Expressive Type

My last project in my Typography class had to deal with Expressive Type, i.e. personifying the words on the page. We were allowed to choose any poem or the lyrics from any song. I was juggling a lot of different ideas (songs from The Faint, Autolux, and Chromeo were all in the running) but ultimately my Professor responded most to a song from The Black Angels called "The Sniper." This being one of favorites off their excellent new album I had no problem embracing the lyrics.

Overall, this was not an easy project (none of my Type assignments have been): between the difficulty of giving the words character while also attempting to maintain legibility and a logical sense of motion (i.e. top to bottom, left to right) there was a lot to consider. It had to be visually appealing at the end of the day, too. It's easy to go a little crazy as you finely tinker with the placement and point size of word or letter, but I think it's important to emphasize how demanding a project like this can be. There seems to be a myth than anyone can do Graphic Design, but just because the computer is most often the tool associated with the profession doesn't make it any less challenging. When all's said and done, it's simply a vessel for your ability and ideas. That's not supposed to be a boast or self -congratulatory in any way, but I often have a tougher time working with the computer than I do with the more traditional aspects of art. Bottom line: Type is hard! Keeping that in mind, I'm pretty happy with the final result, and I hope I accurately conveyed the creepy and hostile mood that's so present in the song itself.

This piece was created entirely in Adobe Illustrator. The final, physical version will see both 6 x 12 panels lined up as one 6 x 24 image. Hope you like it!