Flora Typographica
M.A. Thesis Project
2021
Research, Typography, Book Design, Bookbinding
Flora Typographica is a typographic interpretation of the Red List of Threatened Plant Species of Germany. While the Red List provides information in a scientific manner, Flora Typographica comes close to a sensual experience of nature. The topic of preserving biodiversity is not approached rationally, but through intuition and sensuality. Endangered plant species that can hardly be experienced in reality are made tangible and kept in remembrance through typography and book design.
Plant diversity begins with a single part, a cell or a seed. They contain all the genetic information and enough energy so that, under the right conditions, a living being can grow out of them. Symbolically, I developed an original form for this phenomenon - a slanted oval divided seven times differently based on the number of plant groups.
From the resulting parts I constructed seven form alphabets. A form character stands for a letter of the Latin writing system. Each group of plants has its own language. Then I composed the botanical names of 168 selected plant species from the Red List into abstract images.
Flora Typographica has been awarded with the Certificate of Typographic Excellence by Type Dirictors Club New York (TDC68) and was published in Slanted Magazine #40–Experimental Type.
270 x 420 cm
Cover with self made blind embossing
Manufactured with recycled materials
