This essay is an attempt to consolidate my views about a frequently overlooked step in the history of typography: the Pantograph. A Pantograph is an instrument that can duplicate plans and drawings to an adjustable scale. For the history of type design this meant that a design no longer had to be manually cut and interpreted by a punchcutter, but could easily be copied to an adjustable scale.

The design of this thesis is a play with the standardized academic essay. These cheaply bound, A4 publications are normally typeset in the system-font chosen by the university. This publication is typeset in Timeless, an iteration of the ubiquitous Times. The text is printed on a paper-stock reminiscent of standard copy paper, whilst the images are printed on silk paper. With a pantograph and a red marker the skeleton of the Pantograph was transferred to each individual cover. All the sheets were then shuffled, folded vertically and stapled.

client: thesis for the Werkplaats Typografie (NL) | date: 2010 | format: 20 page booklet | size: 10,5 x 29,7 cm