Sound Type

If you are a graphic designer / type designer interested in developing this project further as artistic research, e.g. as a Master’s Project or a PhD, please contact Jan Peeters or Frederik Berlaen.

Tweaking basic forms by hand ...

The sound attributes will be connected to one or more graphic parameters (see level 2 (b) in the description of the ‘Three levels’). Thus, describing the sound should result in creating a graphic interpretation of the sound. These are the eight graphic parameters: size – from a small (-) to a big form (+) thickness – from a fine (-) to a thick form (+) compression – from a compact (-) to a stretched form (+) fullness – from an empty (-) to a filled form (+) roundness – from an edgy (-) to a round form (+) sharpness – from a fuzzy (-) to a sharp form (+) openness – from a closed (-) to an open form (+) continuity – from a discontinuous (-) to a continuous form (+)

Sliders Interface with sliders for tweaking the basic set of signs. Here, the variables still have temporary names, closely connected to the programme hidden behind. In a next step, the variables will be named for both their visual, and their presumed 'auditive' qualities.

Lineframes for the basic set of building unities: a pentagon, a square and a triangle, each blown up till they form a circle, and each shrunken till a star.

Tweaking forms through the design tool Rendition of the tweaking of a triangle, square and pentagon into several derivatives, using the design tool, superimposed on a film still.

(What kind of signs to make? PART II) Guided by the basic principles (economic, intuitive) that we set out for ourselves for designing a sign set, we defined three ‘levels’ in the sign system, which can also be seen as three steps in the design process. (1) Firstly there is the basic set of building unities. These unities need an abstract form, as we don’t want to design particular icons for each sound. Hence, this basic set is composed of lines, circles, triangles, squares and polygons. (2) The second level of the of the sign system, consists of tweaking the basic set, in different ways. (a) Forms of the basic set can be combined, e.g. a circle can be placed next to, or attached to a square. These combinations can happen on a coordinate and on a subordinate level: the circle and the square can be evenly important (e.g. evenly big), or one of both can be dominant, and the other subordinate (e.g. expressed by size difference). On the subordinate level, the forms work as extensions, that can be compared to accentuations or diacritics in writing systems of certain verbal languages. The combination can also imply merging two or more forms into hybrids: a form can be e.g. half a square and half a circle. These hybrids can be compared with e.g. ligatures in typography. (b) The basic set and its combinations can be subjected to alterations in the form following graphic parameters, thus creating variations in thickness, waviness, size, transparency, roundness/sharpness etc. (c) In combination with the filmic image, the position of the sign in the film frame can be varied. By tweaking the basic set through combinations, alterations and position shifts, the ‘vocabulary’ of the abstract sign set can grow infinitely, and nuances can be added to individual signs. This also means that the sign system needs to be designed in such a way that different graphic connections between signs become possible, and that graphic parameters easily can be applied and can be combined on the different basic signs and combined signs. The first two levels are already at play when designing a static form of a sign, i.e. as a still image, making use of the spatial dimension of the sign, without taking into account the temporal aspect of film or animation. (3) The third level is the dynamic level, that adds animation to the static forms. Again, different parameters can be applied, such as movement of the sign on the screen (changing position, rotating), the duration of the sign on the screen (the time the sign is visible), the alternation of signs (the combination of signs in time, the way a sign follows another or repeats itself), shape shifting of signs (one or more graphic and animation parameters are altered), morphing of signs (one sign turns into another) etc.

(What kind of signs to make? – PART I) The amount of possible sounds is so to say infinite. How to design signs that diversify between different sounds, or types of sounds? Without going into the question how sounds can be grouped or characterized, one can already try to think through possible features of a sign set that is intended for visualizing sounds. Two important issues guide the design process: (1) the sign system should be economic, (2) the signs should invoke as much as possible an intuitive understanding by the audience, and also the learning process of understanding the signs should be intuitive. (1) What is understood by the economic aspect of the intended sign system? With a limited number of signs, we want to produce a maximum diversity in sound representation – just like the roman alphabet can produce an endless number of words and phrases with only twenty-six characters. Thus, we want to avoid ending up in a sign system that has each time, so to say, one form for one meaning (traffic signs almost work that way). In that case, we would be facing too many difficulties. It would indeed imply us having to design an enormous amount of different signs, without approaching by far the diversity of sounds to be found in audiovisual works. This already has implications on the kind of signs that can be used, and the way they refer to their object: the relation between form (signifier) and meaning (signified) cannot be too direct and too particular. If we, for instance, would draw an icon of a whistle to denote a whistle sound, a telephone for a telephone ringing, two hands for hands clapping etc. the number of signs to be developed would be too large (besides the question whether one wants to look at a screen getting infested with icons). Moreover, the higher the number of signs to be designed, the lesser they can be made easily visually distinctive of one another. Here also the user gets involved: if there are too many signs, that show too little distinction, the faculties for understanding are burdened. Which brings us to the second important issue guiding the design process: the intuitive aspect. (2) As we cannot expect the users to go through a long and difficult learning process – like learning to read musical scores or a written verbal language – before being able to experience the benefits of the sign set, we have to design a sign system that works intuitively, and that incites also an intuitive learning process, based on ‘getting used’ to the sign system, by merely experiencing it. This has important implications on the kind of sign system that is needed. For instance, we cannot really make use of what are called ‘symbols’ in Peircean semiotics, i.e. signs that have a conventional basis: a form (signifier) refers to a meaning (signified) on the basis of a habit or rule shared between the interpretants. In short: we know that in English the combination of the sounds or letters ‘d’, ‘o’, and ‘g’ refer to this particular animal, because it was teached to us. Someone who doesn’t know French, will not connect ‘c’, ‘h’, ‘i’, ‘e’ and ‘n’ to the same animal. In short, we cannot count upon a conventional basis for understanding the signs (this implies too much study for the users), neither can we create a too direct visual relationship between the forms and their meaning (too many different icons too design). Conclusion: we need a sign system that makes use of a limited set of signs, that establish an intuitive connection between the visual form and the sound it refers to. This urges us to look at shared characteristics between sounds and the visual forms that will constitute the sign set.

The connection between hearing and seeing ...

'Symbolia' in comicsMany illustrations, comics and graphic novels make use of so-called 'symbolia' or 'emanata': little lines, curls, clouds, stars, dots etc. These signs can have many different meanings, they evoke movements, sounds, emotions etc. Mort Walker tried to categorize and name many of them, in his 'lexicon of comicana'. Some pages of this book show his inventiveness and humouristic style (from: Mort Walker, The Lexicon of Comicana, Museum of Cartoon Art, 1980).

Visual scoresVisual scores by composers offer a wide variety of images used for representing sounds and different aspects of sounds. (Thanks to Esther Venrooij for the input.)

https://vimeo.com/39496182

Already - or especially - in the silent era of animation cartoons, one can find lines, dots, circles, stars, punctuation marks, clouds etc. to denote movement, sound, pain, mood, gaze etc. Here some examples from Pat Sulllivan's "Felix the Cat" (e.g. at 0:38, 4:28, 8:00, 11:20 etc.).

"Variations on a Circle"(1941-42) by James Whitney