Getting Zen with Typography

For my Type II (Typography: Heirarchy and Expression (now doesn't that just sound FANCY?)) class, we had to format a selection of text that we chose ourselves. We had to come up with a final output in whatever form, format, and medium we wanted, so long as we processed the type in an interesting and meaningful way. The CATCH, however, was that we were supposed to NOT work from concept, but rather, build a typographic and visual vocabulary around our text, chunking and formatting, looking for visual opportunities, and letting the eye inform the mind, rather than the other way around. If you're confused, congratulations, you're now about where my entire class was when the teacher explained it. It's a little mind-boggling, and a lot frustrating, but the point is to push our ideation and development skills, and to force us to expand our personal library of typographically expressive methods.

*deep breath*

The phrase I chose is "Water surrounds the lotus flower, but does not wet its petals."

If you think it sounds pretty deep, you're right! It's from one of the deepest fellas I know of, Siddhartha Gautama, Shakyamuni Buddha himself. It's a description and example of following the middle path. Just as the lotus flower needs the water to grow, but cannot succumb to it, or it will drown, so must a properly practicing buddhist be surrounded by the world. To divorce yourself from it while harboring desires would be to live a life full of regret and unfulfilled wants, far from a meaningful life. Yet, to succumb to the worldly pleasures of life would be to drown... metaphorically speaking.

Now, I'm not a buddhist, but I think that's pretty dang neat! Not to mention, the phrase sounds badass as all get-out.

So! Here's some images that will probably never make it into my final output at all, but by virtue of being part of the process, I guess you could say they served an integral and indespensible role in the shaping of my final poster (since that's what I'm making). Woo.

ps I still really like that last one.