Geometry and Typography

Here's the official poster for this year's 64th Festival de Cannes, a film festival which celebrates international cinema:

What first struck me about this poster was the simple elegance of its design. Of course, while the elegance can be partly attributed to the use of a photo depicting the actress Faye Dunaway (photomontage, anyone?), it is the geometric '64' which becomes a main focal point. It actually reminded me of Rudolf Koch's Kabel light typeface from 1928. 

Design Travels Far

ou know that phrase, the one that is all about location? Well, when I went to Garth Walker's artist talk on Wednesday, March 2, it was clear that his designs were very evidently based in Durban, South America. His location is especially important since one of the most prominent themes he explores through his designs is identity, which is very closely interrelated to a person's sense of place: "What makes me African – and what does that look like?" 

View more of Garth Walker's work here:

• Garth Walker's Design Studio, Mister Walker Design
• The Confessions of a Design Thief exhibition at St. John's University's Dr. M. T. Geoffrey Yeh Art Gallery
• Design Indaba Magazine's "Graphic Revelations" article and online gallery

P.S. Thanks again to Jessica Hische for her Daily Drop Cap!

Introduction (Or Assignment 1)

Hi!

About graphic design, I have never really thought of it as something that involved specifically written forms of communication, such as typography. I often place more emphasis on the word ‘graphic’ for its suggestion of images or symbols as a means of communication, like how they are used in signs or graphic novels. It just had not occurred to me that graphic design would also include letters or text, because if an image could already convey the message, why add text to it? (Wait, no, let me rephrase that.) I did not really think of text as an artform; I knew about fonts, and I knew that they could decorate (or be decorative), but they just didn’t quite register in my mind as, well, Art.

However, if graphic design = visual communication, then the inclusion of typography in design, such as a font on a book cover, makes perfect sense.

My name is Athena and I am an English (Literature) major with a minor in Art History, looking to work in the book publishing industry. I think that knowing the background of graphic design would make it easier to see how and why people use or respond to its more current applications, particularly when it comes to books and what people are reading.