Alternative Layout System

2024

Giliane Cachin

INT has developed a series of scripts for graphic designer Giliane Cachin, in a project blending graphic design with creative programming. Her research rethinks paragraph formatting, drawing inspiration from Hebrew and Arabic manuscript techniques to challenge conventional layouts. Alternative Layout System is a custom plugin for Adobe InDesign.

Supported by Adobe’s plugin tools and funded by the Leenaards Foundation, this research led to the creation of the Alternative Layout System, a plugin for Adobe InDesign, now available for free download on the project's website, also programmed by INT.

Additionally, a group of graphic designers (Alexis Hominal & Tamara Niklaus, Alice Franchetti, Anatole Couteau, & Pablo Desportes, Arve Båtevik, Clemens Piontek, Eurostandard, Isabel Seiffert (Offshore), Jonathan Hares, Lea Michel (HOMI), Marietta Eugster, & Loan Bottex, (Marietta Eugster Studio), Maximage, Mitch Paone (DIA), NORM, Omnigroup, Tancrède Ottiger, Teo Schifferli) was selected to experiment with the various scripts, resulting in a printed publication showcasing their typographic explorations.

 

The Alternative Layout System consists of eight scripts designed to explore new ways of structuring text:

  • Same Sizer – Ensures all words occupy the same horizontal space.
  • Wiggle Out – Moves oversized words to the margin in a curved or straight shape.
  • Fill the Space – Fills gaps at the end of lines with custom glyphs or repeated letters.
  • Hyphen Out – Removes hyphenation by shifting split words outside the text frame.
  • Hyphenator – Adjusts word size to fit within the line, preventing unwanted hyphenation.
  • Last is First – Displays a preview of the first word of the next line.
  • Ext. Word & Letter – Stretches the last letter or word to align text neatly.
  • Variable Gradient – Applies a gradient effect to text.

These scripts offer innovative tools for experimenting with typography and redefining traditional layouts.

Documentation

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