Clever Typography Designs That Make You Think

By Alvaris Falcon in Artwork

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.

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

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

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

Elevator. Going up or down? (Image Source: Ji Lee)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Expand. And stretch! (Image Source: Daniel-John Rebollido)

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

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

Detail. Read the fine print. (Image Source: Shealyn McGee)