Alien Typeface

Creating an “alien” typeface was a personal project. I wanted each character to convey the attributes of the alien species. First, I created the description of these aliens — Vis Vivas. 

Vis Viva is Latin for “living force,” a term originally used to describe kinetic energy. Appropriately, this species is the epitome of energy, spending their entire life constantly moving. Vis Vivas perpetually exert energy and feed off of each other. In order to speak, a Vis Viva must move at high speeds, bouncing, running, flipping, etc., but they must stay within the area of the Vis Viva to whom they are speaking. The higher the frequency of movement, the more passionate one’s voice becomes. This creates a society of contagious enthusiasm, constantly giving and receiving positive energy into the universe. 

The Vis Viva society embraces this hyperactivity of its inhabitants in its developed typeface. Each character must fit within a square, similar to the space one must stay within to communicate with another Vis Viva. The characters illustrate the physical movements of the species.