Ninth letter V:16.2
“Ninth Letter” issue 16:2, is an award-winning arts and literary journal. The book revolved around experimental design and typography. Literary content is decided by the University of Illinois’ English Department while the book is designed by us.
Designer Statement: “Content is King”
In the 1910’s, Marcel Duchamp released a series of art called Readymades. These were mass produced objects he put in a gallery and called ‘art.' His pieces sparked the most radical art movement the world had ever seen. It offended, amazed, confused and scared the public. Above anything, it brought attention to our society’s desires for mass produced objects.
A hundred years later, the art world has changed drastically. Regardless, our desire for consumer objects has not. We live in a world filled with shiny packages that offer superficial promises. Now more than ever, companies compete for our attention using graphic design as the leading force behind their ad campaigns. With this Edition of Ninth letter, 16:2, we embodied our inner Duchamp. By designing this book to be an “object,” using paradoxical irony and classic typography, we have crafted this book to expose the realities of consumeristic culture.
The cover reflects this notion; with six sections of literary content come six shiny objects on a table. A literal table of content. Throughout the book, we use the term “content” with dual purposes. Content refers to things we buy and desire, but also pieces of literature. Like gifts wrapped under a Christmas tree, the cover entices the viewer to open the book and consume its contents. Additionally, the cover mirrors the formal design qualities of a magazine: a place that has historically sold goods and highlighted desires.
Upon opening the book, the viewer is confronted with more ‘tables of content.’ In fact, our Table of Contents is formatted as an excel table, an ironic intersection between functionality and designer’s dread. The table is typeset with classic typography in an ironic play on this 21st Century format. While aesthetics are crucial for good design, form should always follow function. This foundational belief drives our typographic choices, while our use of shiny, mysterious imagery reflects the function-follows-form values of the commercial industry.
From the illustration of physical tables to the table of paint swatches and the designer’s favorite table; this theme of “content” and “tables” acting as a pun is demonstrated subtly throughout the book. To push the notion of selling content, small humorous advertisements are dispersed throughout the book, often correlated with the enclosed literary pieces.
The design team paid meticulous attention to typography in the execution of this project. While our underlying theme focused on the obnoxiousness and superficiality of consumerism, we also recognized the importance of readability. Above all, we aimed to give these talented writers the respect they deserved for each and every story included in Ninth Letter.
Team
Nicole Dowling, Pascale Grant, Charlotte Peloquin, Tia Smith, Andrea Worthington, Sebastien Johnson
“I have to say that in my 13 years on UIUC campus, I find your edition [of Ninth Letter] to be the most fantastic … Every little detail in type and image is considered and connected and overall it is a great joy to read.”
Eric Benson,
Chair of Graphic Design, Associate Professor of Graphic Design
