Ambient Typography: Spotlight on Ruedi Baur

One of my favourite things we learned during the course of this typography course was Ambient, or Environmental Typography. I find it interesting how artists use the environment around them to create unique ways of delivering art.

This week I came across a artist and graphic designer named Ruedi Baur. Ruedi Baur is the founder of a graphic design studio, located in France named Iégral Ruedi Baur. Baur’s team specializes in wayfinding and identity for the cultural sector.

Intégral Ruedi Baur developed a striking 3D sans serif font used throughout The New School, New York as a wayfinding system, in addition to environmental graphics.

Baur took his efforts a step further and incorporated ambient typography into the ceiling of a stairwell located within The New School. Not only is this piece visually pleasing, but also functional; Baur utilizes this space to list the titles of classes taught at The New School since it’s inception in 1919. The artist masterfully mixes sizes of fonts to make the the words in the picture legible, in addition to using different. Furthermore Baur mixes typefaces using light and book typefaces to differentiate words within the design. Using bright, warm colours to make the visuals pop against the bland white stairwell. I really enjoyed this piece because one medium in advertising that is overlooked is the stairwell. Something so plain can be transformed into a beautiful experience for passersby with just a little bit of imagination and environmental typography.