Q: How did designing multiple scripts at the same within one project influence your workflow and/or design thinking?

A: Herbert Simon once said: “Variety, within the limits of satisfactory constraints, may be a desirable end in itself […] because it permits us to attach value to the search as well as its outcome — to regard the design process as itself a valued activity for those who participate in it”. When we think about space — designed space that is — no matter if operating in two or three dimensions, we often cannot point to one specific feature and exclaim: “This exact detail is what makes this house beautiful”. Much rather it is an overall arrangement, a complex interaction of parts that makes a specific entity a sufficing member of a category such as house. With multi-script typefaces this is very much the same — it is not a question of copying and pasting characteristics back and forth it is about constructing a system that makes sense, that works together. This is how the process of chunky went as well. A permanent flow between scripts, with ideas permeating back and forth between the scripts.

Q: Aside from producing new typefaces, what are some other ways in which you hope to contribute to type design and the wider design community?

A: What can typeface design do to make the world a better place? If anything, we can help to grasp it as a tool to help people communicate and express themselves. To give a face to their ideas. For this it is crucial that these tools are accessible and transmittable for the broadest possible audiences. This year has given a completely new value to the written word — and with it typeface design. I am exploring ways to further contribute to the open source community — beyond typeface design. Currently, by crafting tools that help me in my daily life and making them accessible for everyone. I believe in sharing. This is something that I would like to continue and include in my further practice.

Q: Were you inspired by any particular writing tool or typographic style?

A: When creating the letter shapes of chunky, much rather than go along with a particular tool I pursued this idea: widen the interior space, find a solid structure, and wrap the contrast around the skeleton. chunky blends ideas from many worlds: rather traditional proportions, contrast structures from different scripts, ideas from the broad nib pen to name but a few. chunky is a typeface with character (and a lot of characters, too) for those who have something to say. It is a friendly companion for your texts, it gives a face to your words.