knezo design studio releases a new and customizable way to type

knezo design studio releases a new and customizable way to type
all images courtesy of knezo design studio

to tie the important moments in our lives to the words we type, knezo design studio created ‘diurne’, a customizable and always changing typeface that incorporates the specific place, date and time into the font. each character is formed by the shadow related to the sun’s position, making it possible for the words only to be formed when the sun is present in the sky. this corresponds to the typeface’s name ‘diurne’, that comes from the french word diurnal, meaning ‘during the day’. the shadows move through a range of varying angles, thicknesses, and lengths giving individuality to each font.

different styles can be created over the course of a single day

‘diurne’ relies on a system of design based on the motion of the sun, leaving room for a variety of styles to be created using the same steps. while the first iteration is a serif font, a different input to the system can yield different styles, such as sans serif, script, digital, and more.

sample text in three different weights: normal, thin and bold

we each have times in our lives which hold a special meaning. ‘diurne’ attempts to celebrate these moments by giving a subtle and meaningful way to remember them. the moment is forever engraved and celebrated each time you write with it or someone reads your typed message.

physical prototype of ‘diurne’

path of a single letter’s shadow as it moves through the day

resulting styles from the same location and date, but different times of the day

resulting styles from the same location and time, but different days of the year

resulting styles from the same date and time of day, but different locations

chart showing some of the effects of date, time, and location on the shape of letters

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: juliana neira | designboom