passing
DESCRIPTION
Defining Pedestrian TypographyTRANSCRIPT
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PASS INGPASSING
DEFINING PEDESTRIAN TYPOGRAPHY
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PASS INGPASSING
DEFINING PEDESTRIAN TYPOGRAPHY
Photographed, written and designed
by Shannon McGill
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YOUR MESSAGE HERE
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This book is about messages, sent and received by humans
such as yourself. As humans, we seem to have this innate
need to express our thoughts and ideas.
In cities, an interesting dynamic develops. Both intentionally
and unintentionally, people are constantly expressing
their personalities and essences. But as people’s focus
shifts to their destination, these bits of expression are less
controlled, left behind in their raw form. A crumpled note
hastily dropped in a rush to catch the bus. Words of wisdom
scratched on a bathroom stall.
These jumbled messages that exist for the smallest fraction
of time arguably contain infinitely more truth than their
contrived counterparts. Because we are not privileged with an
identity to attach to each message, we instead look objectively
to the message itself to find the story.
For the sake of this book, we will refer to these messages and
their forms more specifically as “pedestrian typography.” There
are four distinct elements that comprise these messages : they
are created by pedestrians while in transit, they are impromptu,
they are impermanent, and they are anonymous.
READ THIS
// CONTENTS
Read this (foreword)
Pedestrian typography vs. graffiti
Pedestrian
Impromptu
Impermanent
Anonymous
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46
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PEDESTRIAN TYPE IS NOT GRAFFITI
BUT KIND OF
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A distinction must
be made between
graffiti and pedestrian
type, as they are both
separate yet very
much alike in their
nature.
GRAFFITI IS NOT
(NECESSARILY) PEDESTRIAN
TYPE
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First, we will attempt to define graffiti, Graffiti (“little scratch-
ing,” from the Italian graffiare, “to scratch”; the singular is
graffito) are a form of communication that is both personal
and free of the everyday social restraints that normally pre-
vent people from giving uninhibited reign to their thoughts.
As such, these sometimes crude inscriptions offer some
intriguing insights into the people who author them and into
the society to which these people belong (Abel).
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13Graffiti is not about clean lines,
pretty colors and beautiful blends.
Graffiti is my life’s turbulence
exploded on a wall.”
Mint Serf
“
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While graffiti is
raw passion and
personality, it is in-
tentional. Graffiti
artists thoroughly
plan and sketch out
their designs prior
to creation. There is
a technique to their
art. Before they scrawl
across subway walls
and labyrinthine bridge
tunnels. There is preci-
sion and steadiness of
hand with every paint
stroke. This thorough
planning and gridding
out is the main difference
between graffiti and pedes-
trian type.
However, their likenesses
most definitely outweigh the
differences. By nature, both
are a product of street life.
There is raw emotion, an un-
deniable need to be heard.
The city, a wild and untam-
able force, becomes their
canvas.
This canvas is accessible
to anyone. One needn’t
expensive tools or a stu-
dio to work in. You don’t
need extensive training
or a masters degree. In
fact, you are perfectly
capable exactly where
you are. Because you
are human, you have
ideas. And those
ideas are worth
hearing.
THIS CANVAS
IS ACCESSIBLE
TO ANYONE
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“I mean for the basic public, you’re walking down the
road and you see a bit of spray paint on the wall and you
don’t take a second glimpse, you know, you don’t bother
to read it, you just walk straight past. For a graffiti
artist, it’s like living in another world, you know what
I mean? Every bit of writing on the wall means something to
someone and you take notice of it all.”
Mear
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I equate the feeling of living with
my ability to express myself. It
seems to be something I do in-
nately, in my most natural state.
When something important or
meaningful occurs in our lives, we
feel the need to document the ex-
perience and share it with others.
Sometimes, making anonymous
connections with strangers can be
just as significant as connection
with close friends. All types of con-
nections are formed through our
abilities to express ourselves.”
“
Brenna Paxton
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We feel the need to document our experiences
and share them with others.
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Graffiti is one of the few tools you have
if you have almost nothing. And even if
you don’t come up with a picture to cure
world poverty, you can make someone
smile while they’ve having a piss.
Banksy,Beating Your Head Against a Brick Wall
“
Banksy,Beating Your Head Against a Brick Wall
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PEDESTRIAN
pe•des•tri•an // adj. //
1. Traveling on foot as a
mode of transportation
2. Moving, traveling
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The best way undoubtedly of seeing a country is on foot.
It is the safest, and most suited to every variety of road; it will
often enable you to take a shorter track, and visit scenes (the
finest perhaps) not otherwise accessible; it is healthy, and,
with a little practice, easy; it is economical: a pedestrian is
content with almost any accommodations; he, of all travellers,
wants but little, ‘Nor wants that little long’. And last, though
not least, it is perfectly independent.”
Robert Newell
“
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into the reality that we do not want to remain islands.
It’s a glimpse
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Pedestrians are curious creatures. And
in reality, each of us is one of these curi-
ous creatures.
When living in our respective commu-
nities, we work and live amongst each
other. To function in our daily lives, we
must move and travel to our obligatory
destinations. In cities, we are afforded
a great deal of options in the transpor-
tation department. Each of us picks
our respective mode for very different
reasons. This choice defines our experi-
ence greatly.
For those of us who travel the world
on foot, we become part of an entity
that is both collective and isolated.
Pedestrian type seems a peek into
this dichotomy. It’s a glimpse into the
reality that we do not want to remain
islands. In fact, we do want to connect.
We feel this inherent craving to peek in
the lives of those who pass by us, fellow
humans who we may never cross paths
with for the remaining duration of our
lives. In that fraction of a moment, we
are occupying the same space.
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As pedestrians, we have a capacity for interacting with others
that we do not have in an automobile. Popular pedestrian
environments seem chaotic; they accommodate movement, but
offer many opportunities for spontaneous exchange.”
“Anonymous
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Robin Jarvis, in his book Romantic Writing and
Pedestrian Travel, said “to walk is, beyond all
comparison, the most independent and advantageous
mode of traveling.” Though there are faster ways to
travel, walking is unique. We are able to interact with
our surroundings on a much more intimate level.
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stranger,If you, passing, meet me,
and desire to speak to me,
why should you not speak to me?
And why should I not speak to you?
Walt Whitman
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IMPROMP
TU
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IMPROMP
TU
im•promp•tu // adj. //
1. Prompted by the occasion rather
than being planned in advance
2. Composed with little or no
preparation; extemporaneous
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There are times when thinking about something is the worst possible policy.”John Christopher,
When the Tripods Come
“
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As pedestrians, we are nearly always
traveling to reach a destination. To
get to work, to meet a friend, to get to
the store on time. This is the nature of
travel for most pedestrians. There is a
rush, a sense of restlessness as we are
still in transit. There is a distinct focus
on the destination, getting from point A
to point B effectively and efficiently.
Because travel time is most often not
the focus of our attention, our encoun-
ters during that time become
simply a means to an end. A
purely functional part of our
day.
Our rush to get going does not
allow much time for anything
else. Everything else becomes an
afterthought.
Whether intentional or unin-
tentional, Pedestrian type are the
messages left behind in our rush.
A scrap of paper, a sticker hastily
posted on a storefront window, a
name scratched in the cement.
There is no time to edit or revise
what we choose to put out there.
Our window of opportunity is
short in that moment of inspira-
tion. There is only enough to get
our message out. The heavily con-
trolled and often contrived facades
we usually output are . We lose con-
trol and the messages take on a life
of their own.
There is no time to edit or revise
our output.
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“Sometimes I just need to make something immediately, something ugly. Completely disregard aesthetic.
Because sometimes, that’s the only thing that feels honest.”
“
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impermanentim•per•ma•nent // adj. //
1. Not lasting or durable; not permanent // 2. Fleeting; transitory
Everyone has to scratch on walls somewhere“Michael Ondaatje, In the Skin of a Lion
OR THEY GO CRAZY.
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impermanentim•per•ma•nent // adj. //
1. Not lasting or durable; not permanent // 2. Fleeting; transitory
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IMPERMA
NENT
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IMPERMA
NENT
im•per•ma•nent // adj. //
1. Not lasting or durable;
not permanent
2. Fleeting; transitory
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symbol of our existences. We ex-
ist for that time in an unstable
environment. Because the mes-
sages we leave behind are also
in this volatile setting, they, too,
exist for but an instant.
There is a spectrum here as
well. Sometimes the message
lingers for a few days, weeks,
months. Other times it is
washed away in a moment. Be-
cause it does not hold the same
permanance as something like
an establishment sign, there is
often times no way to predict the
longevity of this message.
But then, predictability isn’t
really the nature of a pedestrian
lifestyle, is it?
we desire so deeply to hold onto
things,to keep them forever,
Impermanent are all component things,
They arise and cease, that is their nature:
They come into being and pass away,
Release from them is bliss supreme.”
“Mahaa-Parinibbaana Sutta
But the reality is that most things
don’t last. Even us.
For some individuals, pedestrian
type is a way for them to evade such
a harsh reality. It seems people leave
messages behind as an attempt to feel
worthwhile, to defy time and defy our
mortality.
The streets can become a profound
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to keep them forever,
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Eventually, everything goes away.”Elizabeth Gilbert“
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“As far as I have discovered, the most
important thing in life is making
connections with other people. So we
often have the desire to leave a mark in
a normal place, as a way to tell the world
that ‘something special happened here
and that this place matters.’”
Brenna Paxton
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ANON
YMOUS
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ANON
YMOUS
anon•y•mous // adj. //
1. (of a person) Not identified by
name; of unknown name.
2. Having no outstanding, individual,
or unusual features; unremarkable or
impersonal.
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The streets become the very platform we need for expression.
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As humans, we all have a natural fear of
being judged. We like to impress people.
We enjoy being thought of as intelligent,
capable, worthwhile.
Under these rigid constraints though, we
lose a great deal of our content. In our fear
of rejection, we hold back. And the world
misses out on what goes unsaid.
Because of this, we find great freedom
in anonymity. To express, to simply
be ourselves, in our purest form.
When expressing anonymously, an artist
removes herself from the confines of social
constructs, because nothing can be tied
back to her.
The streets, then, can become the very
platform we need for expression. We start
a conversation with our physical environ-
ment. It is as if we don’t even need someone
to receive our message. We just need to
express.
This dynamic allows the artist’s identity to
lie solely in his or her message.
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IT’S THE ONLY TIME
WE’RE ALLOWED
TO BE STRANGE. We find these messages
everywhere. Scrawled in
notebooks. Etched into
bathroom stall walls.
Scribbled on receipts. The
coolest thing about these
bits of information is the
personality we receive.
Even without identifying
the artist himself, the art-
ist becomes separate from
the message, so we can
take the message for ex-
actly what it is. For some,
it’s the only time we’re
allowed to be strange.
It’s the only time we can
fully be ourselves.
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that causes people to feel the need or
the compulsion to express on it their
frustrations, hatreds, fantasies, desires,
wit, wisdom, their innermost secrets,
things they would not ordinarily reveal
to their closest friends or loved ones?”
“WHAT IS THERE
ABOUT AN EMPTY
LAVATORY WALL Anonymous
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For you, as well as I, can open fence doors and walk across
America in your own special way. Then we can all discover who
our neighbors are.”
Rob Sweetgall
“
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This book was typeset in Trade Gothic and Swift. It was
designed in Adobe InDesign and photos were edited in
Adobe Photoshop. All photos were taken in Lawrence, KS,
Kansas City, MO, and Dallas, TX and were all shot with a
Canon 10D.
A special thanks to Alec Bostwick and assorted pedestrians
that I encountered through my studies. Their unique
perspectives and ideas are embedded in every page of this
book.
Designer as Author, Patrick Dooley, Fall 2012
The University of Kansas
SOURCES
Abel, E., & Buckley, B. (1977). The handwriting on the wall. Westport:
Greenwood Press.
Macdonald, N. (2011). The graffiti subculture : Youth, masculinity and
identity in london and new york. New York: Halgrove.
All individual quotes are credited to their writers/speakers in text.
Credits