Growing older is something that is inevitable, and as we grow we change, but most of us have our memories to look back on. There are many people who are not so lucky however; my grandma has taught me this. She still has quite a bit of her memory and is still very present and aware, but I can tell that bits and pieces of her mind are slowly fading away. As I experience this with her I wanted to try to understand and visualize in my own way what it might feel like to lose something as important as your memory.
While there are many resources online to help people and family experiencing memory-affecting illnesses like Alzheimers, there are few attempts to express how it feels to be inside their minds.
Reflecting on my experience with my grandmother, I created a typeface called Rememory that represents the experience of memory loss. Then, I presented it through a type specimen that dives deeper into the feeling of losing your memory while also educating people about memory loss. The specimen uses specifically chosen “things” that can be forgotten as the content set in my typeface. These “things” become progressively more simple because the more memory you lose the harder it becomes to remember and perform simple things. In the end, I hope to generate greater empathy for those who are dealing with memory loss, and in doing so teach people to use the skill of empathy in other areas of their lives as well.
