Jacob McAdam
Product Designer
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Visual Design

Coda Concrete Poem

A concrete poem and imagery made only of typography.

Project Brief

Background & Objectives

The objective of this project was to create a concrete poem of Dorothy Parker’s “Coda”. This required a relevant underlying image relating to the content of the poem. The image was constructed using only typeface glyphs and colors.

My Role & Stakeholders

I was the sole designer.

Skills & Tools Applied
Illustrator

Sketches

A concept was derived from Michelangelo’s Pietà. Sketches helped modify the forms into place where text would be typeset. Reference images were either traced while layered together or traced separately. A process of scaling and warping text within these blocked-out shapes retained the figures’ forms.

sketchbook of ideas
Sketchbook of ideas

Research

reference images
Reference images

Iterations

graphic design progression
Early versions
graphic design progression
Early versions

Final Design

The final printed design is photographed in a series of images below which highlight chapter openers, text-flow across spreads, and the overall variety of typesetting design.

poster hanging
The final design
Portrait of Jacob McAdam looking into the distance with cubes of light behind him.
project by Jacob McAdam

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