And Then…

And Then… is an exhibition of works by the MFA Visual Narrative students at the School of Visual Arts. I designed the visual identity for the show, which included a large-scale mural, window installation, signage, gallery guide, invitation card, stickers and posters.

The phrase And Then… felt analogous to the narrative device to be continued used in storytelling, which invites feelings of uncertainty and sparks curiosity. Looking towards the anatomical potential in typography, I aimed to embody this emotion through expressive letter forms. Exploring ways words interacted with each other, I formed a sculptural dialogue through physical orientation and spatial depth. The resulting design situates the words in a moment of suspense and is a visual translation of the feeling of anticipation in entering the unknown.

To illustrate the depth of anticipation, the elongated And evokes continuity extending into a deep void. The bloated letters Then are paced out in staccato-like rhythm reminiscent of an ellipses… embracing And holding onto what is there. The outcome was a playful illustration of the two words presented in a nonlinear experience. Through this exploration of typography, my hope was to solidify a feeling and fleeting moment in time.

Type design featured in Steven Heller and Gail Anderson’s book Type Speaks.