Sheffield Hallam University Sheffield

ABOUT

Ten words. Ten compulsions. One loop that never ends.

OBSESSED is a typographic poster and motion series about obsessive-compulsive disorder. It gives a visual form to the thoughts and rituals that are usually hidden. Each piece takes one word, such as CHECK, and builds its layout around the behaviour that word describes: repetition, rearrangement, a single detail that won't settle.

The series grew out of a reference study and went through three directions: a tidy pile, an experimental phase, and the final OBSESSED system. That system has a restrained red-and-cream palette and a custom alphabet built on strict construction rules. Its signature device is a single "raised" word that lifts off the page, the way an intrusive thought rises above everything else. A red outline technique ties every piece together.

The project covers 12 posters, 11 animated reels and a short film, delivered in four formats. All 22 sounds were synthesised and mixed from scratch. The writing was approached with care to avoid the clichés that often turn OCD into a joke, and every piece points to support resources. The series closes on one line: It never leaves.

Role: Concept, art direction, typography, motion and sound direction
Tools: Custom type system, Python (Pillow) for production, sound synthesis

Who liked - OBSESSED: A Typographic Series on OCD

Back to OBSESSED: A Typographic Series on OCD project