Studio Ostendo operates in multiple creative fields including photography, design, and education.
Typesphere recontextualizes type by 3D printing text in a sphere. The sphere is packaged in a contrasting geometric case that reveals as much of the sphere as possible while function as a piece of information design.
Typesphere consists of two main parts: a 3D-printed sphere and a container.
The sphere draws inspiration from the carved eggs of artist Piotr Brockenheim(1). Their delicate form and care for craft inspired the visual aspirations of the sphere. To achieve this aesthetic, a paragraph of type about the Swiss typographic style was wrapped in a spiral and attached to a spherical form. Once 3D printed, the form looked delicate yet was rigid and sturdy.
The packaging design draws its inspiration from traditional Japanese egg containers (2). The forms simply wrap the egg while simultaneously revealing the form. Marrying this with the geometric heritage of the Swiss typographic style, the package wraps in one line around the sphere. The series of alternating triangles provides a flat base for the ball to rest on and tilt one face slightly upwards.
Information about the content of the 3D-printed sphere covers the packaging. The typography of the form follows its unexpected rhythm to amplify the uniqueness of the shape and design.
The Typesphere was featured in The Society of Typographic Arts Chicago Top 100 examples of graphic design in 2017.
Typesphere marries form and function—the delicate, 3D-printed sphere becomes one simple piece, clearly relaying the essence of Swiss typography.
