Paula Scher - Redefining Typography

“Typography is painting with words” said Paula Scher, one of the most influential female graphic designer in her documentary, ‘Art of the design: Paula Scher’. This line, in a concise and apt fashion beautifully describes what Paula Scher’s eccentric use of type is about. She carefully employs words and deliberately deconstructs them, appending new elements, changing their style and then constructs them back to communicate a whole new meaning to it.

Paula Scher was born in 1948 in Washington D.C. She studied at the Tyler School of Art, in Pennsylvania and got a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1970. Soon enough, she relocated to New York and got her first job as a layout artist for Random House’s Children book division. Later, she also worked for CBS records for a span of eight years, designing nearly 150 album covers including iconic designs such as those for Boston, Eric Gale, Leonard Bernstein etc. in 1991, she joined Pentagram, the acclaimed design firm as the first female partner and since then, has worked for popular brands and companies.

Her style has developed over the years into being exceedingly adaptive and versatile. Inspired by Russian Constructivism and Art Deco, she has unquestionably redefined what typography is. From wild aggressive type art in ‘Bring in da noise, bring in da funk’ to a sophisticated Citibank logo, she clearly understands the tone and rhythm of the subject. After gaining this understanding, she communicates it in a way which is very easily comprehensible. The theme and the overarching idea comes through the visuals and type beautifully. Her work and attitude is a testament to the fact that having a style which is quite flexible and malleable is extremely important as it aids the designer to adapt to every kind of project.

There are a variety of different ways in which the spirit of the type is modified by Paula Scher. Usually she brings immense character to the type by meddling with different elements such as the height of the type, its weight, font, etc. An instance of this is how she created the Public Logo by using different weights to signify different kinds of public prevailing in New York. Such changes, though seemingly simple turn out to be highly effective.

Another way in which she tinkers with type is via its form in order to convey different emotions. For instance, Heavy and bold usually symbolise immediacy which was visible in the ‘Bring in Da noise, Bring in da funk’ poster. It gives a sense of alertness by being in one’s face with a streak of aggressiveness. The poster ended up being one of the most revolutionary pieces of art bringing a much needed shift in the way typography was viewed.

Amongst other things, Sher also creates identity systems for things. For the Pier 55 logo, she worked with creating the number 55 by using different shapes forming in the park. Via utilising simple shapes and forms, she brings out the characteristic elements that define the place and then further highlights them.

Usually, type is associated to being an entity which just delivers information without having an identity of its own. According to Scher though, type has its own distinct spirit and is not simply a mechanical structure conducting its operation. This perspective leads to a paradigm shift in the way we look at type and typography. Typography, in this way is also associated heavily with art and visuals while not just being informative or carriers of facts.

What Scher has done absolutely wonderfully is created art which has become a part of our everyday life and not remained isolated within elitist galleries. From the Windows logo on our laptop screens to the poster about Tiffany and co, we are irrevocably immersed in her graphic designs.

Though Scher uses different elements relating to the form of the type, she has not let colour take a backseat. To convey bold wild ideas, she often used poppy bright colours or even fluorescent colours contrasted with neutrals like black. However, on the other hand she also tried soothing colours for different subjects like the tranquil sea blue for Tiffany and Co. This reiterates the fact that she understands the theme and the tone of the visual and hence, uses different elements accordingly.

Overall, she has definitely overturned a plethora of stereotypes regarding typography, letting type be free, fluid and harbouring endless possibilities of exploration.