Benefit Edition - Clifton Burt

Thursday greetings, collector friends! It's Sara here, filling in for a very, very sick Jen. She hung in there at the beginning of the week to see Jessica and Juliane's editions through but the flu finally, unfortunately, got the best of her. Here's sending some good cheer and health to her and to all of you on this very gray day in New York!

I am happy to have the honor to introduce to you think-make-think by Portland, OR, designer and artist, Clifton Burt. This print is based on a discarded arrow sign Clifton salvaged, and, inspired by the haiku he read on John Maeda's blog, simplicity, transformed into a work of art about making art. Putting words and type to good use is one of Clifton's specialities and giving Maeda's words a home in this sign is no exception, the work speaks for itself and translates beautifully into prints.

These prints will go to benefit Clifton's latest art and design endeavor, the Center for Vernacular Typography, a new project from the non-profit Public Design Center which is run by Clifton and his also multi-talented wife, fellow 20x200 superstar, Kate Bingaman-Burt. What is vernacular typography, you ask? Very good question, it's one I had to ask myself, but thankfully, Clifton has a way with words:

Vernacular type is a fleeting thing. It's often created for an immediate purpose and without intention of it lasting. The Center for Vernacular Typography seeks to document these typographic artifacts in their natural environments. Once documented, our mission is then to catalog, research, and exhibit the findings.

As this project develops, the centralized uploading location for photographic specimens is on the Center's flickr group.

For more about CVT's mission, see their website. I also highly recommend viewing the Center's specimens but don't spend too much time browsing; like all good things, this print is not bound to last! Another thing that won't last long, my stint as a newsletter writer: Jen will be back next week with her own words of wisdom and of course, more great art.

Previous Newsletter : Edition Announcement #113 - Juliane Eirich