Kapital K


Mine is an experiment in graphically portraying the essence of one interaction between two (or more) people by breaking down human communication (not necessarily just spoken) to its most base elements.

The elements I have identified are ‘positive’, ‘negative’, ‘assertive’, ‘submissive’, ‘descriptive’, ‘emotive’, ‘question’, ‘conditional’, ‘command’, ‘announcement’, ‘indication’ and ‘personal ticks’ (which I believe can impact on an interaction between people).

Bearing in mind I am attempting to convey the essence and not narrative of the interaction (if somebody describes directions to a place, I am not looking to detail the directions but just to show that a description has been given), I believe that any communication can be represented by one of, or a combination of, these twelve elements.

Each element will be represented by a malleable, non-linear character which, when put into context of a unique transaction, can be redrawn and manipulated in accordance to the interaction. The characters I have designed are really just starting points; a certain part of an interaction may consist of several elements and thus be represented by an amalgamation of the appropriate characters – just as a unique shade of green is made up from the two base colours blue and yellow, a sudden rage of one person against another could be made from a combination of ‘negative’, ‘assertive’ and ‘emotive’ – forming a unique character.

Not only will the characters be transformed by context, they will also transform according to magnitude. I have given each character a distinctive feature which I hope visually demonstrates the element of communication which they represent. For example, ‘assertive’ is represented by a spiky-looking character and if, during the interaction, somebody is asserting themselves to the point of aggression, the character on the page would have long, exaggerated spikes and may appear larger than other characters around it. The layout itself is also flexible and doesn’t read in a linear fashion. If I feel something relates importantly to something else, the relevant characters will be in close proximity regardless of where they fall during conversation.

On printed format like this, the most convenient conventional way to display an interaction between people is, obviously, in writing and so I offer a passage from a book, written at the top of the page and then, underneath, my visual representation of that same interaction. I am only applying myself to what takes place between the people in the book, not the words of the narrator.

No two interactions between people are exactly the same in mood and meaning and so, to ensure I capture any interaction I cover in a unique way, the characters are redrawn by hand.


Jamie Winder (info@jamiewinder.co.uk)