AUTHOR’S NOTE: If I were forced to restrict this blog to just one post, I think I’d choose this one.

Support Stem Cell Research Bumper Sticker

Available as a bumper sticker (10″ x 3″) or a T-shirt.

As the title of this blog entry suggests, I find type design to be fun. This particular use of typography might also be the most important design I’ve ever created.

A personal connection

Stem cell research has the potential to impact many diseases and injuries, including diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, autoimmune disease, blood diseases, leukemia, severe burns, spinal injuries, and many more. In fact, it is estimated that stem cell research has the potential to help over 100 million Americans who suffer from these and other diseases and injuries.

Among those 100 million lives is the one that is at the center of my world. It is the life of Lisa —my beautiful wife and my hero— a life which includes Type 1 diabetes and its many complications. My support for stem cell research is rooted in my love for Lisa and my desire to help others avoid the endless struggles she bravely faces in her fight against this disease.

Want to learn more about stem cell research?

Stem cell research, while a controversial issue, is also one of today’s most misunderstood issues. Regardless of one’s position or beliefs, information, and the sharing of that information, is critical to improving understanding. A great place to start is tellmeaboutstemcells.org.

Inspired by Teal Triggs’ book Type Design: Radical Innovations and Experimentation, I decided to explore the use of calligrams. By definition, a calligram is formed when a group of words are arranged to visually represent its content. Calligrams are considered to be a form of concrete poetry, also called visual poetry.

The images created by these visual forms provide a unique means of integrating content and visual display -indeed the goal of any graphic designer.

In this most recent case, I explored the technique as a means of conveying an advertising message for a client in Rhode Island that creates custom foot orthotics using a new technology. The resulting calligram was to be used on the back side of a business card, providing an eye-catching means of delivering a message.