Assignment #2 - Steven Dawson - The Great Birth of God

I took a creative risk (isn't that the point of these assignments) and chose a unique typographic example. The "Call to Arms" is hidden in the text of the poem. It wouldn't be a poetry if it didn't make the reader think, and neither would the call to arms be as strong without the effort.

The words can be read vertically or horizontally and it still makes coherent thoughts. I chose Helvetica because I didn't want the font to distract from the meaning of the words. With my limited knowledge of photoshop, I used gradients to try and apply the principles we've been learning and mimic the themes of the poem.

The line and point in the bottom right immediately draw our eyes to the end of the poem, but to read the poem we have to start at the top left, forcing our eyes to move diagonally. I desired this effect because the poem can be read in two dimensions. Also, there is more "white space" near the front of the poem while the "white space" at the end of the poem is actually white, or at least closer to white.

I could spend hours illuminating the meanings, inner meanings, and counter meanings of the poem and how the typography mirrors them, but I won't. Think for yourself. Find your own symbolisms.

Commented on: Mallory Jepserson, Nate Austin, Ceira Keller, Aaron Adams, Bryan Pearson