By Tim Cronin · Brooklyn, USA
Capricious and curvy, Physique puts a twist on the traditional contrast model. Unlike historical typefaces with translation contrast, Physique has an inverted pen angle as the basis for how letters are constructed. This challenging motif emerged from a central guiding question: Can type design be queer? Physique answers this question by honoring queer legacies of resistance and joy. Because the hand is present in the construction of the letterforms, the type pays homage to urgently hand-drawn protest posters of queer liberation movements. At the same time, through its flamboyant pen angle that is at once inverted and fluid, Physique points toward magazines and advertisements from before Stonewall. These artifacts represented safe spaces for queer folks to find joy and express sexuality, spaces that are still vital and still very much under attack today. Thus, Physique attempts to reconcile the rigid systems of type design with the dynamic experiences of being a queer person today.
Tim is a graphic designer, printmaker, and teacher living in Brooklyn, New York. He is currently VP of Design at WaitWhat, a media invention company. Tim loves working with other designers, artists, and organizations on a wide range of projects, including branding, packaging, poster design, printmaking projects, and above all, anything related to typography and type design. He has over 12 years of design experience in agency, in-house, and freelance capacities, and he has taught graphic design and printmaking as a visiting artist at the high school level. Tim graduated with a Master’s degree in Graphic and Web Design at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design in 2019.
