Rikke Hansen Typography lives between traditions and transformations, between analog gestures and digital tools, between local scripts and global design practices. This talk presents a pedagogical approach that embraces these “in-between” spaces through tangible prototyping of letters. By working with physical materials fx paper, fabric, liquids, everyday objects, students are invited to experiment with letterforms as artifacts that emerge from touch, play, and curiosity rather than software presets.Drawing on workshops conducted in diverse contexts, from Latin America, China to the Middle East, the method demonstrates how students can explore both Latin and Arabic scripts through experimental prototyping.
In most cases, students generate 500–1500 unique letterforms in just a few days, later transforming their physical sketches into digital posters. This process illustrates how typography evolves across tools and times: from material experimentation to digital refinement, from local expressions to global dialogues.In Sharjah – a city where tradition and transition coexist, the presentation highlights how tangible prototyping cultivates a pedagogy between disciplines, between scripts, and between pedagogies. It provides a framework for students to navigate their own typographic voice while acknowledging cultural identity, translation, and transformation.
By situating typography in the “between,” this talk demonstrates how type education can bridge analog-digital divides and foster experimental, inclusive practices across scripts and cultures.