- Let's start with the idea that typography
is simply pictures of words.
There's no reason why we can't use typography
to not only communicate an idea
but to also do the double duty as the image.
Consider that written language began with pictograms
that became hieroglyphics, then letter forms
to represent sounds in Western languages.
The audience already expects to be told
what to expect by the letter forms,
scary, funny, serious, or romantic.
The typeface tells the story.
Now, just take that one step farther
and let it do all the work.
I love this piece designed for an exhibition
of the 50 Books Show in 1961.
The designer chose a narrow, condensed typeface.
By tipping some of the letters over,
we immediately read these letters as the spine of books.
And by dropping the headline
to the bottom of the page, we know books are heavy.
Another example of utilizing the shape of the letter forms
is this solution for the Art Center
graduation exhibition in summer of 2018.
The choice to not manipulate the number eight
into a terrible, mutated eight and G combination
is at the heart of this solution.
The viewer is asked to solve the issue.
Why is the eight dropped down?
Oh, now I see.
It's a G and an eight.
The same approach works for another cover
for Pepsi-Cola World.
This month is September,
traditionally when children return to school.
When this cover was designed, it was standard practice
to teach cursive handwriting using this method
of a baseline, x height, and cap height.
I love that the blackboard is still a blackboard
with all the texture and history intact.
As a solid black, the idea might appear inauthentic.
The point here is that the typography does not need
to look exactly like the thing it is communicating.
Rather than forcing the round shape of the letters
to become waves, it's enough to make a gesture of this.
The audience will work to decipher the meaning,
giving the piece more impact.
And the solution works because it is effortless.
It is enforced.
No letters were harmed in its making.
When I decide to work on a solution using type as image,
I find it best to sketch with my hand.
If I work on the computer, I end up
shoving letters around and get nothing.
But if I spend time looking at all possible permutations
of a word, I might discover something hidden,
such as a holiday card that lets the viewer know
that Arnold Schwartzman is in Hollywood,
and holly happens at Christmas.
Like working with fused metaphors,
this approach relies on simple forms.
Overdecorated and complex take away from the message.
The best solutions let things be what they are
and eliminate all other elements.
Let the type do the work, but don't get in its way.