Design studios XYZ Type and Polymode collaborated to invite fifteen diverse voices from the design world to discuss the ways their personal and cultural identities resonate with typography, through personal narratives, critical essays, and lively conversations.
I was asked to design a 2-color art book, using Polymode Sans Variable, that explores the wide spectrum that identity exists within. From more neutral and "real" to more expressive and "opulent" this anthology is a visual exploration in how typography and identity intersect. Using an underlying flexible grid system, each essay feels related yet distinctly independent; speaking to the unique identities and backgrounds of each contributor and messages they convey.
Contributors include artist-technologist Mindy Seu, designer-writer Elizabeth Goodspeed, multidisciplinary artist Diana Guerrero-Maciá, designer-poet Sadie Red Wing, and collaborative studio WORK/PLAY. Collectively, the twelve entirely original pieces in the book underscore the fact that typography is never neutral, but rather deeply personal and political.
The book includes essays by Elizabeth Goodspeed, Diana Guerrero-Maciá, nicole killian, Kyle Letendre, Saki Mafundikwa, Ziddi Msangi, Duy Nguyen, Chris Skillern, and David Jon Walker; a poem by Sadie Red Wing, and a comic by Kruttika Susarla.
Two discussions are included: one between Be Oakley, Mindy Seu, and nicole killian, and another between Danielle McCoy and Kevin McCoy of WORK/PLAY.
Two discussions are included: one between Be Oakley, Mindy Seu, and nicole killian, and another between Danielle McCoy and Kevin McCoy of WORK/PLAY.
