Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
Experimental typographic system
Sandra Maxa
Mark Sanders
Pratt Institute
Italo Calvino's 1972 novel
Invisible
Cities
is used as a basis for typographic
experimentation and expression. In
conversations between Marco Polo and
Kublai Khan, fifty-five cities are described
as physical spaces and as impressions of
residents and memories of visitors. With
poetic prose, Calvino presents an alternative
to how we usually think about cities,
using metaphors based on human nature,
linguistics, and semiotics. These metaphors
provide a springboard for typographic
play and manipulation, thereby teaching
students how to achieve more expressive
communication.
Students selected one of the cities
from the topic. Experimentation began
with identifying descriptive words and
aphorisms for the chosen city. Students
explored how type can clarify a message,
function symbolically, or emphasize meaning
in a conceptual way. Work continued with
physical alteration of letterforms, integration
of texture or other images, and composition
studies in an effort to create an authentic,
impressionable representation of the city's
geography, activities, and citizens. These
investigations culminated in a book about
the city (Fig.
11- 80
). Other system elements
included a two-sided poster with a calendar
of events (Fig.
11- 81
), voter registration cards
(Fig.
11- 82
), and various digital materials.
11-81
11-82
11-80 to 11-82
Designer: Chiu-Ping Chiu
11-80
