In order to understand the contextual meaning of the proposed typeface, research was undertaken into the origins of wingding typefaces, and the designers who use them.
Wingdings are a series of dingbat fonts which render letters as a variety of symbols. They were originally developed in 1990 by Microsoft by combining glyphs from Lucida Icons, Arrows, and Stars. The Wingdings trademark is owned by Microsoft, and the design and glyph order was awarded U.S. Design Patent D341848 in 1993. The patent expired in 2005.
The typeface that is proposed in this project will be comprised of semi-legible letters, rather than miscellaneous symbols. Despite this factual inaccuracy of the proposed 'Chicken Wingding' name, when this information was reviewed by a group of peers of was decided that keeping the wingding name would be of greater benefit to the project, allowing the typeface to be marketed with the originally intended humour. Any adjustments to the name would therefore compromise the original concept of the project.
However, considering the potential impact of trademark infringement, some concern was raised amongst peers that the name of the typeface would have to be reviewed. Although Wingdings is a trademarked name, the phrase is so often used and known that it would be possible to retain the original name as long as the Chicken Wingding typeface was restricted to private use only. Any attempts to sell the typeface commercially could potentially cause implications on the ethics of the design.
Wingdings in Design
Perhaps the most famous example of a wingding typeface in commercial use is the infamous Brian Ferry interview published by designer David Carson in an issue of Ray Gun magazine. Although originally speculated to be an unforeseen production error, the design decision was revealed to be a reaction from Carson towards the dull interview text. The now iconic editorial spread is revered as a pinnacle moment in Carson's career, and in the wider context of grunge typography.
Typeface Design
Initially it was felt that research should be undertaken into the technicalities of creating a typeface. However this was decided against as traditional typefaces maintain a rigid sense of uniformity and cohesion. However there is no natural continuity to chicken wing shapes and the typeface should reflected this accurately.