There isn’t a place to submit this on Canvas so I’m putting it here
The above is a quote from David Carson, American artist and graphic designer best known for his innovations in experimental typography and design. Nicknamed the “Godfather of Grunge”, Carson pioneered the use of distressed textures, layered backgrounds, and distinctively rough layouts. This grunge style was popularized in the 90’s, and is now a defining style of the time period
But not everyone was a fan of Carson’s work. Critics claimed that he wasn’t serious about his craft, and that his work destroyed the foundation and rules of communication design. Carson’s layout and experimental fonts first appeared in Beach Culture magazine. 6 issues were produced before the company folded, but his work with Beach Culture yielded him over 150 design awards. Ray-Gun magazine was what brought Carson to fame.
Carson’s work challenged the fundamental criteria for legibility by exploring elements such as reverse reading, extreme forced justification, and utilizing expressive over normative sequences. David Carson is arguably the most innovative and influential graphic designer of the 1990’s, and his work continues to influence print and digital spaces today.
This piece I designed in my Studio 1 class attempts to honor Carson’s style and unorthodox approach to typography by stylizing one of his most iconic quotes. In the 2007 documentary Helvetica, Carson makes this quote in response to the nearly universal utilization of the typeface, Helvetica. Being one of the most widely used and recognizable fonts for its form and legibility, Carson critiques that legibility is not always the most important aspect of design.
