VC: Paula Scher & The Geography of Design

Paula Scher is a graphic designer based in New York City who began her career as a record cover art director at Atlantic and CBS Records in the 1970s. She is currently a principal in the New York office of the distinguished international consultancy Pentagram. In the video "The Geography of Design", Scher discusses how living in New York City has influenced her work. The density of the complicated grid system that New York is built upon, and the scale of the buildings is reflected in her typography. Scher often uses condensed capital letters that are tightly fitted together, which alludes to the physicality of the city itself. Another influence she discusses is the idea of being loud and big. In order to be seen in New York, it's necessary to work in a larger scale so Scher often works on projects that are displayed on buildings and public areas.

I've lived in Dallas, Texas my entire life so I don't know much about Kansas City, but as the saying goes, the eyes of a stranger sees much clearer. There are aspects of an environment those who reside in them overlook the longer the live there. For instance, the idea of physicality that Scher mentions is one way that Kansas City has influenced me. The architecture here is like nothing I've seen before so it's more apparent to me compared to others that have lived here longer. However, one could also argue that a stranger only sees the general ideas of a city and not the finer details. This argument is equally viable, because I took this approach in my poster project. In order to better acquaint myself with the city I wanted to explore multiple neighborhoods and try to capture the overall feel of them rather than focusing intently on one neighborhood.