A liminal work, Aptly focuses on the condition in which humanity may be expressed under the normalizing constraints of technocratic systems. To this end, Aptly’s design space is posited as an array of severe constraints which demand an aesthetic resolution. The resolving concept is “Geo-Soft”, characters being constructed almost entirely from arcs of circle connected by or-thogonal straight lines, with few diagonals and nary a sharp corner—as if words are being routed by a bit of fixed dimension. The effect has an engaging tension, with soft edges offsetting rigorous structure, as if words are simultaneously melting and compiling. Working this conceptual tem-plate, Shinn fashions a cool, elemental and timeless repose.
