Working With Text
The week of the 23rd - 27th March will use the concept of the MANIFESTO as a starting point to explore how voice, expression, text aesthetic, type design, typography and the text-as-image are all interlinked. The manifesto concept will also provide the text-content to work with.
A manifesto is defined as a public declaration explaining past actions, objectives, or opinions and announcing the motive for future ones
(see: www.etymonline.com / www.dictionary.com), and often comes in the form of a set or list of 'action' points.
The word manifesto is an Italian one, stemming from manifestus (Latin) meaning 'proof'.
Manifestus comes from manus (meaning hand) + festus (strike, hit).
Therefore, we can think of 'manifesto' as being a kind of slamming-down-of-the-hand-on-the-table-to-emphasise-and-prove-your-point, except - with your voice and words.
Of the manifestos here, where the original texts are long and dense, I've provided summary points. But remember these are my own interpretations of what the original texts mean to me - you might extract something very different from them - such is the nature of the interpretation.
As a guide, the Sagmeister and It's not how good... manifestos are easy ones to digest, as they are just simple lists of maxims (maxims = principles or rules).