Ayla Angelos writes about Singapore-based designer Darius Ou, who draws on sci-fi literature, linguistics, and G-code to build experimental type systems. His eponymous studio, turning ten this year, works in typography and motion for cultural institutions, while his research arm hyperpress explores 3D printing in graphic design and publishing.
- Designed a custom typeface for an exhibition named after Ursula K. Le Guin's "therolinguistics" concept, writing in-universe lore to frame design decisions
- Built "As above, so below" with vertical ligatures that connect letters downward across lines of text rather than sideways, achieved through mathematics and code
- Manual, his newest 3D-printed book, bears raised G-code marks on its surface, embedding the instructions for its own replication
- Inducted into ADC New York's Young Guns 21 in 2023; work recognized by D&AD, Golden Pin, and the Type Directors Club in both Tokyo and New York
- Three of hyperpress's six 3D-printed books are held in the Singapore Art Museum Design Collection and the V&A
- Designed a custom typeface for an exhibition named after Ursula K. Le Guin's "therolinguistics" concept, writing in-universe lore to frame design decisions
- Built "As above, so below" with vertical ligatures that connect letters downward across lines of text rather than sideways, achieved through mathematics and code
- Manual, his newest 3D-printed book, bears raised G-code marks on its surface, embedding the instructions for its own replication
- Inducted into ADC New York's Young Guns 21 in 2023; work recognized by D&AD, Golden Pin, and the Type Directors Club in both Tokyo and New York
- Three of hyperpress's six 3D-printed books are held in the Singapore Art Museum Design Collection and the V&A
