This journal is a piece by an art and design lover very interested in the discourse surrounding the question: “Is Design Art?” To better understand both sides of the debate, they combined excerpts from Bruno Munari’s “Design as Art” and an article from Toptal.com with two designers debating this topic. Throughout the journal are snippets of the character’s own personality, such as TLDR’s (too long didn’t read — a summary of the upcoming section) and their own formed opinion at the end.
In order to visually represent the philosophies of each side, the two opinions are designed according to different aesthetics. The “design’s not art” opinion is set in Futura and Montserrat in a grid structure on Mohawk Loop Silk Coated paper to portray the more machine-age, mass-produced approach to design.
“Design is Art” is set in Calisto and Kunstler Script in maroon on Neenah Classic Crest Eggshell paper to call back to the Victorian era and before, when missives were handwritten in ink and labored over, prioritizing beauty over practicality. The character who created the journal uses purple Lokta homemade paper and fun typefaces.
Bruno Munari's opinions are in Montserrat Bold or Calisto Italic throughout the journal, paired with the voice he most agrees with in that passage. The rest of his thoughts are at the end of the diary in a section the it's creator calls "Munari Keeps Going," set in Monsterrat Bold in justified columns to convey the midcentury function-over-form mindset through the exaggerated eye of the creator. When he seems to ramble off-topic, a miniature book within the journal captures his thoughts, ending with "Bored of him that's where I'll cut him off."
