Ximena Amaya
Typographic Emergencies: Imagining through Letterforms
Language is an extension of oneself, it has the potential to change and expand the way we feel and the way we experience the world. In design, typography, in a similar manner, can affect the meaning of a word beyond its original function and beyond its rationality, it can shape how we experience language. In this talk, looking at references from the history of letterforms, street vernacular, and new technologies related to my personal practice and portfolio, we’ll see how thinking about typography as a speculative tool rather than just a functional one, can be leveraged to help us imagine and design for either experimentation, custom fonts or graphic design projects in general.
About Ximena Amaya
Ximena is a graphic designer from Mexico City now residing in Los Angeles, California. Always driven by curiosity, with a focus on typography and its many uses, her practice ranges from traditional print media to exhibition design. She graduated from ArtCenter’s Undergraduate Graphic Design program and is currently serving as Typography Fellow at Hoffmitz Milken Center for Typography (HMCT). Among her participation and recognitions are the Type Directors Club (TDC) Beatrice Warde Scholarship in 2021, sponsored by Monotype; interning at Pentagram Design, New York for Natasha Jen; and the HMCT Hispanic Women of Typography Award in 2022.