Jonah
Grace
MORE LIGHT! Manifesto Promotional Package
About Project
A promotional booklet for Robin Kinross’ design manifesto, “MORE LIGHT! For a typography that knows what it’s doing”, packaged alongside themed pinback buttons. Aimed towards graduating design students in their early 20’s searching for their first jobs in large cities that host not only a great deal of opportunities, but a high degree of competition. Features various illustrations and visuals, designed in accordance with Kinross’ philosophy.
Process
To begin, I read the original manifesto thoroughly as well as doing research on the author, designer Robin Kinross. Since the manifesto stressed the importance of thinking for yourself and making design choices inspired by the problem rather than what is “correct”, I ignored the designs of Kinross himself and focused solely on creating a design that would appeal to my audience.
I knew I wanted to incorporate found imagery as well as my own illustration, and I wanted the imagery to tie in with important points from the text; so, I pulled out passages and found public domain illustrations that I felt connected.All of the imagery and colors have a similar style and consistency, tying my book, buttons, and package together.
Something I noticed about Kinross and incorporated into the project was his self-awareness when it came to his designs, not taking anything too seriously and making sure not to fall into what he called “the terrible arrogance and egoism of the designer”. At its core the manifesto is not that serious – its’ main message is to think for oneself and not read into things more than needed. I focused on this throughout the process, especially with my button designs, which changed from my original idea of the buttons each having one of his statements – such as “think for yourself!” – into self-aware, ironic buttons referencing the text, such as a button meant for designers reading “I’m working on my terrible arrogance and egoism”.
When it comes to the project as a physical artifact, I wanted to create something that seemed “cheap” enough that it was clear to my audience that they could pick it up, flip through it, and even take it with them. From the outside, the hand-drawn cover and simple handsewn binding mimics the feel of a small-batch punk zine which is meant to be taken and read, not just looked at; in terms of my promotional piece, buttons are something typically left around for people to grab and take with them.
