Deborah Khodanovich designs gossip-inspired typeface and relational citation system

Deborah Khodanovich, who’s pursuing her MFA at the Rhode Island School of Design, has created a typeface inspired by the concept of gossip, giving a new twist to Gutenberg's Textura font. Her project includes a downloadable typeface, an icon set similar to Susan Kare's Cairo glyphs, a textile project, a visual book showcasing women in gossip, and a sociological study. This research explores how gossip plays a role in textile labor and community building. Khodanovich questions the implications of designing for local versus public audiences. Her thesis features a Relational Citation System for acknowledging shared knowledge. She references Ed Whitfield's essay on liberated zones and discusses challenges for new designers, including a tough job market and visa issues during Trump’s presidency, along with AI ethics through a friend's project using AI. After she graduates in spring, she plans to implement the citation system in an organization.