# Out-of-Square Hangul Typography

> A Korean typographic movement that frees Hangul from the equal square in which metal and photo type had always set each syllable. Beginning with Ahn Sang-soo's 1985 typeface, jamo keep fixed sizes so syllables vary in height and lines hang from a shared top edge; letters are built from circle, dot and straight stroke, and in posters and the magazine Bogoseo/Bogoseo they are enlarged until they become the picture.

- Period: 1985–present
- Where: East Asia
- Origin: Seoul, South Korea: Ahn Sang-soo's 1985 typeface, Ahn Graphics and the magazine Bogoseo/Bogoseo, prefigured by the non-square output of mid-century Hangul typewriters
- Branch: Postmodern
- Also known as: Tal-nemo (out-of-square) Hangul, Talnemokkol typefaces (탈네모꼴), De-squared Hangul, Ahn Sang-soo style
- Page: https://stylogeny.com/styles/out-of-square-hangul/

## How it works

- Draw each consonant and vowel at one fixed size and let syllables grow downward, so lines hang from a common top edge and finish raggedly at the bottom.
- Construct letters from the script's own geometric primitives (circle, dot, horizontal and vertical stroke) as monoline modules rather than brush-derived strokes.
- Enlarge a single jamo or syllable until it becomes the image, and let its circles and strokes double as figures.
- Work in black and one or two flat spot colours on white, so the letter structure carries the expression.
- Experiment with the structure of Hangul itself, a featural syllabic script, instead of importing distortions from Latin typography.

## Its design choices

Defining choices make the style, characteristic ones are usual, occasional ones turn up now and then.

### Layout & composition
- [Dynamic asymmetry](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/dynamic-asymmetry/) (characteristic)
- [Collage & layering](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/collage-and-layering/) (characteristic)
- [Isolated object](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/isolated-object/) (characteristic)
- [Broken grid](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/broken-grid/) (occasional)

### Space & hierarchy
- [Extreme scale contrast](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/extreme-scale-contrast/) (characteristic)
- [Generous white space](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/generous-white-space/) (characteristic)
- [Repetition & rhythm](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/repetition-and-rhythm/) (characteristic)
- [Layered information](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/layered-information/) (occasional)

### Typography
- [Experimental & distorted](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/experimental-and-distorted/) (defining)
- [Geometric sans](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/geometric-sans/) (defining)
- [Type as image](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/type-as-image/) (defining)
- [Rotated & vertical setting](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/rotated-and-vertical-setting/) (occasional)
- [Hand-lettering](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/hand-lettering/) (occasional)

### Colour
- [Limited spot colours](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/limited-spot-colours/) (defining)
- [Flat fields](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/flat-fields/) (characteristic)
- [Light ground](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/light-ground/) (characteristic)
- [Monochrome](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/monochrome/) (characteristic)
- [Primary triad](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/primary-triad/) (occasional)

### Form & shape
- [Geometric primitives](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/geometric-primitives/) (defining)
- [Rectilinear](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/rectilinear/) (characteristic)
- [Stylised figuration](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/stylised-figuration/) (occasional)

### Surface & texture
- [Flat](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/flat/) (characteristic)
- [Halftone & Ben-Day dots](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/halftone-and-ben-day-dots/) (occasional)

### Ornament
- [Ornament-free](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/ornament-free/) (characteristic)

### Imagery
- [Typography only](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/typography-only/) (defining)
- [Photomontage](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/photomontage/) (occasional)
- [Found & vernacular imagery](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/found-and-vernacular-imagery/) (occasional)

### Medium & production
- [Offset printing](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/offset-printing/) (characteristic)
- [Desktop publishing](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/desktop-publishing/) (characteristic)
- [Architecture & signage](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/architecture-and-signage/) (occasional)

### Tone & intent
- [Playful & witty](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/playful-and-witty/) (characteristic)
- [Rebellious & subversive](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/rebellious-and-subversive/) (characteristic)
- [Rational & objective](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/rational-and-objective/) (occasional)
- [Utopian & idealistic](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/utopian-and-idealistic/) (occasional)

Avoids: Monospace, Script, Ornamented display, Abundant decoration, Floral & vegetal, Skeuomorphic material, Painterly illustration

Palette: #f5f3ee, #111111, #d7261e, #1f4fa0, #f2c12e

Typefaces: Ahn Sang-soo typeface (안상수체, 1985), Isang-che, Mir-che and Mano-che (Ahn Sang-soo), Hankyoreh Gyeol-che (한겨레결체, 2005), Hangul typewriter letterforms (Gong Byeong-u's sebeolsik machines)

Known for: Ahn Sang-soo, Ahn Sang-soo typeface (1985; digital version 1991); Ahn Sang-soo, Isang-che, Mir-che and Mano-che typefaces; Ahn Sang-soo, Madang typeface for Madang magazine (art director from 1983); Bogoseo/Bogoseo (Report/Report), alternative art and culture magazine, from 1988; Hankyoreh Gyeol-che, out-of-square text face by Tae System for the Hankyoreh newspaper (2005); Ahn Sang-soo: Imagining Hangul, Rodin Gallery, Seoul (2002); Paju Typography Institute (PaTI), founded by Ahn Sang-soo (2013)

## Where it comes from, and what it’s close to

- Grew out of: [International Typographic Style](https://stylogeny.com/styles/swiss-international.md) (1950–1975)
- Influenced by: [Die Neue Typographie](https://stylogeny.com/styles/new-typography.md) (1923–1940)
- Alike in its design choices: [Seoul Independent Graphic Design (Small-Studio Scene)](https://stylogeny.com/styles/seoul-independent-design.md) (2005–present), 76% alike
- Alike in its design choices: [Emigre & Early Digital Type](https://stylogeny.com/styles/emigre.md) (1984–1998), 70% alike
- Alike in its design choices: [Total Design & Dutch Functionalism](https://stylogeny.com/styles/dutch-total-design.md) (1963–1990), 70% alike
- Alike in its design choices: [Bossa Nova Sleeve Modernism (César Villela and Elenco)](https://stylogeny.com/styles/bossa-nova-sleeve.md) (1960–1968), 69% alike
- Alike in its design choices: [Zagreb Modernist Graphics (EXAT 51 to Teatar &TD)](https://stylogeny.com/styles/zagreb-modernist-graphics.md) (1951–1975), 68% alike
- Alike in its design choices: [Brazilian Concrete Design](https://stylogeny.com/styles/brazilian-concrete.md) (1951–1975), 67% alike

## Real works

- [bogoseo\bogoseo (보고서\보고서), vol. 6, cover](https://www.mplus.org.hk/en/collection/objects/bogoseobogoseo-vol-6-cl202013/): Ahn Sang-soo, 1991, M+, Hong Kong, M+ Library Special Collection (CL.2020.1.3)
- [557th Commemoration of Hangeul Day (poster)](https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1498090/): Ahn Sang-soo, 2003, Victoria and Albert Museum, London (FE.66-2019)
- [bogoseo\bogoseo (보고서\보고서), vol. 1, cover](https://www.mplus.org.hk/en/collection/objects/bogoseobogoseo-vol-1-cl202011/): Ahn Sang-soo, 1988, M+, Hong Kong, M+ Library Special Collection (CL.2020.1.1)
- [letters.for.life (Ahn Sang-soo exhibition poster, Xue Xue gallery, Taipei)](https://ssahn.com/?p=22076): Ahn Sang-soo, 2018 (exhibition 15 March – 20 June 2018), Ahn Sang-soo, ssahn.com (designer's own site), 'works' category, post of 11 April 2018
- [We Live in Seocho (from the 'We Live in Seoul' poster series)](https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1723207/): Shin Gwang (INTERNETMADE), 2017 (printed 2022), Victoria and Albert Museum, London (FE.357-2022)

## Sources

- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahn_Sang-soo_(designer)
- https://ko.wikipedia.org/wiki/한겨레결체
- https://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=61173 (comment by Jongseong Park on tal-nemo typefaces)
- https://www.koreajoongangdaily.com/lifestyle/typeface-artist-truly-a-font-of-creativity/11131007

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From Stylogeny (https://stylogeny.com/), an atlas of graphic-design styles by Van Riel Online Services. How it is made: https://stylogeny.com/about/. Cite as: Stylogeny, “Out-of-Square Hangul Typography”, https://stylogeny.com/styles/out-of-square-hangul/