Masonry
This project began with a question that felt deceptively simple: what happens when you build your own structure first, and let the typography figure itself out later? We were asked to think about masonryas the act of building, stacking, and supporting. Instead of borrowing a pre-existing grid, I had to construct my own, and trust that whatever letters emerged from it would feel honest to the system beneath them.
The grid that I created:
These posters were created for Kurt Woerpel’s lecture at Boston University on November 3rd. His practice embraces fragmentation, rhythm, and graphic energy, so I wanted to respond with something equally unruly. The forms clash, overlap, and vibrate; they build on top of each other the same way masonry layers inward and outward at the same time. There’s a kind of joyful illegibility to them that mirrors how I approached the project: follow the grid, trust the grid, but let the grid misbehave too.
I probably could’ve made an easier grid for myself, but where is the fun in that?
This project really pushed me to let loose, experiment, and just have fun with my designs. The goal was not perfection, but instead to build upon something random.
What I love most about these outcomes are the small moments tucked between the louder shapes—tiny intersections where the lines accidentally harmonize, or a stray fragment becomes part of a letter. It reminds me that structure doesn’t have to feel rigid. Sometimes it just gives you a place to start.
Posters hung up for critique: