Machines taking over? Jonas questions if that's what we want
- Design
ChatGPT, Siri, a robot voice on the phone: we increasingly see machines mimicking humans. But should we want that? Jonas Riemersma graduates of Graphic Design at the Academy of Art & Design Arnhem. Here he explores that question. Not with an essay. But with a pen plotter. And a typeface that feels almost human.
For his graduation project, Jonas collaborated with a machine that he instructed to draw his own typeface. Not just lines or letters, but letterforms that question movement, control, and presence. Programmed, yet personal. The pen plotter is given the freedom to ‘think’, to randomly rearrange sentences and words. The result? Poems. Abstract lines. Fragments with unexpected meaning.
“Can a machine be human? And the other way around - aren’t we also becoming more like machines?” These questions linger throughout his work. Especially now, in a time when generative AI increasingly shapes our lives and our work.
Type collective
Jonas isn’t doing this alone. He co-founded the 530 Type Club: a student collective that aims to make typography more accessible. With the club, he led type workshops in which participants had to create their own shapes using mirrored foil. Without a pen or pencil. Thinking outside the box, quite literally. The collective also worked on a book as part of their shared graduation project.
“The programme encourages you to think beyond the traditional boundaries of graphic design.”
Graphic Design Arnhem = freedom
What did Jonas appreciate about his time at ArtEZ? The freedom to follow his own path. Tutors here encourage you to experiment and explore what truly moves you. “That’s something I will deeply miss.”
Learn more about the bachelor Graphic Design
