VISUAL
CRYPTOGRAPHY
IN TYPOGRAPHY
Typefaces as much as a puzzle to solve, as they are a message to read
This research explores how typography can
exist in the grey area of legible and unreadable, allowing the message to
reveal only when paid attention to it. Using various techniques of visual cryptography,
these typefaces serve as an intersection of design, art, play,
environment, and logic.
ORIGIN OF IDEA
Often times design processes dictate that
every design decision should have a reasoning.
Stumbling upon these random triangular patterns commonly found in design, made me wonder that even they should have a meaning, a reason as to why each triangle is placed in that certain way. That’s when a question ignited, “Can something be designed in a way that looks random but if paid attention, the hidden meaning reveals?”
Thus began this research of visual cryptography and its application with typography.
Stumbling upon these random triangular patterns commonly found in design, made me wonder that even they should have a meaning, a reason as to why each triangle is placed in that certain way. That’s when a question ignited, “Can something be designed in a way that looks random but if paid attention, the hidden meaning reveals?”
Thus began this research of visual cryptography and its application with typography.
UNDERSTANDING CRYPTOGRAPHY
Some knowledge is sacred, only for the chosen few. Information like private messages, company secrets, passwords are all safe and secure because of cryptography. Cryptography is the practice and study of techniques for secure communication between the sender and receiver. Simply put, it is about sharing messages in a secret manner. This age-old study’s application can be seen in use from the times of Julius Ceasar to modern day electronic encryptions for safe and secure transactions.
VISUAL CRYPTOGRAPHY TECHNIQUES
Technique by Moni Naor and Adi Shamir
One of the best-known techniques involves breaking an image into parts, so that only someone with all the parts can decrypt the image.
![]()
One of the best-known techniques involves breaking an image into parts, so that only someone with all the parts can decrypt the image.
Turing Fonts
Like Caesar cipher, characters of these fonts are unordered on purpose. These fonts mainly exist in the digital world, when one wants to publish something sensitive and do not want
to be indexed by search engines like Google.
![]()
Like Caesar cipher, characters of these fonts are unordered on purpose. These fonts mainly exist in the digital world, when one wants to publish something sensitive and do not want
to be indexed by search engines like Google.
Bacon Cipher
This one involves the usage of two typefaces. Each character of the decrypted message is replaced with 5 characters to encrypt it. Like binary has 0 and 1, this cipher have typeface A and typeface B. The character ‘a’ will be written in 5 characters of typeface A. For ‘b’ it is 4 characters of typeface A and 1 character of typeface B and so on.
![]()
This one involves the usage of two typefaces. Each character of the decrypted message is replaced with 5 characters to encrypt it. Like binary has 0 and 1, this cipher have typeface A and typeface B. The character ‘a’ will be written in 5 characters of typeface A. For ‘b’ it is 4 characters of typeface A and 1 character of typeface B and so on.
Printer Steganography
It’s a technique in which secret yellow dots are printed on paper encoding the details of the device that page was printed from.
![]()
It’s a technique in which secret yellow dots are printed on paper encoding the details of the device that page was printed from.
Pigpen Cipher
This cipher encrypts messages by replacing characters with symbols. It is the most common cipher used as kids to communicate.
![]()
This cipher encrypts messages by replacing characters with symbols. It is the most common cipher used as kids to communicate.
Doctor’s Handwriting
Sometimes it is the plain old handwriting of doctors that can do the trick!
![]()
Sometimes it is the plain old handwriting of doctors that can do the trick!
PAREIDOLIA EFFECT
In plain sight these letters might look
like random patterns but when looked closely they reveal the hidden message
they carry. Such letters have a pareidolia effect. Pareidolia is one such
effect that falls into grey area between the encrypted and decrypted. For
example, a cloud might look like dinosaur, or the texture on a floor tile might
be perceived as a face. Pareidolia can be used in visual cryptography where the
letterforms and typography exist in the grey area of legibility and unreadable.
By relaxing the constraints of legibility, letterforms were created in a way
that requires the reader to pay attention to them.
ELEMENTS & STRUCTURES
A
programmatic method was used to create these letterforms.
Just as binary code comprises of 0s and 1s as
elements forming a code when structured together in a sequence, similarly,
basic shapes like circles and triangles were used as elements and the structure
became the grid on which these shapes were arranged to create the letterforms.
OUTCOME
The
outcome of this research are typefaces that are as much as a puzzle to solve as
they are a message to read. Each typeface apart from their cryptic nature has a
certain visual flavor and attributes.
A
CYPHER MONO
A
CYPHER MONO SECOND NATURE
A
A
CIRCUS MONO
A
A
STRINGS MONO