Molecular Typography Laboratory
Kobi Franco
2025
The Molecular Typography Laboratory by Kobi Franco is a speculative research project that delves into experimental typography, exploring the intersection of function versus aesthetics and content versus form. This pseudo-scientific study operates on the premise that Latin and Hebrew letters possess a molecular structure, examining how this assumption can be applied to alphabets and languages. It is an interdisciplinary endeavor that bridges the gap between design, science, and language.
The research is a deep and comprehensive exploration of the concept of 'molecular typography'. It involves a series of over 150 tests, each designed as a structured 'game' where Franco defines the rules, sets the stage, and selects the participants. These tests have led to the identification of 11 key themes: foundations, language, gender, formula, weight, 3D, gravitation, generative research, color, word play, and the relationship between type and image.
The book features four illuminating essays that provide historical, cultural, and academic insights into typographic research.
- Design: Kobi Franco
- Editing: Kobi Franco
- Texts: Prof. Arch. Eran Neuman, Ori Drumer, Dr. Batsheva Goldman-Ida, Kobi Franco
- Translation: Talya Halkin, Daphna Raz
- Language editing: Daphna Raz
- Copies: 1000
- Pages: 224
- Type of binding: Softcover, open thread stitching with dust jacket
- Dimensions (cm): 21x27
- Reproductions: Slanted Publishers
- Printing: NINO Druck, Germany
- Binding: NINO Druck, Germany
- Type of printing: Offset printing with three spot colors
- Publication: Slanted Publishers
- Place of publication: Karlsruhe, Germany
- Supported by: Shenkar College, the Israel Lottery Council for Culture and Art
- Book photography: Slanted Publishers
- ISBN: 9783948440794
Kobi Franco is a designer, researcher, curator, and Head of the Master's in Design Program at Shenkar College, Tel Aviv. He runs a studio specializing in design for the fields of culture and the arts. Franco holds an MFA in Design from Shenkar College, graduating with highest distinction. He previously earned his B.Des in Visual Communication, also with highest distinction, from Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, where he was awarded the Mike Felheim Prize for Typographic Excellence. Franco has designed catalogues, artist books, and numerous exhibitions for institutions such as the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, the Herzliya Museum of Contemporary Art, the Design Museum Holon, Tel Aviv University, and the National Library of Israel in Jerusalem. He is a recipient of the Ministry of Culture and Sport Design Award and the Type Directors Club Award for Typographic Excellence (New York). His work has been featured in numerous exhibitions both in Israel and internationally, including in the United States (Graphis Design for Peace), France (The DNA Paris Design Awards), Japan (The International Poster Triennial), South Korea (The Asia Graphic Design Triennial), and in Israel (Design Museum Holon, Ashdod Museum of Art, and Jerusalem Design Week). His work has been published in various journals and books, including Graphis and Communication Arts Magazine (USA), Form (Germany), and the books Bi-Scriptural Design and How Design Makes Us Think.
