Jacqueline Casey at MIT Charles Ross: Light Placed Poster Jacqueline casey Cambridge, MA, USA In 1955, Jacqueline Casey (1927–1991) started her professional career as a graphic designer when she joined the Office of Publications (Design Services Office) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge under the design direction of fellow classmate Muriel Cooper (American, 1925–1994). When Cooper joined MIT’s faculty in 1972, Casey took over as director, where she created a series of iconic promotional posters to publicize MIT events and exhibitions. For over three decades, she was a woman working in a man’s world, not only in the MIT Office of Publications but also in the environs of the entire MIT community that served as her sole client. Born in Quincy, Massachusetts, she received a certificate of fashion design and illustration and a bachelor of fine arts degree from the Massachusetts College of Art in 1949. Following graduation, she worked in fashion illustration, advertising, interior design, and trade publications prior to her position at MIT. Casey worked at MIT for over thirty years, during which time she developed a unique design philosophy, a memorable body of work, and a thought-provoking visual brand for the Institute. In F. H. K. Henrion’s (German, 1914–1990) 1983 book Top Graphic Design, Casey said, “Being a graphic designer at MIT continues to be a fascinating experience for me. My job is a constant learning experience. While MIT has its roots in tradition, the University represents all that is experimental, exciting, and future-oriented.” Her work was influenced by the modernist movement, the International Style, and by designers such as Karl Gerstner (Swiss, 1930–2017), Armin Hofmann (Swiss, b. 1920), and Josef Müller-Brockmann (Swiss, 1914–1996). She developed a visual language that was purely her own but strongly connected to proportion, grid, and European san serif typography. Balance also played a fundamental role in all of Casey’s posters. They are humanistic visual metaphors—precise, clean, imaginative, engaging, and personal in tone and message. Each of her posters contains a singular focal point or primary visual element that immediately attracts the viewer. In each case, a critical balance between visual and narrative form occurs, allowing the viewer to engage not only with his or her own imagination, but with their understanding of the poster’s subject matter. Casey’s work engaged the intellect and curiosity of her academic audience because it was a seamless, balanced integration of type and image, as well as a memorable and powerful vehicle for storytelling. Example from the chapter on Symmetry: Bayside Market (Miriello grafico San Diego, CA, USA) The branding program for Boney’s Bayside Market, from packaging and advertising to environmental graphics and shopping bags, uses symmetry combined with casual sans serif typography, hand-drawn letterforms, textural food photography, and quirky line illustrations to further communicate the feel, ambiance, and ultimate experience of shopping at a family-owned, neighborhood gourmet food market. Symmetry is a fundamental and timeless principle of visual perception. In visual communications, symmetry conveys balance, stability, and harmony. When visual elements are completely balanced or centered, they are in a state of equilibrium where all elements have equal weight. The result is a state of visual balance and is identified as symmetry. It is a compositional state where design elements are organized on the central axis of a composition (either its horizontal or vertical axis). A similar compositional state can be achieved when design elements are organized in relation to each other’s central axes. A symmetrical composition is static, stationary, and balanced, with the negative spaces around its elements or the contours of its elements located around its central axis all appearing the same or of equal weight. This series of book covers for five Ernest Hemingway (American, 1899–1961) novels relies upon traditional symmetry combined with serif typography to celebrate these classic, seminal books. The use of textural images as visual metaphors allows the reader’s imagination to connect with the familiar themes of these iconic novels.
✔ Author(s): Richard Poulin
✔ Title: The Language of Graphic Design Revised and Updated: An illustrated handbook for understanding fundamental design principles
✔ Rating : 4.6 out of 5 base on (50 reviews)
✔ ISBN-10: 1631596179
✔ ISBN-13: 9781631596179
✔ Language: English
✔ Format ebook: PDF, EPUB, Kindle, Audio, HTML and MOBI
✔ Device compatibles: Android, iOS, PC and Amazon Kindle
Readers' opinions about The Language of Graphic Design Revised and Updated by Richard Poulin
Melody Blake
The rich historical context of the book added a layer of depth that I found fascinating. It was like stepping back in time and experiencing history firsthand.
Aileen Menzie
I'm already planning to reread this book. It's one of those stories that you can revisit again and again, discovering new layers of meaning each time.
Rosa Bax
The themes of resilience and hope resonated deeply with me. This book taught me valuable life lessons that I'll carry with me for years to come.
