Darius Ou: Designing Type Systems from Sci-Fi, Linguistics, and G-code

Singapore-based designer Darius Ou discusses his practice, which spans typography, motion, and 3D-printed publishing. His studio, which turns 10 this year, works with cultural institutions and artists. Ou's inspiration draws from sci-fi literature, internet cultures, linguistics, and physics. He created a custom typeface for an exhibition named after Ursula K. Le Guin's fictional field of 'therolinguistics', aiming to defy human-centric typography. His work includes 'As above, so below', an experimental typeface with vertical ligatures, used in artist Brandon Tay's solo show 'Form & Agency'. Ou also runs hyperpress, a research arm focused on 3D printing in graphic design, which has produced six 3D-printed books, three of which are in the Singapore Art Museum Design Collection and the V&A. The latest hyperpress book, 'Manual', made with researcher Benson Chong, is fully 3D-printed and embeds the G-code instructions for its own replication. Ou's work has been recognized by ADC New York's Young Guns 21, Golden Pin Design Awards, D&AD, ADC Switzerland, and the Type Directors Club in Tokyo and New York. He will next create a new 3D-printed object for hyperpress with deeper academic research.