The opening ceremony for Typeforce 4, the annual showcase of emerging typographic artists and designers in the Chicago area was held Friday, March 1.

Previous Typeforce events have included artists like Rick Valicenti from Chicago-based design firm 3st and former DePaul professor and alumni Jeremiah Chiu.

This year, a group of seven graphic design students and Professor Chris Kalis from DePaul were also showcased at Typeforce.

Together they created a typography piece that invited guests to also be a part of the show.

“We were really really lucky to have a great initial idea by two students, Julia Simplicio and Samantha Rangel,” said recent DePaul grad, Constantine Pitstilos. “We looked at Typeforce entrees in the past, and they came up with the idea of having our piece start with nothing, and throughout the night it will reveal itself with help from the guests.”

The group created a piece comprising hundreds of black lines against a white background. Some of the lines were longer than others, with some creating a “dotted-line” effect against the stark white backdrop. However, the piece was still incomplete without the help of guests at Typeforce. Those willing to participate were instructed to place pieces of blue masking tape on the dotted lines throughout the piece.

“At the beginning of the show, our piece looked like nothing more than lines on a wall,” said Samantha Rangel, an advertising senior. “Throughout the night, as people added more and more tape, it came together beautifully into a life-sized phrase.”

The designers chose a famous double-negative quote by Stephen Hawking: “Nothing cannot exist forever.”

Katherine Brown, a senior graphic design major explains the meaning behind Hawking’s quote.

“I loved the quote we chose because I love the idea that the absence of something cannot last for ever,” said Brown. “Something must eventually exist. That was exactly what our project was about, it couldn’t be left blank forever.”

To participate in this event, designers were specifically selected. Designers had to submit work to Firebelly Design and be a chosen participate in order to have their work displayed at Typeforce.

“Overall, Typeforce has been the first major project where all the members of STA have collaborated and contributed,” said Reo Leung, a junior graphic design major. “It was incredible to hear, when they announced the chosen participants, that our submission had been selected. Not only had we been selected, but we were the only university graphic design student chapter in the entire show! So when it got around to opening night, seeing our finished piece in the gallery was an extremely surreal and humbling experience.”

In addition to the project made by members of the DePaul Society of Typographic Arts (STA), there are also a multitude of other interactive and stimulating projects displayed at Typeforce 4. Notable contributors include work from Slightly Offensive Chicago Posters, CMYKittens and Double Blind.

The exhibition will run through Friday, March 15 from 6-10 p.m. Typeforce is located at The Co-Prosperity Sphere in Bridgeport on 3219 South Morgan Street. To visit the gallery, you can take the Halsted bus south to 31st and walk to Morgan Street, or take the orange line to Halsted. It may be a lengthy trip, but the ingenious design by DePaul students and other notable Chicago artists make the trip more than worthwhile.