… or the Invisible Grid story
For MoA’12 we have been searching for an universal idea, that stands behind everything we do, something that we can relate to in any dimension, any media, any form… An idea that will mark the whole visual concept and its appearance in all forms, spaces and media.
The idea started to take place, when we were invited to a New Years party in Eira, an old YLE TV studio. All of a sudden we realized that we were surrounded by numbers and location marks that were used in the old studio. It felt like we woke up from a dream: “Wow! An invisible grid!” Our perception of the space changed. People usually do not think about these grids that surround us – but still map our existence according to our senses and awareness; how many steps towards the wall; how many arm lengths to the door.
It seemed like we had found this universal idea we were looking for. All of us use some kind of grid, and suddenly all and everything became an invisible grid. Grids exist everywhere in every research project and in all dimensions: be it graphic design, furniture design and architecture, scientific or strategic projects that have influence over dimensions of time, sound… The exploration led us to the screen pixel grid, based on a “light square particle”. In the relation to the light, the colour palette became a spectrum of white to black scale, spreading through shades of grey, that also represent different themes of the MoA’12 – Our future is (a) present exhibition.
The glowing pixel has a solid stiff dimension and forms a square or “glowing dimension of light”.
This way the square infinite grid became a macro and micro element in our design. That is how the quest for defining the shape of the grid became a trace of light that we showed and expressed through forming simple light pixel typography.
The square grid has been used for placing elements on the web, in the Year Show symbol, in postcards, in posters, in the exhibition space… We used shades from the square for the MoA’12 publication and for the info graphics in the space.
Light pixels turned into a day-to-night ever-changing background on the website, following real time shifts between daylight and darkness. We decided to expose this invisible grid as well on paper as the most subtle, almost invisible embossing effect on the invitation and the cover of the MoA’12 publication.
This simple sensitive identity, using less to say more, was our inspiration based around a quest for permanence and universality (as the light that defines our vision) that conquers the traps of time and trends into something simple and honest and therefore everlasting.
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Sasa, Marion & Prashant
(MoA visual concept and graphic design team: Students from Aalto University, School of Arts, Design and Architecture.)
What invisible grids have you encountered in your everyday life environment? Share your story with the MoA designers in the comments below!
