Clever Typography Designs That Make You Think

Words! We just can’t possibly go through a day without using them. Yet, time and time again, we underestimate the ability of words to explain the abstract aspects in life such as action, motion or feelings. Fortunately for us, a few dedicated typographers have devoted their time to demonstrate the underlying potential of words.

Here are 15 awesome typography design entries that showcase text-based art to tell a story. You may need a while to interpret what it is trying but these words are meant to make you think out of the box anyways. Have fun and tell us your favorites in the comments.

Read Also: Understanding Typography: 10 Helpful Tools and Resources

Shoot

Just by adjusting the distance between letters, Arun Raj is able to express the motion of a bullet heading towards a target. (Source: Arun Raj)

Scream

Alter the shape of one letter, and the word screams louder than the picture. (Source: Arun Raj)

Kick

Ouch, that hurts, letter I! (Source: Arun Raj)

Elevator

Going up or down? (Source: Ji Lee)

Tsunami

The S-wave describes this natural disaster very clearly. (Source: Ji Lee)

Exit

From now on, this should be the standard sign for every exit door. (Source: Ji Lee)

Gravity

What goes up, must come down – thanks to Gravity.(Source: Ji Lee)

Darwin

The evolutionary steps from D to N. (Source: Kapil Bhagat)

Archimedes

Kapil Bhagat’s love for science and expressive typography knows no bounds. (Source: Kapil Bhagat)

Copernicus

The Sun and the third rock from the Sun infused in Nicolaus Copernicus’s name. (Source: Kapil Bhagat)

Displace

Alright, which wise guy displaced the top part of "displace"? (Source: Daniel-John Rebollido)

Expand

And stretch! (Source: Daniel-John Rebollido)

Compression

Stuck in a tight spot, I see. (Source: Shealyn McGee)

Explosion

Tweak contrast, color and font size, hide it behind the illusion of disarray and you get an explosion. (Source: Shealyn McGee)

Detail

Read the fine print. (Source: Shealyn McGee)