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Letterforms.Code.Clay
Based in Melbourne, Australia, I am an artist and designer exploring letterforms, code and clay.
This site is an ongoing and developing beast, so to see my latest pen plotter, ceramic and creative coding/motion exploration please check out my Instagram feed.
If you see anything posted on IG that has not yet made it to the website, feel free to enquire.
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Drawing from a background in graphic and typeface design as well as university lecturing, my creative approach leans heavily into experimentation, speculation and the driving proposition of “what if…?”.
In late 2023, I turned my focus to my art practice, while delving deeply into ceramics, driven by a desire to push further into tactility. I look to continue my exploratory approach through this practice by incorporating unique forms, creative coding and letterforms into my ceramic and art objects.
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As a type designer my approach explores and plays with and manipulates the Latin letterforms. Undertaking this research and exploration has allowed me to reach a point where I have fundamentally altered the way that I create, perceive and understand the shapes of the alphabet.
Looking through the Design and Type section of this site you will see the many visual avenues that I have taken over time with some leading to further exploration, some inducing confusion and some purely undertaken just for fun. I often make letters that may or may not look like letters. However, every piece of work has influenced the ways that I create and makes me look forward to what comes next.
I hope you enjoy.
Drop me an email to enquire about:
- art, ceramic, type or creative coding commissions
- collaborating on a guest lecture, workshop or public art project
- exhibition, journal or book contributions.
Cheers,
Barry.
Speculatype: A Transformative Approach to the Perception, Understanding and Creation of Latin Letterforms, Self-Published, 2017 (Buy Now)
For international distribution contact: Books at Manic
Press/Featured: TypographHer, Slanted, AGDA, Typism, Typeroom
The Essence of Latin Letterforms, Honours Dissertation, 2010
Speculatype: A Transformative Approach to the Perception, Understanding and Creation of Latin Letterforms, Doctoral Thesis, 2014
Burrinja Cultural Centre (Website)
fortyfivedownstairs Gallery (Gallery Stockroom)
The Framing Studio Heathmont (Instagram)
Interested in stocking any of my artworks? Please reach out.
2019, Type. Grid. Play., LCI Melbourne, Collingwood VIC, Australia (Watch)
2026, PRELUDE, Australian Galleries, Collingwood VIC, Australia, 2026
2026, Small Works Art Prize 2026, Brunswick Street Gallery, Brunswick VIC, Australia
2025, The Albert Park College Art Show 2025, Albert Park College, Port Melbourne VIC, Australia
2025, Small! 2025, fortyfivedownstairs Gallery, Melbourne VIC, Australia
2025, Fitzroy Festivus, Fitzroy Public Gallery, Fitzroy VIC, Australia
2025, 30th Annual Mayoral Art Exhibition, Maroondah Federation Estate Gallery, Ringwood VIC, Australia
2025, Assembly, Jacky Winter Gallery, Collingwood VIC, Australia
2025, Fifty Squared Art Prize 2025, Brunswick Street Gallery, Brunswick VIC, Australia
2025, Fitzroy Fifty-Five, Fitzroy Public Gallery, Fitzroy VIC, Australia
2025, Fitzroy Public Gallery Opening Show, Fitzroy Public Gallery, Fitzroy VIC, Australia
2025, Design in Motion Festival 2025, Across 5000 public screens and 15 cities, The Netherlands
2025, Small Works Art Prize 2025, Brunswick Street Gallery, Brunswick VIC, Australia
2024, Small! 2024, fortyfivedownstairs Gallery, Melbourne VIC, Australia
2024, Trace: undefined/Long Distance Drawing Project, Maison de l’Architecture, Amiens, France
2024, Small Works Art Prize 2024, Brunswick Street Gallery, Brunswick VIC, Australia
2023/24, Linden Postcard Show 2023-24, Linden New Art Gallery, St Kilda VIC, Australia
2023/24, Quasi: Experimental Writing Systems, Hoffmitz Milken Center for Typography (HMCT) Gallery, Group Exhibition, Pasadena CA, United States of America
2023, Out of Office, Across 32 public outdoor screens, Aker Brygge, Oslo, Norway
2022, Design in Motion Festival 2022, Across 5000 public screens, The Netherlands (Watch)
2022, After Water Hopps, Platform Arts Gallery, Geelong VIC, Australia
2022, Letter-Form Vol.2, Revolver Upstairs, Prahran VIC, Australia
2020, Letter-Form, Revolver Upstairs, Prahran VIC, Australia
2019, Tools of the Trade 2, Blackcat Fitzroy, Fitzroy VIC, Australia
2019, Nowhaus, LCI Melbourne, Collingwood VIC, Australia
2015, I'd Letterpress the Shit Out of That, Work-Shop Melbourne, Fitzroy VIC, Australia
2015, The 100 Day Project, Sun Moth Canteen and Bar, Melbourne VIC, Australia
2015, Do What You Love, Academy of Design, Port Melbourne VIC, Australia
2014, Tone of Voice, CATC Design School, Melbourne VIC, Australia
2014, What I Know Now, Academy of Design, Port Melbourne VIC, Australia
2009, I Wear My Heart On My Tee 2, The Town Hall Gallery, Hawthorn VIC, Australia
2026, Korowa Ceramic Art Prize 2026, Finalist, Group Exhibition, Korowa Anglican Girls’ School, Glen Iris VIC, Australia
2026, Omnia Art Prize 2026, Finalist, Group Exhibition, St Kevin's College, Toorak VIC, Australia
2025, No Vacancy Annual 2025, Finalist, Group Exhibition, No Vacancy Gallery, Melbourne VIC, Australia
2025, Omnia Art Prize 2025, Finalist, Group Exhibition, St Kevin's College, Toorak VIC, Australia
2026, Northcote Pottery Supplies, Brunswick East VIC, Australia
2022, Chalkboard Wall Typographic Installation/Livestream, LCI Melbourne, Collingwood VIC, Australia (Watch)
2020, Tiny Code Installation, Group Installation, Creative Coding Madrid/MediaLab Prado, Madrid, Spain (Watch)
2020, Chalkboard Wall Typographic Installation, LCI Melbourne, Collingwood VIC, Australia (Watch)
2019, Melbourne Lettering Club Digital Takeover: May, Melbourne VIC, Australia
2017, Live Gridded Type Demonstration, Blip Market, Collingwood VIC, Australia
2016, Pegboard Wall Typographic Installation, Academy of Design, Collingwood VIC, Australia
2026, Art Matters, Radio Show/Podcast (Art Matters)
2025, Art Matters, Radio Show/Podcast (Art Matters)
2024, Giving Type Meaning: Context and Craft in Typography, Bloomsbury Publishing
2023, Guest Contributor 36 Days of Type 2023 Edition, 36 Days of Type (Online)
2022, Processing Foundation Community Catalog, Processing Foundation (Read)
2020, ‘Barry and Eli’, Walk The_ (Read)
2020, ‘Flashback Series: Speculatype’, Typism Community (Read)
2020, ‘Barry Spencer on Experimental Typeface Design’, On Process Podcast (Listen - Spotify)
2018, Typism: Book Four, Typism
2017, Conscript Zine: Vol.2, Conscript Zine
2017, ‘Can you help Barry Spencer's cryptic Clara typeface find its clarity?’, Typeroom (Read)
2017, ‘An Unusual Type: Tutor Barry Spencer Experiments with Letter Design’, Academy of Design Australia (Read)
2017, ‘Alphabets codés : l'étrange beauté des typographies spéculatives’, Usbek & Rica (Read) (French)
2017, ‘Barry Spencer: Subtly distrupting the Latin alphabet – SD54’, Subtle Disruptors Podcast (Listen - Apple) (Listen - SoundCloud)
2017, ‘Barry Spencer, typographe futuriste’, étapes (Read) (French)
2017, ‘An Australian Type Designer Created a Kaleidoscopic Alphabet for the Year 3000’, VICE/Creators (Read)
2017, ‘Barry Spencer – Speculatype’, Melbourne Lettering Club (Read)
2016, ‘Cryptic Clara and her search for search for clarity’, Medium (Read)
2016, ‘Can you crack the typographic code?’, Type Worship (Read)
2016, Typism: Book Three, Typism
2016, ‘Bravery, abstract thinking, and creative leaps’, TypographHer (Read)
2016, ‘Gridded Type Design’, Lettering Hub (Read)
2016, ‘Unique Type Gridded Sketchbooks’, Type Worship (Read)
2015, Typism: Book Two, Typism
2014, Typograph.Journal: Volume 2, Typograph.Journal
2013, Typism: Book One, Typism
2009, ‘114 new pro tips for type’, Computer Arts Magazine: Issue 167 (Read)
2006, ‘Labyrinths & Facades’, Typotastic Magazine: Issue Two
2024, ‘Guest Lecture on Speculative Letterform Design/Student Critique’, Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences, Kamp-Lintfort, Germany
2022, ‘Pride Sign Creation Workshop’, LCI Melbourne, Collingwood VIC, Australia
2021, ‘Creative Constructed Type’, LCI Re-Connected for Melbourne Design Week, Collingwood VIC, Australia (360 Degree Experience Video)
2020, ‘Typographic “What Ifs?”: Constant Exploration, Changing Perceptions and Unexpected Letterforms’, Fonts and Faces #7: ‘Text and Confused’ – International Type Symposium, Bagnolet, France, (Video)
2019, ‘Type. Grid. Play. Artist Talk/Workshop’, LCI Melbourne, Collingwood VIC, Australia
2017, ‘Experimental Type Design Workshop’, Work-Shop Melbourne, Fitzroy VIC, Australia
2016, ‘Featured Artist for Letterpress Workshop’, Saint Gertrude Letterpress, Brunswick VIC, Australia
2016, ‘Grids and Letterforms Workshop’, Academy of Design, Collingwood VIC, Australia
2016, ‘Guest Speaker for LunchMeet’, Tractor Design School, Melbourne VIC, Australia
2016, ‘Speculative Type Design Workshop’, Work-Shop Melbourne, Fitzroy VIC, Australia
2015, ‘Transformation, Speculation and Letterforms’, Typism Conference, Gold Coast QLD, Australia, (Intro Video)
2014, ‘Getting out of a rut (Practical strategies for motivating yourself, overcoming writer’s block and getting out of a rut. Presented by those who have been there!)’, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, NSW, Australia
2007, ‘Guest Lecture on Folio Presentation’, Swinburne University, Prahran VIC, Australia, 2007
2007, ‘Guest Speaker on Design Practice’, Upwey High School, Upwey VIC, Australia, 2007