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# Today’s Poster ·· Routed Type in Wood + Concrete
- URL: https://blog.garypercival.com/todays-poster-routed-type-in-wood-concrete/
- Published: 2026-01-04T16:00:12.000Z
- Updated: 2026-01-04T16:00:12.000Z
- Description: One layout. Three surfaces. Oak, walnut, and concrete. Same shapes, different weight. Material changes the voice.
- Author: Gary Percival
- Tags: #behindtheposter

## Why this week’s poster

I wanted to work with material instead of type style or colour.  
So I cut **the same layout** into **oak**, **walnut**, and **concrete**.

Same forms.  
Different attitude.

Wood feels warm.  
Concrete feels cold.  
Walnut sits between the two with a slower, heavier tone.

The design doesn’t change •• only the surface does.

That was the whole point.

## The build

- **Base layout.** A fixed letter grid routed as one piece.
- **Carve depth.** Consistent cuts, rounded shoulders for natural tool behaviour.
- **Materials.**
  - Oak for light + openness.
  - Walnut for richness + contrast.
  - Concrete for blunt, weighty presence.
- **Lighting.** Soft top light for grain definition · thin rim to lift the edges.
- **Type.** No decoration; the shadows do the work.

## What worked

- The forms stay readable across all three.
- Material alone changes mood more than colour would.
- Concrete version feels new for this series •• almost architectural.

## What I’d push next time

- A deeper cut pass on the concrete plate.
- Grain scale variation on the wood versions.
- A motion test to compare material feel in sequence.

## Print details

- Edition: Open weekly release
- Sizes: A3

## Close

The layout stays the same.  
The voice shifts with the surface.

  
Sometimes you don’t need new ideas •• you test old ones in a new material.

![“Concrete and oak poster sheets layered together on a red backdrop, carved letterforms cut through each plate.”](https://storage.ghost.io/c/92/bc/92bc4aa6-fb0d-48c9-88cc-6bb1e109d23d/content/images/2025/12/Ghost_Post_Images.jpg)

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