Morph: A Study of Courier and Helvetica
Faculty Mentor
Sonja Durr
Presentation Type
Creative Work
Start Date
4-13-2026 4:30 PM
End Date
4-13-2026 6:30 PM
Location
Art Building
Primary Discipline of Presentation
Design
Abstract
This project examines the visual relationship between Courier, a monospaced slab serif, and Helvetica, a landmark modernist sans-serif, by combining historical and contemporary typographic production methods. Created for a typography course, the project explores how letterforms morph between contrasting typographic structures. A digital animation was first developed in Adobe After Effects, where letters were placed on a rotating alphabet block and morphed sequentially from Courier into Helvetica. Key frames from four letters, G, R, A, and D, were exported into InDesign, arranged as 24 frames per 11 × 17-inch sheet, and printed using a risograph printer. The printed sheets were scanned and processed in Photoshop to isolate individual frames, which were then reassembled into a looping animation with a textured paper background. Research into the typefaces led to the creation of a vector graphic of the histories, characteristics, and common uses, which was translated through a vector plotter as part of the final installation. The completed work presents a projected risograph animation alongside the live plotting of typographic information, highlighting the transformation of letterforms while emphasizing the dialogue between digital animation and traditional print-based production methods. The project is as much about process as it is about type, inviting viewers to experience riso textures, live plotting, and motion design as one unified whole.
Recommended Citation
Estes, Tiffany, "Morph: A Study of Courier and Helvetica" (2026). 2026 Symposium. 35.
https://dc.ewu.edu/srcw_2026/cw_2026/art_2026/35
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Morph: A Study of Courier and Helvetica
Art Building
This project examines the visual relationship between Courier, a monospaced slab serif, and Helvetica, a landmark modernist sans-serif, by combining historical and contemporary typographic production methods. Created for a typography course, the project explores how letterforms morph between contrasting typographic structures. A digital animation was first developed in Adobe After Effects, where letters were placed on a rotating alphabet block and morphed sequentially from Courier into Helvetica. Key frames from four letters, G, R, A, and D, were exported into InDesign, arranged as 24 frames per 11 × 17-inch sheet, and printed using a risograph printer. The printed sheets were scanned and processed in Photoshop to isolate individual frames, which were then reassembled into a looping animation with a textured paper background. Research into the typefaces led to the creation of a vector graphic of the histories, characteristics, and common uses, which was translated through a vector plotter as part of the final installation. The completed work presents a projected risograph animation alongside the live plotting of typographic information, highlighting the transformation of letterforms while emphasizing the dialogue between digital animation and traditional print-based production methods. The project is as much about process as it is about type, inviting viewers to experience riso textures, live plotting, and motion design as one unified whole.
