Letterbox was chosen to participate in STEREOTYPED: Sound + Typography – an exhibition based on exploring the relationships between the visual world of typography and the aural world of music. Each type-orientated designer was able to collaborate with a musician or composer of their choice.

Letterbox’s Stephen Banham sought out the Melbourne composer David Chesworth as his collaborator. Seeking inspiration in the development of Chesworth’s boyhood compositions (1978) into fully fledged ensemble pieces, Banham’s theme of his visual response was to explore the infinite permutations available within a single composition, be it musical or typographic. To this end the letter ‘o’ counters (the shapes within the letterform) from hundreds of different typefaces were meticulously taken out and lined up next to each other. The result is a curiously rhythmic design, showing an extraordinary range of expression just within the one letterform. Avoiding a direct or literal association with any particular one of Chesworth’s compositions, the outcome is an A1 sized poster which also features the names of the individual fonts on the reverse side (see middle image above).

Other contributor partnerships included Nils Crompton & Brooke Trezise | Stephen Banham & David Chesworth | Amanda Cole & Ellen Lupton | James Cecil & Tin&Ed | Jay Ryves & Nathan McLay | Gemma O’Brien & Jared Underwood.

Thanks to Joan-Maree Hargreaves for all her work in putting the show together.

Stereotyped: sound + typography was presented in the Project Space at Object: Australian Centre for Craft and Design, Sydney, Australia |  3 –26 September 2010