There’s a new Serif in town!
James’ fresh font is part of art show...
A GRAPHIC design student has invented a new typeface to illustrate his battle with cystic fibrosis.
James Gibson came up with the ‘fibrosis sans’ font as part of the final-year project for his Staffordshire University degree.
Set against the backdrop of an x-ray of real-life lungs, the letters have a furred up appearance, with curls filled in as if they are full of mucus.
The 28-year-old, from Werrington, said: “It’s what cystic fibrosis does to the body.
“It been about giving a hidden disability some visibility. I’m extremely proud of how it’s turned out.”
Now James’s project is one of hundreds to feature in the university’s annual art and design degree show, which opens to the public on Monday.
It also marks the first physical event to be staged on campus since the start of the pandemic.
The pieces cover work from a wide range of degrees, including fashion, ceramics, photography, animation, film, cartoon and comic arts, and surface pattern and textile design.
As James is classed as clinically extremely vulnerable, he has spent much of the last year shielding.
“With cystic fibrosis, I get regular chest infections and I tire a lot quicker,” he said.
“The pandemic has also had its
challenges. I haven’t been able to come in to see my peers. But I’m lucky that I’ve had the equipment to be able to continue at home.
“We’ve also had video feedback sessions. I can’t fault the teaching at all.”
He and the other students on his course have added an extra dimension to their exhibits – augmented reality.
Visitors to the show can scan an image of each student, which then triggers a video of them talking about their project. The hope is AR will be used across far more exhibits next year.
For Vicki Guildford, the pandemic has played a central role in her photography degree project.
She wanted to capture its impact on children in her home village of Tean.
Armed with a trolley of camera equipment, she took socially distanced photos through front doors or windows.
The 39-year-old said: “The project looks into the face of confinement and the effects it has on a crosssection of children aged between five and 11.
“As adults, we can pick up the phone and speak to people, but young children can’t do that and were isolated from friends. Having an eight-year-old myself, I saw it firsthand.”
She also asked parents to write about how they were coping.