Writings Across the World

Typography Project Fall 2020

A poster series created for three conceptual exhibitions for three influential writers held at the American Writers Museum. This project’s objective was to develop a visual system within the three compositions, focusing on information hierarchy and the combination of type and image.

Rabindranath Tagore, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, and Toni Morrison’s writings were deeply influenced by their home country and by their own culture. Tagore explored new forms of Bengali literature and Indian culture within his many books of poems. Marquez wrote about Latin American history through intricate narratives in short stories and novels. Morrison told stories of the everyday injustices and struggles that come with being an African American. These powerful writings opened the eyes of many as they spread from within their own culture to the rest of the world.

To create these compositions, I wanted to use the typography alone to create a spreading effect. I experimented with printed out type, taking photos using panoramic mode on my phone and zooming in and out to get a movement effect, as if it is floating away from a page towards the viewer. I then cut out the type and used fusion within the author’s name and the background text to signify this spreading movement. For each different author, I chose a similar color scheme as their country’s flag, to further show the influence of their culture.