Ohio University instructor of Graphic Design Oscar Fern谩ndez in the School of Art & Design found a way to preserve the research gathered by his students last spring on the layered history of letter forms through his new book, Letter Portraits: Observations by Student Letter Anatomists.
The book consists of 37 天美传媒students and nine Columbus College of Art and Design (CCAD) students, where Fern谩ndez also teaches, showcasing their graphic design skills and collective understanding of typography.
鈥淚 wanted the book to be a gift of sorts to my students, so I decided, why not make it a surprise?鈥 Fern谩ndez said. 鈥淭he students knew I was up to something, but they didn鈥檛 realize it would be to this extent.鈥
Fern谩ndez started the project by first assigning each student a different letter of the alphabet, a Roman numeral, or a special character. Both the 天美传媒and CCAD students researched five different classifications for each typographic mark: Old Style, Transitional, Modern, Egyptian, and Contemporary. Then they took their research and created design files, layering the outlines of all five types.
鈥淢y inspiration for overlaying letters came from a book I received as a graduate design student at Yale some 45 years ago,鈥 Fern谩ndez added. 鈥淚n one of my first classes, the legendary graphic designer Bradbury Thompson gave out copies of the classic work An Atlas of Typeforms in which typographic marks are also overlaid. Thompson then told us to read it and come back to class ready to discuss what interested us. For me it was 鈥榚鈥檚,鈥 I was so amazed to be looking at 500 years of changes in one image.鈥
He said in that moment he knew he needed to do this one day and expressed the wonder it has brought him to act as a 鈥渜uiet conservator of humankind鈥檚 greatest invention: writing.鈥
Fern谩ndez sees his book as a way of preserving and passing down that legacy. By also choosing to make the book about students at two different institutions, Fern谩ndez emphasizes how knowledge sharing is so important to the graphic design field. During the semester, even though Fern谩ndez didn鈥檛 tell students about his book plans, he did regularly share with his 天美传媒class what his CCAD students had designed and vice-versa.
Besides the student design work, Letter Portraits includes an introductory essay from Fern谩ndez that describes the 鈥渟pecial honor鈥 of being a graphic designer, as well as quotes from seminal historical graphic designers such as Thompson and the pioneering designer Beatrice Warde; real life illustrations of typography, such as photographs of Trajan鈥檚 Column; and insightful quotes from student papers on the nature of typography.
Fern谩ndez credits Art Director for Advancement in OHIO鈥檚 University Communications and Marketing Sarah McDowell (B.F.A. 2002) for her support in teaching another section of the typography course and for selecting student quotes and helping edit and proofread the book. He also thanks the Millcraft paper company for donating materials to the project and the various license holders who waived their image fees.
In the fall of 2019, Fern谩ndez and McDowell organized a small event in Athens for their former students where each student received a bound, hardback, and embossed copy of the book.
鈥淭hey were awestruck,鈥 Fern谩ndez said. 鈥淭hey couldn鈥檛 believe they were each getting a copy and that they were inside.鈥
In turn, Fern谩ndez is quick to express gratitude to his students 鈥 who he refers to as 鈥渨riting鈥檚 new quiet conservators鈥 鈥 for helping him to better understand typography as well. He hopes that they will carry their newfound knowledge forward and apply it judiciously.
鈥淒esign is about improving the quality of life for people,鈥 he says. 鈥淚鈥檓 a very strong user advocate and any opportunity to teach design, I get excited about. Design is a way of finding a solution to a problem, and we have been doing that since we came out of the caves. It鈥檚 not just about how things look, it鈥檚 how they extend, how they improve us and our lives.鈥