Koneen Säätiö Grant for the Centre for Text Margins

Centre for Text Margins, a completely new groundbreaking community in the design field, has received a grant from Koneen Säätiö, enabling its operation for the next three years. The center centre is based at Aalto University and aims to collect, develop, and disseminate knowledge and skills related to text design. 

Centre for Text Margins brings together accessible plain language and experimental writing under one roof, which is exceptional both in Finland and internationally. The concept of text margins refers to two interwoven phenomena: the literal margins of texts and marginalized texts. The center develops and studies the material forms of texts, which often remain marginal in the shadow of conventional text practices. The founder of the center is graphic designer, Associate Professor of Visual Communication Design Arja Karhumaa, whose design practice and artistic research focus on typography and text design. 

The centre aims to enhance literacy and accessibility, for example investigating how the visual design of texts can best support neurodivergent readers. It also develops ways to create accessible and meaningful multilingual texts while avoiding Eurocentric approaches. Another focus is on advancing visual and auditory reading, specifically how the visual design of text can adapt to the era of audiobooks and podcasts. The center also aims to develop digital tools that support the design of nonlinear texts. Additionally, the possibilities of artificial intelligence in text design are explored, examining how AI can learn to understand and create visual aspects of text in a meaningful way. 

During the pilot period from 2025 to 2027, the centre will focus on consolidating the text design expertise already present at Aalto University, developing the residency program, and creating networks of collaboration both nationally and internationally. The long-term goal is to be recognized as an expert in the field of text design and to offer residency opportunities for professionals. The first resident designer will be graphic designer and artist Heikki Lotvonen, who researches forgotten and unconventional text design methods and creates experimental design tools based on them. 

Thanks to the centre, the knowledge and skills of text design will be developed and shared more widely, and one of the future goals is to develop doctoral education in the field in Finland. The grant from Koneen Säätiö provides an opportunity to create new, practitioner-led knowledge and to offer professionals the time and space needed for developing their practice.