The idea for Character Traits took root while reading The Europeans by Henry James in 2011. As I read the book I found
myself copying out a surprisingly long list of descriptions of the novel’s
characters. For some time afterward I toyed with the idea of making a lettering
book in which I designed unique lettering for each of James’ descriptions. Eventually
I put the idea in the back of my mind and went on to other things. Then in 2013,
I was struck in quick succession by a few different descriptions of human
character traits, most poignantly one by Frank Worsley, the Captain of Ernest
Shackleton’s Endurance expedition:
“The rapidity with which one can change one’s ideas…and accommodate
ourselves
to a state of barbarism is wonderful.” Suddenly, the lettering book idea
came
back to me, but with an added depth. Rather than a specimen of lettering
inspired
by Henry James’ insightful humor, I began to imagine a book in which the
texts
reflected a broader picture of the human experience, touching on some of
the
darker (and/or comedic) realities of the human condition. I began
gathering texts
in notebooks as I came across them.
For Worsley's text I wanted lettering that progressively changed from more to less familiar, skirting the edge of illegibility but not quite getting there. Below are two early sketches of the plate, as well as the finished print from both the standard (one color) and deluxe (two colors) editions of Character Traits.
For Worsley's text I wanted lettering that progressively changed from more to less familiar, skirting the edge of illegibility but not quite getting there. Below are two early sketches of the plate, as well as the finished print from both the standard (one color) and deluxe (two colors) editions of Character Traits.
