Corporation of the Future:

Brochure for the Book of the Year "Foe"

Abstract

This design project was developed for the Typography II course (DESN 231) and based on the Book of the Year, Iain Reid's "Foe." It is an imagined visual identity and a brochure for OuterMore, the mysterious enterprise featured "Foe." The design combines anachronic references, creating an old-fashioned style to match the book's dystopian setting. Amongst the inspirations are the vintage-futuristic aesthetics present in pop culture, wartime propaganda's illustrations, Swiss Style, and corporate identities from the 50s and 60s. The straightforward colour palette denotes trust and intelligence. Although clean and modern, Futura and Helvetica are both overused typefaces that can look very dull. The brochure's content is overly optimistic and artificial, with antiquated taglines that allude to 60s propagandas. OuterMore's logo denotes space exploration and discoveries. It presents the letter M orbiting around the letter O, evoking the solar eclipse, the dark side of the moon, and the atomic diagram. As a citation to IBM's logo, the parallel lines suggest information processing in an old-school monitor. Mirroring the main circular shape originates the second logo, intended for an imaginary branch organization focused on cloning technology. Its organic quality derives from its resemblance to mitosis and cloning. The overlapping segment forms a "versica piscis," symbol for the intersection of two worlds, conveying a distorted perception of time and space. All graphic elements presented contribute to the idea that OuterMore is a conventional enterprise. However, this collides with its progress-driven speech. The ambiguity between "tradition" and "future" combined with the overly enthusiastic tone makes OuterMore's intentions questionable.

Department: Design Studies 

Faculty Mentor: Constanza Pacher