeavors. Website: https://mattwilley.co.uk/ 

Considerations: Pros and cons of experimental typography projects

As you decide whether experimental typography is right for you, weigh the pros and cons. Experimental typography facilitates innovative and enhanced communication and allows room for unique visual effects. It supports compelling interactive experiences and storytelling capabilities while evoking strong and specific emotions. However, if not implemented carefully, experimental typography design can present challenges in readability, accessibility, and inclusivity. 

You can minimize the potential for readability, accessibility, and inclusivity issues by employing analytical testing to measure whether your audience is understanding what you’re trying to communicate. Similarly, collecting feedback on your use of experimental typography through surveys or focus groups can provide insights into the impact your choices are having. You can also use a combination of experimental and traditional typography to ensure your message reaches your audience. 

Getting started in experimental typography

If you’re familiar with the fundamentals of graphic design and typography and want to incorporate some experimental techniques into your designs, you can start by experimenting with digital tools and graphic design apps. Learn how to blend and mix typefaces, manipulate text, create layered effects, and use AI tools. Try experimenting with distortion techniques using your own handwriting or a traced image. As with most learning, be sure to practice and seek feedback.

Explore our free resources to learn more about graphic design 

If you’re interested in graphic design, including trends like experimental typography, subscribe to our YouTube channel to stay current on the latest news in the field. You can also explore our free digital resources on various graphic design-related topics:

• Watch on YouTube: 8 Skills You’ll Learn in Adobe’s Creator Course

• Gain career tips: Career Spotlight: Graphic Designer

• Access digital glossaries: Graphic Design Terminology

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