Chinese type
Typographic anthropomorphism
This self-initiated project explores typographic anthropomorphism through Chinese characters, transforming written language into expressive, character-driven visuals. By humanising type, the work brings each word to life — not only conveying meaning linguistically, but embodying emotion, personality and motion through form.
Each illustration plays with the innate structure and symbolism of the character. For example, the character for “bitter” (苦) becomes a face pulling a sour expression, tongue out in exaggerated distaste; while “long” (長) is extended into a stretched, humorous figure that visually emphasises length. This playful manipulation bridges language and visual storytelling, celebrating the poetic simplicity and graphic potential of Hanzi.
The result is a series that sits between calligraphy, design and illustration — a modern, lighthearted interpretation that highlights the beauty, rhythm and narrative power of Chinese script.
Typography
Creative lettering
Hanzi Design