This Master's thesis is motivated by the curiosity to approach a design project differently, taking inspiration from unexpected sources and translating them into visual outputs; deliberately choosing content that challenges my own design practice as much as it challenges the reader.
Translation, in this context, is understood not as an exact equivalence but as a transformation: meaning that an original source is never fully equivalent once translated, something is changed. If the traditional way of translating is to transfer meaning from language to language, I intend to transfer meaning into visual content that conveys language.
In what ways can generative tools be used to translate scientific terms into typography? The content chosen to be translated are scientific terms relating to artificial intelligence and physics (latent space, superposition, entropy), terms that are challenging and less accessible due to their complexity.
Looking back on the three concepts explored, taking translation as transformation method became a new way for me to engage with design and to challenge myself. By taking the role of an interpreter, I was able to approach each concept on its own terms, using letterforms as a vessel for theories that would otherwise stay abstract. Working across analogue experiments, before moving into digital environments, showed that no single tool is enough on its own.
This project highlights how typography opens a space where design and science can meet on equal terms.
