Art and Design Commons^™

Nervous Conditions, Laurel Grelle

Life in Letters: A Typographic Poster Exhibition Featuring Paul Laurence Dunbar

Dimensions: 30 inches wide, 36 inches tall
Inkjet on matte paper, printed on both sides
Work displayed here as a diptych

Artist's narrative: Letter 174 is addressed to Paul Laurence Dunbar sent from his dear family friend H.A. Tobey. Toward the end of his life, Dunbar struggled to cope with his tuberculosis and turned to alcohol to ease his pain. As his condition worsened, Tobey began to worry about him and wrote him this moving letter of optimism expressing his sympathy regarding Paul living with a painful and deadly disease. The mirroring is showing the side effects of the disease …

The Elevator Only Goes Up, Jordan Mitchell

Life in Letters: A Typographic Poster Exhibition Featuring Paul Laurence Dunbar

Dimensions: 30 inches wide, 36 inches tall
Inkjet on matte paper, printed on both sides

Artist's narrative: This letter takes Paul Laurence Dunbar back to when he was not proud of his work. In high school, he thought all of his writing was one big joke. He could not afford much, which led to him being forced to take a job as an elevator hopper. In the end, it was a situation that should be seen as a positive. When talking in the elevator with people, he was able to learn how they spoke and put it into his writing. …

On Flow'ry Beds Of Ease, Jacob Owens

Life in Letters: A Typographic Poster Exhibition Featuring Paul Laurence Dunbar

Dimensions: 30 inches wide, 36 inches tall
Inkjet on matte paper, printed on both sides

Artist's narrative: In Letter 10, Paul Laurence Dunbar's heartfelt words to his friend J. N. Matthews unveil a profound narrative of gratitude and faith. As a Black man navigating adversity, Dunbar expressed his deep indebtedness to white colleagues who aided in his success. The gentle color palette—featuring dark blues, purples, and soft whites—exudes an antique ambiance, transporting viewers back to Dunbar's era. This color scheme evokes the essence of the time when Dunbar mastered his craft in the cozy confines of his mother's home, where …

Sincerely Yours, Emily Kintz

Life in Letters: A Typographic Poster Exhibition Featuring Paul Laurence Dunbar

Dimensions: 30 inches wide, 36 inches tall
Inkjet on matte paper, printed on both sides
Work displayed here as a diptych

Artist's narrative: Letter 62 unfolds William D. Howells’ review of Majors and Minors and the impact it had on Paul Laurence Dunbar. This single review pushed Dunbar into the national spotlight, which made his career. Howells' review, however, was embedded with racist ideologies and misinterpretations of Dunbar’s messages. The use of blue watercolor in the foreground represents the depth Dunbar put into his work. The purple watercolor begins to flood into the imagery to express the power Howells had …

I Object, Caroline Creamer

Life in Letters: A Typographic Poster Exhibition Featuring Paul Laurence Dunbar

Dimensions: 30 inches wide, 36 inches tall
Inkjet on matte paper, printed on both sides

Letter 166 Paul Laurence Dunbar wrote to Booker T. Washington in response to his rebuttals of the commissioned song Dunbar was asked to write for the Tuskegee Institute. The Tuskegee Institute was the first higher education institute opened for African Americans. Booker T. Washington was one of the founders who helped establish the school. During the time of this letter, Dunbar was struggling with his tuberculosis diagnosis, however he was still writing and producing new work. Within this letter Dunbar debates Washington’s views and objections …

Irrevocable Harm, Sebastián De León

Life in Letters: A Typographic Poster Exhibition Featuring Paul Laurence Dunbar

Dimensions: 30 inches wide, 36 inches tall
Inkjet on matte paper, printed on both sides

Artist's narrative: Can one experience extreme joy and fear simultaneously? In Letter 62, Dunbar writes to William D. Howells to express his gratitude for the praise he received in Harper’s Weekly. Howells was a prominent Ohioan publisher, editor, and writer during Dunbar’s time. His review of Dunbar’s Majors and Minors is attributed as a major step in Dunbar’s career, as it awarded the Daytonian poet with great recognition. However, though Howell’s article portrayed Dunbar as a great and talented artist, it also painted his race …

Your Affectionate Son, Paul, Isabella Winkler

Life in Letters: A Typographic Poster Exhibition Featuring Paul Laurence Dunbar

Dimensions: 30 inches wide, 36 inches tall
Inkjet on matte paper, printed on both sides.

Artist's narrative: Letter 66 is a heartfelt reminder written by Dunbar to his Mother, Matilda, in order to ease her mind of anxieties about her son being gone to New York for readings. Dunbar explains to his mother that he is optimistic about his time in New York so far and believes that it is only going up from there. He elaborates that the people in the area seem to be very interested in him and his work. He is having great success so far …

Come In, A Very Clever, Aaron Swerlein

Life in Letters: A Typographic Poster Exhibition Featuring Paul Laurence Dunbar

Dimensions: 30 inches wide, 36 inches tall
Inkjet on matte paper, printed on both sides

Artist's narrative: The typeset I chose was in the families of Ten Oldstyle VF, designed by Robert Slimbach, and PestoFresco, by Giuseppe Salerno and Paco Gonzalez.

In letter 198, Paul Laurence Dunbar is sitting in his bed suffering from tuberculosis as he writes a letter to Dr. Fisher. Throughout this letter, Dunbar writes about how he isn’t able to do much because of the tuberculosis disease in his lungs. Dunbar wrote this letter the year before he died, letting Dr. Fisher know his whereabouts and …

The Uneventful Life, Hannah Schultz

Life in Letters: A Typographic Poster Exhibition Featuring Paul Laurence Dunbar

Dimensions: 30 inches wide, 36 inches tall
Inkjet on matte paper, printed on both sides

Artist's narrative: Letter 85 provides Paul Laurence Dunbar’s negative viewpoint on his successes. Although we are unsure who he is writing to, he writes of his accomplishments from early childhood to the present and calls it all uneventful. He starts off by mentioning how he was only published at age 14 and quickly calls it positive trash. He continues to discuss how he was widely loved in high school and was the editor-in-chief of the school newspaper, but he wrote the paper a month late …

Grateful But Discouraged, Noah Davisson

Life in Letters: A Typographic Poster Exhibition Featuring Paul Laurence Dunbar

Dimensions: 30 inches wide, 36 inches tall
Inkjet on matte paper, printed on both sides

Artist's narrative: Letter 21 is from Paul Laurence Dunbar to Frederick Douglass, expressing his thanks to Douglass for his help in Chicago. Dunbar was showing his gratitude toward him and his wife and how he would not forget their kindness. Dunbar goes on to explain that he is not doing well mentally and that the people in his town did not support him — especially after he came back from Chicago. Dunbar explains how news of him getting thrown out of a hotel for being …

Gratitude And Desperation, Kevin Figueroa

Life in Letters: A Typographic Poster Exhibition Featuring Paul Laurence Dunbar

Dimensions: 30 inches wide, 36 inches tall
Inkjet on matte paper, printed on both sides
Work displayed here as a diptych

Artist's narrative: In letter 21, Paul Laurence Dunbar is reaching out to his friend Frederick Douglass. He is sending his gratitude for all the help Douglass provided Dunbar, but also seeking some words of wisdom to deal with some backlash Dunbar is receiving back home in Dayton.

Paul L. Dunbar: A Tale Of Two Worlds, Brayden Vaughan

Life in Letters: A Typographic Poster Exhibition Featuring Paul Laurence Dunbar

Dimensions: 30 inches wide, 36 inches tall
Inkjet on matte paper, printed on both sides

Artist's narrative: Letter 3 is a poem full of despair and sadness. While Paul Laurence Dunbar does have limited moments of happiness, he is mostly addressing his sorrow and negativity to his friend J.N. Matthews regarding the publication of his work. Dunbar lists his discouragement and blames himself several times throughout his writing. He is very annoyed at himself for his disappointments because he has only been able to sell two of his hymns. He even addresses a statement saying: “But enough of myself and …

The Act, Erin Doherty

Life in Letters: A Typographic Poster Exhibition Featuring Paul Laurence Dunbar

Dimensions: 30 inches wide, 36 inches tall
Inkjet on matte paper, printed on both sides

Artist's narrative: Letter 121 explores the struggles Paul Laurence Dunbar faced with alcoholism and the scrutiny he received for his illness. As Dunbar writes an apology letter to Professor P.M. Pearson for his absence due to excessive drinking, his sincere apologies shine through. Dunbar explains how he is aware that his apology can’t erase showing up to a recital intoxicated, which led to his career being tarnished; however, he still asks for forgiveness. The imagery was created with an ink-water solution. This allowed for an …

The Gratitude I Really Feel, John Maloney

Life in Letters: A Typographic Poster Exhibition Featuring Paul Laurence Dunbar

Dimensions: 30 inches wide, 36 inches tall
Inkjet on matte paper, printed on both sides
Work displayed here as a diptych

Artist's narrative: In Letter 10, Paul Laurence Dunbar articulates his gratitude to a friend, Dr. James Newton Matthews, on the day before Thanksgiving. Matthews was a doctor and poet and one of the cofounders of the Western Association of Writers (WAW). When Dunbar read his poetry at the annual conference of the WAW, Matthews was so impressed that he wrote a newspaper article about him. The story was widely republished, bringing greater attention to Dunbar and his work. This …

Wish To Be, Try To Be, Madelyn Selong

Life in Letters: A Typographic Poster Exhibition Featuring Paul Laurence Dunbar

Dimensions: 30 inches wide, 36 inches tall
Inkjet on matte paper, printed on both sides

Artist's narrative:

Letter 21 details the events Paul Laurence Dunbar experienced following the Chicago World's Fair. Dunbar writes to Frederick Douglass, whom he had made friends with at the World's Fair after reading his poems there. The beginning of the letter tells the story of Dunbar’s gratitude toward Douglass as he promises to try to be worthy of the interest Douglass took in him. The end of the letter has a less positive tone, with Dunbar reflecting on some unfortunate events that occurred at the …

Growing Pride, Elaina Doggett

Life in Letters: A Typographic Poster Exhibition Featuring Paul Laurence Dunbar

Dimensions: 30 inches wide, 36 inches tall
Inkjet on matte paper, printed on both sides

Artist's narrative: Letter 166 unfolds Paul Laurence Dunbar’s reaction to a critique he had received by Booker T. Washington regarding "Tuskegee Song," which Washington commissioned Dunbar to write. In this song, Dunbar discusses the triumphs and tribulations of the past, present, and what would come in the future. The poster title “Growing Pride” represents both the South’s pride and Dunbar's. He was unapologetic in his response to Washington and stood firm in his beliefs that his original writing was most effective. The imagery is a …

Uneventful, Mary Dent

Life in Letters: A Typographic Poster Exhibition Featuring Paul Laurence Dunbar

Dimensions: 30 x 36 inches
Media: Inkjet on matte paper
Created using Adobe InDesign, Adobe Photoshop, ink, and handwritten calligraphy

Artist's statement: Letter 85 was written to a woman who is still unknown to this day. The opening sentence of the letter states, “In answer I must say that my life has been so uneventful that there is little in it to interest anyone.” Paul Laurence Dunbar wrote this letter explaining the “uneventful” occurrences that he had experienced, beginning at his birth in Dayton, Ohio. Dunbar continues on in the letter brushing through age 12, when he first began writing, …

Don't Be Startled, My Dear Mother, Jon Quiroz

Life in Letters: A Typographic Poster Exhibition Featuring Paul Laurence Dunbar

Dimensions: 30 inches wide, 36 inches tall
Inkjet on matte paper, printed on both sides

Artist's statement:

In Letter 66, Paul Laurence Dunbar aims to reassure his mother, Matilda Dunbar, not to be so concerned about his whereabouts. He emphasizes that he will return home as soon as he can. Within the letter, he sends a $2 bill to give financial support during his busy schedule of recitals, particularly in the South—a gesture that underscores his devotion to his family’s well-being even in his absence. Dunbar reassures his mother that after gaining great success from his writing, all the financial …

Self-Deprivation, Maddison Mitchell

Life in Letters: A Typographic Poster Exhibition Featuring Paul Laurence Dunbar

Dimensions: 30 inches wide, 36 inches tall
Inkjet on matte paper, printed on both sides

Artist's narrative: Paul Laurence Dunbar was a fascinating poet and writer. He was ahead of his time, and his writing was special and loved by all who read it. However, Dunbar was very hard on himself; he talked down about his abilities and writings. In Letter 3, he was writing to a close friend and mentor, James Newton Matthews. He talks about how he is not confident in his writing abilities and is doubting himself, saying he hasn’t been able to sell a single poem. …

Similar Flow, Quinn Heisey

Life in Letters: A Typographic Poster Exhibition Featuring Paul Laurence Dunbar

Dimensions: 30 inches wide, 36 inches deep, 2-sided
Medium: Inkjet on matte paper

Artist's narrative: Contemporary readers of letter 121 are hearing from the great Dayton poet, Paul Laurence Dunbar, in a declining state and nearing his 1906 passing from tuberculosis [diagnosed 1899]. Dunbar's illness necessitated treatment in a time before antibiotics, and the popular treatment was to use whiskey to manage extreme pain. This contributed to Dunbar’s addiction to alcohol, which is context for the sometimes unclear nature of events and decisions of his that warranted Dunbar to issue this response.

The letter has moments of self-disparaging humor or …

I Am Doing For The Best, Elaina Lear

Life in Letters: A Typographic Poster Exhibition Featuring Paul Laurence Dunbar

Dimensions: 30 inches wide, 36 inches tall
Inkjet on matte paper, printed on both sides

Artist's narrative: Letter 66 expresses Paul Laurence Dunbar’s loving relationship with his mother, Matilda, and how his distance away from home worried her. Dunbar explained how his writing career was successful and that wealthy white people were treating him well; therefore, she did not need to worry. One side of the poster reflects the beginning of the letter; it's painted with ink wash representing the home where Matilda resided in Dayton, Ohio. The opposite side represents the Everett House in New York, where Paul was …

Love And Family, Kevin Brun

Life in Letters: A Typographic Poster Exhibition Featuring Paul Laurence Dunbar

Dimensions: 30 inches wide, 36 inches tall
Inkjet on matte paper, printed on both sides

Artist's statement: Letter 92 is Paul writing to his mother, Matilda, during his voyage from New York to England. Due to Dunbar’s dedication and love for his mother, he was writing to let her know that he had a rough trip but is doing well. Dunbar was on his way to London to sell his book Lyrics of Lowly Life after he got the approval and recommendation from William Dean Howells—who at the time was known as the “Dean of American Letters.” Near the end …

Alif: Building A Bridge: Arabic Calligraphy And Arabic Typography In Design, Saba Esho

Honors Theses

The project is centered around the exploration of Arabic typography and its multi-faceted uses. Arabic calligraphy is an old practice and tradition that has been studied and refined since it was founded. Comparatively, Arabic typography is a much more recent creative study that is still developing, thus there has not been much literature that covers it. Therefore, the main goal of the project is to highlight and integrate Arabic typography with Arabic calligraphy. By doing so, the project builds a bridge within Arabic graphic design, connecting the rich Arabic calligraphy to its newer counterpart, Arabic typography.

In our day and …

A Typeface For Tolkien: Hammer Uncials In Tolkienian And Gaelic Texts, Eduardo Boheme Kumamoto

Journal of Tolkien Research

This article explores the use of Victor Hammer's Uncial Typefaces for texts either by Tolkien or related to his literature, and, at the same time, for Gaelic texts. First, Tolkien's issue with the typefaces selected for the dust-jacket of The Lord of the Rings is recounted. Then, Victor Hammer's typefaces are presented along with examples of them in Tolkienian texts. Lastly, some reasons that might explain such usage are proposed.

Mettle, Chelsey Augustine

Master's Theses

While many see Graphic Design as a separation from art, for me, it has always been a happy blend between my fine art and technological skills. In both areas, I think about what I want the audience to think of feel when the pieces in question. Form, color, anatomy, and concept are all part of my creative process, regardless of whether I am creating digitally with a Wacom or building a wax form in the foundry.

During my graduate studies, I started to get into a flow of building narratives to hone in on conceptual branding ideas. Being able to …

Lauren Hom: Design Pioneer, Hannah Schock

Communication Design: Design Pioneers

Self-made hand lettering artist Lauren Hom is living the American Dream – doing what she loves, having fun, and getting paid to do it all. Based in Detroit, Hom has created quite the following on social media as a playful, whimsical artist who doesn’t take life too seriously. She turns her life’s hardships, friends’ jokes, and weird ideas into art all while not giving a damn what other people think of it. Her journey to where she is now is an inspiration to all aspiring artists.

Sarah Boris, Emily Gaugler

Communication Design: Design Pioneers

Boris Sarah Boris has been in the art and design industry for over fifteen years, but some might say she is just getting started. Boris worked for design industries and art organizations such as the Barbican, the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA), and Phaidon Publishing, but in 2015 she took a more independent approach and opened her own design studio in London, Sarah Boris Design. Since opening her studio Boris has pursued personal explorations, collaborations, and commissions. Her work is clean, bright, and impactful, and she is gaining admiration from students and design critics. She has a gift for creating …

Typography Fontstruct Assignment, Donald Partyka

Open Educational Resources

No abstract provided.

Other Realms, Louis Rakovich

Masters Theses

Can a system existing in rigid order be taken back to a state of malleability, a space of potential not yet actualized?

If creation reduces the infinite to produce the finite, then in the simplest sense, creation is the process of bringing something tangible, real, out of the ether—out of the primordial chaos of possibility. The technique of defamiliarization can be viewed as an agent of de-creation, the active reversal of creation, in order to make creation possible once again. As such it holds spiritual power in its own right.

In pursuit of this state of renewed potentiality, I use …

Reflip Type: Developing Visual Strategies For Teaching Typography To Collegiate Students With Dyslexia, Brittany D. Strozzo

Masters Theses

In educational facilities today, the approaches to teaching typography to college students with dyslexia are limited. This thesis provides a research-based pedagogy for teaching typography to students in a way that accommodates the visual, processing, and auditory differences present in students with dyslexia. Through the analysis of the learning disability itself, existing material for graphic designers with dyslexia, and current accessibility standards for those with dyslexia, this thesis offers a practical solution to provide a more balanced learning experience for all students, especially those with dyslexia. The aim of this study was to examine the current graphic design standards and …