We: Variant of a Manifesto
ISTD 2021: Silence is Golden
This typographic project celebrates the Russian cinematographer Dziga Vertov’s film manifesto We: Variant of a Manifesto and his 1929 silent documentary Man with a Movie Camera, in which he aimed to pioneer an international language of cinema.
The typeface
Bold. Industrial. Angular.
The use of a bespoke sans serif typeface that was designed specifically for this project brings the audience closer to the radical cultural spirit of early Soviet Russia. Designed for for an English speaking 21st-century audience, it replaces some English glyphs with similar-looking Cyrillic glyphs to pay homage to Dziga Vertov's Russian heritage.
The publication
Kinochestvo: Radical filmmaking 101
The publication uses stills from the film combined with typography to transport audiences into Vertov's editing room. With hints of film rolls and smudges to convey the tactility of the film editing room in 1929. The publication visually brings readers on a journey from Vertov's criticism of past cinema to his exciting new propositions and experimental approach to film making.
The publication is saddle stitch bound with 36 pages, printed on 128gsm silk paper stock with 300 gsm covers. The silk stock has a soft and slippery touch to it, similiar to the feeling of a plastic film strip.
The posters
Everyone who cares for their art seeks the essence of their own technique
The publication uses stills from the film combined with typography to transport audiences into Vertov's editing room. With hints of film rolls and smudges to convey the tactility of the film editing room in 1929. The publication visually brings readers on a journey from Vertov's criticism of past cinema to his exciting new propositions and experimental approach to film making.
