Maureen Fechik
Other Men
Photography Exhibition by Ebba Schmid
Designing an identity system for an emerging artist with mindfulness for the Transgender Community – August 2009
Prelude Sunday morning coffee and tea in a quaint café in unfamiliar Philadelphia. After a while Ebba’s cell phone shudders; Andrew will meet us. Ebba had invited me to Philly where after months of online networking we’d meet some courageous folks for Other Men.
Just then Ebba declares: I was looking at your website and saw what you did for
Elizabeth's show
[Where Moth and Rust Doth Corrupt, Elizabeth Sinchak].
I would love if you designed for mine.
Process
Design evolution from left to right.
Silent ‘T’ in LGBT
Ebba had been drawn to transgender issues, specifically FTM’s, because of their severe under representation even within the LGBT community. Being strong and straightforward about the ‘T’ in Other Men was important, but we didn’t want its promotion to tap into lust, “to see people who don’t fit in.”
Title Controversy
In the beginning Ebba was unsure about the exhibition’s title ‘Other Men.’ We discussed how the inflection of ‘other’ changes the shows interpretation.
Theorists talk about ‘other-ing’ as an exclusionary act that defines some as separate from a privileged group/self, and assigning value along a binary scale: good; evil, male; female, white; black, civilized; wild, sanity; madness. Definitely not what Ebba intended for Other Men.
Ebba explained how the words ‘Other Men’ should sound like an ellipsis...
Matters of Style
I love my colors bright and with enthusiasm. However, I understand when to put hot pink aside. Ebba’s photography suggested realism, simplicity, strong composition, humanism, and allowing the content speak for itself.
Ebba initially suggested we take the art direction towards a photographic negative and red marking pen look. Red would set-off the black and white photo in a very strong way.
I added blue for its complementary and universal appeal. However red and blue had too much energy between them, and we settled on blue for more subdued feel.
Meet Oli
Ebba chose Oli's photograph for the initial printing. All the portraits in Other Men are tight headshots, creating a sense of intimacy. We loved how Oli’s raised brow and soft stare met your gaze, so we gave visual priority to framing the brows and mouth.
Name Recognition
My first cue came from the typeface of men’s restroom signs. This ‘Men’ is easily the most recognizable and repeated use of ‘Men,' eliciting a feeling of familiarity.
Gotham gave us modern look that would fall between gender–neutral and masculine. For many of the guys in the show their masculinity was important, while others would not want any gender ascribed to them.
T-men or Omen?
Early on I moved the ‘O’ in other so it would be cut-off. The large red ring would draw attention and de-emphasize the ‘other-ing’ effect. Circling the ‘T’ felt good, making a playful ‘T-Men’ reading.
However, after passing around some drafts it wasn’t ‘T-Men’ but really ‘Omen’ that was being read. Mysticism was not the right direction. I moved ‘other’ within the ring.
Mutability
Meanwhile I was thinking about how the text could reference the theme of mutability. Repeating ‘other’ and some strategic opacity fades created movement and the feeling of transition. The rhythm echoed in a casual voice how often we say: “Others…”
Eureka
Anchoring the text along the bottom gave it weight and stability but at the cost of flattening the design. In a previous iteration I had entertained moving the text over the forehead but the result was top heavy. With a final push of encouragement from Ebba I found its sweet spot.
Success
Other Men’s success is fully Ebba’s accomplishment. However, it was great to help where I could make a difference.
Breaking into a highly competitive arts industry demands that you stand out and represent yourself in every detail. Along with the feedback Ebba received included praise for the poster/postcard design: “It struck a fine balance without over-powering the strength of the photographer’s work.”
Introduction
Ebba and I attended Chatham University together and met, of all places, in the photography studio. Working side-by-side coupled with frequent trips to the coffee bar allowed us get to know each other’s work and taste in caffeine.
What’s a ‘tutorial?’
Other Men began as Ebba's tutorial project. Undergraduate visual art students at Chatham University complete an independent research project culminating in a gallery show and research paper (sixty-pages and upwards) known fondly in Chatham-speak as a ‘tutorial’ but to everyone else — a senior thesis.
Two semesters, eight-credits, a full–time advisor, two additional faculty board members, and the resources of a private university are at your finger tips, you better make the most of it.
It's a BIG deal.
For many, Ebba included, the tutorial is a stepping stone for graduate work in Master of Fine Arts programs.
Why me?
Friendship aside, Ebba asked me knowing my work liking it. As a photographer Ebba could have designed it, but instead turned to me: “because you would do it the best.”
It's personal.
Back in the early days of college, during my short-lived semester as an architecture student, I realized my best work comes when I feel engaged – not ‘doing it for myself’ but the social context, who I'm designing for and why. Social utility drives me.
Almost two-years ago Ebba and I discussed possible directions for our tutorials. Ever since we've shared the experience together.
Tagging along to the photo shoot in Philadelphia influenced my process. Meeting some of the ‘other men’ gave me a new perspective and it shows in the design.