DO
YOU
CARE
ABOUT
YOUR
P
R
I
V
A
C
Y
?
ZXX typeface
ZXX
is a call to action, both
practically and
symbolically,
to raise questions about
privacy.
„I decided to create a typeface that would be unreadable by text scanning software (whether used by a government agency or a lone hacker) — misdirecting information or sometimes not giving any at all. It can be applied to huge amounts of data, or to personal correspondence. I drew six different cuts to generate endless permutations, each font designed to thwart machine intelligences in a different way.“
Sang Mun, the creator of the ZXX font
The origin
of ZXX
typeface
Sang Mun made the ZXX typeface that's unparsable to computers, but legible to human eyes. The zxx language code is a special code that is used to indicate that the document contains no natural language text.
The project is more of a provocation than a true security measure. "Sometimes these ideas about privacy can feel large and abstract to average person," Mun says. "I thought that addressing these issues through the design of a typeface—a building block of language and communication—would bring home the conversation to the average person."
But if you let your mind visit some not-so-distant future where cameras are ubiquitous and ordinary life is mediated through sophisticated wearable devices. You can see how we
could end up needing tools like this one.
Camo
Noise
Xed
False
A
A
A
A
the “Camo” style that adds scrawls of distortion
“Noise” adds clouds of pixels
“XED” draws optical-fooling patterns over the letters
“False” where the alphabet is swapped, so that an “A” is secreted in a giant “Z” while you type.
Camo
Noise
Xed
False
Sans
Bold
Aa
Bb
Cc
Dd
Ee
Ff
Gg
Hh
Ii
Jj
Kk
Ll
Mm
Nn
Oo
Pp
Rr
Ss
Tt
Uu
Vv
Ww
Xx
Yy
Zz
0
1
2
3
4
5
Aa
Bb
Cc
Dd
Ee
Ff
Gg
Hh
Ii
Jj
Kk
Ll
Mm
Nn
Oo
Pp
Rr
Ss
Tt
Uu
Vv
Ww
Xx
Yy
Zz
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Aa
Bb
Cc
Dd
Ee
Ff
Gg
Hh
Ii
Jj
Kk
Ll
Mm
Nn
Oo
Pp
Rr
Ss
Tt
Uu
Vv
Ww
Xx
Yy
Zz
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Aa
Bb
Cc
Dd
Ee
Ff
Gg
Hh
Ii
Jj
Kk
Ll
Mm
Nn
Oo
Pp
Rr
Ss
Tt
Uu
Vv
Ww
Xx
Yy
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Aa
Bb
Cc
Dd
Ee
Ff
Gg
Hh
Ii
Jj
Kk
Ll
Mm
Nn
Oo
Pp
Rr
Ss
Tt
Uu
Vv
Ww
Xx
Yy
Zz
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Aa
Bb
Cc
Dd
Ee
Ff
Gg
Hh
Ii
Jj
Kk
Ll
Mm
Nn
Oo
Pp
Rr
Ss
Tt
Uu
Vv
Ww
Xx
Yy
Zz
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Even if we do not take into account the basic function of ZXX, it may be interesting as a beautiful and unusual decorative typeface for
a graphic designer; it is perfect for designing posters, pamphlets, books and other products devoted to cryptography and protection of personal data.
2024 © Gabriela Štěpáníková